Scotland's Greatest Story - professional Scottish genealogy research

25/08/2026

This coming Saturday! Hi folks, my next Scottish GENES Webinar, on Saturday 29 August 2026, at 7pm (UK time), will be "Genealogy Without Borders - Exploring Your Family's Footprints on the World". The following is the description:

"As family historians, we can be tempted to try to tell the stories of our ancestors solely from the resources in the areas where they once lived, but in this talk, genealogist Chris Paton examines why the consideration of the extended family around the world can be particularly fruitful for your family history research also.

"As part of a wider worldwide diaspora, Chris will show how emigrant family members provided him with clues to their stories overseas, often with records that plugged the missing gaps in research for family members back home, and giving him a much broader understanding of his family at both home and abroad."

To register for the talk, which will be £10 to access, please visit https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UccZSbAFTBWYOzrI1Agqxw
- there will be a handout available, and access to a recording for a week.

I hope you can join me!

Chris

20/08/2026

Hi folks, just over a week to go until my next Scottish GENES Webinar, which will be on Saturday 29 August 2026, at 7pm (UK time). The title is "Genealogy Without Borders - Exploring Your Family's Footprints on the World", the following is the description:

"As family historians, we can be tempted to try to tell the stories of our ancestors solely from the resources in the areas where they once lived, but in this talk, genealogist Chris Paton examines why the consideration of the extended family around the world can be particularly fruitful for your family history research also.

"As part of a wider worldwide diaspora, Chris will show how emigrant family members provided him with clues to their stories overseas, often with records that plugged the missing gaps in research for family members back home, and giving him a much broader understanding of his family at both home and abroad."

To register for the talk, which will be £10 to access, please visit https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UccZSbAFTBWYOzrI1Agqxw - there will be a handout available, and access to a recording for a week.

I hope you can join me, and if so, I'll see you there!

Chris

25/07/2026

Happening tonight 👇 - still time to sign up!

My next Scottish GENES Webinar will be "Using Scottish Kirk Session Records for Family History Research", on Saturday 25 July, 2026, at 7pm UK time. The following is its description:

"In this talk, genealogist Chris Paton will discuss the kirk session records compiled by presbyterian parishes across the country, which are mostly available to consult on ScotlandsPeople. Chris will explain what the kirk session was, how it fitted into the church courts hierarchy, and how the records presented can assist the genealogist. In addition to discussing how to access and use the records on ScotlandsPeople, Chris will also discuss the records not available online, and show how to locate the relevant volumes that may help with research. From antenuptial fornication and illegitimacy cases, to church census and vaccination records, the session will be called to order, and you are requested to 'compear' before it!"

Registration is just £10, and you can register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_q0GPJbRoQzqYyHjW0pBy_g - registrants will receive a detailed handout, and a copy of the presentation will be made available for a week after, for those unable to attend the live session.

I hope that you can join me!

Chris Paton

18/07/2026

My next 5-week-long Progressing Your Irish Research Online course, taught through Pharos Tutors , starts on Monday 27 July 2026, and will be taught online. A lesson will be sent out each week, there will be a dedicated discussion forum for students throughout the run, and a weekly Zoom session to discuss each lesson's themes. For further details, and to sign up, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/progressing-your-irish-research-online - I hope that you can join me!

The Progressing Your Irish Research Online course guides students in finding and using state-created and church records used in Irish research.

16/07/2026

Just over a week to go before my next Scottish GENES Webinar, "Using Scottish Kirk Session Records for Family History Research", on Saturday 25 July, 2026, at 7pm UK time. The following is its description:

"In this talk, genealogist Chris Paton will discuss the kirk session records compiled by presbyterian parishes across the country, which are mostly available to consult on ScotlandsPeople. Chris will explain what the kirk session was, how it fitted into the church courts hierarchy, and how the records presented can assist the genealogist. In addition to discussing how to access and use the records on ScotlandsPeople, Chris will also discuss the records not available online, and show how to locate the relevant volumes that may help with research. From antenuptial fornication and illegitimacy cases, to church census and vaccination records, the session will be called to order, and you are requested to 'compear' before it!"

Registration is just £10, and you can register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_q0GPJbRoQzqYyHjW0pBy_g - registrants will receive a detailed handout, and a copy of the presentation will be made available for a week after, for those unable to attend the live session.

I hope that you can join me!

Chris Paton

05/07/2026

My latest Scottish GENES Newsletter is now available at https://eomail6.com/web-version?p=1f7d219e-76df-11f1-b23c-bdca5413d2d3&pt=campaign&t=1783083742&s=6ca7fe026196a788cfeedc6081db3757c6870e5ad183c6eb996cb054bb87b91c

The latest family history news from Scotland and Ireland

03/07/2026

My next Scottish based Pharos Tutors course is Scottish Research Online, which starts this Monday 6 July. The course last five weeks, and is taught entirely online. For further details, and to sign up, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/scottish-research-online

Scottish Research Online describes major sites and records that you will encounter in your Scottish research, and how to analyse the results.

03/07/2026

The next Scottish GENES Webinar will be "Using Scottish Kirk Session Records for Family History Research", on Saturday 25 July, 2026, at 7pm UK time. The following is its description:

"In this talk, genealogist Chris Paton will discuss the kirk session records compiled by presbyterian parishes across the country, which are mostly available to consult on ScotlandsPeople. Chris will explain what the kirk session was, how it fitted into the church courts hierarchy, and how the records presented can assist the genealogist. In addition to discussing how to access and use the records on ScotlandsPeople, Chris will also discuss the records not available online, and show how to locate the relevant volumes that may help with research. From antenuptial fornication and illegitimacy cases, to church census and vaccination records, the session will be called to order, and you are requested to 'compear' before it!"

Registration is just £10, and you can register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_q0GPJbRoQzqYyHjW0pBy_g - registrants will receive a detailed handout, and a copy of the presentation will be made available for a week after, for those unable to attend the live session.

I hope that you can join me!

Chris Paton

27/06/2026

We had a cracking session this evening on researching Scottish house history, thanks to all who came along!

In next month's Scottish GENES Webinar, at 7pm (UK) on Saturday 25 July, I'll be discussing "Using Scottish Kirk Session Records for Family History Research". The following is a brief description:

"In this talk, genealogist Chris Paton will discuss the kirk session records compiled by presbyterian parishes across the country, which are mostly available to consult on ScotlandsPeople. Chris will explain what the kirk session was, how it fitted into the church courts hierarchy, and how the records presented can assist the genealogist. In addition to discussing how to access and use the records on ScotlandsPeople, Chris will also discuss the records not available online, and show how to locate the relevant volumes that may help with research. From antenuptial fornication and illegitimacy cases, to church census and vaccination records, the session will be called to order, and you are requested to 'compear' before it!"

Registration is again just £10, and you can sign up via
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_q0GPJbRoQzqYyHjW0pBy_g - there will be a handout also, and a recording available for one week after.

I hope to maybe see you there!

Chris

In this talk, genealogist Chris Paton will discuss the kirk session records compiled by presbyterian parishes across the country, which are mostly available to consult on ScotlandsPeople. Chris will explain what the kirk session was, how it fitted into the church courts hierarchy, and how the record...

27/06/2026

Just under two hours to go, but still time to sign up! (A recording will be available for a week if you can't watch it live!) 👇🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Happening this evening, still time to sign up! My next Scottish GENES Webinar is at 7pm (UK time), and is entitled Researching Your Scottish House History. The following is a description:

"In this session Scottish based genealogist Chris Paton explores the various records that can help to trace the history of a property in Scotland. He will discuss the historic legal processes of land tenure in the country, the various types of record that can trace the ownership and inheritance of properties, and provide a detailed case study of a house history from the mid-17th century to the 20th. "

The registration fee is £10, and you can register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DBiCkc1CRNeqXY6EZXfPPg - I hope to maybe see you there!