The Genealogy Shelf

The People of Perth and Kinross, 1800-1850
David Dobson
Clearfield Company
c/o Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
www.genealogical.com
9780806359359, $25.00, PB, 150pp

https://www.amazon.com/People-Perth-Kinross-1800-1850/dp/0806359358

Synopsis: With the publication of "The People of Perth and Kinross, 1800-18= 50", David Dobson identifies people resident in the adjacent counties of Pe= rthshire and Kinross-shire, Scotland, as well as people abroad who originat=
ed there, between 1800 and 1850.

The two counties now form a unitary administrative unit, known as Perth and=
Kinross, centered on the city of Perth. The information found in this volu=
me is derived from a wide range of archival sources such as court records, = contemporary newspapers and journals, monumental inscriptions, and other do= cuments. The entries connect emigrants, their destinations--especially in N= orth America, the West Indies, and Australasia--with their kin who remained=
in Scotland.

Following is one such entry: "ANDERSON, ALEXANDER, born 1772, a labourer fr=
om Fortingall, with his wife Isobel born 1776, son John born 1798, daughter=
Ann born 1800, daughter Christian born 1802, and daughter Isabel born 1804=
, emigrated aboard the Clarendon of Hull bound for Prince Edward Island in = August 1808. [NSARM] [TNA.CO226.23]"

The period covered in "The People of Perth and Kinross, 1800-1850" was one =
of rapid change in Scottish society brought about by the agricultural revol= ution and Industrial revolution, The former led to the formation of larger = farms causing the surplus rural population to drift to the rapidly expandin=
g factory towns.

For example, in Perthshire the land-loom weavers who produced textiles in t= heir home were replaced by textile mills, in towns like Stanley. The popula= tion of the city of Perth grew by 19,000 between 1755 and 1821, while that =
of Blairgowrie increased almost tenfold in the same period.

Genealogists possessing ancestors from this era are encouraged to consult t=
he Statistical Report of Scotland (the O.S.A.) compiled between 1791 and 17= 99; and the New Statistical Report, researched between 1832 and 1845, to pu=
t their ancestors into historical context. Both sources are available on th=
e website of the National Library of Scotland.

Critique: An invaluable and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, = professional, community, and academic library Genealogy reference collectio= ns, "The People of Perth and Kinross, 1800-1850" is impressively well organ= ized, detailed and presented.

Critique: David Dobson (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/David_Dobson) =
is a recognized authority on the Scottish origins of American colonists. Hi=
s list of publications exceeds 100 books. Many focus on connections between=
Scots who went abroad and their motherland. In addition to the immigrants = themselves, he has also prepared books on the ships, shipmasters, merchants=
, whalers, and mariners involved in maritime trades. He has also compiled a=
large number of books designed to help researchers identify people who liv=
ed in Scotland in the 1600s and 1700s. He uses many sources that supplement=
more commonly-used parochial records and testaments providing a broader pi= cture of those living there at the time many emigrants boarded ships to the=
American colonies.

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