Cumnock History Group's transcriptions of Lugar baptisms added to genealogy site

This means registered users will be able to access them without paying for a subscription.

The transcriptions have been added to the findmypast website, and the History Group are delighted to be on the worldwide genealogy stage.

As we have reported in recent months, their own family tree Cumnock Connections now has over 53,000 names on it. Click here to find out more.

Another piece of exciting news from the group comes in the form of a new book that has been published off the back of research that was done alongside chair of Cumnock History Group Kay McMeekin.

In 2018, Cumnock History Group helped Elaine Corbett unravel her great grandmother’s unusual life.

Mary Jane Smith, a farmer’s daughter from Stair had at least nine secret illegitimate children and boarded them all out in Cumbria.

Elaine and her sister Elizabeth, along with retired English teacher Lee Cox, have now turned her story into a novel called The Price of Decency by Lee Cox, self-published in a limited edition.

Elaine said: “What we knew about our grandmother was very little, just that she had nine kids and used to come over to deposit a child and disappear but no one knew where. We were full of questions – how did she get the kids down? How did she meet the woman who looked after them?

“It wasn’t until Elizabeth found Cumnock Connections and Kay that I thought, I’ll try and find out more and then Lee said, I’m going to write a story about this... with Kay’s help, we managed to get her side of the story.”

The book is available from Cumnock History Group for £6. For more, contact info@cumnockhistorygroup.org