Once again tonight we were able to enjoy GeneaBloggers' Radio after watching "Who Do You Think You Are" featuring Kim Cattrall. Listening to Thomas MacEntee and the show's callers, as well as many of those on the chat line, speaking/writing about the very personal side of genealogy and family history, I was again reminded of the fact that we really are a "family of humans", so to speak. So many individuals in our community have uncovered the same sort of difficult history, or histories of a similar nature, as that which Kim Cattrall has had to face in her own family. At times it is perhaps easier to notice the differences between us, but it is nice to be able to take pause and notice the similarities, and realize that maybe we are not quite as alone as we might sometimes feel.
Cheers Everyone.
Jennifer
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Treasure Chest Thursday: Childhood Books: "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde
Of all the possessions a young child might have, what I cherished most was books. Of course, I did have the requisite Barbie dolls, and much loved stuffed animals and board games, but books were most treasured by me. For me books offered a glimpse into a world of possibility. In some there were imaginary people and places that I could only ever visit on the page. Others offered stories of far away places where I hoped to one day travel, or tales of times long since past about which I could only dream. My love of books was not just limited to the story, but extended to the scent of the parchment paper, the paste and thread that held the pages together, and that lovely sort of sigh a hardcover book makes when you first open it. Books also offered the promise of connection with other people, a friend or a family member to whom I could read, or who would read to me.
When I was a young child the story book I most treasured was "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde. Written by Wilde in 1888, it is a very simple story, a short story, and I read it so many times that the thick parchment became thin and curled, and the corners where I would turn the page were lightly stained a soft tawny brown. Often closing my eyes after reading the description of it, I could imagine myself on a bright sunny day lying in the soft green grass of the Giant's beautiful garden. This story is still a treasure to me, although my childhood copy disappeared long ago. What I love most about "The Selfish Giant" is its message about compassion and kindness toward each other, and the importance of sharing with others the best of what we have to give, in whatever form it may come. After all, we only have each other in this world. About twenty years ago my husband bought me another copy of this little book, and now its white pages are curling at the corners and fading to creamy beige. In my opinion this story is best read aloud.
************************************************************************************************
Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant's garden.
It was a lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. "How happy we are here!" they cried to each other.
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden", said the Giant; "any one can understand that, I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." So he built a high wall all around it, and put up a notice-board.
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED
He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but the road was dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it. They used to wander round the high walls when their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. "How happy we were there!" they said to each other.
Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again, and went off to sleep.
The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost.
"Spring has forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the year round." The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot", he said, "we must ask the Hail on a visit". So the Hail came. Everyday for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming." said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold, white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. "He is too selfish," she said. So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees.
One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King's musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "I believe the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed, and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the children's heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing.
It was a lovely scene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree was still covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy," said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy was too tiny.
And the Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have been!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's playground for ever and ever." He was really very sorry for what he had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant's neck, and kissed him. And the other children when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It is your garden now, little children," said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall.
And when the people were going to market at twelve o'clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen. All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to bid him goodbye.
"But where is your little companion?" he said: "the boy I put into the tree." The Giant loved him best because he had kissed him.
"We don't know," answered the children: "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure to come to-morrow," said the Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon, when school was over the children came and played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend and often spoke of him. "How I would like to see him," he used to say.
Years went over and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge arm-chair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many beautiful flowers," he said, "but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all."
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting. Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the giant; "tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child: "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
************************************************************************************************
**The text of The Selfish Giant appears here as it was written by Oscar Wilde. The spelling and punctuation are all Wilde's.
When I was a young child the story book I most treasured was "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde. Written by Wilde in 1888, it is a very simple story, a short story, and I read it so many times that the thick parchment became thin and curled, and the corners where I would turn the page were lightly stained a soft tawny brown. Often closing my eyes after reading the description of it, I could imagine myself on a bright sunny day lying in the soft green grass of the Giant's beautiful garden. This story is still a treasure to me, although my childhood copy disappeared long ago. What I love most about "The Selfish Giant" is its message about compassion and kindness toward each other, and the importance of sharing with others the best of what we have to give, in whatever form it may come. After all, we only have each other in this world. About twenty years ago my husband bought me another copy of this little book, and now its white pages are curling at the corners and fading to creamy beige. In my opinion this story is best read aloud.
************************************************************************************************
The Selfish Giant
by Oscar Wilde**
by Oscar Wilde**
Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant's garden.
It was a lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. "How happy we are here!" they cried to each other.
One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden", said the Giant; "any one can understand that, I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." So he built a high wall all around it, and put up a notice-board.
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED
He was a very selfish Giant.
The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but the road was dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it. They used to wander round the high walls when their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. "How happy we were there!" they said to each other.
Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again, and went off to sleep.
The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost.
"Spring has forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the year round." The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. "This is a delightful spot", he said, "we must ask the Hail on a visit". So the Hail came. Everyday for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.
"I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming." said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold, white garden; "I hope there will be a change in the weather."
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. "He is too selfish," she said. So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees.
One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King's musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. "I believe the Spring has come at last," said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed, and looked out.
What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the children's heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing.
It was a lovely scene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree was still covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. "Climb up! little boy," said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy was too tiny.
And the Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have been!" he said; "now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's playground for ever and ever." He was really very sorry for what he had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant's neck, and kissed him. And the other children when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. "It is your garden now, little children," said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall.
And when the people were going to market at twelve o'clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen. All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to bid him goodbye.
"But where is your little companion?" he said: "the boy I put into the tree." The Giant loved him best because he had kissed him.
"We don't know," answered the children: "he has gone away."
"You must tell him to be sure to come to-morrow," said the Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad.
Every afternoon, when school was over the children came and played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend and often spoke of him. "How I would like to see him," he used to say.
Years went over and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge arm-chair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden. "I have many beautiful flowers," he said, "but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all."
One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting. Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder and looked and looked. It certainly was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved.
Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails and the prints of two nails were on the little feet.
"Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the giant; "tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him."
"Nay!" answered the child: "but these are the wounds of Love."
"Who art thou?" said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child.
And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, "You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden which is Paradise."
And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms.
************************************************************************************************
**The text of The Selfish Giant appears here as it was written by Oscar Wilde. The spelling and punctuation are all Wilde's.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Dublin Street Scapes
*Click on photographs to view larger version.
All photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Matrilineal Monday: Today is Family Day in Ontario Canada
Ah yes, thank goodness for the provincial government which is currently in power, otherwise we in Ontario might not have a holiday in the month of February. Family Day is a provincial statutory holiday, celebrated on the third Monday in February. It is observed in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Approximately sixty percent of Canadians observe the day.
It is wonderful to take time out to celebrate the family. This seems a holiday tailor made for family historians and genealogists. For me today will involve time with both my living family and the ancestors in my matrilineal tree, as I continue to organize records and documents germane to their history.
May you enjoy this day with your family no matter where you live!
Cheers,
Jennifer
It is wonderful to take time out to celebrate the family. This seems a holiday tailor made for family historians and genealogists. For me today will involve time with both my living family and the ancestors in my matrilineal tree, as I continue to organize records and documents germane to their history.
May you enjoy this day with your family no matter where you live!
Cheers,
Jennifer
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tombstone Tuesday: In a churchyard in Swords, the old and the new
*Click on Photographs to view larger version.
All photographs ©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
GeneaBloggers' Radio: A great experience
It's 12:15 a.m. Saturday morning and I'm wide awake and feeling really pumped up after listening to, and participating in, Thomas MacEntee's GeneaBloggers' Radio show. Thank You Thomas for hosting the show and welcoming so many of us. It was great to hear all of the opinions about tonight's (that's Friday night's) broadcast of "Who Do You Think You Are?", featuring Tim MacGraw. Also, thank you for updating us about Roots Tech, and many other "goings on" in the world of Genealogy. Despite the fact that you are very busy I hope you know that many many many of us really appreciate all that you do to keep us in the Genealogy and GeneaBlogging loop.
Cheers!
Jennifer
Cheers!
Jennifer
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday's Tips: Be careful out there; there's misinformation afoot
Back in July I posted some of the following as a Madness Monday Post. It was Monday and I was 'mad' about some of the inaccurate information I had come across on some internet sites pertinent to Irish Family History research. Recently on my internet travels I've noticed that some of the misinformation continues to float around. Ah yes, you just have to love the internet for the fact that once something is out there it may never go away. There are two areas in particular on which I'd like to focus: 1. Irish Civil Registrations, and 2. Irish Census Documents.
1. Irish Civil Registrations of Births, Deaths, and Marriages
The most significant piece of inaccurate information I have come across so far has to do with Irish Civil Registrations of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. There is a misconception afoot that these records (pre-1922) were lost in the fire following the siege of the Four Courts during the Irish Civil War. This false impression may stem from an assumption that the Public Records Office and the General Register Office are one in the same, when in fact they are not.
In order to clear up this misconception I went straight to the horse's mouth, so to speak, and asked Colm O'Dalaigh, Manager of the Public Office and Central Applications Division of the General Register Office. According to Colm O'Dalaigh: (and now I'm quoting Colm)
"Yes, there were a lot of important documents and records lost [in the Four Courts fire], including some Parish registers and other documents containing some genealogical data; however, the Civil Registrations of Births, Deaths, and Marriages were NEVER housed in the Four Courts."
In June of 1922 the repository of the Public Records Office, then located in the Four Courts Complex was destroyed by fire, along with most of the records, some dating back to the thirteenth century. (The functions of the Public Records Office and the State Papers Office are now handled by the National Archives, established on 1 June 1988.) The civil registrations of birth, deaths, and marriages remains the responsibility of the General Register Office.
A Brief History of The General Register Office (They moved A LOT)
The very first repository for the records of the General Register Office (GRO) was the Kings Inns (1848-1872). From there the GRO moved to Charlemont house in Dublin (1872-1929). Relocation to the basement of the Custom House on the river Liffey took place in 1929; the GRO remained there until 1983. For accommodation reasons, as well as health and safety, in 1983 the Office moved once again, this time across the river Liffey to Joyce House. In the same period the Superintendent Registrar's Office for Dublin was also accommodated on the ground floor of this new building.
In 1992 then Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Albert Reynolds made a commitment that would see the General Register Office relocated to Roscommon in the West of Ireland. As this move involved a major modernisation programme for the entire Civil Registration System, the relocation did not take place until April 2005.
The Research Room of the General Register Office, with its leather bound tomes, remains in Dublin. It is in the Irish Life Centre in Lower Abbey Street where members of the public still visit daily in order to carry out research.
2. Irish Census Documents
The second piece of misinformation I have come across has to do with census documents. I have seen some claims that all census documents were destroyed (NO), that some were destroyed by accident (that would warrant a loud 'OOPS'), and that some were intentionally destroyed (sadly, YES). So...what are the details of the truth?
Just the facts ma'am:
Full government censuses were taken of the entire island of Ireland in 1821, 1831, 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 1901, and 1911. No census was taken in 1921, because of the War of Independence. The first census of the population of the Irish Free State was taken in 1926.
Census returns for 1901 and 1911 survive fully intact. The usual rule that census returns should not be available to the public for 100 years was suspended in the Republic of Ireland for these particular records, and the original returns for 1901 and 1911 can be consulted for free, either in person, or on the website of the National Archives of Ireland.
The first four censuses, for 1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851, were largely, but NOT COMPLETELY DESTROYED in 1922, in the fire at the Public Records Office at the Four Courts. Although there is not a lot available, there are surviving fragments which may be consulted in person at the National Archives of Ireland, and these are as follows:
1821: This census, organized by townland, civil parish, barony and county, took place on 28 May 1821, and aimed to cover the entire population. It recorded the following information: name, age, occupation, relationship to the head of the household, acreage of land holding, and number of storeys of the house. Almost all of the original returns were destroyed in 1922, although a few volumes survive for parts of Counties Cavan, Fermanagh, Galway, Meath and Offaly (King's County).
1831: In addition to the information taken in 1821, in 1831 religious persuasion also was recorded. Very little of the returns for 1831 survives; most of the remaining fragments relate to County Derry (Londonderry).
1841: Unlike the two earlier censuses, the returns in 1841 were filled out by the householders themselves, rather than government enumerators. The information supplied now included: name, age, occupation, relationship to the head of the household, date of marriage, literacy, absent family members, and family members who died since 1831.
Only one set of the original 1841 returns survived 1922, that of the parish of Killeshandra in County Cavan; however, there are a number of transcripts of the original returns because the returns from 1841 and 1851 were used in the twentieth century as proof of age when the Old Age Pension was introduced.
There are also a number of researchers' transcripts and abstracts compiled from the original returns before their destruction, and donated to public institutions after 1922 in an attempt to replace some of the lost records. Since the researchers were usually interested in specific families, rather than whole areas, these are generally of limited value. The most significant collections are the Walsh-Kelly Notebooks, (which also abstract parts of the 1821, 1831 and 1851 returns, and relate in particular to south Kilkenny), and the Thrift Abstracts.
1851: The 1851 census recorded the same details as the 1841 census and again included religion.
Most of the surviving returns relate to parishes in County Antrim. The above stated comments on transcripts and abstracts of the 1841 census also apply to 1851.
1861 and 1871: Virtually nothing survives. The only transcripts are contained in the Catholic registers of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, (1861), and Drumcondra and Loughbraclen, County Meath (1871).
The original census returns for 1861 and 1871 were destroyed shortly after the censuses were taken. A document produced by Registrar General William J. Thompson, dated 4 July 1911, attributes destruction of the 1861 and 1871 returns to privacy concerns, saying:
"The destruction of the original Census Returns of 1861 and 1871 was authorized by the Irish Government many years ago, as they could not be treated as public records in consequence of the undertaking given on the householder's form issued for those censuses, to the effect that the information would be published in general abstracts only, and that strict care would be taken that the returns should not be used for the gratification of curiosity, or for any other object than that of rendering the census as perfect as possible."
1881 and 1891: According to the Chief Archivist at The National Archives of Ireland, census returns for 1881 and 1891 were pulped during the First World War, probably due to a paper shortage, although others have claimed it was due to lack of storage facilities.
*Click on photographs to view larger version.
©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011
1. Irish Civil Registrations of Births, Deaths, and Marriages
The most significant piece of inaccurate information I have come across so far has to do with Irish Civil Registrations of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. There is a misconception afoot that these records (pre-1922) were lost in the fire following the siege of the Four Courts during the Irish Civil War. This false impression may stem from an assumption that the Public Records Office and the General Register Office are one in the same, when in fact they are not.
 |
| The Four Courts from the western perspective |
In order to clear up this misconception I went straight to the horse's mouth, so to speak, and asked Colm O'Dalaigh, Manager of the Public Office and Central Applications Division of the General Register Office. According to Colm O'Dalaigh: (and now I'm quoting Colm)
"Yes, there were a lot of important documents and records lost [in the Four Courts fire], including some Parish registers and other documents containing some genealogical data; however, the Civil Registrations of Births, Deaths, and Marriages were NEVER housed in the Four Courts."
In June of 1922 the repository of the Public Records Office, then located in the Four Courts Complex was destroyed by fire, along with most of the records, some dating back to the thirteenth century. (The functions of the Public Records Office and the State Papers Office are now handled by the National Archives, established on 1 June 1988.) The civil registrations of birth, deaths, and marriages remains the responsibility of the General Register Office.
A Brief History of The General Register Office (They moved A LOT)
The very first repository for the records of the General Register Office (GRO) was the Kings Inns (1848-1872). From there the GRO moved to Charlemont house in Dublin (1872-1929). Relocation to the basement of the Custom House on the river Liffey took place in 1929; the GRO remained there until 1983. For accommodation reasons, as well as health and safety, in 1983 the Office moved once again, this time across the river Liffey to Joyce House. In the same period the Superintendent Registrar's Office for Dublin was also accommodated on the ground floor of this new building.
In 1992 then Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Albert Reynolds made a commitment that would see the General Register Office relocated to Roscommon in the West of Ireland. As this move involved a major modernisation programme for the entire Civil Registration System, the relocation did not take place until April 2005.
The Research Room of the General Register Office, with its leather bound tomes, remains in Dublin. It is in the Irish Life Centre in Lower Abbey Street where members of the public still visit daily in order to carry out research.
 |
| Sculpture in the Main Courtyard of the Irish Life Centre |
2. Irish Census Documents
The second piece of misinformation I have come across has to do with census documents. I have seen some claims that all census documents were destroyed (NO), that some were destroyed by accident (that would warrant a loud 'OOPS'), and that some were intentionally destroyed (sadly, YES). So...what are the details of the truth?
Just the facts ma'am:
Full government censuses were taken of the entire island of Ireland in 1821, 1831, 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 1901, and 1911. No census was taken in 1921, because of the War of Independence. The first census of the population of the Irish Free State was taken in 1926.
Census returns for 1901 and 1911 survive fully intact. The usual rule that census returns should not be available to the public for 100 years was suspended in the Republic of Ireland for these particular records, and the original returns for 1901 and 1911 can be consulted for free, either in person, or on the website of the National Archives of Ireland.
The first four censuses, for 1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851, were largely, but NOT COMPLETELY DESTROYED in 1922, in the fire at the Public Records Office at the Four Courts. Although there is not a lot available, there are surviving fragments which may be consulted in person at the National Archives of Ireland, and these are as follows:
1821: This census, organized by townland, civil parish, barony and county, took place on 28 May 1821, and aimed to cover the entire population. It recorded the following information: name, age, occupation, relationship to the head of the household, acreage of land holding, and number of storeys of the house. Almost all of the original returns were destroyed in 1922, although a few volumes survive for parts of Counties Cavan, Fermanagh, Galway, Meath and Offaly (King's County).
1831: In addition to the information taken in 1821, in 1831 religious persuasion also was recorded. Very little of the returns for 1831 survives; most of the remaining fragments relate to County Derry (Londonderry).
1841: Unlike the two earlier censuses, the returns in 1841 were filled out by the householders themselves, rather than government enumerators. The information supplied now included: name, age, occupation, relationship to the head of the household, date of marriage, literacy, absent family members, and family members who died since 1831.
Only one set of the original 1841 returns survived 1922, that of the parish of Killeshandra in County Cavan; however, there are a number of transcripts of the original returns because the returns from 1841 and 1851 were used in the twentieth century as proof of age when the Old Age Pension was introduced.
There are also a number of researchers' transcripts and abstracts compiled from the original returns before their destruction, and donated to public institutions after 1922 in an attempt to replace some of the lost records. Since the researchers were usually interested in specific families, rather than whole areas, these are generally of limited value. The most significant collections are the Walsh-Kelly Notebooks, (which also abstract parts of the 1821, 1831 and 1851 returns, and relate in particular to south Kilkenny), and the Thrift Abstracts.
1851: The 1851 census recorded the same details as the 1841 census and again included religion.
Most of the surviving returns relate to parishes in County Antrim. The above stated comments on transcripts and abstracts of the 1841 census also apply to 1851.
1861 and 1871: Virtually nothing survives. The only transcripts are contained in the Catholic registers of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, (1861), and Drumcondra and Loughbraclen, County Meath (1871).
The original census returns for 1861 and 1871 were destroyed shortly after the censuses were taken. A document produced by Registrar General William J. Thompson, dated 4 July 1911, attributes destruction of the 1861 and 1871 returns to privacy concerns, saying:
"The destruction of the original Census Returns of 1861 and 1871 was authorized by the Irish Government many years ago, as they could not be treated as public records in consequence of the undertaking given on the householder's form issued for those censuses, to the effect that the information would be published in general abstracts only, and that strict care would be taken that the returns should not be used for the gratification of curiosity, or for any other object than that of rendering the census as perfect as possible."
1881 and 1891: According to the Chief Archivist at The National Archives of Ireland, census returns for 1881 and 1891 were pulped during the First World War, probably due to a paper shortage, although others have claimed it was due to lack of storage facilities.
*Click on photographs to view larger version.
©Copyright J. Geraghty-Gorman 2011
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