Finding your Scottish family: Documentary evidence to DNA, online study day

An online study day introducing the essential sources for tracing your Scottish family history online, what the Argyll Papers at Inveraray Castle can offer you and how DNA can support your genealogical research.

Book your ticket via Eventbrite: Finding your Scottish family: Documentary evidence to DNA Tickets, Sat 2 Dec 2023 at 16:00 | Eventbrite

16:00    Welcome, introduction and housekeeping by Juli Anderson, CCS(NA) genealogist, tutor and dissertation supervisor at Strathclyde Institute of Genealogy Studies, University of Strathclyde.

16:15    Session 1: Tessa Spencer, National Records of Scotland

            Getting the most out of ScotlandsPeople

In this talk, Tessa will provide an introduction to ScotlandsPeople, NRS’ online research service, where you can access digital images of statutory registers of births, deaths and marriages (post 1855); the Census; Old Parish Registers (pre 1855); legal records and more. Her talk will look at this diverse material, including some interesting and surprising examples, explaining what the records are and how you can access and use them and get the most out of the website for family history research.

17:00    Session 2: Judy Nimer Muhn, Professional Genealogist

            Top tips for using FamilySearch effectively

Family Search is a free and extensive resource to researchers!  Learn about the ins and outs of utilizing the search tools, resource compilations, Wiki and more in this session.  We'll discuss the family trees shared there as well as how to find the information available on your families.

18:00    Session 3: Alison Diamond, Archivist, the Argyll Papers

            Putting flesh on the bones: how the Argyll Papers can add to your family history

Once you’ve tracked your ancestors to Scotland, to estates owned by the earls and dukes of Argyll at a particular time, then the Argyll Papers may be able to add flesh to the bones of their lives: where might they have lived and what might their lives have been like? Alison will briefly introduce the types of records surviving in this (and other) estate archives which may put flesh on the bones of your family history.

18:30    Case studies:

Dena Palamedes

            Family History Gems from the Inveraray Archives

A series of serendipitous events and generous people helped Dena find her ancestors' origins, the Dukes' small tenants' farm Savary, Morvern. There were also clues that her ancestors had ties with the Dukes. One well planned day in the Archives, led to many discoveries in estate rental records. Dena will share what she was able to learn about those ancestors and why they emmigrated.

            Catriona Smyth

            Unveiling Shadows: Tracing My Family's Footsteps through the Argyll Papers

In this presentation, we embark on a journey through the once-obscure history of a family residing on the Duke of Argyll's Estate during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  Known only through family oral tradition, Catriona's recent discoveries in the Inveraray Archives have illuminated their past. This talk emphasises the intricacies of genealogical research with limited documentation and highlights the lesser-known stories often eclipsed by more prominent histories.

19:00    Session 4: Ed Sweeney

From adoptee to “Son of Somerled”: unleashing the full potential of genetic genealogy by combining documentary and DNA evidence.

As a family history researcher how often have you hit a brick wall have when historical records dry up?  As an Ancestry (or other DNA company) user, how often do scratch your head trying to figure out an obscure 4th cousin match?   It is often said that “DNA doesn’t lie” … that’s true, but to be useful, DNA results need a family tree context.  Similarly, many family trees are corrupted by incorrect or missing documentation – DNA can often help to corroborate the documentation or fill the spaces in our trees.

Using my experience as an adoptee, I will provide a brief explanation of some helpful DNA techniques and how they can complement traditional family research methods.

20:00    Close

Friends of the Argyll Papers, Cherry Park, Inveraray PA32 8XE, Inveraray, PA32 8XE,