Gary Lawrie

Ancestors

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gary Lawrie [send private message]

Biography

I was born in Stirling, the Heart of Scotland, in 1967. After 30 years in the police in 2006 I obtained a Diploma in Genealogical Studies from the University of Strathclyde and became a Professional Genealogist under my business name of Heart of Scotland Ancestry. I continue to research people's ancestry but remain determined to learn as much as I can about my own family history.

My paternal family line is largely from Aberdeenshire and the North-East of Scotland where I have traced back most of my lines to the mid-1700s. They largely came from Aberdeenshire rather than the City with many working as farm labourers and many in Aberdeen's renowned granite quarrying industry.

My paternal surname line is actually Stewart rather than Lawrie as a result of my grandad being born out of wedlock. His father was found to be a George Stuart although he had nothing to do with my grandad after his birth. I have successfully traced back this line and traced them, via a couple of illegitimate births, to the Stewart and Gordon family, the Lairds of Birkenburn, near Keith, Banffshire. This family's history is fascinating and there is documentary evidence tracing back to many notable Scottish families including loyalty. I am often cynical of such claims by others but have numerous pieces of secondary evidence that I am still compiling before publication.

My maternal line comes from Stirlingshire and Lanarkshire as well as other parts of Scotland. They largely worked in Scotland's industrial heart as ironworkers and miners. One line came from the beautiful village of Culross in Fife, a place made famous lately by the TV programme Outlander.

I have carried out autosomal and YDNA (Big-Y) tests with results available on Ancestry, 23andme, MyHeritage, LivingDNA and Gedmatch. From these tests I have made several new family discoveries, confirmed my research and overcome some stubborn brick walls.

I have my own website which I use for my business which can be viewed at www.heartofscotlandnacestry.co.uk.

I continue to live in Stirling with my wife Julie and my daughter.

Sources

• First-hand information. Entered by Gary Lawrie at registration.