An interesting topic, Jane. The 1901 and 1911 censuses can be the keys to finding your pre-1901 families. The route is an indirect one but occasionally remarkably successful. The steps are as follows: 1. Look for "your" family in the 1901 or 1911 census. The 1911 census has the advantage that it allows one to compute putative dates of marriage of married couples. If you find a member of "your" family proceed to step 2. 2. Fire up the online Eircom telephone directory and look for people of the same name in the same immediate locality as those in the census(es). If you find anyone proceed to step 3. 3. Cold-call the people you find in the telephone directory and see whether they might be related (don't bother about cold-calling: I have never ever had anyone object to, or be irritated by, this and the great majority are happy to chat; see discussion on this matter in the Galway or Clare List archives). If you find a relative proceed to Step 4. 4. Ask them whether they have any family records from the previous century, e.g. letters sent by ancestors who emigrated, or know anything about the family. Try it. You may get the surprise of your life. Pádraig (the Paddy that was) -----Original Message----- From: IRL-GALWAY-L-request@rootsweb.com [mailto:IRL-GALWAY-L-request@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Dr. Jane Lyons Sent: 27 August 2005 21:55 To: IRL-GALWAY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [GALWAY] 1901 census........... vs. 100 years later In the past, I've been known to say that in many instances (but based on my own experience with research and my own family) :"If we find a surname in a townland listed in the Griffiths Valuation - we generally tend to find that surname in that same place when it comes to the 1901 census" For cities, things are a bit different - very different in fact - and on top of that, I'd say that at least 75% of the people who come to me requesting census searches in cities have the wrong address. Generally, I'd find who they were looking for soemwhere close to where they should have been - but, like I say, ~ 75% would have the wrong street address. The other day, I had occassion to be working with the 1901 census film for the town I am from, or, consider myself from...... We 'blew into this town c.1968............ Aug 2005 - I looked at the 1901 census for the street I lived on - and was ?'bemused' - so many of the surnames listed in the 1901 census were the surnames of people who lived on that street when we moved there - so many families who I know. Yes, some surnames weren't there any more - but, for the most part, they were. Some of my friends - they're not interested in genealogy, not in the least. Most in fact! They think I'm nuts.......... but, they were born and bred in the town or the parish.............they know way so much than I could ever hope to do. Some of them - well, I'llbe talking about this or that place and names and then they can come out with all kinds of important family history stuff. We might only be talking about people we knew as kids............and suddenly, it's all coming out genealogically wise - this guy, his family lived in X, but they had a farm in Y...........adn his sister married so and so or his brother and they have a farm in Z.............or his Uncle - or Aunt - or Grandfather............ Sometimes, we'd be talking about townlands tht are in different parishes - but all in the same general locality and me, I'm sitting there sometimes thinking to myself, wow......boy, not I gotcha, know who you are, how you connect in to that surname in other parts of the parish - why your name isn't in any of the graveyards for where you were supposed to live - you lived there, but you weren't from there. Anyway, I just thought I'd say to you all who are realy researching your ancestry - that the same surnames do actually live on some of our streets for years and years - from the time of the 1901 census to today........... I don't ahve a copy of the Griffiths for my home town, but I do have the Tithes - and yes, the same names are in there in the tithes also. Some gone, some new since then - but in honesty, the gone and new, their in the minority. For me, it was interesting, really interesting to see so many similarities when I see so many differences in the cities. Jane ==== IRL-GALWAY Mailing List ==== Have you traveled or are you planning to travel to Ireland??? http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Eire_Travel/ To unsub or change your Irl-Galway mailing mode: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/IRL/IRL-GALWAY.html ============================== View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find marriage announcements and more. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx