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Stroma is an island off the northern coast of the Scottish mainland. It is the most southerly of the islands in the Pentland Firth between the Orkney Islands and Caithness. The name is from the Old Norse Straumr-øy meaning "island in the [tidal] stream". The low-lying island was inhabited from prehistoric times to 1962, when the last of its permanent inhabitants abandoned it for new homes on the mainland. There were two hamlets on Stroma:Uppertown (Stroma) and Nethertown (Stroma). (Both redirected here.) Stroma was considered to be part of the parish of Canisbay. Most of the islanders were fishermen and crofters, with some also working as maritime pilots to guide vessels through the treacherous waters of the Pentland Firth. The tides and currents meant that shipwrecks were frequent—the most recent occurring in 1993—and salvage provided an additional though often illegal supplement to the islanders' incomes. A lighthouse was built on Stroma in 1890 and still operates today under automation. Stroma is now abandoned, with the houses of its former inhabitants unoccupied and falling into ruin. Its population fell gradually through the first half of the 20th century as inhabitants drifted away to seek opportunities elsewhere, as economic problems and Stroma's isolation made life on the island increasingly unsupportable. From an all-time peak of 375 people in 1901, the population fell to just 12 by 1961 and the last islanders left at the end of the following year. The island is now owned by one of its former inhabitants, who uses it to graze the cattle and sheep which are now its only occupants. For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Stroma. [edit] Notes for the Highland Council Area and the Western Isles Council AreaThe local archives are held by The Highland Archive Service which is based in Inverness with branches in Stornoway, Fort William and Caithness. It is "responsible for locating, preserving and making accessible archives relating to all aspects of the history of the geographical area of the Highlands." Family history societies and historical associations covering the Highland Council Area and the Western Isles Council Area are:
These associations publish their aims on their websites as well as a list of publications. In many cases the publications are also available through the Scottish Genealogy Society (see below).
[edit] Transcriptions of Gravestone Inscriptions
[edit] Sources for Emigration Records
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