Genealogical timeline

Introduction

On the very first page of this site I said that genealogy wasn't just about names and dates. And it isn't.

However, to be able to make intelligent decisions about where to find information, and in what places you should search, a knowledge of dates of some of the important events is essential.

1086 - Domesday Book - the first land Census
1538 - Compulsory registration of burials, marriages & baptisms
1598 - Bishop's Transcripts started to be kept
1660 - Parliament ordered all legal documents to be written in Latin
1722 - The Religious Census of Ireland
1733 - Parliament ordered all legal documents to be written in English
1790 - The first US Census
1801 - The first UK Census - records for this year, 1811, 1821 and 1831 have not survived
1820 - It became compulsory to keep Ships Passenger Lists in the US
1821 - The first official Ireland census - later destroyed
1837 - Civil Registration in the UK
1841 - The first useful UK Census
1845-1847 - The Irish Potato Famine
1845 - Civil Registration of non Roman Catholic marriages in Ireland
1848-1864 - Griffiths Valuation of Properties in Ireland
1855 - Civil Registration in Scotland
1855 - Castle Garden became the first US immigration processing centre
1858 - The State took over the administration of Wills & Probate
1864 - Civil Registration of all births, marriages & deaths in Ireland
1890 - Castle Garden closed
1892 - Ellis Island became New York's immigration processing centre
1911 - Mothers' maiden names entered on birth certificates for the first time
1911 - The Irish Census for this year released early
1914-1918 - The Great War, or the First World War
1922 - The Republic of Ireland was formed
1939-1945 - The Second World War
1941 - No UK Census in this year
1954 - Ellis Island closed

Contents page

A step-by-step guide through your ancestry

Genealogical timeline

Introduction

One step at a time

Miscellaneous