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All donations will go towards the running of Hebrides People so that we can preserve the genealogical history of the Outer Hebrides from Lewis to Barra.
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How it works
To access database results, you will need to create an account (or log into an existing account).
Each database entry contains details on one individual, and each person’s entry can be viewed for 5 credits. Credits can be purchased here.
As well as this, a handwritten chart for each person’s family is available to download for 10 credits, and a set of notes on the family available for 5 credits.
In order to find your ancestor on our database, you will need a name and approximate date of birth, marriage or death, provided these dates are before 1920. We do not hold any more recent entries than 1920 on our database.
Search Hebrides People Main Database
Search Help
- Family Name Family name or surname.
- Other Name First names / christian name. The system applies many rules to help you find first names. Gaelic and English equivalents are dealt with, as well as many English alternatives. See notes on names.
- Year of Birth Within the nearest 5 years.
- Parish of Birth Which Hebridean Parish the person was born in, or Other for outside of the Hebrides.
- Spouse Husband or Wife’s name.
- Year of Death Within the nearest 5 years.
- Family Reference This family reference is unique to us, and allows us to gather together the information we have on all the members of one family. When you have found your family, try searching using this reference number to get all of your family members.
Search Emigrant’s Database
Search Help
- Family Name Family name or surname.
- Year of Birth Within the nearest 5 years.
- Parish Hebridean Parishes.
- Destination This list represents all the destinations we have in the database. Please bear in mind that there are quite a large number of cases where we know that a person left the islands, but don’t know where they went. So, please broaden your search to try the “Not Currently Known” option if you don’t find your family straight away.
Explore the St Kilda archive for free
Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, all database results for St Kilda are free. Visit the St Kilda archive to see how the database works!
Explore Further
Names of the Western Isles
It is probably only in the last two hundred years that the people of the Western Isles have used surnames. Previously, although people recognised that … Read more
Western Isles Genealogy
One of the major problems with family tracing in the Western Isles is the scarcity and poor quality of written records. The decennial census is … Read more
Genealogical Services
The Hebrides People ‘Cò Leis Thu?’ genealogy service can help you trace your Western Isles ancestors. We specialise in producing family trees that show people’s … Read more
Oral Tradition
Oral tradition includes song, story, and preservation of family relationships. Written records are generally late and of variable quality in the Western Isles compared to … Read more
Name Standardisation
In using any written sources, it is essential to bear in mind that the people of the islands were overwhelmingly Gaelic speaking. These records were … Read more