U.S., Directory of Scottish Settlers in North America, 1625-1825

General Collection Information

This collection contains records for people of Scottish descent who traveled to the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean between 1625 and 1825. The records in this collection have been transcribed from a variety of primary sources which may include:

• Passenger manifests
• Wills and probate records
• Announcements of birth, marriage, and death from Scottish newspapers
• Burgess rolls
• Land grant documents
• Letters and diaries
• Tombstone inscriptions

Using this Collection

The collection may offer the following information:

• Person’s name
• Gender
• Birth date
• Birth place
• Death date
• Death place
• Country of emigration
• Date of arrival
• Date of departure
• Place of departure
• Ship name
• Information about the person’s spouse and/or parents, including birthdates, birthplaces, death dates, and death places
• Residence
• Names of next of kin
• Relationship to next of kin
• Date of will
• Place of will

When searching for records of immigrant ancestors, it’s important to know that many may have changed their names when they immigrated. Searching for both names or alternate spellings can make it easier to find your ancestor. Also keep in mind that there are likely other people with the same name as your ancestor, so cross-checking your ancestor’s records can help you be sure you’ve found the right person.

Collection in Context

This collection contains a variety of records transcribed from original sources. Early Scottish settlers to the Americas were primarily traced through letters, diaries, land grants, passenger manifests, and indentures. While Scottish immigration began in the 1600s, the 1720’s saw a larger wave of Scots immigrate to the American colonies.

However, not all genealogical sources for Scottish settlers come from the New World. Sometimes when a settler died, their family back in Scotland might erect a monument in the local kirkyard (Scottish for “churchyard”) to keep their memory close. Announcements of birth, marriage, and death were commonly published in newspapers in Scotland and abroad. Probate records and wills also offer a wealth of information as they frequently list names and residences of family members.

Bibliography

Dobson, David. Directory of Scottish Settlers in North America, 1625-1825. Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1984

Millett, Stephen M. The Scottish Settlers of America, The 17th and 18th Centuries. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.

The John Gray Centre. “A Brief History of Emigration & Immigration in Scotland: Research Guide 2.” Last modified 2014. https://www.johngraycentre.org/about/archives/brief-history-emigration-immigration-scotland-research-guide-2/.