Scottish Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond

Though many beginner books explore Scottish genealogy and history, this work, true to its title, goes beyond the rudimentary information. Dobson (history, Univ. of St. Andrews, Scotland) introduces more advanced researchers to lesser-known sources and discusses where to find them, either online or in archives. After a short chapter on common sources, Dobson provides a comprehensive look at church records, then dives deep into secondary sources, including heritors’ and burgh records, the Scottish Register of Sasines, tax records, various court records, maritime sources, military and education records, among others. The last chapter is dedicated to records of Scottish people’s emigration to other parts of the world. Illustrations and examples of records supplement the text, along with a list of national and local archives and libraries, a surname index, and a list of Family History Societies.