Scottish Paternity Cases and a Lesson

There is a larger site here, so be sure to look around. What I mainly wanted to share today is the Index created for Scottish Paternity cases. Usually I just point you in the right direction, share a web link, and send you on your way as I save my real 'teaching' for my classroom students and my conference attendees. Today I wanted to share a very large hint that soooo many are missing. I have no idea HOW it's being missed, but I kow it is so ....

When you are about to begin searching within a database, start thinking of all the ways you can force that database to give you answers. One example is to stop thinking of only entering names. For instance, in searhing the Paternity Cases in Sheriff Court Records officially entitled 'Actions of Affilitation and Aliment' ... try inputting just one detail. One. Only one. So for my example I did NOT enter any names. No ocupation. No birth year info. No birth location info [no parish, co county, no country]. No event year info. No address info. No father. No mother. No husband. No wife.

All I entered was the name of the town I knew my ancestors lived in. That's it! One word.

Results? I found the birth to my great grandmother of her first child. An illigitimate child. The year of that childs birth. AND ... the name of the father, his occupation, and his address! WOW!! I also discovered one of my grandfather's brothers who (ashamedly) manged to impregnate two women within the same year - I know it's him because his name, occupation, and address were all listed. This is the only record I have ever come across for this man - and I had played with the idea that he maybe went to Australia. He may very well have, and these records could be the reason why! Who knows, but it's a clue.

So my friends. READ, READ, READ so you understand what this website is all about. And then THINK - how you can YOU force that database to give you answers. There are always LOTS of ways. That's my present. haha

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Searching. http://www.scottishindexes.co.uk/default.aspx


Cheers,
Pat