Ireland Church Records: Difference between revisions

Church of Ireland parish registers list christenings, marriages, and burials. The amount of information recorded varies from parish to parish and from minister to minister. Later records generally give more information than earlier ones. Because the Church of Ireland was the state church, even people who did not belong to the church were sometimes listed in the church's parish registers. Consequently, it is wise to search Church of Ireland records regardless of your ancestor's religion.

Children were usually christened (baptized) within a few weeks of birth, though some christenings of older children or adults are recorded. Parish registers provide at least the name of the person christened and the christening date. They usually record the name of the father and frequently the first name of the mother. They may also record birth date, legitimacy, father's occupation, and the family's place of residence. In larger cities, registers often provide the family's street address.

Pre-1845 parish registers usually provide only the date of marriage and the names of the bride and groom. Beginning in 1845, parish registers also include the place of marriage; the marital status, occupation, and place of residence; both fathers' occupations; and the names of witnesses (possible relatives). If the father was deceased, that fact was sometimes noted.

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** '''By license'''. A couple applied to the proper church authority, usually the bishop of the diocese or the Archbishop of Armagh, for a license to marry. An allegation and a bond were drawn up. The allegation listed the names of the bride and groom, their ages, marital statuses, and intended place of marriage. The bond was made to insure that all the information given was valid. The license granted permission to marry. Most Irish allegations, bonds, and licenses have been destroyed. However, some abstracts and indexes of these records for various dioceses remain. The indexes include the names of the intended bride and groom and the year their license was issued. To find the marriage license indexes and abstracts available at the Family History Library, look in the Locality Search of the catalog under the following headings:

IRELAND - CHURCH RECORDS

Burial usually took place in the deceased's parish within a few days of the death. Burial records give the name of the deceased and the date of burial. Sometimes they also give the deceased's age, place of residence, cause of death, and occupation. Occasionally a wife's burial entry will provide the name of the husband, and a child's entry, the name of the father. Stillbirths are sometimes recorded in the burial registers. Stillbirths are not, however, listed in christening records.

The vestry is the presiding council of a parish. Minutes of vestry meetings often mention parishioners, appointments of parish officers, and other items related to the parish. Occasionally records of births, christenings, marriages, deaths, and burials are included in the minutes.

=== Locating Church of Ireland Records ===

The library also has biographical sketches of Church of Ireland ministers. The address is:

Request a copy of the record from the National Archives or the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. To determine whether the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland has a copy of the record, consult the descriptive catalog of the office's holdings. To locate filmed catalogs for the National Archives at the Family History Library, look in the Place Search of the catalog under the following headings:

IRELAND - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS

To find Church of Ireland records at the Family History Library, consult the Place Search of the catalog under:

Catholic parish registers mainly include christening and marriage records. Few registers contain death or burial records. Occasionally a register will contain a parish census. Some Catholic registers are in Latin.

Children were usually christened (baptized) within a few weeks of birth, though some christenings of older children or adults are recorded. Parish registers provide at least the name of the person christened and the christening date. They usually record the name of the father and frequently the first name of the mother. They may also record birth date, legitimacy, father's occupation, and the family's place of residence. In larger cities, registers often provide the family's street address.

Catholic marriage records normally provide the date of the marriage, the names of the bride and groom, and the names of the witnesses. Occasionally, places of residence are listed. If the bride and groom are related, the degree of relationship is often given as well.

Original parish registers are in local custody. Sometimes a priest will search parish records for you. Names, addresses, and parishes of priests are listed in the Irish Catholic Directory and Diary.

Grenham, John. ''Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: The Complete Guide''. Dublin, Ireland: Gill and Macmillan, 1992. (FHL book Ref 941.5 D27gj.)

== Presbyterian Records ==

Records kept by Presbyterian ministers include birth, baptism, and marriage records. These records are similar in content to Church of Ireland records except that mothers' maiden names are often given in the birth and baptism records.

'''Session Minutes'''

The session is the presiding council of a Presbyterian congregation. Minutes of session meetings often mention members of the congregation, appointments of committee members, and other items of congregational business. Occasionally records of births, christenings, and marriages are included in the minutes. Most session minutes are in local custody.

'''Locating Presbyterian Records'''

The Presbyterian Historical Society has copies of some of the Presbyterian and seceding Presbyterian records for Northern Ireland. The society's holdings are not complete. To determine which records the society possesses, contact the society at the following address:

The Family History Library also has copies of some Presbyterian records. These are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under:

Methodist records consist mainly of baptism and marriage records that are similar in content to Church of Ireland records. Occasionally a circuit minute book or vestry book was kept. Since there were few Methodist cemeteries, Methodist death or burial records are rare. Methodists were usually buried in Church of Ireland cemeteries and their burial records kept in Church of Ireland registers.

'''Locating Methodist Records'''

Quakers held both weekly and monthly meetings. Births, marriages, and deaths were reported in the monthly meetings. Around 1655 Quakers began keeping records of their meetings. Irish Quaker records are held in two regional Quaker repositories: the Dublin Friends Historical Library and the Religious Society of Friends. The Dublin Friends Historical Library only has records for the Republic of Ireland. The Religious Society of Friends, Ulster Quarterly Meeting mainly has records for Northern Ireland. Both repositories contain minutes of meetings; birth, marriage, and death records; diaries; pedigrees; wills; and other records. The address is:

The National Library of Ireland in Dublin and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland have microfilm copies of some Quaker records. The Family History Library also has microfilm copies of some Quaker records. These are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under the following headings:

IRELAND, [COUNTY], [PARISH] - CHURCH RECORDS

=== Locating Church Records ===

To see if the church records you need are available at the Family History Library, check the library catalog. To identify transcripts or abstracts of church records found in Irish genealogical periodicals available at the Family History Library, consult Smith's ''Inventory of Genealogical Sources: Ireland''.

As you or your agent search church records, use the following strategies:

** Use the additional information (residence, occupation, etc.) given in parish registers to find other records to search.