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Roscommon (Ros Comáin)

This research guide is designed to help you find your Irish ancestors in our genealogy print collection.  The McClelland Library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification System to make our print materials findable through the online catalog and while browsing our shelves in person.  Below you will find books to help you locate your ancestors in county Roscommon.

929.1: Books under this dewey number at the McClelland Library are primarily about how to get started with genealogy research and where to find certain sources.

Tracing your Irish Ancestors by John Grenham

Call Number: Geneal. 929.1072 G865t        Publication Date: 1999

A comprehensive guidebook for Irish genealogy; includes tips for where to begin, what to expect, and brief exploration of internet source. Grenham provides major source lists of Civil, Census, Church, and Land Records, Wills, Genealogy office, Deed Registries, Newspaper and Directory listings, and a reference guide of Sources by County. 

Irish Towns, a Guide to Sources edited by William Nolan and Anngret Simms

Call Number: Geneal. 929.1072 Ir47    Publication Date: 1998

Provides brief overview of the history of towns and territorial divisions in Ireland, including several maps, drawings, and prints. Also includes source listing of records of Central and Local Government after 1700, Estate and Church records, Newspapers, Directories, and Gazetteers, and a select bibliography of publications on Irish Towns in the period from 1500-1980, printed between 1969 and 1993.

Tracing your Roscommon Ancestors by John Hamrock

Call Number: Geneal. 929.1072 H1897g

Publication Date: 2007

Provides compiled list of resources specific to Roscommon County spanning a wide ranger of dates between approximately 1800 to 1985.  Listings include Administrative Divisions, Civil Registration, Census and Census Substitutes, Church, Land, Estate, Grave, Wills, and Marriage Records.  Also listed for the county are Directories, Occupational sources, Newspapers, Educational Records, Gaelic Genealogies, a selection of surnames and family histories.

929.3: Books under this dewey number at the McClelland Library are primarily Genealogy Sources or books of compiled resources put together by genealogists.

Irish County Maps Showing the Locations of Churches in Connaught Province compiled by The Genealogical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Call Number: Geneal. 929.34171 Ir43c

Publication Date: 1976

Date Range: 1699-1855

Contains Irish county maps showing the locations of churches in Connaught Province counties: Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo.  Also provides civil parish records listing the civil parish, location of chapel, and starting date of records. Denominations listed are Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and “Others”.  Galway maps and civil parish records are found on pages 8-16.

Ireland: County Roscommon Genealogy & Family History, Special Extracts from the Irish Archives published by The Irish Genealogical Foundation

Call Number: Geneal. 929.34175 C8329

Publication Date: 2003

Date Range: 1659-1900

Contents include Local and National Resource, listing of common names in Roscommon, complete “existing” returns from the 1659 Census along with spelling variations of Family and Place Names from that time period.  Arms related to county as listed in the book Irish Book of Arms which provides specific locations for families listed.  Also provides tips for finding locations, a County Map, an Index of ancient and modern Place Names, and a listing of Roscommon Chiefs and Clans.

Roscommon Town: Exploring Family Origins in Old Roscommon Town, Roots Book for the Town and Includes Over 100 Surrounding Townlands compiled by Noel Farrell

Call Number: Geneal. 929.34175 F2476e

Publication Date: 1998

Contains an Ancestral Map of Roscommon showing family names associated with the county, list of Pubs in Roscommon in 1889, as well as town pubs in 1934 and 1998.  List of local newspapers for Roscommon and listing of newspapers in Dublin and London that could be useful for family searches. Pages 6-18 contain the returns of the 1901 Census and pages 20-34 contain the returns for the 1934 Census.

Roscommon Before the Famine: The Parishes of Kiltoon and Cam, 1749-1845 by William Gacquin, series editor Raymond Gillespie

Call Number: Geneal. 929.34175 G116r

Publication Date: 1998

A study of Roscommon parishes Kiltoom and Cam in the period from 1749-1845, before the famine altered the population; includes various maps and tables from this period, as well as historical information about the area.  Maps featured are as follows: Location map, Kiltoom and Cam parish boundaries, Townlands, Elevations, and Loughs therein, Distribution of Households, Surnames and Protestant Surnames in 1749, Population and Houses by Townland in 1841, and Population Density by Townland in 1841.  The Tables provided in the study are: Placenames in 1749, Surnames and their frequency in 1748/1828/1855, Occupations in the two parishes in 1749, Number of children per Family in 1749 (further broken down by occupation), Landlords in Kiltoom and Cam in the years 1837 and 1852-1853, Population of Kiltoom and Cam 1749-1851, Ration of Catholics to Protestants from 1749-1861, Baptisms by religion between 1835-1844, and Land Owners in 1855.

929.4: Books under this dewey number at the McClelland Library are primarily about names.  Books in this section can contain information about surnames, forenames, and even baby names. While these books may have information in general about your surname, they do not contain lineage information.

The Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght

Call Number: Geneal. 929.4094 M226s 1991       Publication Date: 1991

Date Range: 1848-1864

Contains location of ancient territories, population groups, relevant abbreviations and explanation of technical terms used in guide.  Pages 1-303 provide alphabetical listing of surnames, followed by an appendix of English and Scottish surnames in Ireland, and an appendix providing a simplification of Gaelic forms of surnames.

929.5: Books under this dewey number at the McClelland Library are primarily about Cemeteries.

A Guide to Irish Churches and Graveyards by Brian Mitchell

Call Number: Geneal. 929.50941 G9415

Publication Date: 1990

Guide to the cemeteries and graveyards listed by county with civil parish, townland, Ordnance Survey sheet number, religious denomination of church, and indication of whether cemetery or graveyard remains attached to church.  There is a number preceding each listing that provides reference to map location in author’s atlas, A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland.  Especially helpful in locating approximate birthdates, person’s residence at time of death, possibly family information (if family plot).

929.6 – 929.8: Books under this dewey number at the McClelland Library are primarily about family Heraldry.  Heraldry includes family crests and tartans.

The Poolbeg Book of Irish Heraldry by Micheal O` Comain

Call Number: Geneal. 929.6 012p Heraldry     Publication Date: 1991

An introduction to Irish heraldry this guide is a good starting point as it contains general guidelines for researching.  Included on pages 71-98 is a Heraldic Dictionary that provides the meanings of a variety of images, heraldic terminology, and variations in spelling of terms and phrases.

Fairbairn’s Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland by James Fairbairn

Call Number: Geneal. 929.6041 F1507f Heraldry      Publication Date: 1986

Contains survey of over 30,000 families, geographical associations, legends and mottos.  Index of family names are arranged alphabetically on pages 1-522, glossary of terms pages 523-530, and alphabetical index of mottoes on pages 531-599.  Also included is an index of plates of Crests, Orders and Regalia, Flags, Ornamental Lettering, Monograms, Heraldic Illustrations, Foreign Crowns, and Principal Cities, and Regalia of Scotland.