Where to go in Fife?

crayspond · Post by **crayspond** » Mon May 19, 2008 12:55 pm

I have been researching my Beveridge side of my family for a while and have hit a brick wall as far as looking for records on SP etc. I may have a chance to go to Fife in the next month.
If the family came from the Inverkeithing then Dunfermline area where would the best places to look for death records going back to c1700?

Any ideas gratefully appreciated.
Regards

Ailsa

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon May 19, 2008 11:08 pm

Hi Ailsa
In that part of Fife, I reckon Kirkcaldy Library will have microfilms of OPRs etc. See http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/FIF/li ... dy_lib.htm#
and also Dunfermline Library
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/FIF/li ... ne_lib.htm

...and Fife Archives are not that far away
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/FIF/li ... chives.htm

Check what OPRs are available for the parishes and their content first at
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/f ... 9to459.pdf
and go armed with a list of microfilm numbers you wish to see (saves a lot of time working it out when you get there!)

Best wishes
Lesley

p.s. Dunfermline OPRs are a bit of a nightmare. Partly because it is the largest parish in Fife, and there is a large amout of OPR data (which should, of course, be seen as a good thing!) but also because it's organisation leaves a wee bit to be desired! The OPRs are a bit of a muddle in places...it is easy to get lost, thus working out ahead of time the numbers for the films. I speak as someone whose eyes have gone wonky working my way through Dunfermline registers on microfilm!

Chris Paton · Post by **Chris Paton** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:04 am

Fife FHS's website is also worth looking at online at http://www.fifefhs.org/ . There is a general index there to burials that have been recorded in monumental inscription books (lots of Beveridges, but none in Inverkeithing and Dunfermline), and plenty of other records including:

Dunfermline Wrights 1677-1763

Dunfermline Weavers 1596-1863

Dunfermline Deeds 1700-1884

Dunfermline North Parish Church, Baptisms 1851-1854

Dunfermline Sheriff Court Aliment Decrees, 1830-1854

Dunfermline Parish - Watts and related families 1750-1865

and

Inverkeithing Deeds 1716-1884

It's all in the Records section, and is all free to access, so worth a look.

Further to this, some burials and death information for Dunfermline are already available online at a commercial site called World Vital Records, as well as other parishes. Not allowed to post the URL for a commercial site, but you will find it through Google! The GROS has also digitised all the death records from the OPRs, as well as other records that they hold, and these are currently being indexed, and will be released towards the end of this year at the new ScotlandsPeople Centre and on the website.

You can also check the online Fife Council Archive catalogue for mentions of your relatives at http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/topics/ind ... hivesearch

Fife newspaper index cards are available to view at Ancestry, and may have further mention of your family.

And finally, visit the following Talking Scot thread for information on how to access 19th century newspapers online for free, including the Aberdeen Press and Journal, the Caledonian Mercury and the Glasgow Herald - viewtopic.php?t=11449 . There might be a mention of your folk there somewhere!

Regards

Chris

PS: Don't forget surname variants - Beverage, Beverege, Bevritch etc...!

crayspond · Post by **crayspond** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:47 am

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the info. I have looked many times at the fifefhs.org and although it has many mentions of Beveridges, Belfrages etc there are no dates of births only names of weavers etc so it is hard to clarify who is who. Especially as the name is so popular there and there are so many different branches. Also as you say Dunfermline and Inverkeithing are not on the index to burials.
I am also looking at the newspaper sites and have scrolled down 500 items for one variation of the name, when i have a spare half a day! i will attempt another variation.
Thanks for the link to the Fife Council archive - i don't have a membership to ancestry but when i have enough info i will get a reduced membership with them.
Lesley B,
I will look at your links and take your good advice and do a bit of research first re microfilm numbers etc. I am sure there will be OPRs for death certs as there were quite a few for marriages and births.
This is of course if i get there - i am going to Glasgow, Isle of Arran,Fort William then hopefully Fife. Cross fingers that the weather is reasonable.

Regards

Ailsa

Chris Paton · Post by **Chris Paton** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:11 am

Don't forget World Vital Records - they have Dunfermline burials online! Here's the blurb:

"The Scottish Death Records were extracted from parish records of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Specific parishes include Cockpen, Midlothian; Cranston; Crichton; Dalkeith; Dunfermline, Fife; Edinburgh; Fala; Gladsmuir; Heriot; Humbie; Newbattle; Pencaitland, Midlothian; Prestonpans, East Lothian; Salton; Shotts; Tranent, East Lothian. Record information may contain family relatives, occupation, residence, cause of death, the modern cause of death, the individual’s parish, county, and estimated date of birth". The database was created by Shauna C. Anderson, Ph.D, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University.

Good luck with your trip, and with the weather!

Chris

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Tue May 20, 2008 12:31 pm

Hi Ailsa

Fife newspaper index cards are available to view at Ancestry

If you are in Fife, these are available to view as real cards at Cupar library!

Best wishes
Lesley