Genealogy

Post date: Nov 15, 2014 9:19:1 PM

a. Family and Friends

b. Census Returns

c. Civil Registrations of Births, Marriages and Deaths

d. Church Records

e. Land Surveys and Valuations

f. Deeds and Estate Papers

g. Voting Registers

h. Trades and Professions

i. Miscellaneous Sources

a. Family and Relatives

A person can collect considerable genealogical information in their own family, especially from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It is important to establish as early as possible the names of ancestors and where they were born, lived, married and died, as well as religious affiliation, with as many accurate dates as possible, as all of these can provide valuable information and leads. The county,district electoral division, parish and townland (or street for a city or town) has to be identified. In every locality, there are many people who have lived in the community for decades who can provide some information. Every family has an archive with birth, baptismal, marriage and death certificates, letters from relatives, family photographs, memorial cards and newspaper cuttings that can provide invaluable information. Documentary evidence is far better than good memories. Funerals are often useful occasions to gather genealogical information within families. It is important to gather as much information as possible within one’s own family before researching record repositories

b. Census Returns

A census of population was taken in Ireland every ten years from 1821 until 1911. The first four were almost completely destroyed in a fire in the Public Record Office (now the National Archives of Ireland) in 1922.www.nationalarchives.ie The 1901 census returns taken on March 31 that year became available free online from June 2010. Digitization and placement online have facilitated access from any part of the world

c. Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths

A useful source of genealogical research is the Civil Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths held in the General Register Office (GRO) in Dublin (there is a charge). Registration of non-Catholic marriages commenced on April 1, 1845, and all births, deaths and marriages from January 1, 1864.

d. Church Records

There are baptismal, marriage and death records in parish registers, normally kept by parish priests. Prior to 1864, parish registers provide the only source of information on births, marriages and deaths. There are microfilm copies of most parish registers up to 1880 in the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street Dublin 2, and post 1880 information can be obtained from the General Register’s Office. Church of Ireland parish registers are held by local clergy and many up to 1870 are public records in the National Archives

e. Land Surveys and Valuations

Because of scarcity of early nineteenth century Catholic Church records as well as the loss of numerous Church of Ireland registers and much nineteenth century census material in the Public Record Office fire of 1921, there are two valuable early nineteenth century genealogical sources:

The Tithe Applotment Books

Griffith’s Valuation.

The Tithe Applotment Books were compiled between 1823 and 1838 (the date varies from one parish to the next) to establish the liability of occupiers of agricultural land over one acre in respect of the tithes payable to the Church of Ireland (the Established Church until 1871). The original records from this survey are in the National Archives and are important census substitutes.

Under the Irish Poor Law Act of 1838, the country was divided into poor law unions to provide relief for the destitute poor. It was envisaged that these would be financed by a local property tax in each union known as ‘the poor rates’, and a valuation of each separate ‘tenement’, land and house had to be undertaken to determine liability. This work was carried out between 1848 and 1865 under the direction of a civil engineer named Richard Griffith (1784-1878). The resulting primary valuation of Ireland is now popularly known as Griffith’s Valuation, an invaluable genealogical record in the absence of a census record. The valuation contains the following information in respect of each townland or street:

Map reference number (location of the holding on the

first edition of six-inch ordnance survey maps),

Names of occupiers of holdings,

Names of immediate lessors

(The person from whom the holding was leased),

Descriptions of holdings of ‘tenement’ e.g. ‘house, offices and land’,

Area (In acres, roods and perches) of each holding,

Valuation of buildings, land, etc with total annual valuation of each holding.

f. Deeds and Estate Papers

Sources of land records include the following:

Registry of Deeds

Encumbered Estates Court

Land Registry.

The Registry of Deeds was set up in 1708 as a place where deeds could be officially registered, but it was not compulsory.

The Encumbered Estates Court (later the Landed Estates Court) was established in 1849 to sell the estates of insolvent landlords following the Great Famine. Documents relating to the estates auctioned are held in the National Archives and the National Library of Ireland. References to Connacht and Munster estates can be found in the relevant estate entry on the Landed Estates database in the Hardiman Library at NUI Galway.

The Land Registry was established in 1892 to provide a system of compulsory registration of the title of land acquired under various land purchase acts. When title is registered all the relevant details are recorded in numbered folios under the following headings: Property, Location and Barony, Ownership and Burdens. The Land Registry is located in the Setanta Centre, Dublin 2

g. Voting Registers

From 1801 to 1918, the right to vote was confined to male adults provided they satisfied a required property qualification, which was very restrictive. The Representation of the People Act 1918 gave the right to vote to all males over twenty-one and to women aged thirty or over, with a property requirement. Under the Electoral Act of 1923 all women over twenty-one were give the right to vote. The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1972 and a referendum gave all persons aged eighteen or over the right to vote. Registers of electors were prepared on a regular basis in accordance with the relevant legislation. Many of those can be seen in county libraries

h. Trades and Professions

There are occupational records for many trades and professions available like the army, gardai, public sector, law, medicine, nursing, craft unions and many others which can be consulted

i. Miscellaneous

There are many miscellaneous sources of genealogical information like the following:

Gravestone inscriptions

Newspapers and obituaries

School Registers and Roll Books.

Most people find researching their family tree to be a most interesting undertaking. They find that the earlier they start the better because they should have family members who can help. Any gaps have to be filled by researching relevant records in public repositories.

Some Web Addresses

Ask About Ireland – www.askaboutireland.ie

Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland – www.apgi.ie

Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations – www.cigo.ie

Family search --www.familysearch.org(A US Mormon-run website)

General Register Office – www.groireland.ie

Landed Estates – www.landedestates.ie

Representative Church of Ireland body library – www.ireland.anglican.org/index

National Archives - www.nationalarchives.ie

National Library of Ireland – www.nli.ie

Valuation Office – www.valoff.ie

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