Like the other county books in this series, Tracing Your Westmeath Ancestors, by Gretta Connell, describes the records available for County Westmeath. Descriptions include the location of these resources, how they can be accessed, and how they can be used in tracing local families.
“Westmeath is an inland county in the province of Leinster, it is often referred to as ‘The Lake County’. It is primarily agricultural, with prime grazing land and a reputation for its beef. The main towns are Athlone, Mullingar, Castlpollard, Kilbeggan and Moate.”
Ironically, the county’s population was less affected by the Great Famine than most of the country. However, that has not stopped the populations from declining from 141,000 in 1845 to around 86,000 today.
The original population was predominately Gaelic. The main Gaelic surnames in the county are:
- O’Flanagan
- MacAuley
- MacGeoghegan
- Brennan
- O’Coffey
- O’Mulleady
- O’FInlan
- O’Growney
- O’Melaghlin
- O’Daly
The 1169 Norman invasion brought the following names to the area:
- DeLacy
- Plunkett
- Nugent
- Tuite
- Petit
- Delamar
- Dalton
And, of course, other names were added during the Cromwellian period; including:
- Ledwich
- Dardis
- Gaynor
Many of the sources listed in this book are common to other counties as well. For example, the National Archives, serves all areas. There are, however, plenty of local resources to examine and learn about.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Conducting Family Research
Chapter 3 Administrative Divisions
Chapter 4 Civil Registration
Chapter 5 Censuses and Census Substitutes
Chapter 6 Church Records
Chapter 7 Land Records
Chapter 8 Will, Administrations and Marriage Bonds
Chapter 9 Newspapers
Chapter 10 Directories and Occupational Sources
Chapter 11 Memorial Inscriptions
Chapter 12 Education
Chapter 13 Family Names and Histories
Chapter 14 Further Reading
Chapter 15 Repositories and Useful Addresses
Index
Copies of Tracing Your Westmeath Ancestors are available from Family Roots Publishing; Sale Price: $18.66; Reg. Price: $21.95