The Art of Retracing your Roots

“You never know what you’re going to find,” says Heather Martin. Sitting in a room with newspapers stacked high, ancient artefacts scattered all over the place and rummaging through 19th century court documents may not sound like a fun pastime to most. But it sure is satisfying. Having discovered that her great uncle was a ship captain who tragically died just off the coast of Dornoch in World War Two, Heather knows just how powerful discovering more about your heritage can be. So exactly how do you even get started with retracing your ancestry? 

The ruins of Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland, a country doused in ancestral history (Chris Clark)

With platforms such as Ancestry and 23andMe becoming more accessible to the wider world, millions of people are taking advantage to uncover more about their pasts. At surface level, retracing your family tree can be a wholesome pastime. For one, it encourages people to reach out to grandparents to ask about their life and finding tiny crumbs of information from centuries ago. However, the art of retracing your roots can hold a much deeper meaning. 

Scotland: A Global Ancestry Hotspot

Scotland is one of those countries that is doused in ancestral history. In fact, more than 40 million people living around the world can claim Scottish heritage. Many long-haul travellers stick around to uncover their family history and while there are a slew of resource centres around the country to help do that, there is one particularly saturated area up north. 

Some countries have a richer ancestral past due to well-preserved historical records, continuous settlement over centuries, and strong cultural traditions of documenting lineage and oral history (Magda Ehlers)

The North Coast 500 is a route which loops around some of Scotland’s most stunning scenery. Whilst its main purpose is to create a jaw-dropping road trip itinerary, it also boasts a list of museums which are known to help locals and visitors journey into their past. Some offer genealogy services whilst others have an array of records and artefacts which can paint a reliable picture of the life our ancestors used to live.

Historylinks Museum: A Portal to the Past in Dornoch

One such museum is the Historylinks Museum located in The Meadows area of Dornoch. It is a member of VisitScotland’s Ancestral Welcome Scheme and they have a myriad of artefacts and records which date back centuries. “I think what the strength of a museum like ours is in allowing people to build up the stories of the people that lived here,” says Heather, a volunteer at the museum. “To my mind, when you trace your family history using records, that’s just the beginning.”

Historylinks opened its doors publicly in July 1998 and achieved the 5-Star Museum Award from VisitScotland in 2009 (VisitDornoch)

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume the overwhelming feeling one would get by just looking at the sheer amount of both physical and online documentation. From marriage certificates to minute meetings and census records, you might be surprised to know just how far back some of these go. Scotland’s People is the official Scottish Government site for searching government records and archives. It is a perfect hub to explore Scottish heritage, with some of its records dating back to the 1840s. 

“One of the main things you find in court session records is people that were born out of wedlock,” explains Heather. What would be considered taboo back then, now serves as unique and interesting point of reference in heritage research. Union memberships, transport records, and ship manifests are some other types of records which are also publicly available. “It’s a like a puzzle really,” she continues. “If you like puzzles and enjoy stories, the two together are very satisfying.”

Strathnaver Museum and Ancient Archives

It’s not just archives and photographs that connect history with families, however. Physical artefacts and objects also link to the region’s past, some in weirder ways than others. Fiona Mackenzie is a Development Manager at Strathnaver Museum, located in the former Parish Church of Columba in Bettyhill. She explains that one of the most unique pieces of artefacts that they have display is a dog-skin fishing buoy. 

Strathnaver Museum opened in the 1950s when the church building (where the museum resides) had become redundant in the ‘40s (North Coast 500)

“It is exactly what it sounds like,” she says. Before plastic was made widely available, people used other type of resources to make the mundane objects that we take for granted today. “They are very rare because they haven’t really survived,” Fiona continues. Such objects not only link history to specific anecdotes, but they give us a better timeline as to when people may have lived.

Getting Started: Tips for Tracing Your Scottish Roots

Being able to fit the pieces together can be extremely satisfying, albeit complex. Even the biggest family trees had to start from somewhere, usually with just a single person. “Start with what you know,” says Heather, sharing some of the tips to retracing your family history. Then, it is all about working backwards. 

From artefacts to online records, these museums may have the answers to your family tree (VisitDornoch)

“Before people come to visit the museum, they can look at the online archives to give a better idea of what they actually want to see if they have a short time,” she continues. Scotland’s People is a good resource with a wealth of information, especially when it comes to surnames. Once you start collecting some of that initial history, it becomes easier to pinpoint the exact locations around Scotland. 

A Global Search for Connection

Rifling through vintage photographs and old court documents may bring out your inner detective but that doesn’t mean you can’t uncover your family tree from further away. “There is a lady from Australia who got in touch a few years ago looking for information,” says Fiona.

Knowing a little about her Scottish heritage, she thought to ring up a few museums to see if any of her relatives were living in the area. “We were able to put her in touch with a cousin,” Fiona continues, explaining that she even travelled to Scotland to meet in person. “It’s that personal touch within the community that you’re not necessarily able to gain from historical records.”

The best past about discovering your Scottish anectry is finding links to royalty and/or clans (Simon Hurry)

Whilst success stories like these make the process sound promising, it is also important to manage expectations. “Some people are sometimes disappointed when there’s not more information,” explains Fiona. Between stories being passed down generations (and therefore slightly tweaked over time), names getting mixed up and the sometimes lying on official documents, some information may be wrong.

“People lied on census. They may have said they were married when they weren’t or lied when their first child was born,” Heather explains, indicating that this was common practice especially among parents whose children were born out of wedlock. “You should get as many jigsaw pieces as you can to compare them.” 

Preserving Local History Through Personal Stories

Even after all is said and done however, both women agree that one of the most important parts is conserving the history and legacy of the locals in their respective towns. From showcasing physical objects of the area's past to recounting the stories which make up the present community, retracing your personal roots also helps to maintain the heritage of the collective group. 

“As a community, heritage brings people together,” explains Fiona. Whilst Scottish clans (also known as kinship groups) are what links much of would-be strangers' heritage together, the Strathnaver Museum specifically holds an abundance of historical information regarding Clan Mackay. Additionally, the region was the backdrop of tragic Highland Clearances, a period of mass evictions and displacement of Highlanders and Islanders in Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries. These are some of the details which attract people to learn more about what their ancestors lived through.

The North Coast 500 boasts numerous Heritage Centres to help visitors learn more about where they might come from (Murilo Gomes)

While retracing your heritage through records and archives is an important part of the process, the preservation element comes from the oral stories. “It’s about gathering more of that kind of information that is in the danger of being lost,” she continues. Platforms like DNA tests provide an accessible entry point to discovering our past, but delving into historical records and local archives offers a richer, more comprehensive understanding of our origins.

While the process may not always yield the answers we expect and can sometimes be clouded by inaccuracies, the act of preserving and sharing these histories strengthens communities and connects us to the past in meaningful ways. Whether through discovering long-lost relatives or piecing together a forgotten story, retracing our roots is not just an exploration of history, it’s a celebration of heritage that brings us closer to both our individual and collective identities. The fact that you can discover all of this whilst road tripping through some of Scotland’s most jaw-dropping scenery is just the cherry on top.