May is Local and Community History Month. The aim of the month is to increase awareness of the rich local history in Aberdeenshire, promote local history to the local community and encourage all members of the community to participate in our events and activities and enjoy looking at our heritage. Our 2024 theme is 'Local Fowk' – anything from notable local people to family history and where local fowk lived.
Take a look at our events and activities below.
We will also be at the following events. Come and speak to us
Examples of some of the resources such as valuations rolls, maps, electoral registers, from the Local Studies Centre in Oldmeldrum, will be available to view at the sessions
Come and join us for a day of local history at the Local Studies Centre in Oldmeldrum.
Whether it’s tracing your family history, researching your home’s history or something more specific, find out how our staff and resources at the Local Studies Centre can help you.
Access our newspaper archives, browse our photo collections and visit the ‘vault’, where our ‘precious’ items are stored. Take a tour of the department and see what our staff’s favourite things are.
There will also be a sale of withdrawn local history books.
The North East of Scotland has produced, and been home to, some amazing men and women - pioneers, inventors. writers, social activists and many more. We've chosen six from throughout Aberdeenshire and tell part of their fascinating stories below.
Ramsay, naval surgeon and minister, was born at Fraserburgh in 1733 and, after a period working in the West Indies, became a leading British abolitionist.
Find out more about Rev James Ramsay
Lorna Moon, born in Strichen, was a Scottish author of the bestselling novel Dark Star and a screenwriter from the early days of Hollywood.
Minister of Belhevie, Rev Forsyth, was interested in a wide range of scientific and mechanical subjects. He invented the first percussion ignition for firearms.
Pioneering Kintore journalist and suffragette, Caroline Phillips, was prominent in the fight for votes for women in the early twentieth century.
Born in 1841 in the parish of Fetteresso this Aberdeenshire loon would go on to become known as the "Father of Japanese Lighthouses."
Referred to as the forgotten father of fantasy fiction, this Victorian writer from Huntly inspired J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll.
Our Local and Community Month podcasts look at some local fowk.
Podcast 14 - Hear about the Rev. Alexander John Forsyth, inventor of the percussion gun lock.
Podcast 15 -Listen to the interesting life of Richard Brunton, the Father of modern engineering in Japan.
Take a look at our selection of local themed books. They're great reads and you can reserve them directly from the list on our library catalogue
