Seeking family of Schiller

Hi Kate, 

You can check for information about the frequency of the names in the mid-19th century and any other variant spellings of the names here: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/ .

You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64). The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38): Microfilm copies of the books for all of Ireland are available at the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/tithe-applotment-books-and-the-primary-griffith-valuation/ or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS)https://familysearch.org/ . Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here: www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at.

Church records may also be of help to you. Church of Ireland parish registers for the period up to 1870 are public records. Registers are available for about one third of the parishes, however many were destroyed in the Public Records Office in Dublin in 1922. Most are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. A list of all surviving registers is available in the National Archives. http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/. Presbyterian registers are held in three main locations: in local custody, in the Public Records of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Belfast. PRONI has microfilm copies of almost all registers in Northern Ireland and also lists of records held by the Presbyterian Historical Society. For the rest of Ireland, almost all records are in local custody. It can difficult to locate these as many congregations in the South have moved, amalgamated, or simply disappeared over the last sixty years.

Other resources might include http://www.ulsterancestry.com/ and http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Northern-Ireland-genealogy.html . 

Information regarding the genealogy records database for Co. Down are available for a fee from http://down.rootsireland.ie/

I wish you the best of luck in your search. 

Please make sure you link anyone else in your family who is interested in their Irish heritage to our site - and indeed anyone else you know of Irish heritage.

Kind regards,

Cynthia O'Connor

Genealogy Support

Ireland Reaching Out

Since my earlier posting I have correct information for John Schiller father of William Henry.  John was living in Carrowdore and I assume William was born there.  I am seeking the deaths of John Schiller and wife Mariann née McCulloch or McCullough  I know they were deceased sometime between 1840 and early 1850s.  It would seem William had an older sister Emily who remained in Ireland - death 1899.  Would there be any record of their deaths or William's birth 1839/40?  No record of any Schiller in Ireland now. 

Death certificates were only introduced in Ireland in 1864 so you won’t get one for a death before that. I looked at the statutory death records and there is a death for a Fanny Schiller, registered in Newtownards, on 30.10.1899 aged 71. That might be your “Emily”. I saw no other Schiller deaths in Co Down between 1864 and 1921. You can view the original certificate on-line on the GRONI website, using the “search registrations” option:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk

You will need to open an account and buy some credits. It costs £2 (sterling) to a view a certificate. If you post details of the townland (address) where she was living, from the death certificate, I’ll see if I can pinpoint her home for you from the revaluation records.

Carrowdore falls within the parish of Donaghadee. You don’t say what denomination your family were but if Church of Ireland, Donaghadee itself has records from 1771 but Carrowdore has none before 1873 (their early registers were destroyed in the 1922 fire in Dublin).  There are 6 or 7 Presbyterian churches in the area.  The only ones with records prior to 1850 are 1st Donaghadee (1793) and Millisle (1773). RC records don’t start till 1864.

I looked in the tithe applotment records for Donaghadee parish for 1834 but there were no Schiller households listed. (All that tells you is that they didn’t have any land, not that they weren’t living there). You could try the Londonderry Estate records in PRONI to see if there is any record of the family working there or being a tenant there. (A personal visit is required to conduct that type of search).

Many thanks will check as per your advise.  Fanny  died Newtownards Co Down 1899, my mistake Emily died as a baby. Emily records per Greyabbey church of Ireland, plus death John and Margaret Schiller 1830 and 1831 grandparents of William.  I have found a record of the marriage for John and Mariann at the non subscribing church at Greyabbey, however no other records.  John and his father also John were painter/decorators.  I have been told they may have worked at the Mountstewart Estate.  As I am in Australia will keep searching on the net.