If you’re struggling with researching Kirk Session records, you may want to take a look at two free tutorials by Tessa Spencer, head of Outreach and Learning at the National Records of Scotland (NRS), that Scottish Indexes has made available on its website.
One video is dedicated to Kirk Session records. The other is an overview of the records held by the NRS, including Kirk Session records. Both videos should help you get to grips with the records.
Kirk Session records can contain a wide variety of material, such as births, marriages, deaths, fornication, poor relief, population lists, and emigration.
Emma Maxwell of Scottish Indexes wrote, “Kirk Session records are free to search on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, but there are few indexes available. My top tip would be to enjoy the searching process, take an interest in cases that don’t relate to your family and view the whole experience as an opportunity to learn more about social history.”
Visit Scottish Indexes’ Learning Zone — Kirk Session Records to watch the videos and read plenty of useful information about the records, including how to access and understand them.
Scottish Indexes is a family-run business based in central Scotland, managed by the husband and wife team Graham and Emma Maxwell. As far back as 2001, the Maxwells have been indexing records so people could trace their Scottish family tree from anywhere in the world. Their website was launched in 2014.
