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Family History

Starting Out

If you are just starting you search for you ramily roots, there are two books which you may find useful. They are specifically for Scottish family history, and each is stocked by Stirling Council Libraries:

JAMES, Alwyn - Scottish Roots, Luath Press, New Revised Edition 2002

BIGWOOD, Rosemary - tracing Scottish Ancestry, Harper Collins, 2nd Edition 2001

Family History is a growing area of interest and all of our libraries carry useful information. Each community library has some material relevant to its area.

The Reference Library in Central Library, Stirling houses the largest collection, however. The Old Parish Records of the Established Church of Scotland are available on microfilm for what was Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire and for parts of West Perthshire. These give details of recorded births, deaths, banns and marriages up to 1854, with Stirlingshire entries indexed. Census records from 1841 to 1901 are available for the same areas with Clackmannanshire for 1901 only. The 1881 census for Great Britain is available here and also at Bridge of Allan, Drymen, Dunblane and St Ninians Libraries.

There is now a vast range of websites relating to family history.  Some provide information about people, others are linked to other sites.  All libraries offer access through the Internet.

Central Library also holds microfilmed copies of local newspapers back to 1820 and there are indexes available. The "Stirling Observer Christmas Annual" is also available on microfilm, together with an index for volumes from 1911-69.

Old Parish Records and the 1851 census for Stirlingshire, Clackmannanshire and parts of West Perthshire are held at Bridge of Allan library, courtesy of the Central Scotland Family History Society.

It is advisable to book microfilm readers in advance of your visit as demand can be high from time to time.

Central Library also holds the following CD ROMs: Soldiers who died in the Great War 1914-1919, Army Roll of Honour: World War II and Service of Heirs.

Classes in Basic Scottish Family History are run each Spring and Autumn by the Local History Officer. Consultations are available at any time during the week, but it is advisable to book in advance.

Other council services which can be useful when researching your family tree are Registrars, Archives, Libraries and Cemeteries.

Email or telephone  (01786 432017) for further details.