Getting Started
The Clan MacLaren Society collects genealogies, and our Clan Genealogist Bob McLaren invites you to submit yours. He would also be glad to help you with your research.
If you have your genealogy in a computer program, the best way to submit it is with a GEODCOM. If you don't know how to extract a GEODCOM from your computer program, or you don't have a genealogy program, contact Bob at bobmclaren@earthlink.net, or by mail at Robert D McLaren, 7810 Kincardine Ct, Alexandria, Virginia 22315-4025, USA.
Here are some tips to help dig up your family's history:
1. Check with older relatives and old papers when relatives die.
2. Local library and microfiche for county required.
3. Visit the New Register House (end of Princes Street east) for about 15 Pounds. The staff are very helpful.
4. Try Old Parish Records (OPRs), Church Records up
to 1854 (voluntary), Statutory Registers (compulsory) 1855 onwards.
5. Join a family history society and make contact with other researchers.
6. The Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) has a vast library of information and has indexed many records.
7. Use of a PC opens a massive amount of information.
8. Most libraries have free internet use, but usually
have queues waiting.
9. Some libraries have a Mormon-based CD collection
and given a name can dig up some very useful information (not for
personal use).
10. Stirling has a good research centre, but it's only open on certain days.
11. The Scottish Genealogy Society in Edinburgh has a library and Family History
Centre at 15 Victoria Terrace (not open on Fridays).
12. A good website is www.familysearch.org.
Internet Research Tools
Use these websites to find topics of interest:
www.yahoo.com
www.google.com
www.altavista.com
www.excite.com
www.lycos.com
www.csfhs.org.uk
The official Central Scotland Family History Society website
includes membership information.
www.genuki.org.uk
The UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service provides
links to other societies and organisations.
www.pro.gov.uk
The Public Record Office, London gives details of records
and current projects.
www.cwgc.org
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission database is very
straightforward to search.
www.hmc.gov.uk
The Royal Commission for Historical Manuscripts has an index of
the National Register of Archives.
www.sog.org.uk
The Society of Genealogists' website includes membership information.
www.genfair.com
The Family History Fair is online with many resources for purchase. You can also join other societies through the site, including the
Central Scotland FHS.
www.familysearch.com
This is the Church of the Latter Day Saints family history database. The Mormons have a vast library of information and have
indexed many records.
