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LOCAL SOURCES
The main local sources of genealogical/family history information in the Dundee and Angus area are detailed below:
The Dundee City Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages operates a Genealogy Unit where family historians can book a 2- hour search session for a fee of £30. You can do the research yourself with the services of a qualified registrar on hand to assist you, or commission the registrar to do the research for you while you look on. This service has proved extremely popular and it is advisable to book ahead.
Use of the computerised link to the National Indexes at New Register House makes it is possible to search for ancestors where little information is known, and also for descendants and surviving relatives.
You may wish to post or e-mail details of your research to the Registrar in advance of your visit. For an initial fee of £30, a full report, including family charts, will be compiled and sent to you by e-mail or post. Email: registrars@dundeecity.gov.uk
For more information about the Genealogy Unit and the records and indexes available there look at www.dundeecity.gov.uk/registrars/genealogy.html.
Dundee City Archives hold a wide range of records pertaining to the City of Dundee and its environs, including material of particular interest to the family historian with links to the area. For example, church records such as those of Dundee presbytery 1633–1980, Baptist, Methodist and Congregational Church records; Dundee Burgh Registers of Sasines 1639-1812, Registers of Deeds 1626–1908; school records, and various family and estate papers. Visitors are welcome by prior appointment. Email: archives@dundeecity.gov.uk.
For further information on the holdings of Dundee City Archives and contact
details, visit
www.dundeecity.gov.uk/archives.
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Closely associated with Dundee City Archives is the work of the Friends of
Dundee City Archives. Volunteers have undertaken the indexing and digitisation
of data from the holdings of the Archives, including records of the Gourlay
and the Caledon shipyards, 1797 Militia, Dundee Orphan Institution, early
local Vehicle Registrations, etc. In particular, the records of The Howff
and Constitution
Road [“New Howff”] burial grounds may be accessed, along with
other information, through the Friends’ website at www.fdca.org.uk.
Angus Archive, incorporating the Angus Local Studies Centre, is situated within Montrose Library. It holds archive material on the social and economic history of Angus, records of the former burghs of Arbroath, Brechin, Carnoustie, Forfar, Kirriemuir, Monifieth and Montrose and a substantial collection of genealogical records. A genealogical research service is also available. Email: angus.archives@angus.gov.uk
Full details on the Angus Archive holdings can be found on www.angus.gov.uk/history/archives/.
The Local Studies Department of Dundee Central Library houses an extensive collection relating to the City of Dundee and the surrounding area. Of particular value to the family historian are the Old Parochial Registers, Census Returns, International Genealogical Index, monumental inscriptions and burial records, trade directories, voters rolls, valuation rolls, military records, shipping records, newspapers, obituaries, Statistical Accounts and collections of maps and photographs. Many of the above cover parts of Angus as well as Dundee.
Knowledgeable staff can point you in the right direction and visitors have the free use of microfilm and microfiche readers on a first-come-first-served basis. If, however, you are planning to visit from abroad or from other areas of the U.K., contact Local Studies and a reader may be reserved for you.
For further information on the Local Studies Department's collections, look at www.dundeecity.gov.uk/centlib/loc_stud.htm or contact the Department on Email: local.studies@dundeecity.gov.uk.
The libraries of the old burghs of Arbroath, Brechin, Carnoustie, Forfar, Kirriemuir, Montrose and Monifieth contain a wide variety of material of value to the family historian. They will have some or all of the following available to view: Old Parochial Registers and Census Returns for all of Angus (excluding Dundee), the International Genealogical Index for Scotland, local newspapers, voters rolls, directories, valuation rolls, monumental inscriptions, map collections, photographs and possibly printed family histories pertaining to local families. Most have at least 1 microfilm reader, photocopier and microfiche reader available for public use. You can email Angus libraries at:
Arbroath - arbroath.library@angus.gov.uk
Brechin - brechin.library@angus.gov.uk
Carnoustie - carnoustie.library@angus.gov.uk
Forfar - forfar.library@angus.gov.uk
Kirriemuir - kirriemuir.library@angus.gov.uk
Monifieth - monifieth.library@angus.gov.uk
Montrose - montrose.library@angus.gov.uk
For more detailed information on the holdings of each library in Angus look at www.angus.gov.uk/history/libraries/.
Tay Valley Family History Society
TVFHS is one of a network of family history societies across the country. As its name suggests, it promotes family history research in the Tay Valley area, which covers not just Dundee and Angus, but also Perthshire, Kinross-shire and north Fife.
For anyone who has ancestry in this area, membership of TVFHS is to be highly recommended. Members have free use of the Society's Research Centre (non-members pay £2 per hour), where they have access to an ever-expanding library of genealogical resources: Old Parochial Registers, Census returns, monumental inscriptions, burial records, indexed pedigree charts and family group sheets of over 1300 members, and many other resources. Visitors can use the Society's microfiche and microfilm readers and computer databases, and a staff of volunteers is on hand to assist. Email: tvfhs@tayvalleyfhs.org.uk
Look at the Society's website on www.tayvalleyfhs.org.uk/ for further details.
L.D.S. Family History Centre
Run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - Day Saints, the Family History Centre at Bingham Terrace, Dundee is open to anyone who is researching their family history. It is, however, advisable to book ahead. The Centre holds a number of records on microfilm, microfiche and CD Rom, not just for the Dundee and Angus area, but also for other parts of Scotland. Records for the rest of the U.K. and other parts of the world are available on order.
To book research time at the Centre or to find out more details of the records available contact:
Family History Centre
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Bingham Terrace
Dundee DD4 7HH
Tel: +44 1382 451247
Dundee Burial Grounds
The Leisure and Arts Department of Dundee City Council is custodian of the records of three nineteenth century Dundee burial grounds: Eastern Necropolis, Western Necropolis/Balgay and Western Cemetry. All are still currently in use. You may find the page of information on other burial grounds in Dundee helpful.
Staff at Leisure and Arts can search these records on your behalf. However, certain details are necessary for a successful search i.e. name of deceased, date of death (obtainable from Dundee City Registrars), and maiden name if deceased is female. Where at all possible, postal or e-mail enquiries are preferable, particularly when searching for multiple entries. Please provide a postal address with large e-mail enquiries. The address for enquiries and details of search fees is as follows:
Leisure & Arts Department
Floor 13
Tayside House
28 Crichton Street
Dundee DD1 3RA
Tel: +44 1382 433089
Fax: +44 1382 433211
E-mail: burials@dundeecity.gov.uk
Records for burial grounds in Angus (excluding Dundee) are currently in the care of Angus Council Recreation Services. Three area offices are involved and each has its own jurisdiction. The Arbroath Office covers Arbroath, Carnoustie, Monifieth and Sidlaw areas. The Forfar Office covers Forfar, Kirriemuir and the Glens, and Montrose covers the Montrose and Brechin areas. You can contact Angus Burial Grounds by email at:
Arbroath/Carnoustie/
Monifieth/Sidlaw areas - MilneA2@angus.gov.uk
Forfar/Kirriemuir & Glens - DavidsonA2@angus.gov.uk
Montrose/Brechin - SmithA2@angus.gov.uk
For lists of the burial grounds and contact information see www.angus.gov.uk/services/view_service_detail.cfm?serviceid=1186.
The Archives and Manuscripts Department of the University of Dundee houses the records of the Episcopal Church in Angus (Brechin Diocese), the Glasite Church, Dundee and Arbroath Methodist Church, together with the records of many hospitals and medical institutions and business and family papers relating to the Dundee and Angus area. Email: archives@dundee.ac.uk
Consult www.dundee.ac.uk/archives for further information on University Archive holdings.