Welcome to WWW.MONIKIE.SCOT, from Scotland

JANUARY 2002 -  EVEN  ER 
Read the news - the long-awaited files are now available..

 ..and, from JUNE 2002, DIRECT from THIS website! 

  You can read here about a Stirling Family History data sources and 4 data files in  TEXT format which can easily be imported into YOUR spreadsheet, or database or other text-based data application.  A few other formats may be available, specially sent by Email attachment, on request.

BEFORE you download the files it is important for your full understanding that you read the notes below.  Failure to do so will involve a great waste of YOUR TIME!

The data was sourced from the IGI by the LDS.  Probably, 99% of the STIRLING forenames found in a search are included and it was only up-to-date around mid-summer 2001.  It is important to note HERE that this list is provided solely to assist YOUR research by allowing YOU to manipulate and analyse the data - something not possible from the IGI.  Such results achieved from YOUR WORK must then be checked BACK to the IGI (www.familysearch.org) for the "full picture".

It took a considerable amount of effort to present the data into this 'computer-friendly format'.  To achieve this, which is to aid YOUR research and analysis, involved some 'standardisation' of FORENAMES - for example, ALEXANDER rather than ALEX., various spellings of ARCHIBALD made the same.  Other forenames may remain UNCHANGED, and will sort in strict order.  The various spelling versions of STIRLING remain unchanged.  You should check for many variations and similarities of forenames.  The District / Area names have been similarly handled to facilitate data analysis.

Some researchers may disapprove of such 'standardisation' but, as always, it is for each to confirm such extracts (including from the IGI) against the original source document, mostly the OPR or Statutory Register.  This list is just an index suitably adapted for data analysis purposes by researchers.

The dates have been 'reversed' (YYYY-MMM-DD) in order that they can be sorted, although NOT perfectly.  Remember, ALL 'fields' are 'text' and you can 'destroy' the whole data if you convert the data format from 'dates as TEXT' to 'dates as DATES'.  I strongly disapprove of the use of numbered months as this just creates confusion for users in other countries and from the country of the source document.  The use of asterisks is for sorting use developed in my STIRLINGS in ANGUS database ALLSTIR.WDB.  If you have records for ANGUS (sometime past referred to as Forfarshire).   (There is a method of putting the dates in exactly the correct order - use Roman numerals - and can explain this to anyone downloading the file and wishing to tackle the task involved - but is it worth it?) There is at least one record has been submitted with NO YEAR - what was the point?

It is important to understand the SORTDATE information.  In many cases this is identical to the source date of the event being a christening or birth, but in order to bring records which could be for the same individual together, the sortdate may be an estimated birth date of 20 years before a marriage date and 60 years before a death date.  This quite arbitrary calculation will obviously be erroneous in many cases, but it should bring names nearer together in the sorted list than would be otherwise possible

A common 'fault' to be found in the data is the number of apparent multiple entries.  This is likely to be caused by those who have submitted details for incorporation without deleting duplicate entries from their submission lists.  To remove such duplicates BEFORE submission is very time-consuming, but this failure creates work for later researchers who must then check many more submitters' sources than should be required, only to find that they are from the original OPR, or whatever.  Not having the resources to carry out this huge task it must be left to researchers to carry out themselves - remember YOU MUST check the IGI sources AFTER you have analised the data to your requirements - this data is provided only for that purpose, not a source.

As usual, it is up to the researcher to confirm all the data - it has not, and cannot be checked.  Use the data as a guide to the information you seek.  The only proper source is normally, the Old Parish Registers and Church Records, also Statutory Registers .

The columns in the table, if produced as a spreadsheet, are -

• Serial # - use this to enable a re-sort the database to the original order
• Source Name - from the original
• Standardised Forename - see notes
• Surname - from the original
• Gender - where original gender=UNKNOWN these may have been changed according to forename
• Sortdate - see notes
• Event  - Birth, Christening, Death, Marriage (including Banns), or 'Misc.'.
• Event Date - in text sorting order (see notes).
• Source Parish / District Name - some not recognised - back to submitter, again!
• Standardised Parish / District Name see notes
• Chapman County Codes - (County boundaries have changed over the years as have parishes. There are NO counties in Scotland nowadays.)

Bearing in mind the 'standardisation' process, if YOU find some of the entries are clearly WRONG (it may have been mis-typed from the original) or you find that you can give proper information where that shown has been wrongly submitted, I would appreciate your information, clearly given, thank you.

 PLEASE NOTE that these 4 files are now (June 2002) on THIS website. 
 The FULL site address is given below for each. 

JUNE 2002 - The following sources have been relocated and which will expand on the basic data for many of the persons included in the 15,500+ file, above.  These data sources are by very kind courtesy of, and a great deal of work by, Dave Stirling and were provided to the webmaster in MS Word format.  These have been converted, also with great effort, into TEXT & TABS format. The THREE files now available. . . .

There are data in the notes of the latter 3 files which I am not yet informed of their context from the source provider.

If you would like to know more about these files please send email . . .

. . . also, comments welcome!

Have a look at my major source of detailed data for 2,500+ STIRLINGS,
mainly in the former County of Angus, but some from elsewhere,
listed in my ALLSTIR database! . . on this website.

The design and content of this page and website is the copyright of the webmaster (unless otherwise stated, freely surrendered, or in the public domain) and, where appropriate, may not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the webmaster.
This page was updated - 09 December, 2014