Ulster Genealogy and Local History Blog

Common surnames - the difficulty: Researching families with common surnames brings additional challenges in Irish research. That is why the identification of townland of origin is of prime importance. It is even more difficult if our ancestors resided in a large urban settlement for generations since it is unlikely that they would have resided in the same house over a long period and additionally often house numbers changed or streets were allocated new names. Trying to trace the movement of the family through time would be a real challenge in itself. In addition with common surnames the difficulty is determining whether you have actually identified the correct individual as your ancestor.  Below is a list of the top ten surnames in Derry city. If your ancestor was a Doherty or a McLaughlin residing in the city in the nineteenth century then the challenge is enormous even in the period after civil registration (1864) because there will be many entries in each year for that surname

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Location is the key to unlocking family history. In Ireland there was and remains a deep attachment to place. In previous generations ordinary people married close to home within the parish or regional boundaries where they resided. Exploring the local history of a region is vital for those interested in family history. Identifying the place of origin of our ancestors, the location, the townland increases dramatically chances of successful research outcomes. Family research almost become pointless when one does not have at least a County of origin. Location is key to unlocking the sources that reveal family names. Many sources were created on a national level broken down by county, barony and parish but there are also regional sources specific to areas and these all need to be consulted. Many local history groups exist in Ulster and some of these publish works on an annual basis and often contain local sources of information not available anywhere

PART FOUR – MUSTER ROLLS, MILITIA AND YEOMANRY LISTS FOR LONDONDERRY, c.1622-1852 By Bob Forrest, B.A Hons; Economic and Social History (Queen’s University, Belfast). In this fourth volume of the Scots-Irish series, I scoured the archives of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Linenhall Library in Belfast to source and record in one convenient volume all available muster, militia, volunteer and yeomanry lists for county Londonderry in the period 1622-1852.  The seventeenth century muster rolls are important lists of able-bodied men capable of military service and listed by estate under landlord. These fighting forces were raised from among the planted settler population to defend their farms and families. They are an early record of the Scots-Irish population in the county.  This volume also records all extant militia lists for Co Londonderry in the eighteenth century. In addition, I also trace the history and development of the Volunteer movement in the county

SCOTS-IRISH ORIGINS, 1600-1800A.D. GENEALOGICAL GLEANINGS OF THE SCOTS-IRISH IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, IRELAND PART THREE - ‘THE MAIDEN CITY’ THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITY OF DERRY/LONDONDERRY BEFORE THE SIEGE (c.1600-1688) By Bob Forrest, B.A. Hons; Economic and Social History (Queen’s University, Belfast). 112 pages, over 2000 unique surnames: http://cotyroneireland.com/estore/index.php?maincat_id=7 The following seventeenth century records are included in this volume for the city of Derry/Londonderry:-  the 1619 Inquisition, - 1622 Muster Roll - 1628 Rent Roll - 1630 Muster Roll (599 names) - 1642 Muster Rolls (9 companies) - 1654/6 Civil Survey, 1659 Census - 1663 Hearth Money Roll - as well as numerous miscellaneous records including; Corporation records (Governors, Mayors, Aldermen, Sheriffs), lists of merchants and seamen linked to the port of Derry, Gravestone Inscriptions from the seventeenth century, siege records, Summonister (court) records (1611-1670), Will indexes (16

PART TWO – THE PLANTATION OF LONDONDERRY, c.1600-1670 INCLUDING APPENDICES: 1. PHILLIPS’ SURVEY OF 1622 AND THE 1630 MUSTER ROLL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF LONDONDERRY. 2. THE SUMMONISTER ROLLS/COURT RECORDS OF COUNTY LONDONDERRY, 1615-70. By Bob Forrest, B.A. Hons; Economic and Social History (Queen’s University, Belfast). 84 pages + 3 maps + 1 illust. http://cotyroneireland.com/estore/index.php?maincat_id=7 Part two in the series Scots-Irish origins: This volume focuses on the seventeenth century plantation of county Londonderry and makes available for the first time two important genealogical sources, the 1630 Muster Roll and the Summonister (Court) Rolls c.1615-1670 for county Londonderry. Utilising the Summonister Court Rolls, the 1622 survey by Phillips and Hadsor, the 1630 muster roll and the 1641 depositions I have written a short popular history of the ‘Plantation of Londonderry c.1600-1670 tracing the development of the Londoners’ twelve plantations, as well as the growt

E-book on Magilligan parish 1600-1800 One of the greatest frustrations for generations of Scots-Irish genealogical researchers has been the absence of vital records for perhaps the most critical period in the establishment of their family links to Ulster, the period up to 1800. There is no comprehensive index to names for Ulster for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries making it difficult to make the trans-Atlantic connection.  SCOTS-IRISH ORIGINS, 1600-1800 A.D. GENEALOGICAL GLEANINGS OF THE SCOTS-IRISH IN COUNTY LONDONDERRY, IRELAND. PART ONE – VITAL RECORDS OF THE SCOTS-IRISH FROM THE PARISH OF MAGILLIGAN, COUNTY LONDONDERRY, 1600-1800 . By Bob Forrest, B.A Hons; Economic and Social History (Queen’s University, Belfast). 65 pages + 2 maps http://cotyroneireland.com/estore/index.php?recid=8&maincat_id=7&page=1 This series aims to redress the gap in the records for early modern Ulster. Part One focuses on Magilligan parish in County Londonderry and includes 386

SCOTS-IRISH ORIGINS SERIES OF E-BOOKS, 1600-1800 As mentioned in a previous blog my main interest is in the plantation of Ulster and its social and economic impact in the period c.1600-1800. I have transcribed a lot of records for the pre-1800 period for Co. L'Derry and decided to make these available in an e-book format, easy to download and fully word searchable. Compiled from primary sources in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (as well as other repositories such as the Linenhall Library and Presbyterian Historical Society, Belfast) the  Scots-Irish origins series of e-books will be of interest to genealogists and local historians in an easily accessible format. The books will be of particular interest to those with Scots-Irish origins. The origin of the Ulster-Scots is a familiar story - some 100,000 Scotsmen were resettled by the British government during the Ulster Plantation of the 17th century. After the turn of the next century the descendants of many of the