Services for Members
We undertake projects related to family history and have produced several publications (see the shop for details). In addition to issuing two journals and a Christmas bulletin to our members each year, East Ayrshire FHS tries to assist members, particularly those who live outside the area, with simple, specific research.
Please remember that the Society is run entirely by volunteers and it may not always be possible to find someone able to work on a request. You would be asked to pay any expenses incurred, such as postage and photocopying. If large expense is likely, then you would be notified before proceeding. The Society holds some research materials and has access locally to microfilms of Census and Old Parish Records (OPR) for all Ayrshire parishes. Therefore, if you have a census reference or a likely OPR reference found, say, by using the www.familysearch.org website we may be able to look up the entry for you and transcribe the details.
Details of the 1841 Census for Ayrshire are available, without charge, on the FreeCen website – and the 1851 Census is also becoming available free on that site. Indexes to all available Censuses of Scotland are available on the pay-per-view website www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk . Scotlands People is the official government online source of genealogical data for Scotland and holds the 1855 and onwards statutory Birth, Marriage and Death records for the whole of Scotland.
The Society holds several books of Monumental Inscriptions (mainly pre-1855) for graveyards in Ayrshire.
Other resources include:
Indexes to Poor Relief Applications for Ardrossan and Kilmarnock,
Kirk Session records up to 1900 for Kilmarnock Laigh Kirk and Loudoun Parish Church from 1759 to 1980,
Local historical maps.
It is recommended that members make use of the online Members’ Forum as an aid to their own research.