More on PRONI's Ulster street directories

I announced the release of PRONI's Ulster street directories on Thurs 10th September (Ulster Street Directories 1819-1900 go online).

PRONI has now formally released a press statement on the new collection, so here it is - in their own words...!

Street directories from 1819 now online

Do you know where your ancestors lived and what they worked as? You can now find out using the Belfast and Ulster Street Directories.

Street directories from 1819 to 1900 have been launched online today at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) by Minister Nelson McCausland.

Speaking during the event the Minister said: “Tracing your family tree has become increasingly popular with programmes such as ‘Who do you think you are?’, sparking the public interest. Everyone wants to know who their ancestors were, where they came from and what they did for a living and these online street directories will make finding out a whole lot easier.

“An increasing number of PRONI visitors come from outside the UK and one of my Department’s key goals is to digitise key cultural resources and make them easily available to the worldwide audience. This service will prove valuable for those visitors who prefer to start their research in the comfort of their own home.”

The online service contains over 29 directories, approximately 20,000 pages, and covers Belfast and provincial towns in Northern Ireland and in counties Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan from 1819 to 1900. Street directories contain a wide range of information about people, places and organisations and are an extremely useful source for all kinds of research such as tracing the location of a particular person or checking when a firm was in business. You can also search your own address to find out who lived there many years ago.

The Minister concluded: “The Street Directories on-line complement the existing databases and records which are available electronically, such as the Ulster Covenant, the Freeholders Records and the Wills Indexes. This is the next chapter in the continuing work of PRONI to make more of its resources available online.”

Street directories can be accessed on www.proni.gov.uk and is part of the continuing work of PRONI to make more of its resources available electronically.

Don't forget to also read the major announcement from PRONI carried on this blog yesterday.

Chris

www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk
Professional genealogical problem solving and research
http://twitter.com/ChrisMPaton