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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1998-02 > 0887565076


From: "Robert DAVISON" <>
Subject: RE: County Down
Date: Sun, 15 Feb 98 18:09:51 UT


It's a sad but inescapable fact that due to the rather short-sighted attitude
of 'the powers that be' plus a dose of civil disorder, the Census records for
the Ulster counties were either pulped in the First World War or destroyed by
fire in the Irish Civil War of 1922. Ireland's first properly organised
census was carried out in 1821, then taken every 10 years after.

'Tracing Your Ancestors in Northern Ireland' by Ian Maxwell (ISBN
0-11-495823-8) and published by PRONI and the Stationery Office is an
excellant guide to what is available and where and how to get at it.
According to the book nothing exists from the official Government Census for
Co. Down until the 1901 Census. Of the earlier ones, fragments only exist
for Co. Fermanagh, Co. Londonderry and Co. Antrim. You can access the 1851 Co.
Antrim census through the NIFHS Web site.

It's really a matter of trawling through whatever records you can get hold of
that relate to your particular area of research and the PRONI book is a great
help.
My sympathies go out to our friends across the seas who don't have the easy
access to PRONI that I do.

Yours aye

Rob C Davison
Gen. Secretary
North of Ireland Family History Society

Visit us at URL http://www.mni.co.uk/nifhs

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