Genealogy, tracing our family history, finding our roots, whatever people call it,  is a subject that fascinates and intrigues.  Our Family History Society was set up in 2008 to help people find their roots in this north east corner of Scotland. In our Family History Centre in Peterhead we do all we can to help you in your search for your ancestors.  

The funds we are hoping to raise this year will be put towards a much needed improvement to our Information Database and its server.  The database is now many years old and, as with much technology, is outdated and needs upgraded to make it more user friendly and secure.  We have a lot of records waiting to get added to the database, but the current method of inputting  that information is slow and cumbersome, and we urgently need a simpler, better system that our volunteers can use. 

We are currently working with the Scottish Council on Archives to set up a new archival system for our paper records, which will make finding and accessing those records much simpler.  Our wish is to do the same with our online records.  

What do we offer the Genealogist

In the Centre we have a search room with computers available to help you with your search, a reference library, microfiche, and our current database with the information we hold. Our volunteer staff are on hand to help and advise you. We will also undertake research for people who cannot visit our centre.

As well as helping you to find online resources, we are able to offer help in finding the records that are not available on the web, such as the work we have done digitising old school admissions records.

We have a huge collection of photographs: school photos, workplace photos, and family photos as well as old photos of the local area, all digitised, and where possible we have identified the people in them. An ongoing project!

 If you have roots in this area, we could well have a picture of your great grannie, great uncle or aunt.  We could have a picture and transcription of a gravestone, or a school record or class photo.

We host events, arrange informative walks around local graveyards, hold photograph exhibitions, and organise work days to read and record old gravestones.

It can be relatively easy to find census, birth, marriage and death records, but what do they tell us of the people themselves?  We like to say we try to put the flesh on the bare bones of these records.  

 Who doesn't want to find out more?

What was it like growing up in Peterhead during the war years? Who lived in the first prefabs? What are the stories behind the names on our war memorial? We have published books covering all these and more, many researched and written by our members. Above are just some of the titles in our library, some of which are available to buy.    
We have also published several CD's containing not just transcriptions, but photographs of the gravestones, together with a plan of the layout, and are now in the process of upgrading those CD's onto USB sticks to make them more accessible for modern computers.

Can you help us survive?

To continue to do this, to collect records that may otherwise be lost, and to help people find out all they can about their family's history, we need to raise funds.

Our proposed new bespoke database alone will cost us in excess of £2000, and there will be additional work needed to transfer existing records and upgrade the computers and server for it.

You can help by giving a donation.  You could also become a member of the Society at https://www.buchanroots.scot/

These past few years have been difficult for all of us, but especially for small charities like ours.  

Please consider helping us to keep on helping you.