Ireland, Irish Emigration Lists, 1833-1839

General Collection Information

This collection contains an index for residents of County Antrim or County Derry~Londonderry in Northern Ireland who emigrated between 1833 and 1839. The records in this collection were compiled from notebooks kept during the Ordnance Survey of Ireland and are organised by county, church parish, and last name.

Using this Collection

Records may include the following information:

• Person’s name
• Age
• Year departed
• Name of county
• Name of town
• Name of parish
• Destination
• Religion
• Occupation
• Names of family members

Please note that the destinations contained in this collection are all ports and therefore may not have been your ancestor’s final destination. You may also notice that not all were immigrating to America or Canada; many were travelling to Glasgow or Liverpool. It’s possible that your ancestor was a seasonal migrant, or they may have been practicing what was known as “stepwise” migration. It wasn’t uncommon to purchase a cheap ticket to England or Scotland for seasonal work, and then use the money they earned to continue on to America.

In this collection, all religious denominations are abbreviated. Please see the following key to determine your ancestor’s religion:

• RC = Roman Catholic
• EC = Established Church
• P = Presbyterian
• S = Seceder
• I = Independent
• M = Methodist
• MO = Moravian
• COV = Covenanter
• BAP = Baptist

Because this collection is organised by church parish, it may be helpful to know which parish your ancestors lived in. For your convenience, parish maps are available for both counties. The parish maps for County Antrim and County Derry~Londonderry can be found on pages 8 and 9, respectively.

Collection in Context

The Ordnance Survey of Ireland was the first time an entire country was surveyed. The full process took 13 years (1829-1842) and resulted in a highly accurate map, scaled six inches to one mile, which included every occupied home.

The records in this collection were compiled from notes taken during the Ordnance Survey and provide unique information about those who immigrated at this time. Unlike immigration during the Great Famine in Ireland, those who immigrated during the 1830s were not usually fleeing poverty. Indeed, many were noted to be established tradesmen and likely travelled with assets. However, the industries of Northern Ireland were shifting, especially the linen industry; and many may have opted to move their business to the Americas at this time.

Bibliography

IrelandXO. “First Ordnance Survey of Ireland Begins.” Last Modified 2020. https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy/timeline/first-ordnance-survey-ireland-begins.

History of Ireland. “The Ordnance Survey Memoirs, a Source for Emigration in the 1830’s.” Last Modified Winter 1996. https://www.historyireland.com/volume-4/the-ordnance-survey-memoirs-a-source-for-emigration-in-the-1830s/.

Mitchell, Bryan. Irish Immigration Lists, 1833-1839. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1989.