Scottish Handwriting

Deciphering old documents can be tough! This is the baptism certificate of Anna Wood b. 1634 in Musselburgh, Midlothian, an ancestor of the Robertsons. Her father is George Wood (top of document). Usually there is a witness listed and sometimes the actual date of birth.

Scotlands People has transcribed the entries of every available parish record in Scotland before 1855. They type the date, name, and place (which is searchable on their site) but any other details have to be read. They can be very useful - sometimes they show the occupation of the father or the specific farm or area within the parish where the family lived.

There are classes online to help learn the techniques of reading old manuscripts (paleography) and I’ve taken a couple but it involves a lot of effort, more than I’ve cared to put in. It’s fun to see the ministers’ script (these are parish records) and some are more beautiful than others.