Genealogy Centres in Waterford

Waterford Research Centre

Waterford Heritage Centre
St Patrick's Church
Jenkin's Lane
Waterford City
Ireland 

Chief Surnames of Co Waterford

Power, Walsh, O'Brien, Murphy, Ryan, McGrath, Foley, Flynn, Morrissey, Kelly, Phelan and Sullivan.

Services

The Waterford Heritage and Genealogy Centre offer a Full Service for enquirers whose ancestors same from Waterford City and County located in the south-east of Ireland. The main records include:

  • Roman Catholic records in County Waterford start in the year 1706 while the latest parish to commence keeping records did so in 1852.
  • Church of Ireland (Anglican/Episcopalean) in waterford have various starting dates, depending on the parish, from 1655 and 1870.
  • Earliest surviving and complete census for Waterford is that of 1901 but census extracts for the period 1766 to 1851 are available to researchers at the Waterford Heritage and Genealogy Centre.

In addition the following genealogical sources are also available:

  • Polling Lists from 1755
  • The Civil Survey of Ireland Compiled in the years 1654 - 1656
  • Subsidy Rolls for Co. waterford of 1662
  • Householders of Waterford City of 1663
  • Polling lists from 1775
  • Carrick-on-Suir Census of 1799
  • Freemen of Waterford list of 1542
  • Street and Trade Directories from 1788
  • Gravestone Inscriptions
  • Local Newspapers from 1771 to date
  • Biographical entries in local newspapers from 1770s to 1820s and a local history collection.

Famous People with Waterford Roots

Among the many famous sons of Waterford was Thomas Francis Meagher (1823 -1827), an Irish nationalist who formerly proposed the green, white and orange as the national flag of Ireland. He was arrested following the abortive Fenian Rising of 1848 and transported to Van Diemen's Land. He escaped from there to America in 1852 where he rose to the position of tempory governor of Montana.

Main Towns of Waterford

Waterford, Dungarvan, Lismore, Cappoquin, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir.

Famous Places in Waterford

Waterford City is the place of manufacture of the internationally renouned Waterford Crystal. Ardmore Round Tower also attracts visitors from around the world each year.

Emigration from Waterford

Emigration from Waterford dates back to the 1650s when Waterford people began to settle in Newfoundland. There was a small trade-related emigration with Bordeaux, France and other continental locations also in the 1600s.

Larger numbers emigrated to Canada in the period 1800 to 1850. Emigration increased dramatically at the time of the Great Famine with most emigrants leaving for America and England.

The Great Famine

The population of County Waterford declined by 20% during the period 1841 to1851 mostly through emigration. 50,000 people left the area at that time.