This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: GordonPertJohnson Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.general/21608.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: To add to the other reply, While a few parishes - at certain times - kept a burial register, most did not, and when the Mormons microfilmed the church registers, they included financial records such a mortcloth dues, coffin accounts, etc., but it is almost never that you will find an adult's relationship to anyone else. Even children are often only given a name plus "a child", sometimes with a family place of residence. Gravestones (and 90 per cent of the population had no gravestone) can be more helpful, naming spouses, and parents of a dead child. Often other family members are commemorated on the same stone, or on another one nearby. Aberdeen Royal Infirmary kept some records of deaths in the hospital (now published by ANESFHS), but few have relatives named, and little other identifying data. IOn some locations there are local newspapers back that far, but ordinary folk did not merit an obituary, and a story about a death usually happened where it was a fire, drowning or some similar event. "normal" deaths got ignored by the press back then. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.