Irish Research Help

The Adler Tree~Prevalent in Ireland

Several years go I remember attending a class in Concord taught by Marge Bell.  In it she was talking about how important it is to study localities before we dig into our research about certain people.  I was reminded of her words when I read Carol's Newsletter this week and she talked about Ireland and the two countries made from one, the jurisdictions and records, etc. We can recognize from this work she shared how important it is to know about the various church records, as an example, when researching.  It was so good, in fact,  that I am including it here for all of us to keep.  So thank you, Carol, once again for doing an outstanding job.  May we never take your hard work in our behalf for granted.

How many of us actually have research to do in Ireland for or own families?  I know Linda Mc M. does for sure.  How many of us may actually have an opportunity to help someone with Irish research?  Most of us at one time or another.  So for that reason I am including this for us to examine, study and be prepared.  Don't forget that Family Search Wiki is one of the best sources for finding out about localities.

Ireland

"Prior to 1922 the island of Ireland was one country, comprised of thirty-two counties within the historic provinces of Connaught, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.
 

Today the island is divided into two countries:

·       The Republic of Ireland, also known as Eire, made up of twenty-six counties; not a part of the United Kingdom.

·       Northern Ireland, constituent part of the United Kingdom, made up of six of the counties of the Province of Ulster.

Jurisdictions: from smallest to largest:

·     Townlands: small geographical areas that mostly serve as addresses but have also been used as a division for record organization.

·       Parishes: civil government parishes and church parishes in both the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church. Civil parish and Church of Ireland parish boundaries closely correspond and share names.  Roman Catholic parishes tend to be larger and names that often do not match those of the civil parishes.  Large cities can contain several parishes.

·       Baronies: ancient districts which were used as divisions for record organization into the late 19^th century.

·       Poor Law Unions: created by the New Poor Law Act of 1838 to facilitate the care of the poor; later subdivided into districts for civil registration and into districts for civil registrations and into district electoral divisions for census, taxation and voting purposes.

·       County: thirty-two in the whole of Ireland; each made up of several parishes and divided into jurisdictions for various purposes.

·       Country: the Republic of Ireland with twenty-six counties and Northern Ireland with six Counties.

For those just beginning research of Irish ancestors, here are some helps to get them started:

Birth records: to help find Irish ancestors birth between 1619 and 1863, search in the order given:

1.     Church Records:  Church records are the prime source of vital information in this time periods.  Church records often include the christening or baptisms, marriages and burial recorded in registers by church officials at the time of the event. Christening records may state the name of the child, christening date, names of parents, place of residence, and occupation of the father. Sometimes the child’s birthdate and mother’s maiden name are recorded. Church official also kept minutes of their meeting which sometimes recorded birth information for a child.  It is helpful to know the religion of the ancestral family. Church records were kept in bound registers, usually called parish registers. Church records may include other types of records such as census returns, emigration lists, and session minutes. The major religions in Oreland are the Catholic Church and Church of Ireland. (Anglican) The Presbyterian Church was also prominent, especially in Northern Ireland.  (In 1861 78% of the population was Catholic. 

Church of Ireland: Church of Ireland was the state church or Established Church in Ireland from 1536, each parish kept its own records of christenings, marriages and burials.

Catholic Church Records: Catholic parish registers for most rural areas were not kept until the 1820’s or later.  Records for urban areas started earlier.  Each parish kept their own records which mainly included, christening, and marriage records.  Few registers contain death or burial records.

Presbyterian Church:  In 1605 Scottish Presbyterians began a massive migration into Northern Ireland. Congregations were organized at that time, but only a few congregations, mostly in County Antrim kept early record.  Most congregations started keeping record in the early 1800’s.

2.     Census Substitutes: Census substitutes are list of individual in a specific place at a given time. Various lists have been compiled by church and civil authorities to determine such things as the religious makeup of the populations, assessment of military readiness, the number and identity of eligible voters, or those receiving charity from the church or government. Due to the loss of many government census records, census substitutes are especially valuable.

3.     Census: A census is a count and description of the populations. Government census records are especially valuable because they list the majority of the population and are available at many repositories.  In these record you may find names of members of the household, gender and each person’s religion, marital status, relationship to the head of the household, age, address, occupation, and county of birth.  Though many Irish records have been destroyed, those that survived can provide clues that may lead you to other records.

4.    Marriage Certificate: Civil registration is the government registrations of births, marriages and deaths.  In these records you may find the names of the bride and groom, ages, of bride and groom and names of witnesses.  Non-Catholic marriages were recorded from 1 January 1845.  All marriages were recorded from 1 January 1864. Civil registration marriage record cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide.

5.     Death Certificate: Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages and deaths.  In these records you may find the name and residence of the deceased, sex, death date, cause of death and the name of the informant.  Civil registration are indexed countrywide. Use the Nation Archives of Ireland to identify and obtain a copy of the marriage or death certificates.

6.    Monumental Inscriptions: Cemeteries: Gravestone or monumental inscriptions can be useful source of family history information.  Sometime multiple family members are buried in the same vault or burial plot and the inscription will give information on all that are buried there.  Inscriptions may include birth, marriage, and death information.  Sometimes they give more information than the parish burial register or civil certificate of death.  Monumental inscriptions are especially helpful for identifying ancestors who are not recorded in other records, and may give a birthdate that cannot be found elsewhere.

This could also be helpful:

·       Between 1831 and 1841 in Ireland, 34,090 recruits join the Army.

·       Ireland Householders Index, from 1823 to 1864, record were kept of people who paid taxes to the Church of Ireland."

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It is probably going to take more than 

the luck of the Irish to find some of these records. 

 Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!
Thanks again, Carol!