Waterford Ireland

Waterford comes from the Norsic word, Vethrafjorthr - weather haven. Waterford bounded N by Kilkenny and Tipperary, E by Wexford, S by the sea, and W by Cork. It presents a diversity of soil and prospect, but in general is pleasant and fertile, yet in many parts mountainous and rocky; even on the sides of the mountains, however, there is good pasture for cattle. It sends 2 members to the imperial parliament. The city of Waterford (Accommodation, Waterford, Ireland) was founded by Vikings and was used as a naval base. Seven watchtowers are still visible around the city today. Waterford’s strong sea-faring traditions meant that migration was common here long before the nineteenth century. As early as the 1650s there was a settlement from the county in Newfoundland, and strong links with Canada, and the particularly its Atlantic provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, have continued down to the present.

Amongst its famous cities is the Waterford (Hotels, Waterford, Ireland) City, the place of manufacture of the internationally renowned Waterford Crystal.

Some of the surnames most commonly found in the county today include Brazil, Power, Ryan, Duggan, Fennessy, Gough, Tobin, Phelan, Prendergast and Walsh.

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.

Waterford Research Centre, Waterford Heritage Centre, St Patrick’s Church, Jenkin’s Lane, Waterford City, Ireland

The Waterford (Holiday Apartments, Waterford, Ireland) Heritage and Genealogy Centre offer a full service for enquirers whose ancestors same from Waterford City and County located in the southeast 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 (Bed and Breakfasts, Waterford, Ireland) has 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.

Posted on April 17th, 2008 under Genealogy. Tags: emigration, Genealogy, jenkin's lane, norsic worrd, vethrafjorthr, waterford crystal, waterford heritage and genealogy centre. RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback.