Ancestral Tourism and Homecoming 2014

Scotland has deemed 2014 to be Homecoming II. It is a year full of activities and events that will inspire the return of thousands of the descendants of the Scots Diaspora to return to their ancestral homeland. In addition, there is a big impetus from Tourism Intelligence to create a more meaningful trip for the Diaspora by working with local businesses to assist them in meeting the needs of the Diaspora as they return to search their roots. While these businesses are not necessarily genealogy based, they have been versed in assisting you to know where you can go for assistance.   

If you are going to Scotland on an ancestral visit, make sure you take the opportunity to also learn the social history of your ancestors. There is so much more to understanding the lives of your ancestors than simply knowing the dates of the vital events in their lives. Take time to really understand the times in which they lived. How they lived. What they did for entertainment, where they worked, what the laws and social norms were. You can do this by:

•Visiting Museums

•Visiting Historic Sites
•Talking to Locals
•Take CityTours
•Reading, reading, reading
•Talk to the locals

Discover Your Own Scottish Heritage

One of the realities for the descendants of the Scots Diaspora who return to Scotland to research their roots is that they are neither visiting nor touring. They are returning HOME. So many of Scots heritage will tell you that the moment they set foot on Scottish soil, they had a sense of "coming home" Indulge yourself in your heritage. Take pride. Drink it in. Absorb it. Here's how:

•Visit Pubs

•Attend Festivals

•Take part in Highland Games, Clan Gatherings, Celebrations, Re-enactments

Planning ahead will help you to make the best use of your time in Scotland. And ultimately that will make your quest to discover your ancestors and your own Scottish heritage more fulfilling. 

If you wish to join an organized tour, please be aware that less than a handful of the Scottish-based Ancestral tour companies are run by genealogists. They are in fact travel companies, and while their tours may be a great way to see Scotland, you will not get the assistance you need in furthering your genealogy research. While you may get to the village or town where your ancestors lived, very few will take you to see your ancestral haunts (churches, schools, places of work, churches, graveyards). None of these companies include time in archival repositories. 

At Genealogy Tours of Scotland, http://www.genealogytoursofscotland.ca our tours provide protected time at the ScotlandsPeople Centre, the Scottish Genealogy Centre and the National Library of Scotland. These are all based in Edinburgh and while on the tour, you will receive personal assistance from the archivists in each location.

In addition to the repository visits, time is available to travel to the area of Scotland where your ancestors lived. I provide connections to ancestral tour companies, run by genealogists in Scotland, who will give you a personalised tour of your ancestors home area including graveyards, churches, streets, business and anything else you may wish to see that is still standing.  

If a visit to Scotland is on your bucket list, I guarantee as soon as you arrive, you will get the sense of "being home". If genealogy research is on  your to-do list while in Scotland, give me a shout and I can assist you to make the most of your ancestral visit. (genealogytoursofscotland@gmail.com) Either way, you won't be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

Before You Go....Create a Research Plan

If you are planning a trip to Scotland for Homecoming 2014 and hope to carry out some genealogy research, you will find better results if you create a research plan before you go.

• Decide which repositories you want/need to visit. Visit their websites. Learn what hours and days they are open then plan accordingly. 
• Consider travel and time constraints. What else will you be doing while in Scotland? How many days or hours do you have to dedicate to your genealogy research? Are the repositories open on the days you have free? Be realistic about time. It may take time for the records to be retrieved and brought to you. Keep that in mind when you are planning your time.  
• Create an Itinerary. Where else do you want to visit? Do you want to see the village, town or city your ancestor lived in? How will you get there? How long will that take? 
• Create a Travel Plan. Prioritize what you want to see, what records you want to get. If time is limited then decide to work at only the top three. If time allows, you can get to the next items on your list.  
• You may want to consult a professional genealogist before you go. This will help you to better plan your time and keep you focussed on exactly what it is that you hope to achieve during your quest to learn more about your ancestors.

Planning ahead will help you to make the best use of your time in Scotland. And ultimately that will make your quest to discover your ancestors and your own Scottish heritage more fulfilling.

If  you are going planning to go to Scotland to do family history research and you would like to do so in an organized way, sign up for a group genealogy holiday through Genealogy Tours of Scotland:
https://www.genealogytoursofscotland.ca/

 

Getting Ready for a Genealogy Research Trip to Scotland?

This year has been deemed Homecoming 2014. It is a year full of activities and events that will inspire the return of thousands of the descendants of the Scots Diaspora to return to their ancestral homeland.

Walking in the footsteps of your ancestors is awe-inspiring, humbling and deeply fulfilling. But traveling to the home of your ancestors takes planning. It is not enough to show up in the village, head to the local pub and start asking questions. You need to do some research ahead of time. Learn about what repositories are available, what archival materials they hold, who can access them and what identification is required to access the repositories. Here's a checklist of sorts to help you be better prepared:

Ø      Make sure that your Family Tree is up to date. Make it portable. Have it on a laptop, iPad, or tablet so that you can access the information in Scotland. If you want, you can print off Family Group Sheets or create a spreadsheet and write down what you are missing and hope to find when you are in Scotland. 

Ø      Make a list of all of the documents you already have copies or originals of. This will prevent you wasting time searching for information you already have. Remember, you will be able to see births newer than 100 years, marriage records newer than 75 years and death records newer than 50 years, so you will want to make a list of the more recent records you want to have a look at while you are in Edinburgh. 

Ø      Know what each repository has in its collections to assist you further with your research. 

Ø      Write out your brick walls and think about what you want to find out to help break those down. Do you need to look at parish records, voters rolls, apprentice records, maps, directories, newspapers? This will help to focus and guide your research time. 

Ø      Make sure that your passport is valid and up to date. If you are traveling from Canada, the US, or Australia, you do NOT require a visa. Your passport is all that you will need and it must not expire before you return to your country of origin.

Ø      Pack extra batteries, camera cards and other accessories that you might need for those pictures of old homesteads, churches, schools, village signs or headstones. 

Ø      Purchase adapters for the change in electrical currency in Scotland.  

Ø      Pack power cords, USB sticks and other accessories you might need for your computer while you are in Scotland. Laptops can be taken into the repositories.  

Ø      Pack pencils. Pens are not allowed in the repositories.

 

 

 

Calling all those with names: DURIE, Dury, Duree, Durrie, Durry, DuRy, Duryea, Dourie, Dowrie.

The First Durie Gathering is to take place next year in Scotland and includes an exciting tour to span 4 days and 3 nights over the weekend 27th-30th June 2014. The aim is to bring Duries together from all over the world and to discover our roots by visiting Durie-related places.  For a brief note on the tour visit: http://www.duriefamily.co.uk/news/first-durie-gathering-2014 

For more information on the Durie Family Association please visit: www.duriefamily.co.uk or contact me secretary@duriefamily.co.uk