Kirk Session Records - Luss .....

[Andy]

Does anybody know if the Kirk Session Records for Luss 1833 - 1835 are extant?

My Great - Great Grannie, Charlotte Ross, was born there in 1833 and baptised in 1835. I suspect that her father, William Ross, was already married before he had a "dalliance" with my g-g-g grannie, Janet McFarlane. I've got a fair amount on William, his brother and three sisters but there may be an, as yet, undiscovered branch of the family to get my teeth into.

[DavidWW]

Does anybody know if the Kirk Session Records for Luss 1833 - 1835 are extant?

My Great - Great Grannie, Charlotte Ross, was born there in 1833 and baptised in 1835. I suspect that her father, William Ross, was already married before he had a "dalliance" with my g-g-g grannie, Janet McFarlane. I've got a fair amount on William, his brother and three sisters but there may be an, as yet, undiscovered branch of the family to get my teeth into.

Andy

A quick email to NAS's Family Search Room on enquiries@nas.gov.uk should provide the answer.

A good indicator is always the availability of the OPRs for the parish. Luss is a "good" parish in that there are unbroken B&M records from 1698 to 1854, so that I'd be surprised if there aren't also extant kirk session records. Unfortunately, tho', no death/mortcloth records.

But beware of Webster's Rule in relation to sessional material which states 'In the time period of interest the kirk session minutes will consist of a statement - "This day the Sefsion met."'

Orraverybest

Davie

[AndrewP]

Does anybody know if the Kirk Session Records for Luss 1833 - 1835 are extant?

You should be in luck (just). According to the online NAS catalog, CH2/481 contains Luss Kirk Session records for years 1711 to 1835.

http://www.dswebhosting.info/nas/

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

[Andy]

Thanks for the info both. Now got to plan a day in Edinburger. Cheers!

[AndrewP]

In addition to the information above, anyone visiting the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh (more or less next door to New Register House) will need a valid reader's card (a library ticket type of thing). If you do not have one, you can get it on the day at NAS, free of charge if I remember rightly. To obtain your readers card, you will need an official form of identification.

Also you will need a pencil for your note taking. As much of the information there is not yet filmed, you will be reading the original documents and books (hence no pens allowed). Coats and baggage are required to be left in the attended cloakroom - you cannot take them to the search rooms with you.

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

[Andy]

While I'm "card carrying" in most of the bastions of information. A word on "The Pen".

The reason why the powers-that-be are having problems producing some of the goods IS pens, more particularly INK.

Whereas early census records were recorded in graphite "Pencil" which can't break down (until well after the paper disintegrates). Later statutory records were written in pen and ink. Ink is a TERRIBLE medium for writing records! The dyes break down in the twinkling of an eye, quicker in sunlight. The slightest damp renders them smudged too.

Even your trusty Inkjet Printer (All apart from Wax Based [so not strictly INK]) suffers from the same failings. Epson, a particularly good company at producing printers, boldly (split infinitive) boasted that their "NEW" inks would "OUTLAST" old photos. To cut a long story short THEY DIDN'T (by about 99 years 7 months under NORMAL, real-life conditions)

However, I think that all the records we crave ARE really important and I know of a number of forensic methods to render even the WORST ink based records readable.

These will be itemized at the next (if ever) user group meeting. I reckon the SUBSTANTIAL costs could be easily offset by the other related, some sponsored, ventures.