From unmissable online resources to expert tuition from National Records of Scotland, Scotland’s People, and leading genealogists, each session gives you practical tools you can use immediately in your own research.

📅 What’s Included in the series?

The masterclass consists of four sessions:

• 3 February, 6.30pm: Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Meet the Experts — Free introductory discussion panel
  
  Meet the experts in this fun discussion panel, as Chris Paton talks to genealogists from Scotland's People and the University of Strathclyde.
   
• 10 February, 6.30pm: Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Online Resources with Chris Paton
  
  Genealogist and expert in Scottish family history, Chris Paton, will guide us through the online resources available to anyone researching their Scottish ancestors, detailing recently added archives and providing useful tips to get the most from the records.
   
• 17 February, 6.30pm: Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Research Skills with Tahitia McCabe, University of Strathclyde
  
  This talk will help you understand how to analyse sources, use different research strategies and will introduce the Genealogical Proof Standard. We’ll also review a few commonly used Scottish records and learn how to wring every drop of information from them.  
   
• 24 February, 6.30pm: Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: Searching the Records with National Records of Scotland & Scotland’s People
  
  Would you like to discover the stories behind your Scottish roots? In this talk, the Scotland’s People team will walk you through key record sets and uncover some surprises along the way. We’ll tackle common misconceptions, share practical tips, and provide guidance on how you can get the best results from our website. Whether you’re new to family history or an experienced researcher, you will discover research avenues that could enrich your exploration of Scottish heritage. Join us and take the next step in your family history journey!

All sessions are recorded and available on catch-up until 30 March.

🧭 What Will I Learn?

Across four expert-led sessions, you’ll learn how to:

• Begin your Scottish genealogy with confidence
  Understand the essential first steps and avoid the most common research pitfalls.
• Use Scotland’s key online resources effectively
  Including Scotland’s People, National Records of Scotland, and other digital archives.
• Strengthen your research skills
  Interpret historical evidence, follow complex family lines, and tackle gaps in the records.
• Search and understand Scottish records
  Explore BMDs, census returns, parish registers, wills, maps, and more.
• Break through brickwalls
  Learn techniques for overcoming missing data, name variations, and confusing entries.
• Understand the social history behind your ancestors
  Discover the communities, traditions, and laws that shaped their lives.

Meet the experts

World-renown professional genealogist Chris Paton has written countless family history books, lectured world-wide, and has been researching his family tree for decades.

Kirsty McNaught and Kirsty Barnett serve as supervisors within the Scotland’s People Team at the National Records of Scotland. They help researchers access and interpret records on the Scotland’s People website, ensuring that family history researchers can make the most of these valuable resources. In addition, they provide a welcoming presence at the General Register House reception, oversee research activities in the Reid Search Room, and contribute to Scotland’s People Outreach Projects throughout the year.
 
Veronica Schreuder has worked as an archivist at National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh for over a decade in a variety of roles, most recently in the Outreach and Learning team. In her current post, she researches and writes for the Scotland’s People website and newsletter, helps to develop exhibitions and welcomes groups of all ages to General Register House where they can discover more about the collections held in the archives.

Tahitia McCabe is the Course Director for the University of Strathclyde’s well regarded Postgraduate Programme in Genealogical Studies. She is also the Lead Educator for the Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree massive online open course (MOOC) run through FutureLearn.