Bigger Indexes for Small

Anyone who regularly researches Scottish Presbyterian ministers becomes familiar with the two volume work of Dr Robert Small, History of the Congregations of the United Presbyterian Church 1733-1900, published by David M. Small, Edinburgh, 1904. Each volume contains an invaluable Index. But what we are now making available on this web-site is an enlarged, digital index of the two volumes combined.

Not only so, but there are digital Indexes provided for two other basic reference works on Scottish Presbyterian ministers: one of the Cameronian Fasti, compiled by James E. Robb; and another of David Scott’s, Annals and Statistics of the Original Secession Church. Exactly how this work of Indexing has been done is described here.

What are these Indexes doing here – on a web-site dealing with Free Church ministers, 1843-1900? This comes from the inter-relatedness of the Scottish Presbyterian Churches. Anyone researching in one branch will no doubt come upon the names of others in another branch. Indeed, ministers moved from one branch to another. It is handy to have access to different branches from the one web-site.

Who knows? We may one day have a consolidated digital index of Scottish Presbyterian ministers, embracing Ewing, Small, Scott etc. Is that an idea worth pursuing? Let me know if you think so.

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