St. Paul's in Aberdeen Records

[Fogmoose]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that I currently have the microfilm with Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths and burials from St. Pauls in Aberdeen covering the years 1720 to 1865, on loan from LDS at my local library. I have it for 3 or 4 more weeks so if anyone has anything they might need me to look up just let me know and ill try and get to it for you. I am almost half way through, working backwards from latest to earliest. Already found 4 or 5 new family members and at least one was NOT in the OPR on Scotland's People, so its far from perfect! Happy Summer to all and Happy Independence to all my fellow 'muricans!

[Forfarian]

What denomination is St Paul's?

[GR2]

Episcopal.

[Forfarian]

Thanks, GR2.

That would explain why some of the information is missing from Scotland's People, which has only the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic registers. Episcopal registers are not easy to find because they have not been collected into one place.

[Fogmoose]

Sorry, I should have provided a little more info in my original post. Here it is:

Following the definitive establishment, in 1690, of Presbyterian government for the Kirk of Scotland, those members of the Kirk who preferred Episcopacy ( a substantial minority in Aberdeen and the Northeast) entered a period of persecution. The passing of the "Toleration act" in 1711 eventually provided a framework within which Episcopal congregations could legally function, and St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel, Aberdeen, was founded in 1720. A chapel was erected in the "backlands" between the Gallowgate and The Loch in 1722, and was later replaced by a larger church accessed from Loch Street. It was a collegiate church until 1853. St Paul's was perhaps the wealthiest Episcopal congregation in Scotland. Regular attendance was between 3000 and 4000 persons, excluding children. They mostly came from Aberdeen and outlying areas. The Church was demolished in 1986 to make way for a "Temple of Mammon" in the form of a shopping mall.
 

[Forfarian]

Thank you, Fogmoose, that is very interesting.

[Fogmoose]

Thanks, GR2.

That would explain why some of the information is missing from Scotland's People, which has only the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic registers. Episcopal registers are not easy to find because they have not been collected into one place.

I didn't realize that. Though, they had most of the stuff I have found on SP...so its probably hit and miss. By the way, saw quite a few Dallas and Cruickshanks in there ;-)

I didn't even realize Dallas was a Scottish surname. Ironic since my closest Scottish relative settled there (Dallas, TX) when he left New York in the Mid-fifties and has been thereabouts ever since.

[Forfarian]

I didn't realize that. Though, they had most of the stuff I have found on SP...so its probably hit and miss.

Theoretically the Church of Scotland was supposed to keep a record of all births and marriages in its parish, so sometimes you get duplicate entries in the C of S' and another denomination's registers, but quite often (probably more often!) it didn't happen, for a variety of reasons.

By the way, saw quite a few Dallas and Cruickshanks in there ;-)

Some of them could be mine, but my Cruickshanks were all from Rothes and it's a very common surname in Aberdeenshire. My Dallases were from Botriphnie in Banffshire.

I didn't even realize Dallas was a Scottish surname.

Yes. It derives from the barony of Dallas in Moray. The Texan city was named after someone of the name who arrived in Texas via the West Indies if I recall correctly. The inhabitants of the village of Dallas in Moray get a bit fed up with people making comparisons between their village and its namesake. They get media folk from time to time who have the bright idea of taking someone from Dallas, Texas to Dallas, Moray and poking fun at it, which has all the appeal of a lead balloon for those who live there.

There are various explanations of the origin of the name Dallas. One suggests that it is from the Gaelic for 'little hollow'. Another suggests a hybrid of the Norse 'dale' and the Gaelic 'ess' which means waterfall. Yet another says it is Pictish and means 'the place on the plain'. 

[Fogmoose]

Very interesting Forfarian. I can assure you that I'd rather be in Moray than Texas myself ;-)

Actually I should be honest, I enjoyed my visit to family in Texas very much and the people were very nice. But it does seem they have a very high opinion of themselves. And also a few more Bush's than I'd prefer...and not the landscape kind!

Off to the library now for more film study!