985. Scottish-American Gravestones, 1700-1900 Volume II

Description

Scottish-American Gravestones, 1700-1900 Volume II by David Dobson. Prior to 1855, gravestone inscriptions were almost the sole source of information on deaths in Scotland. After that date, Scottish law mandated the systematic recording of births, marriages, and deaths throughout the nation, while prior to 1855 Scottish parish registers tended to focus on baptismal and marriage entries, to the virtual exclusion of death records. The only other major sources of death information are the obituary pages of the Scottish press and the various Registers of Testaments. In recent years, the precarious condition of Scottish tombstones has been underscored by their deterioration, prompting various genealogical societies to transcribe the information on them. When one considers that many of these gravestone inscriptions refer to family members who died abroad as well as those who died in Scotland, Scottish gravestones take on even greater importance for North Americans. These facts have not been lost on the indefatigable Scottish researcher, David Dobson, who, drawing upon both published and unpublished sources, has compiled this volume of death records. In all, there are more than 1,500 death records in the volume, and they are arranged alphabetically according to the surname of the decedent. While the transcriptions vary, all of them also give the decedent’s date and place of death and the source of the information, as well as, in many instances, the names of the individual’s parents, the name of the spouse, and even a word or two about occupation. While this diminutive volume can scarcely purport to be the final word on its subject, it nonetheless provides numerous links for researchers hoping to bridge the gap between Scotland and North America. Reprint Date: 2016. ISBN: 9780806358055. Pages: 157. Condition: Good. Soft Cover.