Scottish GENES Guest Post - Early LDS Church Records in Scotland: Newly Available on FamilySearch, by Tunji Lees - UPDATED

I am delighted to run the following guest post from Tunji Lees, to whom thanks is given. It features an amazing resource that Tunji has been working with concenring early records from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Scotland, now available via FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org). 

Early LDS Church Records in Scotland: Newly Available on FamilySearch
By Tunji Lees

A recently released collection on FamilySearch, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Record of Members (Worldwide), 1836–1970 (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/collection/3714676), has for the first time made early LDS Church records from across Scotland searchable online—records that were previously available only at the Family History Library in Utah. These volumes, created by local branches and mostly beginning before the start of Scottish civil registration in 1855, offer a window into a little-known aspect of Scotland’s religious and social history and, as it turns out, an unexpected treasure trove for genealogists.

In genealogy, I’ve often found that the answers to long-standing brick walls appear where I least expect them. That was certainly the case here. I had never encountered any evidence that my ancestors had any connection with the Mormon Church—yet among the records of the LDS Irvine Branch in Ayrshire, I discovered an entry for my 3×great-grandfather’s sister, Mary Ann Lees, born in County Derry, Ireland. Her baptism in 1850, at age 40, provided the first concrete documentary link between our Lees family in Scotland and the Lees households of Killymuck Glebe, Tamlaght O’Crilly, County Londonderry—a breakthrough that resolved a long-standing genealogical mystery.

The LDS Church in Scotland, 1839–1850s

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established its first presence in Scotland in 1839, when two Scottish converts, Alexander Wright and Samuel Mulliner, returned from Canada as missionaries. They preached in Edinburgh and Banffshire, and on 14 January 1840, they baptized the first Scottish converts, Alexander and Jessie Hay, in the River Clyde near Paisley.

A few months later, Apostle Orson Pratt arrived to direct the growing mission. Preaching in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and surrounding towns, Pratt and his companions distributed tracts and organised small congregations, eventually numbering some 3,000 members by 1853. Converts came mainly from the working classes—miners, weavers, artisans—who found the Church’s message of spiritual renewal and community appealing. 

By the mid-1850s, however, most of these early converts had emigrated to the United States, heeding the call to “gather to Zion.” Local membership declined sharply, and many Scottish branches eventually closed. It is precisely from this early period that many of the records in the FamilySearch collection originate.

The Record of Members Collection

The FamilySearch database includes thousands of entries from LDS branches across Scotland, primarily dating from the 1840s through the late 19th century (though some continue into the 20th century). These are local branch membership registers, containing lists of baptisms, confirmations, blessings, marriages, deaths, and disciplinary actions.

While the FamilySearch Wiki provides an overview, not all Scottish branches are mentioned, so it is unclear whether the database currently offers full coverage. What is clear, however, is that these records document the Church’s peak years of activity in Scotland and contain unique personal data that may not be preserved elsewhere.    

A Source Unlike Any Other

What makes these Scottish LDS records especially valuable for genealogists is their level of detail and the populations they document. 

1. Pre-Civil Registration Births.
Many members were born before 1855, the start of statutory registration in Scotland. These LDS records often supply both exact dates and places of birth—details that may not survive in parish registers. (They do not, however, record the parents’ names of adult baptisms.) A few examples from baptisms at Lanark in 1853:

• Christina Gordon, b. 5 Jul 1830 Carluke, Carluke, Lanark, Scotland
• John Thom, born 8 Mar 1791 Airdrie, Monkland, Lanark, Scotland

2. Precise Geographic Information.
Members born outside Scotland, such as in Ireland, England, or even India, often have their birthplaces recorded down to the parish or sometimes even townland level. This specificity far exceeds the general “born Ireland” or "born England" usually found in census records. A few examples: 

•    John Roxburgh, Single, born 26 Nov 1826 Greenwich by Kingston, Island of Jamaica
•    Ephriam Tomkinson, Married, born 15 Apr 1825 Burslem, Staffordshire, England 

3. Social and Disciplinary Notes.
Entries often include notes such as “dead,” “emigrated,” or “cut off”—a reference to excommunication for moral or behavioural reasons. These notations help trace the movement and social history of members over time.

4. Records of Marriages and Children Blessed.
Some branches kept separate marriage and “Record of Children Blessed” registers, which can predate civil records. For example:

•    Agnes Barr, born 20 September 1846 in Lennoxtown, Campsie, Stirlingshire, to Robert Barr and Eliza Hunter; blessed 18 October by Robert Scott.
•    Jane Scott, born 9 August 1850 in Kirkintilloch to Robert Scott and Jane Martin; blessed 2 September 1850 by Joseph Clements; died 9 November 1854 of scarlet fever.

Irish Migration Revealed
One of the most striking aspects of the Scottish LDS registers is their documentation of Irish migrants who joined the Church after settling in industrial towns such as Irvine, Kilbirnie, Kilmarnock and Glasgow. These entries frequently include precise Irish birthplaces—often naming the townland, parish, and county.

Examples from Irvine Branch, Ayrshire:
•    James Connel, b. 10 May 1781 Aughnish, Donegal; bapt. 1843.
•    Mrs Janit Weir, b. 24 Dec 1770 Lisburn, Antrim; bapt. 1843.
•    John Higgins, b. 1 May 1816 Dunglody, Maghera, Londonderry; bapt. 14 May 1850.
•    Torrance Higgins, b. 16 Aug 1791 Ballinderry, Ballinderry, Londonderry; bapt. 3 Jun 1850.

Examples from Kilbirnie Branch, Ayrshire:
•    Mary Kirkpatrick, b. 15 Dec 1835 Larne, Antrim; bapt. 13 Nov 1850.
•    Hannah Kirkpatrick, b. 17 Mar 1833 Lorraine [Larne], Antrim; bapt. 25 Mar 1851.
•    Mary McMillan, b. 1 Aug 1841 Dernot, Armagh; bapt. 16 Mar 1851.

Such detail provides rare, parish-level and occasionally townland evidence for Irish origins that might otherwise remain untraceable in Scottish civil or census sources.

Case Study: Mary Ann Lees of Irvine Branch

Among these records I found my 3×great-grandfather’s sister, Mary Ann Lees. Here is the entry as it appears on FamilySearch:

Name: Mary Ann Lees
Birth Date: 1810
Birthplace: Killymuck, Timlet [Tamlaght O’Crilly], Londonderry, Ireland.
Baptism Date: 13 Jun 1850
Baptism Officiator's Name: Mathew Rowan.
Event Type: Membership
Event Place: Scotland, United Kingdom 

The digital image however reads:

Mary Ann Lees
Irvine Branch.
When born: 1810.
Where born: Killymuck, Timlet [Tamlaght O’Crilly], Londonderry, Ireland.
When baptised: 13 June 1850, by Mathew Rowan.
When confirmed: 16 June 1850, by Thomas Lyon.
Where baptised & confirmed: Irvine, Ayr, Scotland.
Dead, cut off, emigrated, etc.: “Cut off 20 June 1852 second time.”

Note that the FamilySearch index included only a fraction of this information, omitting the branch, officiators, and remarks. Viewing the original image revealed additional details and helped connect the entry to my relative who was known to have been living in Irvine at the time.

There appears to have been no consistent way of recording female members' surnames (at least within the records of Irvine branch), as Mary Ann is also listed several times under her married name McKeachie (variant of McGeachie/McCaughey).

Indexing Limitations and Accuracy

The Record of Members index is extremely useful but far from perfect. Many names and places have been mistranscribed, and some entries are missing entirely. 

For example:

•    Jean McGechie, born 23 August 1841 in Loughguile, Antrim—baptized at Irvine in 1854 and later “cut off for stealing the value of 6d”—appears in the digital images but I could not find it in the index.
•    Some entries list the wrong county or location. Dalry is often recorded as being in Midlothian, Scotland, although it is in Ayrshire. I also found entries that were indexed as Dalkeith, Midlothian, although they occured in Clackmannan!

Additionally, the same generic reference number (CR 375 8/b6330/f0001) is attached to every entry, making citation and tracing the actual image cumbersome. Researchers are therefore strongly advised to consult the original images to access branch details, officiators, and remarks not captured in the index.

Accessing the Original Images

Curiously, the digitised images are not hosted on FamilySearch but through the LDS Church History Catalogue and a seperate free account is required. Access to the Scottish collections is restricted because the records continue into the 20th century. However, access can be requested; my own requests were approved for 30-day viewing periods.

The Scottish “Record of Members” files are grouped under Call Number CR 375 8, divided into five parts (possibly six - see below), covering dozens of branches across Scotland. Researchers may also find supplementary digitised materials in the same catalogue, including: 

•    William McKay journals, 1847–1875 (Caithness; record of blessings, prayers, and baptisms).
•    Dunfermline Ward papers, 1845–1948, 1961–2009.
•    Aberdeen membership records, 1841–2005.
•    John Gray history of the Church in Irvine, 1848 (un-digitised).

List of Scottish LDS Branch Records (CR 375 8)

Part 1: Aberdeen (1841–1866, 1877–1948); Airdrie (1842–1856, 1894–1947); Arbroath (1845–1880); Auchinearn (1848–1858); Ayr (1848); Bailleston (1851–1853); Balfron (1847–1855); Barrhead (1847–1851); Bathgate (1846–1868); Blackbraes (1846–1868); Blairgowrie (1849–1856); Bonhill (1847–1855); Boroughstonness (1846–1853); Bridge of Weir (1847–1848); Burnbank (to c.1905); Busby (1846–1849); Calton (1857–1862); Camberslang (1847–1849); Campsie (1848–1854); Clackmannan (1843–1877); Cowdenbeath (to c.1883); Crofsgates (1885–1886); Crofthead (1842–1868).

Part 2: Dalkeith (1851–1858); Dalry (1846–1853); Dundee (1842–1881); Dundee Conference (1842–1881); Dunfermline (1842–1871, 1887–1889); Dysart (1840–1875, see also Pathhead before 1850); Edinburgh (1840–1868, 1880–1948); Edinburgh Conference (1840–1868); Falkirk (1843–1884); Fruchie (1851–1854).

Part 3: Gallowshiels (1851); Galston (1849–1901); Girvan (1848–1852); Glasgow (1847–1947); Glasgow Conference (1840–1854, 1867–1887).

Part 4: Gorbals (1857–1861); Gorebridge (1884); Greamsay (1851–1853); Greenlaw (1847–1848); Greenock (1840–1864); Haywood (to c.1888); Hearthill (1844–1852); Holytown (1848–1878); Hunterfield (1844–1853); Inverness (1847–1850); Irvine (1849–1883); Johnstone (1848–1864); Kelty (1880–1883); Kelvindock & Knightswood (1848–1856); Kilbirnie (1848–1854); Kilmarnock (1844–1909); Kilwinning (1857–1886); Kirkcaldy (1842–1849); Kirkintilloch (1842–1875); Kirkliston (1851–1853); Lanark (1844–1886); Leith (1840–1847); Loan Head (1844–1848); Loch Gelley (1842–1854); Lugar (1850–1852); Maybole & Crosshill (1848); Motherwell (1869–1881); New Craig (1846–1851); Newmains (1864–1879); Oakley (1847–1850).

Part 5: Paisley (1856–1912); Paisley, Renfrew & Neilston (1848–1855); Parkhead (1855–1882); Pathhead (1881; see also Dysart Branch). 

? Part 6: Pollockshaws & Thorndie Bank [Thornliebank] 1848-185;, Renfrew (1848); Rutherglen (1848-1854); Stewarton (1848-1850); Tollcross (1848-1855); Vale-of-Leven (1847-1848) [These parishes are listed in several branch lists on the digitised microfilms. It appears that their records may belong to a sixth and final part of the Scotland Records collection. However, I have not been able to locate these records so far. I have contacted the LDS Church History staff and hope they can help identify their location]

Note that, although the above list appears mostly accurate, it contains some inconsistencies. For example, there are records of the Clackmannan Branch in Part 2, even though they are not listed there in the description. Additionally, I could not find any records for the Kirkcaldy Branch where they are listed in Part 4. It is possible, therefore, that these records are located elsewhere in the collection. 

Links: FamilySearch Wiki https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints,_Record_of_Members_(Worldwide)_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
LDS Church History Catalogue https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/ 

Tunji Lees

 

NB: Regular readers may recall that Tunji wrote a barnstorming piece for this blog many years ago (fourteen years ago!), concerning British Army pension appeal records for Scots following the First World War - you can read this at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2011/08/guest-post-scottish-ww1-pensions-appeal.html. The latest update on developments following that post can be read from 2024 at https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2024/07/update-on-pt6-scottish-first-world-war.html.

UPDATE: The above article was updated on 19 October 2025, with additional finds by Tunji included.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. For purchase in tthe USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.