Where can I find information about my ancestors?

Image: Belfast City Hall There are a number of institutions in Belfast that provide access to important records or hold material of interest to those seeking their family history. These include:

General Register Office

In Belfast, your first step should be a visit to the General Register Office in the city centre. The main records held here are the statutory registers of births and deaths in Northern Ireland from 1864 and marriages from 1922.

Marriage registers dating from 1 April 1845, for non-Roman Catholic marriages, and 1 January 1864, for all marriages, are available at the District Registrar's offices.

It is advisable to book a search place in advance. Please phone +44 (0)28 9025 2128 or email gro.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk. There are fees for assisted searches and index searches of their computer database.

Contact details

General Register Office
Oxford House, 49/55 Chichester Street
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT1 4HL

Tel: +44 (0)28 9025 2000
Website: www.groni.gov.uk

Appointments necessary
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9.30am - 4.00pm

Public Records

The institution where you will need to spend most time is the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). Staff will advise you on how to begin your search and access records but do not conduct research on your behalf.

Their main sources for genealogical research include records for nearly every church in Ulster; wills (from 1858); the 1901 census; tithe applotment; Griffiths Valuation; school records, poor law (workhouse) records and estate papers. PRONI also has microfilm copies of original deeds for the purchase or sale of land in Ireland dating back to 1708.

Researchers are encouraged to prepare as much as possible before visiting PRONI and it is recommended they study the information on the PRONI website first.

Contact details

PRONI
66 Balmoral Avenue
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT9 6NY

Tel: +44 (0)28 9025 5905
Email: proni@dcalni.gov.uk
Website: www.proni.gov.uk

Opening times: Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm (except Thursday 10.00am - 9.00pm)
Open to the public (ID required)

Libraries

Linen Hall Library

Image: Entrance to Linen Hall Library The Linen Hall Library has an excellent genealogy collection with many important primary and secondary sources, including books on individual family histories and a card index of births, deaths and marriages in the Belfast News letter between 1800 and 1863.

Contact details

The Linen Hall Library
17 Donegall Square North
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT1 5GB

Tel: +44 (0)28 9032 1707
Website: www.linenhall.com

Open to the public
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am - 5.30pm Saturday 9.30am - 1.00pm

Belfast Central Library

Image: Front of Belfast Central Library The Belfast Central Library has a substantial collection of Northern Irish newspapers that date back to the first Belfast News Letter, which was published in 1777.

Contact details

Belfast Central Library
Royal Avenue
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT1 1EA

Tel: +44 (0)28 9050 9167
Website: www.ni-libraries.net

Open to the public
Please contact them directly for opening times

The Ulster Historical Foundation

For a small fee they will offer preliminary advice on your search and allow access to their database. If you want to commission a full report, their research team will agree a budget with you and conduct a search on your behalf. Their computerised database includes virtually all pre-1900 Catholic records for counties Antrim and Down and civil marriage records for the same counties from 1845 to 1921.

They also have a large number of records for the city of Belfast, and a register of those buried at Belfast City Cemetery starting in 1869. They publish a range of genealogical publications to aid research. By joining the Foundation you have access to over 500,000 genealogical records online, as well as reductions for search fees and their list of publications. They organise lecture tours of the US, Canada and Australasia; workshops and conferences in Northern Ireland; and can also help in tracing living relatives.

Contact details

Ulster Historical Foundation
Cotton Court
30-42 Waring Street
Belfast
BT1 2ED

Tel: +44 (0)28 9033 2288
Website: www.ancestryireland.com

Open to the public
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Descendants of Scots Irish migrants should also visit www.1718migration.org.uk, a website created by the Ulster- Scots Agency in association with the Ulster Historical Foundation, the Centre for Migration Studies and the Institute of Ulster-Scots Studies.

Family Ulster

Family Ulster offer a number of services, ranging from simple birth, marriage and death checks to providing assisted research at any of the main record centres such as PRONI, and at locations such as villages and graveyards, to conducting full searches on your behalf. A budget is agreed up front and research can be directed from overseas. They also offer a guided tour service to take clients to sites associated with their ancestors such as towns, villages, homes or graveyards, and, if they uncover a living relative during their search, they will arrange a meeting on request. They provide booking assistance for accommodation.

Contact details

Family Ulster
24 Moyne Park
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT5 7QT

Tel: +44 (0)28 9079 8551
Email: info@familyulster.com
Website: www.familyulster.com

Please contact them directly for opening times and information

Family History Centre

The centre is a branch of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City Utah, run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). It provides access to most of the extensive records kept at their central library. Staff members do not conduct research on your behalf but will offer assistance in using the facilities. Everyone is welcome.

Contact details

Family History Centre
403 Holywood Road
Co Down Northern Ireland

Tel: +44 (0)28 9076 9839
Website: www.familysearch.org

Only open to the public
Opening times: Wednesday/Thursday 10.00am - 4.00pm and Saturday 10.00am - 1.00pm

Other useful organisations

Other useful organisations which may help in tracing your family history include:

Presbyterian Historical Society

The society has books on Presbyterian history and culture in Ireland.

Contact details

The Presbyterian Historical Society
Church House
Fisherwick Place
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT1 6DW

Tel: +44 (0)28 9032 2284
Website: www.presbyterianireland.org

Association of Ulster Genealogists and Record Agents

Contact details

The Secretary
Glen Cottage
Glenmachan Road
Belfast
Northern Ireland
BT4 2NP

Website: www.augra.com

Society of Genealogists Northern Ireland

Contact details

Email: secretary@sgni.net
Website: www.sgni.net

Centre for Migration Studies

Contact details

Centre for Migration Studies
Ulster American Folk Park
2 Mellon Road, Castletown
Omagh
Co Tyrone
Northern Ireland
BT78 5QY

Tel: +44 (0)28 8225 6315
Website: www.qub.ac.uk/cms

North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS)

The society was formed in Bangor in 1979 and has 11 branches in the North of Ireland and hundreds of members worldwide.

The objective of the society is to foster an interest in family history with special reference to families who have roots in the North of Ireland and their descendants.

The NIFHS is a voluntary, non profitmaking organisation. It is not a research agency, but they do like to put people in contact with one another.

Contact details

Website: www.nifhs.org