A systematic guide to occupiers of property in Ireland between 1848 and 1864 by surname and forename, and also detailing Townland, Parish, and County. This CD is an index to the greatest of all Irish genealogical resources, Griffith's Valuation, or the Primary Valuation of Ireland. Carried out between 1848 and 1864 under the direction of Sir Richard Griffith, this survey of Ireland was intended to determine the amount of tax each person should pay towards the support of the poor within their poor law union. The Valuation is arranged by county, barony, poor law union, civil parish, and townland, and lists every landholder and every householder in Ireland--at that time about 1.25 million people.
The significance of the Valuation as a substitute for census records is obvious. No early or mid-19th-century Irish census survives; only Griffith's Valuation stands as an enumeration of the Irish population at mid-century--the period of the Great Famine! Few other records can be used to identify the immigrant ancestor's exact place of origin, and only Griffith's Valuation links the individual to a specific townland and civil parish. This is of enormous importance, for the first step in Irish genealogical research is to identify the townland and the civil parish, which in turn lead to the all-important ecclesiastical parish records of births and marriages.
The Valuation, of course, was never intended as a census substitute, but as things stand it is the only record that shows where people lived in mid-19th century Ireland, just prior to the great exodus to America. From the perspective of the researcher, therefore, there is no record quite as important as Griffith's Valuation--no other reference source that connects the immigrant ancestor to a place of origin.
Omitting the acreage, valuation, and description of the property, this index gives the full name of the householder and his county, parish, and townland of residence, with a reference to the microfiche version of the Valuation on which the index is based. After three years and the assistance of 100 people, the index to Griffith's Valuation has at last come to fruition. Previously little more than a dream, this index to the greatest of all Irish genealogical sources is now a reality.
From the genealogist's point of view, the index contains all the essential data found in the Valuation, for the omitted material--names of baronies and poor law unions, and acreage and valuation--interesting in itself, does little to advance the cause of research. (Note, however, that marginal notes, such as occupation, name of dwelling, skills associated with the individual, and religious affiliation, are included if found in the records.) This one wafer-thin CD contains a whole library's worth of information: more than a million names spread over all the counties, parishes, and townlands in Ireland. Not only is this the best of all Irish genealogical resources, it is a researcher's dream--easy to use and easy to search.
