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  1. #1
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    Default Another Greyabbey question!

    In the 1901/1911 Irish Census, a specific street is not named for the homes in Greyabbey. It just says "residents of a house 43 in Grey Abbey Town".
    Does anyone know if the residents listed in the census would have been living on the present day, Main St.? I'd like to use Google Maps to see what my relatives' homes looked like, but don't know what street to use for the search.

  2. #2
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    The census should show the names of the persons who slept on the premises on the night (Date) the census was taken.
    Not the names of the people who generally lived there all the time.
    So if a person was away on that date when the census was taken they where not added.

  3. #3
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    Thank you responding! I will remember that in future searches.

    I guess I didn't word my question too well, but what I really wanted to know was the name of the street, not the people, in the 1901\1911 census. There was no street listed, just "Greyabbey or Greyabbey Town". Was the only street "Main Street" in the early 1900's?

  4. #4
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    House numbers and street names in Ireland did not arrive in Ireland till the 20th century in many cases. (Indeed in some rural areas the townland is still the only means of identifying an individual house. The postman and anyone else who needed to know would know where within the townland the family lived). So there was no street name in Greyabbey in 1901 & 1911.

    House 43 was simply the enumerators own private numbering system and was not part of any postal address. (And normally the numbers used in 1901 would not be the same in 1911, as it would have been a different enumerator).

    There is a way of working out where a particular property was located. But to do that I need to be sure of the one you are interested in. Is your ancestor Sarah McGee in the 1901 census?
    ELWYN

  5. #5
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    Hi Elwyn,

    My relative was William John Davidson and his family lived in house 135 Greyabbey in 1901 and house 43 in 1911.
    In 1901 his name was written as Wm John, but in 1911 it was William John.
    Thanks for the information and your help!

    Angie

  6. #6
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    Angie,

    The revaluation records show William John on plot 165 in Greyabbey, arriving there in 1881. That was a house, outbuildings and a garden (20 perches in size). Plot 165 seems to have been very close to the Orange Lodge (listed as plot 164). From the manuscript notes, it looks as though at one time plot 165 might have been a pub.

    https://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search...ves/val12b.htm

    Wm John is also listed as acquiring a weaving shop on plot 40(2) in 1908. That latter building appears to have been next the national school.

    Normally you can identify where each plot is on the maps linked to Griffiths Primary Valuation but in this case the houses in Greyabbey aren’t numbered on the on-line version of the map. The original valuation books and maps are held in PRONI in Belfast. You might need to visit there to view them to identify exactly which was no 165.

    Plot No 165 was renumbered as plot 148 around 1908. The records show it changing hands to David Davidson in 1923. (Suggesting perhaps Wm John had died). The property remained in David’s name in 1929 when that series of records stops. There are however later records in PRONI (in paper format only) in the VAL 3 series which will show occupancy up to the 1960s.
    ELWYN

  7. #7
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    Hi Elwyn,

    Thank you for the all of this information! I'm so pleased!
    William John was a weaving agent, so the weaving shop makes perfect sense.
    He died in 1922 and had a son, David, so the changed records in 1923 also fit.
    I live in Canada, but hope to visit the area and Proni one of these days.

    Thanks again. You've been a great help!

    Angie

  8. #8
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    Hello again, Elwyn,

    Do you know if it's possible to look at the maps that correspond with the numbers on the valuation records or do you have to go to Proni? I couldn't find a place on the website to view them.

    Angie

  9. #9
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    In general, the plot numbers are marked individually on the maps on the Griffiths site:

    https://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffi...tion/index.xml

    However in this particular case they haven’t listed the houses in Greyabbey. Presumably because there were so many so close together it wasn’t possible to distinguish them. So your only chance of tracing them, as far as I am aware, is to look at the original valuation records and notebooks in PRONI (in the series VAL 1). These are only in paper format, and a personal visit is required to view them. They should have accompanying maps which will identify each property but I cannot guarantee that. Some of the valuation notebooks (ie the working documents the clerks used) have sketch maps accompanying them. You may need to study those.
    ELWYN

  10. #10
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    Thanks again, Elwyn.
    I had a feeling it would mean a trip to Belfast.
    Oh well.

    Angie

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