Presentation given by Jessica Hilburn, Historian at the Benson Memorial Library, on March 12, 2019 at the Benson Memorial Library in Titusville, PA.

1. Discovering Your Iri
Heritage
Jessica Hilburn
Historian, Benson Memorial Library
March 2019

2. Bri to f I an
● 6th Century BC: Celtic tribes come to island
● 5th Century BC: St. Patrick introduces Christianity to agrarian society
● 795 AD: Viking attacks → monasteries decline → trade outposts founded
● 1169-71: Norman invasion from England
● 16th Century: Henry VIII declared self King of Ireland
● 1649-52: Oliver Cromwell crushes Irish rebellion → land taken from Catholics, redistributed
○ Penal Laws: Catholics could not hold public office, teach, have firearms, own property,
inherit, be clergy; must tithe to the Protestant Church
● 1798: Irish Parliament abolished; Ireland is part of UK
● 1829: Many Catholic restrictions removed
● 1845-52: The Great Famine -- 1 million dead, 1 million emigrated of 8 million total
● April 1916: Easter Rebellion
● 1918: Rise of Sinn Fein → establishment of Dail Eireann
● 1919-21: War of Independence → result is Irish Free State (26 counties) and Ulster (6 counties)
● 1921-23: Civil War → new government vs. full independence; RECORDS BURNED
● 1949: Republic of Ireland created

3. An e t To l - Ire d C & Reg a D r or , 1847-1946
6.2 million records
Screenshot from Ancestry

4. An e t To l - Ire d W s & Ad i s ti , 1858-1920
519,000 records
Tip: National
Archives of
Ireland
Screenshot from National Archives of Ireland

5. An e t To l - Ire d W s & Ad i s ti , 1858-1920
Screenshot from Ancestry

6. Nam Ire d
● If Catholic, names were often Latin-ized
○ Patrick → Patricius
○ Use * to search names
● Catholic persecution caused spelling changes
○ If have prefix, try searching without it
■ Example: O’ or Mc

7. An e t - Ire d C ol P is R s e s, 1655-1915
25.6 million records -- some broken down by county
Screenshot from Ancestry

8. An e t - Cat c De & Bur Re s s, 1767-1992
135,000 records
Screenshot from Ancestry

9. An e t - Cat c Ma ge R te , 1775-1942
401,000 records
Page 1
PAGE
TIP!!
Screenshot from Ancestry

10. An e t - Cat c Ma ge R te , 1775-1942
401,000 records
Page 2
Screenshot from Ancestry

11. Lat ri Wo d - Fin s
Screenshot from FindMyPast

12. An e t - Cat c Bi h & Bap m R i t , 1763-1917
1.8 million records
Page 1
PAGE
TIP!!
Screenshot from Ancestry

13. An e t - Cat c Bi h & Bap m R i t , 1763-1917
1.8 million records
Page 2
Screenshot from Ancestry

14. Lat t o d - Fin s
Screenshot from FindMyPast

15. An e t - Dis b i f Su m Bo
Screenshot from Ancestry

16. Cen R co s - T E D S
● Irish Census started in 1821
● 1861 and 1871 censuses destroyed
● 1881 and 1891 censuses pulped during WWI
● 1921 no census taken because War of Independence
● 1922 the Four Courts Building was blown up during Civil War - so
1821, 1831, 1841, 1851 censuses destroyed
● 1926 Northern Irish census destroyed
● 1931 Northern Ireland held no census
● 1941 UK held no census
Photo from Wikimedia Commons - John Byrne

17. Cen R co s - T E D E S
● 1901 and 1911 censuses INTACT
● 1926 Irish Free State census will be released 2027
Screenshot from National Archives of Ireland

18. 1911 Cen Ex le
Screenshot from National Archives of Ireland

19. Par Cr -Ref ci
● Figuring out which parish your family is from can be extremely
helpful
○ Then cross-reference that parish with the Civil Registration Districts as most
records are classified by district, not parish
○ See next slide...

20. Screenshot from FindMyPast

21. Tit A p me B k
● 1823-1837 (pre-famine)
● Land survey to determine tithes
● Does not cover cities or towns; only civil parishes
● Only records online are Irish Free State; NI on microfilm only
● Head-of-Household only
● Can search by name

22. Tit A p me B k

23. Lan r - Gri t ’s Va i n
● County-level records
● 1847-1864 (mid- and post-famine)
● Where lived/property possessed
● Broken down by: County → Poor Law Union → Civil
Parishes/Townlands → Parcel

24. Lan r - Gri t ’s Va i n
Step 1
Screenshot from AskAboutIreland

25. Lan r - Gri t ’s Va i n
Step 2
Screenshot from AskAboutIreland

26. Lan r - Gri t ’s Va i n
Step 3
Screenshot from AskAboutIreland

27. Lan r - Gri t ’s Va i n
Step 4
Griffith's Example
Screenshot from Google Maps

28. P O
● PRONI = Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
● Similar to Griffith’s Valuation but is for Antrim, Armagh, Down,
Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone
● 1864-1933
● MUCH MORE COMPLICATED - can only search by place, not person

29. NA - Iri F m e I m ti
Screenshot from National Archives of United States

30. Res es & Tip
● National Library of Ireland (https://www.nli.ie/)
● National Archives of Ireland (http://www.nationalarchives.ie/)
● $ FindMyPast (https://www.findmypast.com/)
● IrishGenealogy.ie (https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/)
○ 100 years births, 75 years marriages, 50 years deaths
○ Roman Catholic Church of Ireland for Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kerry
● $ RootsIreland.ie (http://www.rootsireland.ie/)
○ 20 million Irish records; 34 counties (no Kerry or Cork, see above)
● www.johngrenham.com/browse
● PRONI (Public Records of Northern Ireland) (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni)
● NARA Famine Immigrants
(https://aad.archives.gov/aad/fielded-search.jsp?dt=180&tf=F)
IRELAND IS COMPLICATED! Perseverance is key.

31. Spe c Li s
Parish Records: https://www.findmypast.com/irish-parish-records
Griffith’s Valuation Search:
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch
Valuation Revision Books:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/searching-valuation-revision-books
Tithe Applotment Books:
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp
Irish Genealogy Toolkit: https://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/best-genealogy-sites.html

32. Questions?