Those pesky rebels

Jellybaby1

Family history research is always hampered by what occurred in the Four Courts in 1922. Some reports say ‘an explosion’; others refer to ‘a fire’. I read online somewhere that records were similarly lost in Cork. Now maybe I’m just of a suspicious nature but is there any possibility that someone might have wanted records destroyed and given the order, (sure while you’re there lads)? I attended a few of the NLI talks over the summer and learned about people not registering family events due to suspicion of British control. But I’m racking my brain trying to think which personality’s family roots we know very little about, and funnily enough, only one keeps cropping up. But because I really don’t know my history very well, I could be very wrong. Any thoughts, or am I alone?

RGM

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Family history research is always hampered by what occurred in the Four Courts in 1922. Some reports say ‘an explosion’; others refer to ‘a fire’. I read online somewhere that records were similarly lost in Cork. Now maybe I’m just of a suspicious nature but is there any possibility that someone might have wanted records destroyed and given the order, (sure while you’re there lads)? I attended a few of the NLI talks over the summer and learned about people not registering family events due to suspicion of British control. But I’m racking my brain trying to think which personality’s family roots we know very little about, and funnily enough, only one keeps cropping up. But because I really don’t know my history very well, I could be very wrong. Any thoughts, or am I alone?

I find it hard to believe they'd blow the entire archives on purpose just to cover up a few family things. I mean, Irish history was lost there.

If anything, I'd say maybe they deliberately wanted to blow their ammo and/or destroy the building, but not because of the records.

Jellybaby1

RGM wrote: »

I find it hard to believe they'd blow the entire archives on purpose just to cover up a few family things. I mean, Irish history was lost there.

If anything, I'd say maybe they deliberately wanted to blow their ammo and/or destroy the building, but not because of the records.

Maybe I'm just not seeing the wood for the trees then! Or maybe I'm feeling angry 'cos I can't find any more flippin' records.

shanew

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Family history research is always hampered by .......
and learned about people not registering family events due to suspicion of British control.
...

I would read 'registered' as relating to civil records.. which were unaffected by the civil war events at the PRO.

Worth noting that the only parish records lost in the fire and ensuing explosion were those for the established Church i.e. Church of Ireland, which had been deposited in the office. Records for other denominations (RC, Presbyterian, Baptist etc) were not required to to be sent to the PRO.

Several of the census returns had been pulped before 1922 (1861,71, 81 & 91), allegedly during a paper shortage during WW1.


S.

Coolnabacky1873

There was a great early 1990s radio doc all about it from the equally great RTE Doc's on One.

Listen to it here.

Coolnabacky1873

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Family history research is always hampered by what occurred in the Four Courts in 1922. Some reports say ‘an explosion’; others refer to ‘a fire’. I read online somewhere that records were similarly lost in Cork. Now maybe I’m just of a suspicious nature but is there any possibility that someone might have wanted records destroyed and given the order, (sure while you’re there lads)? I attended a few of the NLI talks over the summer and learned about people not registering family events due to suspicion of British control. But I’m racking my brain trying to think which personality’s family roots we know very little about, and funnily enough, only one keeps cropping up. But because I really don’t know my history very well, I could be very wrong. Any thoughts, or am I alone?

That is a DEVilish thought

Jellybaby1

Coolnabacky1873 wrote: »

That is a DEVilish thought

Hehe! De DEVil made me do it!!

hblock21

Re. the destruction of the 1800's censuses.

I believe the British had a big hand to play in this. Funnily enough they 'forgot' to tell us poor Irish to make copies, as they did. If I was a ruler of a country over a great famine that killed many, I'd like to hid as much evidence of the actual devastation as possible. Wouldn't you and whats the most obvious records to get rid of?
Instead of having just numbers and percentages to analyse for this period, census records would have given us names - actual people. To be able to see a family disappear over a couple of censuses is much more damming and upsetting. Perhaps they did us a favour! Not being able to see first hand our ancestors hardship!