Genealogy

Tracing Your Ancestors in Antrim

Searching for family history is a fascinating hobby, but can prove very frustrating. Many people come to Antrim town on the search for long lost relatives only to realise that they should actually be searching within the County of Antrim.

Before setting off on a wild goose chase, try to discover as much as possible. The best way to begin is to start at home asking parents, grandparents and other relatives, while also looking through old family papers and photographs for dates, names, births, deaths and marriages.

If you know the location of a family at the turn of the century you may find information from the 1901 Census very useful. However, it is advisable to note that due to the catastrophic destruction of extensive archives at the Public Records Office, Dublin in 1922, there is a huge gap in the archival heritage of Northern Ireland.

Having gathered as much information as possible about your family it is worth familiarizing yourself with the history and geography of that area in which they lived. When searching for location, it is necessary to be aware of the divisions and subdivisions of Ireland.

County – The Province of Northern Ireland is divided into six counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Armagh and Down. Ulster includes these six counties as well as Cavan, Monaghan, and Donegal.

Barony – The Barony was a second subdivision of the county. A barony can occupy part of two counties, in which case it is known as a half-barony in each. The "Barony" is a now-obsolete administrative unit, which survived from feudal times to the nineteenth century. There were 58 baronies in Northern Ireland. It wasn’t until the reorganization of local government in 1898 that the barony began to be excluded as an important territorial division. The Borough of Antrim lies within three Baronies: Lower Masserene, Upper Antrim and Upper Toome.

Townland – The smallest division for official surveys and for the granting and letting of land. It is the townland that most country people refer to. A list of townlands is available from PRONI www.proni.gov.uk.

Parish – In Ireland there are civil/Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic parishes. Parishes were used for both ecclesiastical and administration purposes. A parish is district under a clergyman with its own church.