Griffith Index Great Irish Resource
‘Index to Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864,” a new CD-ROM resource issued by Genealogical Publishing Co., is an index to the greatest of all Irish genealogical resources.
For a bit of background: Ireland’s 1825 tax system was a mess. Tax rates for similar property varied from place to place with each county having its own tax system and assessors.
The British government decided to correct this inequity and institute a uniform system, which required a Standardized Property Valuation throughout Ireland.
Sir Richard Griffith, born in 1784 in Dublin, and a government employee in Scotland for years, was given the job.
This survey of Ireland, conducted between 1848 and 1864, was intended to determine the amount of tax each person should pay. The Valuation is arranged by county and lists every landholder and every householder in Ireland - which, at that time, tallied about 1.25 million people.
For a more complete description of the project, read the eight-page 3rd Quarter 1997 issue of The Irish at Home and Abroad, a periodical by Dwight Radford and Kyle Betit.
The Valuation was never intended as a census substitute, but since no early or mid-19th century Irish census records survived, the comparison is obvious. Griffith’s Valuation is the only record that shows where people were just prior to the great exodus to America.
Imagine more than 1 million Irish records on one disk, which can be ordered for $59.99, plus $3.50 shipping, from GPC, 1001 N. Calvert, Baltimore, MD 21202-3897; or call (800) 296-6687.
One note of concern: This disk is part of the Family Tree Maker Library and requires that software to access the information. (The software is part of every Family Tree Maker genealogy program.)
The Irish at Home and Abroad has been around for several years and just keeps improving as a resource for those researching Irish forebears.
The authors are selective in their choice of articles to include in each issue, and draw from leading Irish research experts. Recent articles include “Registration of Births,” “Marriages and Deaths in Canada,” “Record Sources in Ireland,” “Researching Catholic Nuns, Brothers and Priests,” “Focus on County Kilkenny,” “Irish Immigration to Argentina,” “Heritage Centres in Ireland” and “Early Scots-Irish Research in Tennessee, 1768-1840.”
I’ve often said I may not know who I am, but I do know who I’m not, and I’m not Irish. My only real Irish ancestor came to America about 1750, and that’s almost too far back to count.
But if I had Irish roots, I would surely include a subscription to The Irish at Home And Abroad and the new CD-ROM, “Index to Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland,” as must-haves for my researching.
Annual subscription to the magazine is $21. Contact them at P.O. Box 521806, Salt Lake City, UT 84152; or check out their Web site: http://www.IHAonline.com>
Today’s Tip: Did you miss any of the 1997 Heritage Hunting columns? They’re available in a stapled booklet for $7.50, postage paid, from me c/o this paper. A book of Heritage Hunting columns from 1992 to 1996 is available for $23, plus $3 postage, from Heritage Books Inc., 1540-E Pointer Ridge Place, Bowie, MD 20716; or call (800) 398-1760.