Date:   Mon Mar 16 1992  06:04:46
From:   Jack Sanders
To:     All
Subj:   BOOK REVIEW: Researching Scottish Ancestors
Attr:   
GENEALOGY                      -------------------------------


According to Her Majesty's Historiographer in Scotland, there are many
more than 20-million people living outside Scotland whose ancestors
were Scots. Potentially, that's a big audience for ``Tracing Your
Scottish Ancestry,'' published by Polygon of Edinburgh and now
available in this country.

While written by Kathleen B. Cory, one of Scotland's foremost
genealogists, and first published in Scotland, the book assumes you
know little of the government and systems of Scotland. Thus, it is as
valuable to an American as it is to a native. What's more, Ms. Cory
has included many definitions and an extensive ``glossary of
occupations, terms, and contractions found in Scottish records and
census returns.''

The 195-page paperback contains the expected rundown of major and
minor sources of information, with an especially long (38 pages) and
detailed chapter on researching records in New Register House, which
is the main official source of records in Scotland (there's even a map
to show you where it is in Edinburgh, should you be lucky enough to do
your searching first-hand).

Several features make this book special. One is at the very end of the
text -- a 23-page ``Step by Step Guide'' to doing research. This is a
real treat, for Ms. Cory doesn't just tell you how to proceed, she
uses an actual example of a research project she undertook for
someone, on which she spent 10 days, working six hours a day. This
guide would serve as a lesson in careful research for anyone,
anywhere. You can't help but gain some insights into research
techniques.

Also invaluable is the 53-page ``List of Parishes, Counties, and
Commissiariots,'' including the dates of the earliest birth or
marriage record extant, and the earliest date of wills and
inventories.

Other valuable features of the book are its many reproductions of
government and parish forms, records and indexes. There's information
on how Scottish surnames work, on clans, and there's a map of the
counties of Scotland. The book includes a detailed index.

Originally published in 1990 in Scotland, a new edition is begin made
available by Genealogical Publishing Company (Dept. SM, 1001 North
Calvert Street, Baltimore, Md., 21202, 1-800-296-6687). Copies should
be arriving at better libraries and bookshops now. The price is $16.95. 
--J.F.S.


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 * Origin: SOURCE OF MAGIC: Northeast Roots 203-431-4687 HST (1:141/725)