Other Sources of Information
- Presbyterian Church in Ireland
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
- Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland
- Gamble Library at Union Theological College, Belfast
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
- National Library of Ireland
- National Archives of Ireland
- Eddie's Extracts
Presbyterian Church in Ireland
This is the corporate website of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Within the website's "About Us > Historical Information" section there is a short note on why the Burning Bush is used as its symbol, a list of Former Moderators and a note on Congregational Records and how to find them.
Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland
This is the main website of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Within the ‘About Us’ section you will find a short history of the Church and a directory of congregations with a map showing their location and links to their websites. For the administrative records of the church see the on-line catalogue of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland
On the main website of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland you will find a short history of the Church and a list of congregations with a map showing their location and links to their websites.
Gamble Library at Union Theological College, Belfast
The Gamble Library holds an extensive collection of books (including a Rare Books Collection, some dating back to the 16th century), pamphlets (c 15,000) and journals and as such is a very important resource for research into Presbyterianism in Ireland. Not all the pamphlets are catalogued yet.
The Gamble Library has an Online Catalogue which can be searched by author, title or keyword.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
www.proni.gov.uk www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni
On this website you will find a copy of the Guide to Church Records including those of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, detailing the range of records available, their covering dates and where they can be found. Note that the Presbyterian Historical Society holds a copy of all microfilms of Presbyterian Church records in PRONI, including those of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
Their online eCatalogue is excellent for searching names, places or subjects.
They also have a number of valuable on-line free resources that include:
- Will Calendar Indexes and images of wills (the latter up to c 1900);
- 19th century Street Directories ;
- Names Search facility that includes indexes to pre-1858 wills, the 1766 religious census, the 1740 Protestant Householders and the 1775 Dissenters Petitions (the copies of which were obtained from the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland);
- Post-1860 Valuation Revision Books ;
- Ulster Covenant signatures - just under half a million people in Ulster and elsewhere, including a large number of Presbyterians, who signed the Ulster Covenant in 1912 against Home Rule.
National Library of Ireland
The Online Catalogue will indicate what is held on Presbyterianism in Ireland and includes details of photographs of Presbyterian churches in the late 19th and early 20th century, congregational histories and Presbyterian journals.
National Archives of Ireland
The most important resource on their website is the Census of Ireland 1901/1911 for the whole island of Ireland. If you are looking for a starting point to research your Presbyterian ancestors, this is a good place to start and the searching is free.
Other resources that may be useful are:
- Tithe Applotment Books , (a list of all those, including Presbyterians, in rural areas, who had to pay tithes to the Church of Ireland as the Established Church) compiled between 1823 and 1837 and which cover the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland including Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal where many Presbyterians settled (searches in the Title Applotment Books are also free);
- Soldiers' Wills - of soldiers who served in the British army, mostly in the First World War (also free);
- Will Calendars (summaries of probate wills and letters of administration) from 1858-1920 including those issued by the Principal Probate Registry which are not on the website of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland).
Their newest digital resource is a catalogue and images of the Chief Secretaries Office Registered Papers which includes much information on the Regium Donum, the government grant to Presbyterian ministers.
Eddie’s Extracts
The Eddie's Extracts website contains, for example: copies of birth, marriages and death notices appearing in a number of newspapers such as "The Belfast Telegraph", "The Belfast Newsletter", "The Witness", and "The Banner of Ulster"; and extracts from the histories of some Presbyterian congregations such as Millisle and Ballycopeland, and 2nd Belfast.