Dear all, There are two important sources of information that rarely get mentioned on this email list and which, for my research, have been amongst the most important. Perhaps not everyone is aware of them? The most important is the Transcripts of memorials of deeds, conveyances and wills, 1708-1929 These are available from your own computer on the FamilySearch web site. There are indexes for townlands and grantors (but not grantees). It can often be a pain to find the record even when you find its location from the index: there can be multiple volumes on the same microfilm and the transcripts are not necessarily in the right order (and the “page number” in the index is for the page in the original, not the same as the microfilm page number). The copperplate writing can take a bit of getting used to and often the image can be hard to read (nothing new for family history sleuths!). I have found key marriage agreements, house locations and wills here (including the Knoxes and Moffatts of Strabane, with locations of their properties to the nearest inch!). Most of my successes (often with the help of Carole Elliott) came from going through the townland indexes rather than through the grantor index, as my ancestors tended not to be wealthy enough to own land.
The other source is only available at Family Search approved access locations. That is the Tenison Groves collection, a huge amount of transcribed information from various sources collected by a genealogist from 1863 to 1938 and including things that were burned in the 1922 fire. If you just go into the collection “cold” it can be very hard to find anything. I once discovered an alphabetical index to names on one of the microfilms, but on the slow computers at our nearest FamilySearch site it was impossible to find it again last time I looked (if anyone finds it, can you let me know?)! I am told that there is an index to parishes on Film 258520 and a more general index on 258521 (I haven’t been there for a couple of years to check), but these are indexes for TG’s original hard copy, not an index of where to find them in the microfilms. Again, Carole and I found crucial information on the Fermanagh Moffatts in this collection. Perhaps others have useful tips on accessing these two collections? Or others like them? If someone wanted a project, it would be fabulous to have a proper index for the Tenison Groves microfilms…… There must be so much more that I have yet to discover there. Finally, has anyone ever come across parish record transcripts for Strabane or Fivemiletown COI, other than going to PRONI? I would dearly love information from these. Best wishes Roger
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