To all listers seeking records within Scotland I suggest you consult the following websites: National Archives of Scotland >http://www.nas.gov.uk The NAS hold indices of church (parish) records, mainly Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) but also a few others eg. Episcopalian, RC etc. General Register Office for Scotland > http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk Email address > records@gro.scotland.uk The GRO holds records of births, marriages & deaths from 1855, it also holds Old Parish Records (OPR's) from 1553 to 1854, again Church of Scotland only. It is very diffucult to access information about non-Church of Scotland records unless you know the exact parish in which an ancestor was christened, married or buried. In response to the query regarding Aberdeenshire, yes this is in Scotland. Quite a lot of the old counties are now defunct eg Kirkcudbrightshire is now Dumfries & Galloway. Shire is the old name for county. A good quality map should show most if not all the villages, towns & cities enquirers seek. Margaret Greer Lancashire England Another website of interest > http://www.origins.net -- <Created and sent to you using the Amstrad e-m@iler>