Scottish Genealogy Research Toolkit

Your Scottish roots are calling! To answer, we’ve put together this list of the best genealogy websites and books you can put in your Scottish research toolkit.

Scottish Genealogy Websites

General Reference

• Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives
• Cyndi’s List — Scotland
• The GENES Blog
• Library of Congress: Sources for Research in Scottish Genealogy
• Rampant Scotland Directory of Scottish Web Sites
• Rootschat—Scotland
• Scottish Archives for Schools
• Scotland GenWeb

Records

• FamilySearch.org
• Findmypast
• FreeCEN
• GENUKI: Scotland
• National Records of Scotland
• National Register of Archives for Scotland
• ScotlandsPeople
• The Scottish Emigration Database (University of Aberdeen)

Maps and Places

• Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA)—Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland
• Alan Godfrey Maps
• Clan Map of Scotland
• Gazetteer for Scotland
• A Gazetteer of Scotland
• National Library of Scotland—Maps
• ScotandsPlaces

History and Culture

• Am Baile Highland History and Culture
• Dictionary of the Scots Language
• ElectricScotland.com
• FamilySearch Wiki: Scotland Emigration & Immigration
• Scottish Archive Network
• The Scottish Diaspora Blog
• The Scottish Emigration Blog
• Scottish Handwriting
• Scottish National War Memorial
• The Scottish Register of Tartans
• Statistical Accounts of Scotland
• Ulster Ancestry

Scottish Genealogy Books

• Clans and Families of Scotland: The History of the Scottish Tartan by Alexander Fulton (Book Sales, 1999)
• Concise Scots Dictionary (Edinburg University Press, 2018)
• A Dance Called America: The Scottish Highlands, the United States and Canada by James Hunter (Mainstream Publishing, 1995)
• Discover Your Scottish Ancestry: Internet and Traditional Resources by Graham S. Holton (Edinburgh University Press, 2009)
• The Family Tree Scottish Genealogy Guide by Amanda Epperson (Family Tree Books, 2018)
• A Genealogist’s Guide to Discovering Your Scottish Ancestors by Paul Milner and Linda Jonas (Betterway Books, 2002)
• The Highland Clans by Alistair Moffat (Thames & Hudson, 2013)
• The Highland Clearances, new edition by Eric Richards (Birlinn Ltd., 2016)
• The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers by Cecil R. Humphery-Smith (The History Press, 2003)
• Reunion: A Search for Ancestors by Ryan Littrell (Self-published, 2012)
• Rooted in Scotland: Getting to the Heart of Your Scottish Heritage by Cameron Taylor (Luath Press, 2014)
• Scottish Ancestry: Research Methods for Family Historians by Sherry Irvine (Ancestry, 2003)
• Scottish Genealogy, fourth edition by Bruce Durie (The History Press, 2018)
• The Scottish Family Tree Detective: Tracing Your Ancestors in Scotland by Rosemary Bigwood (Manchester University Press, 2006)
• The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History by George F. Black (Churchill & Dunn, 2015)
• To the Ends of the Earth: Scotland’s Global Diaspora, 1750–2010 by T.M. Devine (Smithsonian Books, 2011)
• Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians by Ian Maxwell (Pen and Sword, 2014)
• Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry by Kathleen B. Cory (Genealogical Publishing Company, 2004)

Hungry for more Scottish genealogy resources? The new Family Tree Scottish Genealogy Guide by Amanda Epperson contains expert strategies for finding your Scottish immigrant ancestor and tracing him in the old country. Inside, you’ll learn how to find census returns, vital records and more on both sides of the Atlantic. The book also contains easy-to-understand guides to Scottish geography, history and naming patterns.

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