Irish Census

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Current record-access index

Geography rule: record county, civil parish, townland and household separately. Similar surnames in neighbouring townlands are a cluster for investigation, not proof of kinship. Preserve variant spellings such as Glasgow, Glasgo, Glasco, Glasson and Glassen without assuming they are one family.

Historical context and working extracts

A significant portion of old Irish census records were lost due to a combination of factors. The most notable losses occurred during the Irish Civil War in 1922, when a fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin destroyed many historical documents, including some census records.

Key details about the loss of Irish census records:

• 19th Century Records:The earliest census records, specifically those from 1821 to 1851, were largely destroyed in this fire. These records were stored in the Four Courts building in Dublin, which was shelled and caught fire during the conflict.
• 1861-1891 Census Records: These records were not lost due to the fire but were destroyed intentionally by the government, as it was not standard practice to preserve them at the time.
• Surviving Records: Fortunately, the census records from 1901 and 1911 survived. These are the most complete and widely used census records available today for researchers and genealogists studying Irish ancestry.

While a large portion of 19th-century census data was lost, some fragments have survived or have been reconstructed from other sources like church records and local government documents, though the destruction represents a significant gap in Irish historical and genealogical records.

Unfortunately, the original Irish census records from 1821-1851 that were lost in the 1922 fire cannot be physically recovered. However, there are ongoing efforts to piece together alternative sources of information from the same time periods. Some initiatives and approaches aimed at reconstructing parts of the lost records include:

• Fragments and Surviving Documents: Although most of the original census returns were destroyed, some fragments and local copies survived in private collections, parochial records, or other local sources. These are continually being digitized and made available through archives like the National Archives of Ireland.

• Church Records and Substitute Sources: Irish church records, particularly from the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland parishes, have been used as substitutes for some of the lost census data. These records include baptismal, marriage, and burial records, and while they don’t provide the same level of detail as census returns, they are invaluable for genealogical research.

• The Beyond 2022 Project: One major initiative to address the loss is **Beyond 2022: Ireland’s Virtual Record Treasury**, which is an international collaborative project. It aims to recreate the lost Public Record Office, using surviving records and digital reconstructions. This initiative seeks to digitally restore as many lost records as possible through copies, transcripts, and references from other documents stored outside of Ireland. The project has already made significant progress in recovering and reconstructing information lost during the fire, including census data fragments.

• Reconstructing Genealogies: Irish genealogists and historians are actively using a combination of land records (such as the **Griffith’s Valuation**), tax records, wills, and even personal letters that can help piece together family histories that were lost with the census records.

While a complete restoration of the lost Irish census records is impossible, these efforts represent a major step toward recovering information from that era through alternative methods.

1821

• Pat Glassan (1806)
• Matthew Glass (1747)
• Eliza Glass (1788)

1831

• John Glasgow (Loughinshollin, Lissane, Londonderry)
• Robert Glasgow (Loughinshollin, Lissane, Londonderry)

• John Glasco (Loughinshollin, Tamlaght O Crilly, Londonderry)
• Adam Glasco (Loughinshollin, Tamlaght O Crilly, Londonderry)
  • Possibly Adam Glasgow (1810-)?
  • Possibly Adam Glasgow (abt.1780-) who appears as the father to John Glasgow in Tyrone. (1813)

• William Glassen
• Hugh Glasson

• Jas Glass
• Josh Glass
• Robt Glass
• Patrick Glass
• William Glass
• John Glass
• Joseph Glass

1841

No results for Glas*

1851

The 1851 Irish Census contains eight 'Head of Families' with the Glasgow Surname. All in the Kilconway Barony. Sorted by distance to Alexander Glasgow:

Additionally, it contains another 4 head of families who match Glas*, two of which being widows in Tamlaght.

Ann Glass has a son, Adam Glass. This may be the son of Adam Glasco who appears in the 1831 cenus.

• Only 3 Adam Glas* in the census.
• In Tamlaght

Griffiths Valuation: Rasharkin Parish 1861 and 1862

Search the official Griffith's Valuation images and maps. The older parish transcript is retained as an alternative index; verify every entry against the printed valuation image.

• Glasgow, Alexander L: Lisnagaver
  • Alexander Glasgow (1816-)
• Glasgow, Daniel L: Gortereghy
  • Daniel Glasgow (1821-)
• Glasgow, James L: Dromore
• James Glasgow (1843-)
• Glasgow, John L: Lisnagaver
  • John Glasgow (abt.1789-abt.1856)
• Glasgow, Robert L: Gortereghy
  • Robert Glasgow (1840-1902)
• Glasgow, Thomas L: Lisnagaver
  • Thomas Glasgow (abt.1815-1870)

• Glass, Edmund L: Tamlaght
• Glass, Samuel L: Tamlaght
• Glass, William L: Tamlaght

Resources

See also Glasgow of Killycurragh, early C19