Sir, - May I, through the letters columns of your newspaper, make known to all of your readers who have an interest in genealogy a recent discovery I made in the National Archives in Bishop Street, Dublin?
As all tracers of family history will know, there are no censuses available for research before to the Census of 1901. This, of course, is a major obstacle to tracing one's family roots. There are available, though, what are called census substitutes and these are eagerly trawled for whatever nugget of information they may contain.
While carrying out some research into my own family, I happened to call up some boxes in the National Archives. In them I discovered list after list of the names of tithe defaulters for the year 1831. There is a history to these lists which need not be gone into here; they also give the address and occupation of those named. I saw these lists as another treasured census substitute and immediately determined to copy them out.
I have just finished copying the lists, or schedules as they are called, for Co Tipperary where 54 parishes are recorded. There are over 9,300 names given.
If any of your readers are interested in consulting these lists, I will gladly point them in the right direction. Personally, I intend to finish copying out all of the names on all of the schedules. This, of course, is a long term project. I also intend to offer my lists to both the National Archives and the National Library for general consultation. - Yours, etc
Trimleston Avenue,
Booterstown, Co Dublin.