As well as a manual for the researcher into Scottish family history this study is itself a history of the family as it has developed in Scotland from the clans to the present day. The author suggests that a broader approach to the study of the family can be a way of examining more general themes in history as they impinge on individuals within the local community. Drawing on the work of anthropologists, historians and human geographers he details the erosion of the institution of the family by socio-economic pressure. In so doing he provides the background necessary for the family historian to pursue his or her own research into the lives of ancestors and forebears. Various sources and techniques for search are discussed, such as parliamentary reports, memoirs, kirk session minutes as well as the use of oral recording, and more indirect approaches are suggested.