Module Four: Working with Vital Records
Working with Vital Records
In this module you will begin your
research in Irish records of civil registration, develop
your awareness of the availability of church records by
denomination, and carry out research for an individual
using the online website of the Irish Family History
Foundation.
"In
all of us there is a hunger, bone-marrow deep, to know
our heritage - to know who we are and where we have
come from."
- Alex Haley
Understanding Irish Names
As
you begin your research in Irish records, you will need
to be aware of the many possible varieties of both
surnames and first names that you may find in the
records. For example, James may be listed as Seamus (the
Gaelic version) or Jacobus (the Latin version). So you
will want to search for James, Seamus, Jacobus, and
Jacob. Joanna may be Joan, Johana, or Siobhan.
For
more information on Irish first names and their
varieties, read this article on Christian
Names in Ireland.
Understanding Civil
Registration
Civil
registration is the government registration of births,
deaths, and marriages. Civil registration began in
Ireland on April 1, 1845, with only the registration of
Protestant marriages. All birth, deaths, and marriages
were registered starting January 1, 1864. Certificates
can be requested from the General Registry Office, and
many are available online.
Read
more about Irish
civil registration.
An
online
video tutorial about Irish civil registration is
available at FamilySearch. The video is about 30
minutes, and a class handout transcript is available at
the same site.
Using Church Records
- Catholic: representing about 81% of the population. Catholic records begin in urban areas in about 1750, in rural areas in the early 1800s.
- Protestant: Church of Ireland - representing about 11% of the population. The earliest registers began in 1619. Most of the registers began in the mid-1700s.
- Presbyterian: representing about 2% of the population. The Presbyterians began massive migrations into Northern Ireland during the Ulster Plantation, beginning in 1605.
- Methodist: Most early Methodists were also member of the Church of Ireland, or the Presbyterian Church.
- Quaker: The Quakers came from England in about 1653.
- Jewish: There were some Jewish synagogues in Ireland, and these records are found in the Irish Jewish Museum.
- Other: LDS, Huguenot.
To learn more about church
records in Ireland, go to the FamilySearch
wiki. This website has links for each of the major
religions in Ireland. Select the one you are interested
in, and read more about available records.
An online
video tutorial on Irish records is available at
FamilySearch. The video is about thirty minutes long, and
a class handout transcript is available on the website.
How Can I Search These
Records?
Now that you understand the
content of Irish civil registration and church records,
how can you search them? Many are becoming available
online. The indexes for Irish civil records are available
at FamilySearch. Other records are starting to become
available, and it is suggested that you do a Google search
for the parish you are searching.
Another website to try is www.irishgenealogy.ie, for researchers in Carlow, Cork, Dublin and Kerry. The records are free to search.
Module Four Assignments
Assignment One: Use the Irish History Foundation website or FamilySearch to find the birth record of William Butler Yeats, born about 1865. Is this a civil birth record or a church baptism? What is the location. Who are the parents?
Assignment Two: Use the Irish Family History Foundation website or one of the other suggested websites to try and locate the birth marriage or death record of one of your ancestors.