Profile
Profile
I am a member
(and former council member) of ASGRA and, as such, have passed stringent assessments, thus proving my competency as a professional researcher. Part of my work involves continuous professional development, which involves attending courses and lectures and visiting new repositories. This is extremely important in order to keep abreast of new developments in the genealogy field.
I have taught classes in family history for beginners at Deans Community High School, Livingston and assisted with many roadshows and "gies a haun
(give me a hand/some help)" evenings with West Lothian Family History Society, where I was a committee member and Editor of the Society's magazine for many years.
I have been researching family history for many years now, initially by working on my own family's history. I have built up my experience in this field by utilising numerous resources such as the National Records of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland (including their map library), Edinburgh City Archives, Glasgow City Archives, Glasgow University Archives, local archives all over Scotland etc. My enthusiasm has not diminished over the years and I view each new commission as a real challenge. If there is something to be found, I will utilise all my skills to find it!
Although there are a great number of websites available for individuals starting their own family research, many of these contain information which
may not be accurate, so they need to be verified by looking at the source records. This is very important! Numerous records cannot be accessed online however, and it is only by visiting the repositories in person that one is able to gain a full insight into the family's history. Most importantly, part of the professional researcher's skill is in knowing which additional records are available and where to find them.
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSA Scot)
- Member of West Lothian Family History Society
- Author of three books
- Articles written for several publications, including History Scotland and Family Tree
Courses undertaken at Edinburgh University:I am a member of the West Lothian Family History Society. I have also carried out voluntary work for the Society, which includes assisting at various road shows and workshops in the community to educate individuals on family history, as well as transcribing documents. I was editor of the journal - The Oak Tree for 8 years and still enjoy writing about all aspects of family history.
- Scotland's Long 19th Century 1815 - 1914
- The Scots Abroad 1750 - 1950
Oral History Interviewer :I worked as an interviewer for the oral history project on the paper making industry in Linlithgow, in order to preserve the findings for prosperity. Although paper making was an important industry in Linlithgow for over 150 years, it seemed to hold a less significant place in local folk memory than the other important industry of shoemaking. There was a lack of written records and photographs of the paper mills, so this project was a way of recording some of its history before there were no surviving employees. West Lothian Local History Library (based in Linlithgow), now has a substantial amount of material on the paper mills.This project appealed to my love of social and local history.
