Researching Ulster Ancestors, 1800-1914

With the advent of the nineteenth century the quantity of records available for the family historian increases dramatically, notwithstanding the catastrophic destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland in 1922. In part, this is due to the greater survival rate of private records - for example, church registers, landed estate papers, personal correspondence.

It is also because of the increase in bureaucracy and the expansion of the state into new areas of responsibility - such as the care of the destitute, the provision of education and the registration of births, deaths and marriages - that had previously been the domain of other institutions, notably the Church of Ireland.

This book presents a detailed exploration of genealogical material for the nine-county province of Ulster from the 'long nineteenth century' (up until the eve of the First World War), identifying what is available and where it can be found. Not only that, but through the liberal use of examples, this book places these records in context and shows how they can be used in the pursuit of family history.

While much material is now online, many records can still only be accessed in manuscript form and there is a particular focus on collections in archives and libraries across this island and, on occasion, further afield.

This volume is a companion to the author's successful Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors, 1600-1800 (2nd edition, 2018) and a follow-up to his other genealogical titles, Researching Presbyterian Ancestors in Ireland (2020) and Researching Farming Ancestors in Ireland (2021).