Societies

Scottish GENEALOGICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETIES

Scotland is a great place to do family history research because of the country's large number of archives, libraries and other repositories. A variety of records can also be found locally at registry offices, courthouses, public libraries, historical societies and elsewhere. Websites like Ancestry.com, Findmypast, ScotlandsPeople, and FamilySearch also provide access to many unique online databases relating to Scottish genealogy.

.In addition to these great resources, we have compiled a large number of links that should prove helpful to your search. Many of these are listed below and on our other pages relating to all parts of Scotland. If you would like a professional genealogist to help you with your quest, please click below.

HIRE A GENEALOGIST

Clan societies

Clan Anderson Society
Arbuthnott Family Association
Armstrong Clan Association
Armstrong Clan Society
Clan Arthur Association (MacArthur)
Clan Baird Society Worldwide
Clan Balfour Society
Clan Barclay International
Clan Bell North America
Clan Blackstock Society
Clan Borthwick Association
Clan Blair Society
House of Boyd Society
Clan Brodie of the Americas
Clan Brown/Broun Society
Family of Bruce International
Clan Buchan Association
Clan Buchanan Society International
Clan Campbell Society of North America

National Societies

Anglo Scots Family History Society
Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (ASGRA)
Eighteenth Century Scottish Studies Society
FamilySearch - Scotland Societies
GENUKI - Family History and Genealogy Societies of Scotland
The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland
Guild of One-Name Studies
Heraldry Society of Scotland
National Records of Scotland - Family History Societies
Royal Historical Society - Scottish Regional and National History and Record Societies
Scottish-American Military Society
Scottish Association of Family History Societies
Scottish Church History Society
The Scottish Genealogy Society
The Scottish History Society
Scottish Military Research Group
Scottish Place-Name Society
Scottish Society for Northern Studies
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Society of Name Studies in Britain and Ireland
The Stair Society - Scotland's Legal History Society
University of Glasgow - Scottish History Societies
Women's History Scotland

regional Societies

Local Resources

Many Scottish family records can be found online and at various archives and libraries located throughout the United Kingdom. Many millions of records aren't yet available online, though, and many of these are awaiting your discovery at the local level at courthouses, historical societies, churches, council offices, cemeteries, and elsewhere in Scotland. To find these and other records, click on the links below to find more information about the specific counties where your ancestors lived in Scotland. You'll find information on these pages that will lead you to the specific documentation you're searching for.

It is important to keep in mind when doing research that the names and boundaries of certain areas in Scotland have changed over the past few hundred years. Your ancestors may have lived on a certain farm in one county and when borders were redrawn records relating to your family history might have been located in another area entirely. When searching for land, court, tax, and other records it is also a good idea to search for these records in adjacent areas. Following is a complete list of Scotland's 32 council areas along with their formation dates, county seats, and names of parent counties.