County Leitrim, Ireland Genealogy

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Ireland County Leitrim

Archives and Libraries

 * The National Library of Ireland
 * National Archives of Ireland

Online resources:


 * Irish Times, also lists all county Heritage Centres' addresses

General County Research Information
Further information about County Leitrim is available at;

Genuki Leitrim www.ancestryireland.com/

Cemeteries
A nation-wide compilation of headstones was created some years ago. Visit the Family History Library Catalog (online) under "Ireland" and Cemetery records - Indexes" for availability.

Church of Ireland
The Representative Church Body Library has all surviving Church of Ireland registers. Some copies are held at:


 * the local parish
 * local archives and libraries
 * FHL (Family History Library) has few transcription copies of Church of Ireland parishes

Presbyterians
The vast majority of Presbyterian chapel registers have never been centrally archived, and thus are found in various locations. [Regretably, preservation of these precious records and the rich Presbyterian heritage of local Presbyterians as well as descendants of same, at large whose roots originate from Ireland, are at risk unless and until such time as when these registers are all copied into at least microform or, better--a digitized format.]

You must conduct exhaustive, thorough studies to determine to which Presbyterian denomination your ancestor belonged; and to then, determine the whereabouts of surviving registers--if any. The following most likely places to start your search to find and search Presbyterian registers starts with checking at the following locations:


 * the local Presbyterian congregation/church (if still in use)
 * distant Presbyterian chapels (if the local chapel closed)
 * town libraries
 * county archives/libraries
 * PRONI (Public Record Office of Northern Ireland)
 * The National Archives, Dublin
 * The National Library of Ireland

Other:


 * 1) The excellent rootsireland web site for County Leitrim has a few Presbyterian chapels' data now available online; some from as early as 1829.
 * 2) Search FHLC (Family History Library Catalog) to determine availability of transcription copies of Presbyterian chapels.

Methodist
RootsIreland.ie has 7 chapels' data available online currently, from as early as 1842.

Roman Catholic
The FHL (Family History Library) has several copies of the original Roman Catholic parish registers of County Leitrim parishes in its collection. You can identify these listed online at FamilySearch.org. IF you know the name of the civil parish in which your Catholic ancestor resided, or was from, click "Catalog" and type in the name of the parish and then highlight/click on "Church Records". The National Library, Kildare Street, Dublin, is the custodian of all available Roman Catholic parish registers from throughout the country--including County Leitrim.

The rootsireland.ie web sitehas data from numerous Roman Catholic parishes now online for searching. There are fees attached (about $7 for each entry).

Useful Church Records Web Sites

 * 1) GenWeb Ireland - has numerous online links to data-rich lists of Leitrim County families
 * 2) John Grenham's web site has several helpful links for Leitrim names
 * 3) Leitrim County Surname Query board is here
 * 4) CMCRP Project (Leitrim) - has a few records for the county
 * 5) Civil Registration of births marriages and deaths for County Leitrim, online, 1864, on

Civil Jurisdictions and Parish Research Information
A map of the Civil Parishes of County Leitrim is available at Irish Times site.

Genealogy
Ashworth, Phyllis G. Entries From George Keane Johnston's Family Bible. Genealogy of George Keane Johnston, originally at Co. Leatrim, marries and lives in Cork, and emigrates to Australia between 1851-1856. Covers years 1817-1887. Article in The Irish Ancestor, vol.III,no.2,1971, page 84. Family History Library Ref. 941.5 B2i

De Breffny, Brian. Letters From Connaught to a Wild Goose. The letters extracted here were written to Owen O'Rourke in Vienna, son of Con O'Rourke of Carra, Co. Leitrim. Dorothy his wife daughter of Brian O'Connor, Sligo. It includes pictures and genealogy covering 1736-1741. Article in the Irish Ancestor, vol. X. no.2. 1978, pages 81-98, Family History Library Salt Lake City Ref. 941.5 B2i vol. 10-11.

Place-Names
Here are two important place-name aids/tools for locating your Irish place and its parish jurisdiction[s]:


 * 1) List of All Townlands, Towns and Townships in County Leitrim. - click county "Leitrim"; then click "Submit" to view a complete alphabetical listing of all townlands, towns and townships and the parishes in which they reside
 * 2) Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel A. Lewis; at LibraryIreland.com - provides a rich 1837 historical perspective of each Ireland parish and large township; great for determining which churches existed in each parish--Church of Ireland or Nonconformist

Probates
Abstracts of Some Ardagh, Clogher and Kilmore Diocesan Wills. Alphabetical list of Wills proved mainly 1739-1810, in the above Diocese. Article in The Irish Ancestor, vol.VI.no.2.1974. pages 112-121, Family History Library Ref. 941.5 B2i v5-6.

Societies
Family history societies often publish helpful journals, transcripts, compiled genealogies and host helpful websites. They may have ongoing projects to transcribe records and create indexes. Most societies publish queries in their journals and maintain lists of members’ research interests that may be helpful to you. You may want to join one of these societies, reap the benefits of their expertise and resources or support its efforts.

Web Sites
To view a list of Leitrim web sites, visit FHLFavorites.info for some great sites.