THE IRISH CENSUS
HOW
TO USE THE 1851-1871 IRISH CENSUS TO FIND YOUR FAMILY IN IRELAND.
The
Irish Census for 1861,1871,1881,1891 were destroyed by order
of the (then British) government. The census returns for 1813,1821,1831,1841
and 1851 were destroyed in the explosion and fire of 1922. As the
census of 1841 and 1851 were used to prove ones age when old age
pension was introduced in 1908 there are about 80,000 odd records
from those censuses remaining. Bits and pieces of all census
remain but are just a drop in the ocean.
Events prior to 1864 would require a
search of church records.
Ireland has a long history in losing
records by fire or other ramp.
1300's - a fire
broke out in the begin of 1300's in the abbey were the
records were stored.
1500's - the
records were been sold or stolen from Dublin castle.
1750's - part of
Dublin Castle burned down, the part containing the records.
1867 - they built a
Public Record Office. This consisted of 2 buildings. One
contained a public reading room and a search room. The other
was one large room of 140 feet long, 50 feet high and 80 feet
wide. For nearly 55 years they filled the record treasury.
1st April 1922 - it
was handed over to the Provisional Government. Just over a
week later it was taken over by Irish Irregular Forces. They
used the record treasury as a bomb making factory. In June
the Provisional Government decided to retake the PRO with
borrowed British cannon. Shortly after noon on a fine June
day during an attack, 2 large mines exploded in the record
treasury and that was the end of 7 centuries records.
I am sure that there are many that will
agree and others will disagree but this is the story as we know
it.
(Supplied by
Liam from Northern Ireland on 20 Oct 2000)
Someone once asked the following
question: "Does some kind soul have the time/energy/inclination
to explain how I could start looking for my Irish great-grandfather?"
We hope that the following information
will answer this question and help you get started in the search
for your long lost Irish ancestors.
The following information was supplied
courtesy of Ellen
Naliboff who very kindly
allowed me to reprint her work.
"Registration
of non-Catholic marriages began in 1845 in Ireland.
Registration of births, marriages and deaths, regardless of
religion, began January 1, 1864. Certificates for births,
marriages and deaths for all of Ireland until 1922 and for
the Republic since 1922 are housed in Dublin. Belfast has the
records for Northern Ireland from 1922 to present in addition
to the all Ireland records from 1864-1922.
Civil registration
of births, deaths and marriages in Ireland names the townland
that is the address in rural Ireland. The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons, has copies of
almost all of the General Register Office indices and some
registers, making direct access to both registers and indices
possible through the local Family History Centres.
You can do-it-yourself
at the local Family History Centres because the FHL has
acquired Irish civil registration records.
Visit the
LDS FAMILY HISTORY
CENTRE page (or what to do before you
visit your local LDS)
There are Family
History Centres scattered throughout the world, located in
the LDS meeting-houses. The FHCs are generally listed in the
local phonebook under Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints with its own phone number. Or, go to
www.familysearch.org. In some communities, Family Search is in the
local public library. No charge is made for using the resources at the local
FHC except for a rental fee for microfilm from the Family History Library in
Salt Lake City. Birth certificates include the date and place of birth; the
name; the sex; the name, surname and residence of the father; the name,
surname, maiden surname of the mother; the rank, profession or occupation of
the father; and the name and qualifications of the informant, usually a
family member. A given name was not obligatory, so some entries are Kelly,
Male or Clarke, Female.
The FHLC holds
microfilm copies of the Birth Index 1864-1955;
Records 1864-1881
and 1900-1955 (note the gaps 1882-1899 and 1913-1930 in
the FHLC). Some pages are missing from 1869: p. 49-50 (gap
between Carroll, John, of Dungannon and Carvill, James
Richard, of Limerick; and all pages following Thompson,
Elenor Jane, of Belfast).
If you search the
Index and can identify your target, note the name, district,
volume and page. Then, determine the appropriate FHLC
microfilm number. You may then complete the "Request to
Photocopy" following the instructions to the letter and
mail it with a cheque for $2.00. In addition, some parts of
the early years of birth registrations appear to be included
in the International Genealogical Index".
Foreign
applications: Fees are payable in Irish
Punt currency, Draft I.E.P. or Euro cheque or bank drafts
drawn on an Irish Bank, made payable to the "Registrar
General". Sterling cheques, Postal Orders, US$ cheques
are accepted. The minimum amount for a cheque drawn on a non-Irish
bank is 12.70 Euro. I bundle my requests so that I meet the
minimum fee.
Births, Death and Roman
Catholic marriages certificates are available from:
(Check here for:)
Postage
RATES from Ireland
This
link will get the
Currency
Exchange Rate for the day as it is changing weekly:
How to Order Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates
The Irish Genealogical
Research Society
The Irish Genealogical Research Society
(www.igrsoc.org) a learned society and was founded in 1936 in
the Office of the York Herald, London. It aims to promote and
encourage the study of Irish genealogy and to collect books and
manuscripts of genealogical value.
International
Genealogical Index (IGI)
A worldwide index of over 200 million
names created by the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (Mormons),
it is available on microfiche (1982, 1988 and 1992 editions) and
CD-Rom (Family Search). The British Isles is divided into
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Channel Islands and Isle of
Man, and then by county. Most British entries are baptism and
marriages from parish registers from the 1530s to the late 19th
century.
It is now also available as a very
popular website,
Family
Search.
The IGI records the names and
relationships of dead people who have either been extracted from
official records or have been submitted by a church (LDS) member
for Temple Ordinances. You need to check the "Source"
to determine which type of submitter. If it is an individual it
is NOT verified. If it is extracted from official records, you
can look at the microfilm yourself as the FHLC number is included.
The early Civil Register of Births in Ireland has been included
in the IGI.
- MAPS of IRELAND
The
National Library of
Scotland offers photocopies of old OS (Ordnance Survey) maps of
places in Ireland.
They are 6" = 1
mile scale on A2 size sheets for £ 1.15 each. <> Contact them:
maps@nls.uk
(Please note this
information has yet to be verified)
- USEFUL WEBSITE
LINKS
|
|
-
General
Register Office (Northern Ireland)
Births and Deaths for 6
counties of NI since 1864
Marriages for Northern
Ireland since 1922
|
NORTHERN IRELAND
RESEARCH SOURCES
-
1820s/30s
Tithe books
-
1832-37
Belfast Poll Book, PRONI D.2472
-
1833-39
Emigrants from Co. Antrim. Brian Mitchell, Irish
Emigration Lists
-
1833-39,
Baltimore, 1989
-
Irish
Emigrants in North America (Parts I, II, & III) by
David Dobson 941.5 W2dd
-
Ulster
Genealogical & Historical Guild's Subscribers'
Interest Lists, 941.6 D25wL and supplements
-
Ireland:
1841 / 1851 Census Abstracts (Northern Ireland),
Josephine Masterson
Suppliers of the
above information: Ellen
Naliboff, Christina Hunt Jim McNamara & Liam from Northern
Ireland
RESEARCHING
IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND & WALES?
Here
are a few books you may want to consider having on your book
shelf:
-
1. THE OXFORD COMPANION TO LOCAL AND
FAMILY HISTORY
- by David Hey (A complete guide to
uncovering your past). CN3785 1996 Edition.
-
-
2. THE OXFORD GUIDE TO FAMILY HISTORY
- By David
Hey ISBN 0-19-869177-7 Published in 1993.
-
-
3. TRACING YOUR ANCESTORS IN THE
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE.
- Fifth revised edition by
Amanda Bevan ISBN 1 873162 61 8 Reprinted in 1999.
(These
books can be purchased from
http://www.amazon.com )
There
is also a very good magazine called 'Family Tree Magazine'
http://www.family-tree.co.uk
Well worth a look. You can subscribe on line. This
magazine specialises in tracing ancestors in England Wales and
Scotland.
(The above info is Copyright 2000
Ellen Naliboff. All rights reserved).
