Document of the Month June 2008
General Register of the Poor for Peterhead showing entry of Barbara McDonald, 12 February 1878
This month’s featured document is an extract from the General Register of the Poor for Peterhead (Aberdeen City Archives reference AC6/64/14, page 201). It formed part of the research for a play called ‘Lottie’ which is being premiered in Aberdeenshire later this month by the Garidge Theatre Company and the Mitchell School of Drama. The register is part of a wider collection of the surviving administrative records for the Parochial Boards for the counties of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire and Kincardineshire that are held by Aberdeen City Archives, and are very popular for family history research.
The extract featured relates to the circumstances and poor relief given to Lottie’s mother, Barbara McDonald. It records that Barbara, a single farm servant, had become destitute and wholly disabled due to pregnancy. At the point of writing the record, she had 3 children: the eldest, Alexander (who was then 8 years old), Lottie, who was born in the Peterhead Poorhouse on 10 March 1878, and Helen Smith who was born on 15 April 1885. An addition to the record states that Helen later died.
Using other records it has been possible to add some more detail to the story which can be found here, and further background on the document here. If required, a transcription of the image can be found here.
If you wish a copy of this image, please contact us for further information.
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