County Longford, Ireland Genealogy
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Guide to County Longford ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.
History[edit | edit source]
County Longford is named after the town of Longford and is located in the midlands of Ireland in the province of Leinster . Its Gaelic name is Longphort, signifying a fortress. Originally, Longford referred to old circular forts, later to the stone castles. There are about twenty places in Ireland called Longford, each named for fortresses of some kind. It is the fourth smallest county in Ireland. Its length is 30 ½ miles from the southwest point in Lough Ree near Black Islands, to the northeast conrner near Gulladoo Lough and its breath is 18 miles from the river Inny in the east to Drumshango Lake north of Drumlish. The area is 421.3 square miles (1,091.3 sq km).
County Longford was traditionally known as “Annaly” from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries. As a result of the Norman invasion in the twelfth century, it was given to Hugh de Lacy as part of the Liberty of Meath. Due to the power of the O’Farrells, the Norman influence was small. It was made a county in 1586 during the reign of Elizabeth I. English settlers were planted in Longford during the sixteenth and early seventeenth century. In 1641, the county became involved in the Catholic Confederacy, which was defeated by Cromwell in 1649. The Cromwellian plantations of the 1650 completed the control of the county. It was, however, also a center in the 1798 rebellion with the French forces being defeated outside the village of Ballinamuck by the English army.
In 1821, the County’s population was 107,570 and increased to 115,491 in 1841. During the Great Famine of 1845-1847, the population decreased until it was 82,348 in 1851. The population continued to decrease to 39,847 in 1926. In 2006, the population was 34,391. County Longford is predominately Roman Catholic. In 1891, the percentage of Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist was 91.3%, 7.7%, 0.5% and 0.4%. Overtime, the Roman Catholics have decreased slightly to 89.9% in 2002, while the Church of Ireland, Presbyterians and Methodists decreased to 3.3%, 0.3% and 0.3%, respectively, with other or no religions increasing to about 4.5%.
General County Research Information[edit | edit source]
Further information about County Longford is available at the GenUKI site.
Census[edit | edit source]
- 1901 Ireland Census, 1901 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1911 Ireland Census, 1911 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Church Records[edit | edit source]
- 1623-1866 Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, 1623-1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1701-1845 Ireland, Catholic Qualification & Convert Rolls, 1701-1845 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Civil Jurisdictions and Parish Research Information[edit | edit source]
- List of County Longford Civil Parishes
- List of County Longford Catholic Parishes
Civil Registration[edit | edit source]
- 1845-1913 Ireland Civil Registration, 1845-1913 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1845-1958 Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1880 Ireland, Thom's Irish Almanac, 1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, images available on Findmypast
- 1884 Ireland, Thom's Irish Almanac & Official Directory 1884 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
- 1810-1926 Ireland, Dog Licence Registrations, 1810-1926 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
- 1831 - 1856 Ireland, Valuation Office Books, 1831-1856 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1847-1864 Ireland, Griffith's Valuations, 1847-1864 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
Maps[edit | edit source]
1885 County Map: Courtesy of London Ancestor
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1914-1918 Ireland, Memorial Record: World War I, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
- 1595-1858 Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Wills & Administrations Indexes, 1595-1858 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Websites[edit | edit source]
- FHLFavorites.info for some great sites.
- RootsChat Longford Resources and Help pages. (Free).
