SOURCES FOR FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY

1. Beginning a search

2. Census returns

3. Tithe Applotment and Primary Valuation

4. Wills and Administrations

5. Births, Marriages and Deaths

6. Transportation records

7. Further reading

8. Commissioning genealogical searches

The Reading Room is open to the public from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays and a period over Christmas and the New Year. For further information on opening / closure dates please consult the National Archives website.

National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8.

Tel. (01) 407 23 00 (from abroad + 353 1 407 2300)

Fax. (01) 407 23 33 (from abroad + 353 1 407 2333)

E-mail : mail@nationalarchives.ie

Website : www.nationalarchives.ie

SOURCES FOR FAMILY HISTORY AND GENEALOGY

This leaflet is intended for members of the public who are beginning a search in the National Archives on the history of their family. If you read it carefully, the staff of the Reading Room will be better able to deal with individual problems and enquiries.

Before beginning a genealogical search in the National Archives it is essential to collect as much information as possible about the family to be investigated. In order to have a reasonable chance of success, it is generally necessary to know at least three things:

the name of the family

the parish or townland in which they lived

the approximate date

If you know a name, a place and an approximate date, the best point at which to begin is probably:

for a person living around 1901 or 1911 the census returns (see section 2 below)

for a person living in the 1840s, 1850s or 1860s the Primary Valuation (see section 3 below)

for a person living in the 1820s or 1830s the Tithe Applotment books (see section 3 below)

If you also know the date of a birth, marriage or death, further details may be sought in the records described in sections 4 and 5 below.

If you do not know the parish or townland in which the family lived, the following indexes can be searched:

(a) table showing surnames with five or more entries in the birth indexes of 1890, and the main counties in which they were found (Irish Genealogy, a Record Finder, 199-232)

(b) indexes of surnames in the Primary Valuation and Tithe Applotment books (one or more volumes per county and sets of microfiche for some counties)

(c) testamentary card index, and other indexes to wills and administrations (see section 4 below)

(d) indexes to marriage licence bonds (see section 5 below)

(e) indexes to genealogical abstracts

(f) Miscellaneous card index

(g) Manuscripts Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation

However, searches of this kind, are generally of value only if the name is fairly unusual. Otherwise they are likely to yield only a long list of people with the same surname, with no way of knowing which, if any, are connected with the family being investigated.

Before using the National Archives you may find it helpful to use the professional Genealogy Service which is provided free of charge in both the National Archives and National Library.

A census of the Irish population was taken every 10 years from 1821 until 1911. Manuscript returns for each household survive for all 32 counties for 1901 and 1911. The returns are arranged by townland or, in urban areas, by street. The returns for each townland or street consist of:

(a) forms (Form A) filled in by the head of each household, giving the names of all people in that household on census night and their age, occupation, religion and country of birth; and

(b) forms (Forms N, B1 and B2) filled in by the official taking the census, summarising the returns for that townland or street.

If you wish to see the returns for a townland or street you must first establish:

(i) the District Electoral Division number in the Townland Index for 1901 and the Supplement for 1911, or the street indexes for Belfast, Cork, Dublin, Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) and Limerick; and

(ii) the townland or street number in the list of census returns for the year and county in question.

No manuscript returns survive for 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891. There are some returns for 1821, 1831, 1841 and 1851 covering parts of counties Antrim, Cavan, Cork, Fermanagh, Galway, Kings Co. (Offaly), Londonderry (Derry), Meath and Waterford, and there are lists of heads of household names in the returns of 1851 for part of Belfast City and Dublin City (see list of 19th century census returns or consult "The 1851 Dublin City census" CD-Rom compiled and edited by Seán Magee). There are also census search forms for each county giving the results of searches made in the returns of 1841 and 1851 for pension purposes (see separate list for each county), and some other copies made from the returns of 1821-51 (see list of 19th census returns — miscellaneous copies and certified copies).

While no complete set of census returns survives for the period before 1901, there are two record classes which provide partial substitutes:

(a) the Tithe Applotment books were compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland (the main Protestant church, and the church established by the state until 1871). There is a manuscript book for almost every parish, giving the names of occupiers, the amount of land held, and the sums to be paid in tithes. The books for Northern Ireland are held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (P.R.O.N.I.), Belfast, but there are copies in the National Archives.

(b) the Primary Valuation (also known as Griffith's Valuation) was published between 1847 and 1864. There is a printed valuation book for each barony or poor law union, showing the names of occupiers of land and buildings, the names of those from whom these were leased, and the amount and value of the property held.

The following finding aids are available:

1. list of the Tithe Applotment books arranged by civil parish
2. (ii) list of the Primary Valuation books arranged by civil parish
3. combined list of the Tithe Applotment books and Primary Valuation

books arranged by county, barony and civil parish

(iv) indexes of surnames in the Tithe Applotment books and Primary

Valuation books (one or more volumes per county and sets of

microfiche for certain counties),

(v) a CD-Rom index to Griffith's Valuation is on public access in the

National Library of Ireland

These are of use to genealogists as evidence of the date of a person's death, and for other information which they may contain concerning the dead person's family, place of residence and property.

Before a will can take effect, a grant of probate must be made by a court. If someone dies without having made a will, the court can grant letters of administration of the estate. Since 1858 grants of probate and administration have been made in the Principal and District Registries of the Probate Court (before 1877) or High Court (after 1877). They are indexed in the Calendars of Wills and Administrations (one or two volumes per year). There is a consolidated index for the period 1858-77. Up to 1917 the Calendars cover the whole of Ireland, but since 1918 they cover only the 26 counties. Indexes covering the 6 counties of Northern Ireland since 1918 are in P.R.O.N.I.

Before 1858 grants of probate and administration were made by the courts of the Church of Ireland (the Prerogative Court and the Diocesan or Consistorial Courts). There are separate indexes of wills and administrations for each court. Some of the indexes have been published. Of these the most important are Vicar's Index to Prerogative Wills, 1536-1810 and the Indexes to Dublin Grant Books and Wills, 1270-1800 and 1800-58.

The records of wills and administrations now in the National Archives include the following:

(a) Original wills and administration papers lodged in the Principal Registry since 1904, and in most District Registries since 1900 (indexed in the annual Calendars; wills and administration papers lodged in Belfast and Londonderry and most of those lodged in Armagh are in P.R.O.N.I.).

(b) Will Books containing copies of most wills proved in District Registries since 1858, and of some wills proved in the Principal Registry in 1874, 1876, 1891 and 1896 (indexed in the annual Calendars; the will books for Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry are in P.R.O.N.I.).

(c) Grant books containing copies of grants made in the Principal Registry since 1922 and in 1878, 1883, 1891 and 1893, and of most grants made in the District Registries since 1858 (indexed in the annual Calendars; the grant books for Armagh and Belfast up to 1885 are in the National Archives; later grant books for Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry are in P.R.O.N.I.).

(d) Betham's abstracts of wills proved in the Prerogative Court before 1800, of administrations granted in the Prerogative Court before 1802, and of wills proved in the Kildare Diocesan Court before 1827 (indexed in Vicar's Index, the Indexes to Dublin Grants, and the "Index to Wills of the Diocese of Kildare" reprinted from the Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society, iv, no. 6, (1905).

(e) Inland Revenue registers of wills and administrations, 1828-39 (indexed in separate volumes which cover the period 1828-79; for the years 1840-57 these indexes give details which do not appear in the general indexes referred to above).

(f) Charitable Donations and Bequests will extract books containing abstracts of wills which made charitable bequests, 1800-1961 (there is a separate card index for the period 1800-58).

(g) Other copies and abstracts of wills and administrations for the period both before and after 1858 (indexed in the main Testamentary card index).

All births, marriages and deaths occurring since 1864 (and non Roman Catholic marriages occurring since 1 April 1845) should be on record in the General Register Office, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2. For the period before 1864 parish records provide the only record of most baptisms, marriages and burials. Catholic parish registers are normally still held by the parish priest, but there are microfilms of many of them for the period up to 1880 in the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. In some cases the written permission of the parish priest must be obtained before the microfilm can be seen. The National Archives has a copy of the National Library's list of the registers.

Church of Ireland parish registers for the period up to 1870 are public records. Registers are available for about one-third of the parishes. Many are still held by the local clergy, although some are now in the National Archives and more are in the Representative Church Body Library, Braemor Park, Dublin 14, and P.R.O.N.I. There are microfilms or other copies in the National Archives of some of the registers then held by the clergy. A list of all surviving registers is available in the National Archives. The names and addresses of the clergy are given in the Church of Ireland Directory. A list and a card index of registers in the National Archives may be consulted.

Records of marriage licences provide information concerning some Church of Ireland marriages before 1845. People wishing to obtain a licence to marry without having banns called were required to enter into a bond with the bishop of the diocese. The licence and bonds do not survive (in most cases), but the indexes to the bonds lodged in each Diocesan Court and the Prerogative Court are available in the National Archives. Some of the indexes have been published. Betham's abstracts to Prerogative and Dublin Diocesan marriage licences give further details. Some other records of marriage licences are indexed in the Testamentary card index.

Although not all records from the Chief Secretary's Office in Dublin Castle survive, especially from the period before 1836, there is sufficient material to make Irish archives a major source for Australians researching their Irish ancestors. A successful search in the records may produce not just a bald official summary, but perhaps one of the thousands of petitions submitted by or on behalf of the prisoner. The records, in the order in which they have been microfilmed are as follows:

(a) Transportation Registers, 1836-57.

(b) Prisoners' Petitions and Cases, 1788-1836

(c) State Prisoners' Petitions, 1798-9

(d) Convict Reference Files, 1836-56 : 1865-8

(e) Free Settlers' Papers, 1828-52

(f) Male Convict Register, 1842-7

(g) Register of Convicts on Convict Ships, 1851-3

A computer index giving the names and other details of the prisoners is available in the Reading Room and on the National Archives website. The index is designed to be searched by surname. Microfilms containing full copies of the records are available in the Reading Room and the index and microfilms are also available in libraries in Australia.

If the search of the computer index and the microfilms has been successful there may be enough information to pursue the search in the Irish sources.

For a short introduction to Irish genealogy see the Handbook on Irish Genealogy (6th impression, Dublin, 1984).

Irish Genealogy, A Record Finder (2nd impression, Dublin, 1987) contains guides to census returns, directories, newspapers, the Registry of Deeds, wills and other sources.

Other excellent publications are:

Tracing Irish Ancestors, a practical guide to Irish genealogy (Collins, 1997),

Useful county sources are published under:

For notes on the origin and history of Irish surnames see E. MacLysaght,

Irish Families (3rd edn, Dublin, 1972),

Supplement to Irish Families (Dublin, 1964) and

The Surnames of Ireland (3rd edn, Dublin, 1978).

There are 1901 Irish Census Indexes for Co. Fermanagh and Co. Tyrone available on microfiche edited by Linda K. Meehan, (Larcy Books, 1994).

Information on church records will be found in

Many of the sources referred to in this leaflet are described in more detail in The Public Record Office: Sources for Local Studies in the Public Record Office of Ireland (Dublin, 1982).

Further information concerning the holdings of the National Archives will be found in the

A new series of booklets is being produced by the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations. The first two in the "Exploring Irish Genealogy" series are

Useful articles on genealogy are contained in Aspects of Irish Genealogy 1, 2 and 3 which are papers from the proceedings of the First, Second and Third Irish Genealogical Congresses.

8. Commissioning Genealogical Searches

The National Archives cannot carry out genealogical searches on behalf of readers or correspondents. A list giving the names and addresses of some genealogical and historical researchers, who carry out searches for a fee, is available on request.