Bringing you expert knowledge from the world’s leading authorities on Scottish family history, this brand-new masterclass is the perfect way to improve your research skills and uncover more about your Scottish ancestors.
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors
Four expert-led sessions. Essential skills. Practical guidance.
Everything you need to take your Scottish family history research further.
10, 17, and 24 February 2026
Supported by National Records of Scotland and Scotland's People
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 to watch on YouTube
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.
🎟️ Tickets & Pricing
- 3 February: Meet the Experts – Free to watch on YouTube
- 10 February: Online Resources – Register for £25
- 17 February: Research Skills – Register for £25
- 24 February: Searching the Records – Register for £25
⭐ Best Value: Attend all four sessions for just £60 (£50 for Family Tree Plus members)
🧭 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.
Ready to transform your Scottish family history research?
Secure your place today and enjoy four evenings of expert teaching, lively discussion, and practical takeaways you can use right away.
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.
Top tips from the experts
Chris Paton: My tip would be to always try to understand how and why records were compiled in the first place, as well as to understand the coverage available in any online dataset; in other words, don't just dive in and start searching, learn how to control the search process, rather than have what is easily available control you.
There may be reasons why some records are not online; there may be reasons why, even if they are online, you still can't find them; and there may be other records available in archives that may never see the digital light of day.
Tahitia McCabe: Use family reconstruction to eliminate families or individuals when there are multiple possible matches. If there are 5 possible families in a village, all of which could be your ancestors based on names, ages, occupations, etc. then research each one to see if you can get rid of some.
For example, if one family moved away and you know your family stayed in the village, then you can probably eliminate them. It’s not a quick solution but can be very useful.
Veronica Schreuder: The census returns are an invaluable source of information for genealogists and local historians. However, they were only taken every 10 years (and are currently available on Scotland’s People from 1841 to 1921). To bridge this gap, try looking in the valuation rolls.
These were created for tax purposes following the Land Valuations (Scotland) Act 1854 and the rolls list property owners, tenants, occupiers and the annual value of property. They were compiled between 1855 and 1996. You can find a selection of these on Scotland’s People where they have been digitised in five-year intervals from 1855 to 1940. Our talk on 24th February will give further information about these records.
Kirsty Barnett: Always start with a clean slate and keep an open mind. Even if you believe you have the correct information, assume there could be an error somewhere and look beyond the obvious places.
Example: I once searched for a death record with a customer who genuinely had all the correct details. However, the informant had made an error when registering the death, which meant the official record showed incorrect information. Normally, we would never have checked that entry — but it turned out to be the right person, and every other detail matched.
Remember: Every record contains a potential clue. Even seemingly insignificant details can help break down brick walls or rule out individuals. Things like an informant’s address, a witness’s name on a marriage certificate, or a slight variation in spelling can be key to linking records together.