Ireland Genealogy is an exciting new website for anyone doing Irish Family History Research.
Irish Family History research is often very difficult and time-consuming because of the lack of records, and more specifically the lack of any complete Census records before 1901.
That is why any records that contain data taken from the Irish Census are of such vital importance in ancestral research. One such source of data is the Old Age Pension Claim Forms held in the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (P.R.O.N.I). These give essential information from the 1841 & 1851 censuses for Northern Ireland & Co. Donegal. Similar records are held by the National Archives in Dublin although here they are referred to as Census Search Forms and these contain the same essential information, but for the whole of Ireland, including additional records for Northern Ireland
Our researchers have spent two decades transcribing these hand-written pension claim/census search forms. In some cases they are difficult to read and are in no particular order. In addition the records held by P.R.O.N.I. are not indexed.
Our database allows you to search these records easily and will save you both time and money.
All you need to do is enter the surname you are researching and from the list provided decide which records you think relate to your family and then just click the order button.
As mentioned, these records were hand written, and in many cases the handwriting is very difficult to decipher; this coupled with the fact that much if it was written in pencil resulting in some words or letters having faded before the transfer to microfilm, has made the job of transcribing particularly difficult.
Our researchers have not corrected spelling mistakes nor have they tried to amend anything that may not make sense. They have transcribed all of the information contained on each form. When they were in any doubt about whether or not they were reading a particularly untidy or faded record correctly they have put a question mark. A question mark has also been used when it was impossible to read.
Note: This website has recently been upgraded from the old website 'pensear.org'. If you are a new visitor, welcome! And if you are one of our regular researchers, welcome back! We hope you enjoy our new website and resources, enhanced search, and quick delivery of your research!
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When you have completed your search (see our sections on How to search Ireland Genealogy & How to refine your search) and decided which records are of relevance to you simply click “Order”.
More...When tracing your family tree you would normally look at Birth, Death & Marriage Registers and Census Records, however this is not so straight forward when researching your Irish roots. This is because it was not compulsory to register a birth, death or marriage until 1864 and the majority of the census records for Ireland up to 1901 have been destroyed.
More...You may want to refine you search a little especially if the initial “Surname” search has produced at lot of results.
You can do this by also entering a first name or a county.
More...A census was taken in Ireland every 10 years from 1821 to 1911. The census records for 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 were destroyed by the government for a variety of reasons and at various times including during the First World War.
More...
