St Andrews University Library Special Collections Genealogy

Looking for Your Ancestors in St Andrews University Library

St Andrews University Library Special Collections Department is a frequently used centre for research into family history. This page briefly describes the most commonly used sources available here, and offers some basic advice on how to go about your search.

Where do I start?

Be aware that genealogical research is never simple or easy. If you expect to make a quick visit to a library or archive and find a helpful member of staff who will give you all the answers, you will be disappointed.

It is always better to work backwards from the known to the unknown. Start your family history search by talking to your oldest relatives and look at family records such as bibles, wills and certificates. Beware of family traditions, however, unless or until you have documentation to back them up.

Once you have worked out the facts of a basic family tree with as many names, dates and places as possible, you can start to look at original records. These will allow you to check your information, flesh out the bare facts and lead you back to earlier generations. Consider joining a local family history society:

Fife Family History Society,: Mr A.J. Campbell, 30 Brown Street, Buckhaven, Fife KY8 1JW.
E-mail: Fife@ffhsoc.freeserve.co.uk
. http://www.fifefhs.org
The Tay Valley Family History Society: has a research Centre at 179-181 Princes Street, Dundee, DD4 6DQ.
Tel.: 01382-461845.
http://www.tayvalleyfhs.org.uk

The Internet will give you access to an ever-increasing number of sites on the world wide web containing genealogical information. As a starter try http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/

Genealogical Sources in St Andrews University Library

Most of our material relates particularly to St Andrews and North East Fife.

Sources on microfilm

The International Genealogical Index (or IGI) produced by the Genealogical Society of Utah ("The Mormon microfiche", 1988 ed.) is available in the Special Collections Reading Room. This includes details of baptisms and marriages and a small number of deaths taken from the Old Parish Registers.

Copies of the Census returns for Fife, 1841-1891 are held on microfilm (ms37863). In addition, the census returns for St Andrews, 1841-1861 have been transcribed and indexed.

Manuscript sources

Church records.: These are held here under charge and superintendence of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. These cover the Presbyteries of St Andrews and Cupar and include the records of the Kirk Sessions of parish churches. They can contain communion rolls, lists of heads of families, details of illegitimate births, payments to the poor, and records of baptism, marriages and burial. A full list of holdings by parish is available. We also hold Synod and Presbytery records and archive material from a number of secession and independent churches.
University muniments: These include information on former staff and students at the institution from the 15^th century onwards. Although they do not often contain personal or family information, they can nonetheless provide useful details not available elsewhere. Some of the older material has been published. A series of indices is available.
Burgh records for North East Fife.: These can include lists of inhabitants, voters and population, apprenticeship, burgess and valuation rolls, and craft and guildry records. Other manuscript holdings relating to trades include volumes of St Andrews baxters, cordiners, fleshers, and hammermen (1548-1861). The burgh register of sasines for St Andrews (1673-1809) has been microfilmed (ms 37024).
Family and estate papers.: There is available a list of the manuscripts owned by the University or held on deposit here. These might include rentals and tacks (leases) or genealogical compilations, family history notes etc. which could help in your search. You will need to know the farm or estate on which your ancestor lived.
Individual items or small collections.: Some of these are of significance to family historians, such as the minute book of the Anstruther Easter Mortsafe Society, 1830-1874 (ms37478) and the St Andrews Sea Box Society records, 1643-1974 (ms dep 51).

A Manuscripts database is being developed which can be searched for personal and place names. To access the manuscripts database click on the following telnet access, then use mssc as username and password when requested. Link to mss database

Other sources for Fife records

The Archives of Fife, AJ Campbell (FFHS, 1997), is an excellent guide to the location of pre-1900 archive material of genealogical and local historical importance.

Below are some details of where to find other standard genealogical sources, held elsewhere locally and also centrally in Edinburgh.

Registrar General for Scotland, New Register House, Edinburgh EH1 3YT (Tel.: 0131-334-0380): The main records in the care of the Registrar General are Old Parish Registers (1553-1853), Registers of births, deaths and marriages (from 1 January 1855), Registers of Adopted Children (from 1920), Registers of Divorces (from May 1984), Service Records (1881-1959), War Registers (from 1899) and census records (1841-1891). Indices to most of the records are computerised and access is generally on microfiche or microfilm. You may take notes from or order an official extract of register entries. Admission is through the purchase of a search pass. There is an on-line search facility at http://www.scotsorigins.com.
National Archives of Scotland HM General Register House, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY (Tel.: 0131-535-1314).: The best guide to the records in the Scottish Record Office is Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors, C Sinclair (HMSO), which explains step by step how to use the archive. The main groups of records you may find useful include: wills and testaments, sasines and other property records, estate records, valuation rolls, taxation records, court records, church records and material for early family history (pre 1600). There is a websitehttp://www.nas.gov.uk

Local public libraries have good local history collections:

Cupar Public Library, Duncan Institute, Crossgate, Cupar, KY15 5AS. Tel.: 01334-412285: Microfilm copies of the OPRs for Fife. Card index to local newspapers including Fifeshire Journal (1833-1893) and East Fife Record (1856-1960).
The Local History Department, Dunfermline Central Library, Abbot Street, Dunfermline, KY12 7NL. Tel.: 01383-312994: Specialises in the area of the west of Fife, around Dunfermline and also houses the more recent archives of the former burghs in the west of Fife.
Kirkcaldy Central Library, War Memorial Gardens, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1YG. Tel.: 01592-412878: Covers the Kirkcaldy and Central Fife area, but there is a lot of printed material concerning the rest of Fife.
Methil Public Library, Wellesley Road, Methil, Leven, KY8 3PA. Tel.: 01333-592470: The research material of the Fife Family History Society is held here which includes microfilm copies of the OPRs.
Fife Council Archive in Markinch: Contains many local authority records for the whole of the Fife area. For further details contact Andrew Dowsie: tel 01592 416504/413256 or e-mail to andrew.dowsie@fife.gov.uk

Please remember that our primary role is to facilitate the research activities of the University. We are nonetheless pleased to help you while you are in the department, although we can not do your research for you, and can only spend a limited amount of time on each postal or telephone enquiry. Should you require research done on your behalf you might like to contact one of the following:

David Dobson M.Phil, Genealogical Research Consultant,
8 Lawhead Road West, St Andrews, KY16 9NE
Tel.: 01334-476544;
e-mail: lds.dobson@btinternet.com
http://www.btinternet.com/~lds.dobson

Julie Poole, M.A., Member of Association of Genealogists and Record Agents and ASGRA, Family Historian in Scotland
9 Queens Gardens, St Andrews, KY16 9TA
Tel.: 01334-474887;
e-mail: juliepoole@aol.com

Scots Pine Research Services
78 Main Street, Lower Largo, Fife KY8 6BS
Tel.: 01333-320496;
e-mail: annec@gotadsl.co.uk

FifeRootsearch
Caroline I.F. Makein BA, Cert.SFHS, Genealogist and Family Historian,
22 Canongate St Andrews KY16 8RT
Tel.: 01334-476924
e-mail: makein@tesco.net
http://www.scottishfamilyrootsearch.co.uk

The Association of Scottish Genealogists and Record Searchers,
51/3 Mortonhall Road, Edinburgh, EH9 2HN
http://www.asgra.demon.co.uk