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PERSONAL DOCUMENT INDEX

On 17th October, 2000, Scottish Family Heritage inaugurated its first trial genealogical Personal Document Index. This information is free of charge, and with certain reservations may be copied. See A-Z Index pages.

To ensure that you obtain the maximum amount of benefit from these lists, the editors strongly encourage you to become acquainted with the Help Guide.

Currently, due mainly to the result of design limitations, these lists are divided into five columns of information.These are:-

NAME | PLACE/COUNTRY | TYPE | INVENTORY NUMBER | DATE

Inclusion in these lists indicates specifically that the document listed in the 'TYPE' column, was made by, or for, the entry in the 'NAME' column. This in effect means that many documents have more than one listing, as it has been possible to give particulars of both the author and the recipient. Sometimes multiple entries are connected to the same item, for example, four people sell a property to one other person. On this occasion, five people would be listed individually in the tables.

In the majority of cases we hold more identification details on the people listed. In particular this relates to the person's address. This will frequently include street names and sometimes house numbers. Further information can also include details relating to occupations, as well as personal and family relationships.

ACCURACY

Considerable efforts have been made to minimise the existence of errors in our new Personal Document Index (PDI). However, the nature of the beast is such that an indeterminable but small percentage will continue to lurk around in an assortment of odd corners. Account must also be taken of original errors created in the documents themselves. The editors have acknowledged the existence of possible errors or doubts about dubious text (see Spelling). You are therefore encouraged to use the information with confidence, supported by a degree of mild caution.

Difficulties with transcription and interpretation, as well as simple human error, may on occasion have led to the creation of people or places that have never even existed, or produced spellings that to one degree or another are inaccurate. The editors welcome any information that will correct obvious typographical errors.

For clarity, Scottish Family Heritage does not in any way vouch for the accuracy of  information contained in any publication or list, nor does it take any responsibility for inaccuracies incorporated from original source texts. The editors earnestly advise that anyone using information gleaned from this archive should check with the original material, prior to using it for their own purposes.

AIMS

The main purpose of the Personal Document Index, is to provide genealogists and local historians with a direct link to the archive's large collection of documents.

One of the reasons the editors began assembling this collection, was a hope that they might uncover original references to their own ancestors, including occupations and other general background information. In other words, an attempt was made to put flesh on the bones of their genealogical skeleton. We hope that either now, or in the future, providence will guide you to entries that relate to people, places, or events that you are searching for.

The PDI lists have been created from information contained in our privately held archive that began in 1987.  Many of the documents are of a legal nature, while others are from scarce ephemeral material, such as personalised invitation cards and advertisements in theatre programmes. The collection itself dates from the 16th century to the latter part of the 20th century. However, a large percentage covers the period from the mid 18th century to between World Wars I and II.

The archive includes, for example, legal documents such as the old Scottish form of transferring feudal property, known as a 'sasine', which frequently contain the original signatures of the participants, as well as some of their personal details. The writer of the document may also be identified, and invariably includes the names and details of accompanying witnesses. Careful study of the text, written either in English, Scots or Latin, can often produce a wealth of genealogical information that can be used to trace ancestors, or relations, prior to the latter part of the 18th century, when sources such as the 'Old Parish Registers' frequently are unable to help.

Many other items in the collection are certainly unique in their own right, as they were produced by, or for, one person. One interesting example, although of little Scottish value, is a diary written between 1890 and 1891 by C.C. August Gosch, a well known attaché at the Danish legation in London. It is an account of a summer holiday he and his wife had recently taken in southern Norway, at a time when tourism in that country was still in its infancy. The story of their adventures, both simple as well as colourful, contains much to interest students of Norwegian local history.

The majority of the archive consists of Scottish and English documents. However, useful  information is also available from other parts of the United Kingdom. Its value is further enhanced by a peppering of mixed references to people, places and events from such widely separated places as China and the Virgin Islands. One well travelled parchment document was signed at Port Royal, Jamaica, in 1692. It seems to have just narrowly escaped destruction, being returned to Britain not long before a major earthquake sent much of the town to the bottom of the sea.

It is perhaps worth pointing out that the inclusion of any name, place, or event in no way reflects the views, political, religious or otherwise, of anyone connected with Scottish Family Heritage.

Abbreviations

•  The following abbreviations are used throughout, irrespective of how they appear in the original texts:-
•  and = &
•  Business name terms = e.g. Co. & Ltd.
•  Maiden Surname = (ms)
•  Qualifications/Distinctions = e.g. C.A., W.S. or M.P.
•  Titles where appropriate = e.g. Dr., Lieut., and Rev.
•  Where a name such as Alex(ander) is given, this indicates that the name was written as 'Alex' or 'Alexr' in the original text.Where appropriate, the editors have assumed this in general to mean that the writer had abbreviated the name. However, in some instances the person's name may indeed have been Alex. Other examples include Arch(ibald),Geo(rge)and Rob(ert).Where different alternative names are possible such as in Jos. for Joseph, Josiah or Joshua,the original abbreviation is retained.

Additional Information List

Where possible,all Christian names are given in the'NAME'column. However, if space precludes this, all missing names or initials will be found in the Additional Information List.All entries are incorporated together alphabetically.Comments on other confusing informnation in the Lists are also included. The sign * is used to show that further information on the entry concerned is available in the Additional Information List.

Column Headings

Date

•  In most instances the dates given relate to when a document was originally written or produced.
•  On occasion a document may contain information relating to periods of time significantly prior to the date it was written. Where appropriate, these earlier dates are listed in brackets beside the date of writing,e.g.1871(1783).
•  Where multiple dates exist, the way in which they are entered indicates a specific relationship to the documents concerned. For example, the entry 1845-1851 means that we hold documents dated for every year between 1845 and 1851.However, the entry 1845/1851 indicates that more than these two years exist in this sequence, but not for every year. The entry 1845 & 1851 means simply that documents are held for these two years only. Approximate dates are given either as c1845, or e.g. 19th century.
•  Where a + sign is used, as in 1845 +, this shows that the year 1845 is the earliest the document could have been written.It is used only as a guide,where the specific date of origin is either unknown or unclear.When, for example, the author of a letter does not include a date in his text, the fact that the paper he used includes a watermark with the date 1845, it is obvious that the letter could not have been written prior to that date.
•  If no specific date is given in the text, or if there are no other dates available, such are as found in watermarks or postal franks, then a general period such as 19th century or c1850-1900 may be assigned. These entries are based solely on evidence such as paper type or handwriting style.

Inventory No. (Inventory Number

•  These numbers identify which collection the documents in any entry belong to.
•  This number must be quoted when making enquiries about individual entries.
•  Where a + sign is used, as in (example: 00123 / Se 123 +), this merely indicates that further items exists that due to space restrictions cannot be recorded here.

Name

•  This mainly records the name of the person who either produced, received, or was the main subject of the document, or other item listed in the 'TYPE' column. However, it also includes commercial or trade and society names, specific place-names, e.g. Balerno (lands of), as well as those of a variety of other subjects such as those relating to the military or transport (e.g. ship names).
•  Where possible all Christian names are given. However, if space limits a complete entry, initials are given for names that cannot be listed in full. Where this occurs, a * sign indicates that more information about the name can be found in the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION LIST.
•  Great care should be exercised when dealing with names connected with the nobility, or other titled persons, particularly those in the legal profession. While some titles include a family surname, others do not. You should therefore ensure that you understand the correct name relationship to the person concerned. A fictitious example is as follows:- John McWhasyertitle was Earl of Auchenshuggle. However, the document does not give his surname, so his entry in the NAME column would simply read as follows:- Auchenshuggle, John Earl of. This implies that the title 'Earl of' refers to Auchenshuggle the place, rather than the surname of McWhasyertitle. Similarly where a judge with the title, Lord Longwig of Courtland, is indexed as:- Longwig, Lord of Courtland, it must not be implied that his surname was necessarily Longwig.
•  Double-barrelled or hyphenated names frequently cause an indexing problem. For example, Mrs Mary Longname-Barrell should be indexed as Longname-Barrell, Mrs Mary, but if the hyphen is omitted, as often occurs in older texts, the entry could be listed as Barrell, Mrs Mary Longname. The editors have tried to minimise the effects of this difficulty, however, inaccuracies within the index may still occur.
•  Abbreviated names. See Abbreviations.
•  Wherever possible, trade or business names, and those of organisations that start with the word 'The', such as in 'The Biggest Shop in the World', are generally indexed under 'The'. If you are researching anything that includes this word,it may be worth looking at other parts of the name for additional references. For example, 'The Best Bank of Anytown' may also be listed simply under 'Best Bank of Anytown'.
•  In numerous cases, more than one entry will refer to the same person. Sometimes this happens when an individual is staying at, or connected with more than one address. Examples also exist where there are spelling variations of the person's name. This may also happen when separate sources list different initials for the person concerned. Seperate entries for the same name also occur when they exist in different Inventories.
•  All surnames beginning with Mac or Mc are listed separately in this order. It is worth noting that some of the references may include examples where it is not known for certain whether the first letter after Mac or Mc should be represented by a capital letter. This confusion arises when a surname is written entirely in capital letters, e.g. MACDONALD.
•  It is very important to remember that prior to modern times, names were frequently written in several different ways, even within the same document. For example, the surname Houston might be written as Housten, Houstan, Houstoun or Houstown. The same occurs with place-names. It may therefore be worth checking names with different spelling variants.

Town/Country

•  This entry includes, where known, the village, town, city, region / county / district and country that the document infers the person or other named entry was staying at, or was in some way connected with. However, It should not necessarily be inferred that the place quoted was where the person lived.
•  Many places, including countries, represent the actual area where the person lived or worked. However, it may also indicate simply a holiday address, or a place where a property had some commercial or financial connection with the person listed in the 'NAME' column.
•  I a large number of cases, we hold further details relating to entries in this column that include street names, house numbers and names, etc.
•  It is important to be aware that in most cases, place-name spellings are listed as written in the original documents. Sometimes, where the spelling is known to differ from a current rendition of a name, the modern version will be included within brackets. In general, COUNTRY names are given as written in the original document.
•  However, for clarity, where any name is now obsolete, a modern equivalent may be incorporated within brackets.
•  It is important to be aware that the spelling of many places in older documents can often be either inaccurate, or are a result of being written phonetically. Further, you should be aware that numerous place-names recorded in many of the older documents now no longer exist.

Type (of document)

•  This gives a brief description of each document or other listed item.
•  Many of the terms used are archaic or out of date legal terms.
•  Where more than one item is being described, a general term such as 'Legal' may be introduced.
•  Where possible, any non-document item will be described more fully.
•  Where a + sign is used, as in (example: Letter +), this merely indicates that further items exists that due to space restrictions cannot be recorded here.

The use of a ? indicates that a degree of doubt exists about the text immediately preceding it. This may refer to a whole word, or just one letter or number. While the degree of doubt can vary from extremely slight to very considerable, no attempt is made to quantify any reservations held by the editors.

In almost all cases personal names and addresses are written as recorded in the original document. Where thought appropriate, a more modern spelling may be written beside the entry to assist you. This additional text is normally listed within brackets (see Help Guide). Some texts have proved difficult to decipher, brought about either by difficult handwriting, or damage to the document itself. A? indicates the specific subject of doubt. Where these occur, care should be exercised in interpreting the particular entry concerned. The intensity of doubt can vary from marginal to extreme, although in general it is left up to you to determine the degree of doubt intended.

Symbols

There are several in-house symbols in the PDI. These perform an assortment of functions to support and improve the details provided. The editors encourage you to become acquainted with their meaning, in the hope that certain aspects of the information will be more understandable. See the Help Guide

INVENTORY DESCRIPTION

Currently, the archive is made up of 129 main 'inventories' or separate collections. However, this total is in reality somewhat larger, as quite a few are split into several sub-sections. One example is 'Inventory 56B' which alone has 21 sub-inventories. Some 'Inventories' contain only one item, while others have many thousand. The contents vary considerably. They include items such as business and legal documents, merchants' invoices, household and farm accounts, scarce booklets and catalogues, as well as diaries, letters, postcards and other personal papers.

For the specialist there are also descriptions of personal and company seals, including where appropriate, individual or family mottoes. Also available on request, is information relating to paper water-marks, duty stamps and postal franks.

For more than  ten years, considerable efforts have gone into the work of transcribing, indexing and computerising the archive, as a prelude to making the information more readily available to the general public. Over 100 separate 'inventories' and 'sub-inventories' have now passed through this process, and are fully indexed under the headings of 'Businesses', 'Places' and 'Persons'. While a great deal has so far been achieved, much remains to be done, before all our present holdings can be included. Yet although this enterprise is decidedly long-term, the genealogical and historical benefits clearly make it well worth the effort.

PRIVACY

In order to protect the privacy of the living, all records dating from 1900 will be thoroughly screened to ensure their suitability for publication in the PDI Lists.

FAULTY OR DAMAGED GOODS Our quality control procedures are meant to ensure that your order is delivered in pristine condition. However, if any part is delivered in a faulty or damaged condition, please notify Scottish Family Heritage within seven (7) days of receipt. You may either email or write the details of your complaint, including the following information.

FAULTY GOODS If the fault(s) appears to have occurred prior to being posted.

•  Specify your name, address, and order number, along with the date you received the order.
•  Give full description of the fault(s) concerned.

Should Scottish Family Heritage accept responsibility, we will either replace the goods, or refund all monies paid by you in respect of your order. Please note that it may take up to at least one calendar month to process any replacement order prior to being posted to you.

DAMAGED GOODS

If it is apparent that the goods were damaged in transit, please follow these procedures.

•  Notify the relevant claims department of the delivery agency concerned in your area.
•  Contact Scottish Family Heritage by email or letter. Specify your name, address, and order number, along with the date you received the order. Also give a full description of the damage.
•  Retain the goods, until they have been examined by a representative of the delivery agency concerned.

We will then initiate claim procedures. In the event that the claim is upheld, Scottish Family Heritage will either replace the goods, or refund all monies paid by you in respect of your order