One of the greatest frustrations for generations of genealogical researchers has been that reliable guidance on sources for perhaps the most critical period in the establishment of their family's links with Ulster, the period up to 1800, has proved to be so elusive. Not any more. This book can claim to be the first comprehensive guide for family historians searching for ancestors in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ulster. Whether their ancestors are of English, Scottish, or Gaelic Irish origin, it will be of enormous value to anyone wishing to conduct research in Ulster prior to 1800. A comprehensive range of sources from the period 1600-1800 are identified and explained in very clear terms. Information on the whereabouts of these records and how they may be accessed is also provided. Equally important, there is guidance on how effectively they might be used. The appendices to the book include a full listing of pre-1800 church records for Ulster; a detailed description of nearly 250 collections of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century estate papers; and a summary breakdown of the sources available from this period for each parish in Ulster.
Of all the nine counties of Ulster, none can claim a more cosmopolitan and fascinating history than Down. In ancient times it formed part of the ancient kingdom of the Ulaid; the Dal Fiatach, the most important of the groupings of tribes of Ulaid, came to dominate the east of the county with their capital at Downpatrick. Vikings came to raid and then settled along the coast. Later the Normans seized control of the Dal Fiatach kingdom constructing castles, monasteries and abbeys before becoming 'hibernicised'. In the seventeenth century, thousands of Scottish and English settlers poured into Down, establishing themselves in the north and east of the county. Meanwhile the native Irish were able to preserve their way of life in south Down where their close-knit communities were sufficiently well organised under their traditional leaders to co-exist with the newcomers. The distribution of surnames in the couty provides lasting evidence of its complex history. The purpose of this book is to provide a practical guide for the family historian searching for ancestors in County Down. It is true that many records have been lost, including those in the destruction of the Public Record Office in Dublin in 1922. However, much has survived to aid the dedicated family or local historian. Moreover, it has become increasingly accessible in the detailed catalogues and user-friendly searching aids in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Because of the breadth of the material covered, this book will appeal both to the experienced researcher and to the novice. Of particular value are the detailed listings of the records of landed estates, churches and schools, as well as the appendices listing townlands and unofficial place-names for the county.
In his first work of nonfiction, bestselling novelist James Webb tells the epic story of the Scots-Irish, a people whose lives and worldview were dictated by resistance, conflict, and struggle, and who, in turn, profoundly influenced the social, political, and cultural landscape of America from its beginnings through the present day. More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose bloodline was stained by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland, and later in the bitter settlements of England’s Ulster Plantation in Northern Ireland. Between 250,000 and 400,000 Scots-Irish migrated to America in the eighteenth century, traveling in groups of families and bringing with them not only long experience as rebels and outcasts but also unparalleled skills as frontiersmen and guerrilla fighters. Their cultural identity reflected acute individualism, dislike of aristocracy and a military tradition, and, over time, the Scots-Irish defined the attitudes and values of the military, of working class America, and even of the peculiarly populist form of American democracy itself. Born Fighting is the first book to chronicle the full journey of this remarkable cultural group, and the profound, but unrecognized, role it has played in the shaping of America. Written with the storytelling verve that has earned his works such acclaim as “captivating . . . unforgettable” (the Wall Street Journal on Lost Soliders), Scots-Irishman James Webb, Vietnam combat veteran and former Naval Secretary, traces the history of his people, beginning nearly two thousand years ago at Hadrian’s Wall, when the nation of Scotland was formed north of the Wall through armed conflict in contrast to England’s formation to the south through commerce and trade. Webb recounts the Scots’ odyssey—their clashes with the English in Scotland and then in Ulster, their retreat from one war-ravaged land to another. Through engrossing chronicles of the challenges the Scots-Irish faced, Webb vividly portrays how they developed the qualities that helped settle the American frontier and define the American character. Born Fighting shows that the Scots-Irish were 40 percent of the Revolutionary War army; they included the pioneers Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston; they were the writers Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain; and they have given America numerous great military leaders, including Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Audie Murphy, and George S. Patton, as well as most of the soldiers of the Confederacy (only 5 percent of whom owned slaves, and who fought against what they viewed as an invading army). It illustrates how the Scots-Irish redefined American politics, creating the populist movement and giving the country a dozen presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. And it explores how the Scots-Irish culture of isolation, hard luck, stubbornness, and mistrust of the nation’s elite formed and still dominates blue-collar America, the military services, the Bible Belt, and country music. Both a distinguished work of cultural history and a human drama that speaks straight to the heart of contemporary America, Born Fighting reintroduces America to its most powerful, patriotic, and individualistic cultural group—one too often ignored or taken for granted.
Millions of people around the world have Presbyterian ancestors from Ireland. The aim of this book is to help those with Irish Presbyterian roots find out more about their forebears.
Ireland was one of the earliest countries to evolve a system of hereditary surnames. More than 4,000 Gaelic, Norman and Anglo-Irish surnames are listed in this book, giving a wealth of information on the background and location of Irish families. Edward MacLysaght was a leading authority on Irish names and family history. He served as Chief Herald and Genealogical Officer of the Irish Office of Arms. He was also Keeper of Manuscripts of the National Library of Ireland and was Chairman of the Manuscripts Commission. This book, which was first published in 1957 and now is in its sixth edition, is being reprinted for the fourth time and remains the definitive record of Irish surnames, their genealogy and their origins.
Originally published in 1973, the emphasis of this study is on the Scottish settlers during the first quarter of the 17th Century. It shows that the ‘Plantation’, although a milestone in Ireland’s past is also of considerable importance in Scotland’s history. The society that produced Scottish settlers is examined and the reasons why they left their homeland analysed. The book explains what effect the Scottish migration had upon both Ireland and Scotland and assesses the extent to which James I was personally involved in the promotion of the ‘Plantation’ scheme.
