County Longford Family History

FAQs

GLOBAL FAQs

Q. There is a tale passed down that our family is from Co. Longford. What do I do next?
A. Ask all older relations, even distant ones, if they have heard anything about this, and compile everthing you can find. Find out if a gravestone might say something like "Native of Co. Longford". In Canada check out land petitions. In the US check naturalization documents. Check death registrations if available.

Q. What is the most important thing to find out first?
A. By some means, you need to find the Parish and/or the Townland where your ancestor lived. With a location you can check specific church records, scrutinize with some confidence land related records and even examine estate records where the family may have leased land.

Q. What is the best research "trick" to find the location?
A. Like any other emigrants, your ancestors most likely travelled or followed friends or relatives. Their children intermarried. Often their graves will be nearby in the same cemetery. If you find one or more of these allied families, research that family. You may be surprised how often their is a key there - and a location. Assuming that location is in Co. Longford, look in the same parish and those adjacent or close. Chances are you will find the family that is of prime interest. More than half the time, this has been the key for me to solving the location mystery .

Q. What is the second best research "trick" to find location?
A. It is common for place names to have been put on paper phonetically, so that they do not match maps. Also, a place may be described by two names combined, without some reader realizing it. Eg. "Canaan-Airdes" written in Walsh family histroy was really Kenagh-Ards. Also check out the Townland database using partial names of the townland.

Q. I have heard Irish Family History is difficult because few records have survived. Is this true for County Longford?
A. Far from it. There is an incredible array of resources available for Co. Longford. Besides the well known 1901 Census, 1854 Griffiths Valuation, and 1824-38 tithe applotments (indexes published for all) there are a vast array of not only 19th century but 18th century resources, with at least indexes online. See RESEARCH and RESOURCES pages for more details.

Q. Are there any resources I shouldn't miss that are unusual?
A. The four I wouldn't overlook are Charleton Marriage Gratuity List, the Military Pension files at the UK National Archives, and Grand Jury Records of Co. Longford. Indexes are available to all of these online, with more information on this site's RESOURCES page. In addition, the 1790 Voters List is available on this site.

Q. Do I need to hire a researcher Co. Longford ancestors?
A. In most cases it isn't necessary to hire a researcher. Resources would be best used accessing or buying some of the indexes to databases, and acquiring the maps of Co. Longford. The only two areas where a researcher would be really useful: examining Church of Ireland registers, or examining directly resources in Dublin such as the Charleton Marriage Gratuities.

Q. Is it worth going through the Moffatt material on this site? It isn't a family I am interested in.
A. Yes, it is worth spending 15 minutes at least, in order to get ideas on what resources can be tapped into.

Q. What websites are especially useful?
A. Check out the RESOURCES page for websites that are useful. Co. Longford has developed some very good resources since 2006.

Q. I want to visit Co. Longford to see places where my ancestors lived. Do you have any travel suggestions?
A. Check out the travel resouces page. Travel choices are personal, so you need to use your own biases - but hopefully the opinions on the page can help.

Q. In many travel guides Co. Longford hardly gets a mention - if at all. Is it that drab or uninteresting?
A. Co. Longford is beautiful. But go there with the mindset of appreciating details of pastoral and landscape beauty, and welcoming people. You can find ringforts, quiet valleys, take walks along the former Royal Canal, and see many beauties of landscape. It has ruined abbeys, a fascinating 2,000-year-old road across a bog, and beautiful, semi-forgotten rural roads. The bonus is that because Co. Longford is overlooked by most guides, it doesn't suffer from the mobs of visitors some places in Ireland have.