  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Article Published August 20, 2000 
Northern Ireland Research: Selected Resources By: Kyle Betit Ireland has historically been divided into the provinces of Connaught, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. There are several counties in each of these historical provinces. In 1922, when the Irish Free State was formed, six counties in Ulster voted to remain part of the United Kingdom and form what is called Northern Ireland. These counties were Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry (Derry), and Tyrone. These are the counties that have since the 1600s had the largest percentage of Protestant residents. Northern Ireland does not include the three Ulster counties of Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan which belong to the Republic of Ireland. In this brief overview article I set out for you the existing guides to Northern Ireland research, Northern Ireland repositories and heritage centres, and some selected sources. Much more can be learned on specific aspects of Northern Ireland family history research from the books and other resources cited here. Don't Avoid Northern Ireland on Your Trip to Ireland No doubt you have heard of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland and the bombings by paramilitary groups. This is a serious concern and the focus of much political energy to find a peaceful solution. But don't be afraid to go to Northern Ireland because of this tragic past history. The likelihood of your encountering a bomb in Northern Ireland is much less than the likelihood that you would be murdered in New York City. Northern Ireland contains some of the most beautiful areas of the island of Ireland, so it is well worth seeing. It is also the homeland of many of our ancestors who settled in North America, Australasia, and elsewhere around the world. It is a fascinating mixture of cultures, churches, and points of view. It has some of the most modern roads, accomodations, and archival facilities in all of Ireland. There used to be border checks between the Republic and Northern Ireland, but today you just drive right across the border, seeing only the vestiges of the old British Army quarters. I personally love to do research in Northern Ireland because the facilities at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) are so efficient, the countryside is just beautiful, and the roads are so great to get where you're going. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland The PRONI contains most of the Northern Ireland records that a genealogist will want to use. Its collections of landed estate papers, church records, and National School records are all particularly impressive. A guide to each of these collections has been published. PRONI also has a terrific web site that can be searched by key word (such as a townland or estate owner's name) and also contains detailed descriptions of many of its collections. For example, the description of Milita ,Yeomanry Rolls and Muster Lists on the web site: Milita, Yeomanry Rolls and Muster Lists at the PRONI Co. Antrim D.1759/3C/3 Muster Roll, 1630-31 T.3726/2 Muster Roll, 1642 T.808/15235 Militia Officers, 1761 T.1115/1A & 1B Militia Pay Lists and Muster Rolls, 1799-1800 Co. Armagh T.934 Muster Roll, 1631 T.808/15235 Militia Officers, 1761 D.1928/Y/1 Militia Lists by parish in the barony of O'Neilland West, 1793-5 T.1115/2A-C Militia Pay Lists and Muster Rolls, 1799-1800 T.561 List of Officers of Armagh Militia, 1808 T.2701 Crowhill Yeomanry pay list, c.1820 D.296 Address Yeomanry Book, c.1796 D.321/1 Churchill Yeomanry Book, c.1796 Co. Down D.1759/3C/1 Muster Roll, 1630-31 T.563/1 Muster Roll, 1642-3 T.3726/1 Muster Roll, Donaghadee, 1642 T.808/15235 Militia Officers, 1761 T.1023/153 Oath and List of Names of Ballyculter Supplementary Corps, 1798 D.303 Killyleagh Yeomanry List, 1798 T.991 Mourne Yeomanry Lists, 1824 Co. Fermanagh T.510/2 Muster Roll, 1630 T.934 Muster Roll, 1631 T.808/15235 Militia Officers, 1761 T.1115/5A-C Militia Pay Lists and Muster Rolls, 1794-99 T.808/15244 Yeomanry Muster Rolls, 1797-1804 Co. Londonderry T.510/2 Muster Roll, 1620-22 D.1759/3C/2 Muster Roll, 1630-1 T.808/15235 Militia Officers, 1761 T.1021/3 Yeomanry Muster Rolls, 1797-1804 Co. Tyrone T.808/15164 Muster Roll, 1630 T.934 Muster Roll, 1631 T.808/15235 Militia Officers, 1761 D.1927 Pay Roll of the Aghnahoe Infantry, 1829-1832 The Family History Library The FHL, run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) in Salt Lake City, holds very extensive collections of microfilm copies of material from the PRONI in Belfast. So if you don't live in Ireland, always check to see if you can get the PRONI or other Northern Ireland records you are looking for by ordering them from the FHL In addition, even if the FHL doesn't have the specific PRONI records you need, you can benefit from the fact that the FHL has microfilmed the extensive descriptive catalogs of the PRONI which are a source in themselves. Guides to Research
Forttown, Ballymoney parish, County Antrim Scolbow, Connor parish, County Antrim Ballymagee, Bangor parish, County Down Cranfield, Kilkeel parish, County Down Drumskinney & Montiaghroe, Drumkeeran parish, County Fermanagh Gallon, Ardstraw parish, County Tyrone Hollyhill, Leckpatrick parish, County Tyrone Owenreagh, Ballinascreen parish, Co. Londonderry
1. Raymond Gillespie: A historian and the locality 2. P.J. Duffy: Geography and local history 3. Linda Ballard: Folklore and local history 4. Myrtle Hill: Literature and local history 5. Leslie Clarkson: Eighteenth century Armagh 6. W.H. Crawford: The study of townlands 7. Nick Brannon: The built heritage 8. John Lynch: Comparative aspects of local studies (Some of these resources are still in print and available at Global Genealogy. inquire) Antrim:
Belfast and Northern Ireland Repositories Telephone codes in Northern Ireland have recently changed. These are the updated numbers. Federation for Ulster Local Studies 8 Fitzwilliam Street Belfast BT9 6AW Northern Ireland General Register Office of Northern Ireland Oxford House 49-55 Chichester Street Belfast BT1 4HL Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 252021/2/3/4/5 Fax: (028 90) 252120 Linen Hall Library 17 Donegall Square Belfast BT1 5GD Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 321707 Fax: (028 90) 438586 Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Colby House Stranmillis Court Belfast BT9 5BJ Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 255755 Fax: (028 90) 255700 E-mail: osni@nics.gov.uk Presbyterian Historical Society Church House Fisherwick Place Belfast BT1 6DW Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 322284 Fax: (028 90) 236609 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 66 Balmoral Avenue Belfast BT9 6NY Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 251318 Fax: (028 90) 255999 Internet: http://proni.nics.gov.uk/index.htm Religious Society of Friends Ulster Quarterly Meeting Friends Meeting House Railway Street Lisburn County Antrim Northern Ireland Ulster-American Folk Park 2 Mellon Road Castletown Omagh County Tyrone BT78 5QY Northern Ireland Tel: (028 82) 243292 Fax: (028 82) 242241 Internet: target="_blank">http://www.folkpark.com/ E-mail: uafp@iol.ie Ulster Historical Foundation Balmoral Buildings 12 College Square East Belfast BT1 6DD Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 332288 Fax: (028 90) 239885 Internet: http://www.ancestryireland.com E-mail: enquiry@uhf.org.uk Wesley Historical Society - Irish Branch Aldersgate House 9-11 University Road Belfast BT7 1NA Northern Ireland Tel: (028 91) 81559 Local Education & Library Boards Belfast Education & Library Board Central Library Royal Avenue Belfast BT1 1EA Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 243233 Fax: (028 90) 332819 North Eastern Education & Library Board Area Library Demesne Avenue Ballymena County Antrim BT43 7BG Northern Ireland Tel: (028 25) 664100 Fax: (028 25) 632038 South Eastern Education & Library Board Windmill Hill Ballynahinch County Down BT24 8DH Northern Ireland Tel: (028 97) 566400 Fax: (028 97) 565072 Southern Education & Library Board 1, Markethill Road Armagh BT60 1NR Northern Ireland Tel: (028 37) 525353 Fax: (028 37) 526879 Western Education & Library Board 1, Spillars Place Omagh County Tyrone BT78 1HL Northern Ireland Tel: (028 82) 244821 Fax: (028 82) 246772 Heritage Centres Serving the Northern Ireland Counties Each centre has indexed church registers and other records for its county or counties and will search its indexes for a fee. ANTRIM and DOWN Ulster Historical Foundation Balmoral Buildings 12 College Square East Belfast BT1 6DD Northern Ireland Tel: (028 90) 332288 Fax: (028 90) 239885 Internet: http://www.ancestryireland.com E-mail: enquiry@uhf.org.uk ARMAGH Armagh Ancestry 42 English Street Armagh BT61 7BA Northern Ireland Tel: (028 37) 521802 Fax: (028 37) 510033 E-mail: ancestry@acdc.btinternet.com FERMANAGH and TYRONE Heritage World The Heritage Centre 26 Market Square Dungannon County Tyrone BT70 1AB Northern Ireland Tel: (028 87) 724187 Internet: target="_blank">http://www.heritagewld.com/ E-mail: info@heritagewld.com LONDONDERRY (DERRY) County Derry Genealogy Centre 10-16 Pump Street Derry City County Londonderry BT48 6JG Northern Ireland (Temporarily closed.) Don't Miss these Northern Ireland Sources References and Further Reading Adams, J.R.R. Merchants in Plenty: Joseph Smyth's Belfast Directories of 1807 and 1808. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1991. Agnew, Jean. Belfast Merchant Families in the Seventeenth Century. Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland: Four Courts Press, 1996. Agnew, Jean, ed. Funeral Register of the First Presbyterian Church of Belfast 1712-36. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1995. An Irish Genealogical Source: Guide to Church Records. Belfast: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Ulster Historical Foundation, 1994. Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Rev. ed. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1999. Guide to Landed Estate Records. Belfast: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 1994. Lindsay, Deirdre and David Fitzpatrick. Records of the Irish Famine: A Guide to Local Archives, 1840-1855. Dublin: Irish Famine Network, 1993. Mac Conghail, Máire and Paul Gorry. Tracing Irish Ancestors. Glasgow: Harper and Collins, 1997. Masterson, Josephine. Irish Census Abstracts (Northern Ireland) - 1841/51. Indianapolis, IN, USA: by the author, 1996. McAllister, James. A Belfast Chronicle 1789: A Compilation from the Belfast Newsletter. Belfast: Friar's Bush Press, 1989. McKinnon, Mary D. "Buried Treasure: County Kerry Original Manuscripts in the Archives of Northern Ireland," British Isles Family History Society - U.S.A. Journal 9 (4) (Winter 1996/1997): 117-125; 10 (1) (Spring 1997): 11-18. Parkhill, Trevor. "Valuation Records in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland," Ulster Local Studies 16 (2) (Winter 1994): 45-58. Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland. A History of Congregations in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 1610-1982. Belfast: Presbyterian Historical Society, 1982. Roebuck, P. "The Donegall family and the development of Belfast, 1600-1850." In Cities and merchants: French and Irish perspectives on urban development, edited by P. Butel and L.M. Cullen, 125-138. Dublin, 1986. Ryan, James G. Irish Records: Sources for Family & Local History. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1997. Schlegel, Donald M. Irish Genealogical Abstracts From the Londonderry Journal, 1772-1784. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Company, 1990.(out of print) Stockman, Gerard, gen. ed. Place-Names of Northern Ireland. 7 vols. Belfast: The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project, Department of Celtic, The Queen's University of Belfast, 1992-1998. [Available from Global Genealogy at 1-800-361-5168 or click here for more information).
Volume 2: County Down II, The Ards; A.J. Hughes and R.J. Hannan. Volume 3: County Down III, The Mournes; Mícheál B. Ó Mainnín. Volume 4: County Antrim I, Baronies of Toome; Pat McKay . Volume 5: County Derry I: The Moyola Valley; Gregory Toner. Volume 6: County Down IV: North-West Down/Iveagh; Kay Muhr. Volume 7: County Antrim II: Ballycastle and North-East Antrim; Fiachra MacGabhann. NEWS IN THE WORLD OF IRISH GENEALOGY Heritage Centre Closures The Killarney Genealogical Centre (Co. Kerry) and the County Derry Heritage Centre both are at least temporarily closed. We certainly do hope to see them reopen in the future. I already have many friends and colleagues missing their services! CIGO Publication Series Begun "Exploring Irish Genealogy No. 1: Irish Methodists - Where Do I Start?," written by Steven C. ffeary-Smyrl MAPGI was published by the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (21 St Brigid's Grove, Killester, Dublin 5, Ireland) this year (ISSN: 1393-9645). The book has been written by a leading expert on the genealogical records of Protestant dissenters in Ireland, and it is very well done indeed. CIGO is the umbrella organisation for genealogical societies in Ireland.
COUNCIL OF IRISH GENEALOGICAL ORGANISATIONS (CIGO), Dublin EXPLORING IRISH GENEALOGY - NO 1 (ISSN: 1393-9645/1) The Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations is pleased to announce its new publication series entitled EXPLORING IRISH GENEALOGY. The first in the series to be released is IRISH METHODISTS - WHERE DO I START ? As the title suggests, its subject is Irish Methodist church records - understanding, locating and using them. The author, Steven C. ffeary-Smyrl, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland, guides the reader through the background of Irish Methodism, the types of records that can be found and where they can be located in either original or microform copy. A handy table is also included of the Methodist circuits included in the Irish Wesleyan Methodist Connexional Baptismal Register (IWMCBR), c1816-c1850. This IWMCBR, available on microfilm at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (and at the National Library of Ireland), is a nineteenth century transcript of all but three of the circuit baptismal registers of the Irish Wesleyan Methodist Connexion. A special feature of the publication is an extensive list, arranged by county, of almost every Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Ireland c1863, of which there were approximately three hundred. In the near future CIGO intends to continue the series by dealing with the records of the Church of Ireland, Presbyterians and Roman Catholics. IRISH METHODISTS - WHERE DO I START ? runs to 31 pages and is modestly priced at at IR£4, ST£4, US$7, (includes P+P). Cheques should be made payable to CIGO - paper cash will also be accepted. It is available from: Mr Des Clarke The Secretary Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations 21 St Brigid's Grove DUBLIN 5 IRELAND (Global Genealogy may carry this publication too, inquire) Irish CD-ROM Resources Made Available Groups such as Family Tree Maker have made a good number of Irish record sources available on-line recently. John Grenham has also produced a new version (Version 4) of his Irish Recordfinder CD-ROM reference work (see http://indigo.ie/~rfinder). A particularly noteable CD-ROM was recently published by Eneclann Ltd, a Trinity College Dublin based company The source is the Index to Irish Wills 1484-1858. It indexes records at the National Archives of Ireland which survive in more than index form, i.e. original documents, copies, transcripts, abstracts and extracts. It includes a very good search engine that allows for flexible searches. It uses an Internet browser to view the index, and a browser is included on the CD-ROM. Further Reading Beckett, J.C. The Anglo-Irish Tradition. Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, 1976. Brown, Terence. Ireland: A Social and Cultural History 1922-79. Glasgow, Scotland: William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., 1981. Lyons, F.S.L. Culture and Anarchy in Ireland 1890-1939. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982. More Irish Resources Shopping Cart & Order Desk Global Genealogy & History Shoppe 1-800-361-5168 ( 9-5 Tuesday to Saturday )
|
|
|
*The Global Gazette is a unit of GlobalGenealogy.com Inc. Copyright© 1995 - 2008 GlobalGenealogy.com Inc. All Rights Reserved |
