Journey Home Genealogy

Irish Genealogical Research | Dwight Radford

Call Today! 801.699.2450

Or send us an Email

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Ireland
  • United States
    • American Genealogy (general)
    • Native American
    • African American
  • Canada
  • International Genealogy
    • England and Wales
    • Scotland
    • Other Research
  • Research Services
  • Research Proposal

Did You Look at the Vestry Minutes?

16 May By Dwight Leave a Comment

One often overlooked source is the vestry minutes produced by the local Church of Ireland. Historically the vestries were committees responsible for the upkeep of churches and welfare of all the people within the parish boundaries irrespective of religion. These can provide much personal detail about who lived where.

As manuscript books, they are usually not indexed, and in theory are arranged chronologically. They are business minutes of the parish, and can include a wide range of data. The parish committees or vestries prior to the disestablishment of the church in 1871, acted as a local council. They levied taxes for general services such as the upkeep of roads, poor relief, and security.

The record keeping process varies from parish to parish. Some are very neatly kept and chronological in order. Others are haphazard in nature as if thrown together, with a poor dating system to mark off new days, months or even years.

At times the minutes have vital information in them. Sometimes they can include rare items such as emigration lists, property owners and ratepayers. There are sometimes parish censuses. 

Some vestry minutes were deposited at the Public Record Office prior to 1922 simply because they did contain vital information in them. However, most were not deposited, which may make them the main Anglican collections left for a given parish.

An excellent collection of the vestry minutes can be found at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast: www.proni.gov.uk   and the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin: www.ireland.anglican.org Each have their own online catalogs.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Anglican Communion, Church of Ireland, Church records, Irish Records, Research, Theology

About Dwight

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Dwight A. Radford

Dwight A. Radford is a professional family history researcher. Along with his staff they specialize in Ireland, England, Canada, African American, Native American, and United States. Connecting families together through historical documents and then creating a cherished family heirloom published book for generations to enjoy. Full bio…

Follow Our Blog

Blog

  • How do You Determine the Associates of Your Ancestor?
  • When to Jump Over the Water in Your Research
  • Grand Lodge of Ireland Membership Records Online

Online Course

  • My Courses
  • Courses
  • My Account

Contact

  • About
  • Contact
  • Research Services

Journey Home Geneology © 2023 · Designed by GO Marketing