The Society has a small team of volunteers who are prepared to undertake research for out-of-area MEMBERS.

When we receive your research request,it will be placed on a waiting list. There is usually a wait of about 4-6 weeks, but that may be longer if a large number of queries arrive at the same time. It is only fair to point out that our volunteer researchers are not professional genealogists. They are family historians with many years of experience researching their own and other members' family histories. They also have jobs, commitments and other interests outwith their voluntary work for the Society. Some queries require research in depth, but others can be answered quickly. We may find a lot of information or we may find very little. We may not be able to find what you are seeking - but, irrespective of the results, we still have to charge you for the time taken to search for information.

If you simply require printouts of fiche or film entries or photocopying of pages from draft MIs or ancestor charts, then you should send your fill in the Data Request form.

For all other research enquiries, please use this form.

We can search various sources in the Society, including:

On our networked computers:

• FamilySearch IGI
• The 1881 census for the whole of the UK
• The pre-1855 OPR Burials Index for North-East Scotland
• Ancestry.com Library edition (which has all the censuses for the UK from 1841 to 1901, with print-outs of English and Welsh census images available)
• Various CDs including Soldiers Died in the Great War
• The Society's Library catalogue

We can also search:

• OPR fiche for the whole of the UK, plus many countries worldwide
• English birth, marriage and death indexes on fiche, which we hold from 1837 to 2002
• Local newspapers for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Banffshire and Kincardineshire
• St Nicholas MIs on microfilm, including the index.

Outwith the Society, we can visit:

• Aberdeen City Archives
• Aberdeen University Library
• Aberdeen Central Library
• Aberdeen Register Office.

These searches are done at the discretion of the researcher and only if time permits.

We have introduced a new scale of charges for research based on the time taken to do the research.

Cost: £12 per hour, with a minimum charge of £3.00 for a 15-minute search.

Transcriptions of Births, Marriages and Deaths:

We can transcribe births post-1915, marriages post-1940, and deaths post- 1965 for anywhere in Scotland. This involves a volunteer researcher going to the Registrar's Office and copying details of certificates by hand. The notes then have to be typed up. We keep a list of requests for certificate details - and, when we have sufficient to justify the Registrar's fee, the volunteer will make an appointment to do the research.

Cost to search for and transcribe each certificate: £3.00

Notes

• Postage and packaging will be added to all these charges.
• Please do not send money in advance. We will invoice you along with the results of the research sent by post. If you have an e-mail address, we may send you the results by e-mail with the cost of the research along with a reference number, which should be quoted on payment to the Society. You can specify a ceiling cost, e.g. "not more than £20".

All charges include VAT at the current rate.
You must be a current member when you ask for research!