Genealogy Chat

Hi all,

Im so sorry and feel stupid to ask, but how do I purchase credits and navigate around this site. Ive looked at a few times now and always come away with nothing. Now it isnt even recognising me after I signed on.

Im looking for relatives from Scotland to inch me a bit further on my tree, I must admit tho I am the slowest person in the world finding it so hard to grasp der....

I know....JOHN BELL
Spouse: MARGARET MACKAY
Marriage: 20 NOV 1874 Leith, Midlothian, Scotland... but Im struggling to go back to their parents.

ALSO
I know James Simpson,
Spouse: Margaret Sibbald
Marriage 22/03/1872 Largo Scotland.

Any help would be apreciated, I just cant get my head around the site.

KInd Regards Jaquelyn Simpson :-)

Hi Jacquelyn,

Do you have the marriage cert yet for the John bell marriage?

If you go onto the site, log-on or register, (free) then search the marriage index (top left). When you get the hits on 1 page, it gives you the option to view - which costs one credit. (Green button) At this point you are given the option to purchase the credits using a credit card. Minimum number of credits is 30 for £7. Then it takes you back to your search.

View the hits, then click on view image - 5 credits - to see the cert. An 1874 marriage cert will have the parents' names on it.

EDIT - just tried it and the marriage is definitely there.

Hi Jaquelyn,
Firstly, if you have already registered with SP, you should have given yourself a username and password.
If you are certain that you are using the correct details and not gaining access, there is a login help icon ( in green) top right of the page.

Once you gain access, credits are purchased using credit/debit card.
This again is found on the top right of the page.

I assume the marrige details posted came from Family Search?
If so, simply add all the info to a marriage search page and hit "do the search".
This should produce 1 match.
If so, click view 1 credit, and continue with instructions.
The document will open on your screen

Any marriage cert after 1855 should provide the names of both sets of parents, which will make it easier to locate the families using census records.
Many of us here can help locating families on Scottish censuses up until 1901, but we need to know how old the couple were when they married.

EDIT
You are not thick! It just takes practise and confidence.

John Bell, age 24, father John Bell Joiner Journeyman Deceased mother Sarah Bell maiden surname (looks like) Heaney?
Margaret Mckay, age 23 years, father Hugh Mckay Master Baker deceased mother Ann McKay maiden surname Thomson.

1891

Name: John Bell
Age: 39
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1852
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Margret Bell
Gender: Male
Where born: Kirkcudbright
Registration Number: 685/2
Registration district: St Andrew
Civil parish: Edinburgh St Stephens
County: Midlothian
Address: 19a Fettes Row
Occupation: House Painter
ED: 121
Household schedule number: 19
Line: 19
Roll: CSSCT1891_345
Household Members: Name Age
John Bell 39
Margret Bell 40
Annie D Bell 15
John T Bell 14
Sarah Bell 12
Maggie D Bell 6
David A Bell 2

????

Name: Hugh Mckay
Age: 33
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1828
Relationship: Head
Spouse's name : Ann Mckay
Gender: Male
Where born: Beath, fifeshire
Registration Number: 424/1
Registration district: Dunfermline Burgh
Civil parish: Dunfermline Burgh
County: Fife
Address: South Inglis Str
Occupation: Baker
ED: 2
Household schedule number: 144
Line: 14
Roll: CSSCT1861_55
Household Members: Name Age
Hugh Mckay 33
Ann Mckay 32
Margret Mckay 10
Cathren Mckay 8
John Brash 42
John Couper 21


???
1841

Name: Hugh Mckay
Age: 20
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1821
Gender: Male
Where born: Scotland

Civil parish: Dunfermline
County: Fife
Address: Chalmers Street West Side
Occupation: J Baker
Parish Number: 424
Household Members: Name Age
James Simpson 35
Elisabeth Simpson 35
Benjm Simpson 11
James Simpson 6
Elisabeth S E Simpson 4
Janet Simpson 1
Magt Thomson 16
Thos Rae 20
Hugh Mckay 20

Thanks a million everyone especially to those of you who have taken time to look my family up. I will follow your instructions and try the site again.

Kind regards Jackie

On S.P. You actually get less parental info on the index for births on the Statutory (post 1855) records than you do on the OPR's.

Try to narrow your searches down using "other sites" then go to S.P. with as tight a date/place as you can manage. Only if you have a single result should you think of going ahead to spend 5 credits on opening the document.

EDIT: I just searched BELL/MACKAY and there is only a single marriage for those details. Just enter the groom/bride details and the year and Edinburgh city as the place and you'll get, for 1 euro the index and 5 more the original certificate with parents (if known) location of marriage, church and witness details.

Hi all,

Ive managed to use site and start finding people, Wahey.....but one big problem I can't read the writing any tips?

Kind regard Jackie

Click under my piggy face (send message) and send the document to me as an attachment. See if I can read it for you. If you want, that is.

EDIT: realised you might have a problem saving the document if you're new to SP.

When the document opens and displays, to the top left of the document is a symbol showing an arrow pointing down to indicate "save". If you click on this it will open a box asking you what you want to call it, and where you want to store it. Usually it stores in My Images or My Documents. Once you've saved it you can look at it offline. You don't have to pay again. SP remembers what you've viewed.

Malcolm...Thank you for that piece of info.I must be the biggest eejit out...have used SP for years and never knew that..!!
Head in the gas oven time...!!

Eringobragh...SP is such a Cool site....all previous searches and viewed images for each member are stored it's difficult to believe that it's run by the same people (BrightSolid) that developed the New F.....in Tree on here. Eeejits you say? We might have a Celtic explosion between us ...Grrr.

Braveheart...they can take my life, but they can't take my TREEEEEE!

Bit Dumb but whats OPR Malcom?

thanks Jackie

OPR stands for Old Parish Registers which in Scotland go from 1530 to 1854. From 1855 we enter the "Statutory" period when it became compulsory to register Births Marriages and Deaths (Known as BMD's) on standard forms.

The OPR's were kept by ministers, Town Clerks, Teachers....and not every town or village kept accurate records. OPR's record various activities associated with birth, christening, marriage and death including descriptions of burial places and "mortcloth rental" so these events are not as formal as the later statutory forms, but can be very revealing. Some OPR's are incredibly hard to read but many have been transcibed by the Mormon association and these transcriptions can be found on their website.

Finally, a lot of OPR's were lost so coverage of some areas is poor.