Genealogy Centres in Wexford

Yola Farmstead
Tagoat
Co Wexford
Ireland

Common surnames in County Wexford

Murphy, Sinnott, Doyle, Furlong, Walsh, Rossiter, Scallan, Brien, Brown, Stafford, Devereux and Kavanagh

Services

The Wexford Genealogy Centre indexation of genealogical records continues.

The main records include:

  • Roman Catholic Records for Co Westmeath start in 1671
  • Earliest Church of Ireland (Anglican/Episcopalian) records date from 1779

In addition the following genealogical sources have also been computerised:

  • Cantwell's Tombstone Inscriptions (partial)
  • RIC records
  • Griddith's Valuationd (circa 1853)
  • Bassett's Directory (1885)
  • Thom's Directory
  • Piggott's Directory
  • The complete Set of Hore's History of Wexford

Famous People with Wexford Roots

U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy had Wexford ancestry as had US Navy founder Commodore John Barry, Admiral Earl Beatty, General John O'Herron, the songwriter Thomas Moore, 'Big' Jem Roche, the boxer, playwright Bill Roche, Australian outlaw Ned Kelly had their family roots in County Wexford as have the Fry family the famous chocolate manufacturers.

Main Towns in Wexford

Wexford, Enniscorthy, Gorey and New Ross. Wexford town is famous for its annual Opera Festival. Other visitor attractions include the Yola Farmstead, The Irish National Heritage Park, Vinegar Hill, Tacumshane and Tagoat Windmills and the Saltee Island Bird Sanctuary.

Emigration from Wexford

Wexford was long noted for the prosperity of its farms and for its industrial farmers. It may have been for these reasons that Wexford suffered less than many Irish counties when the Great Famine struck in 1845. The rural population density in 1841 was one of the lowest in the country at 217 persons per square mile. There was considerable emigration especially from the north of the county which continued throughout the 19th century. The county's population was then 202,000 persons. By 1851 the population of Wexford had fallen to 180,000 and by 1891 to 112,000.

New York, Boston, Texas and Nova Scotia received the bulk of Wexford emigrants but some also settled in Argentina, Australia and England.