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Home to Titanic, The Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Whiskey, County Antrim in Northern Ireland is steeped in history and heritage. Did your Irish family come from Antrim? Here’s some facts you may not have known:
1. During the 19th and early 20th century, County Antrim was the centre of both the ship building and linen weaving industries in Ireland. If your family come from Antrim, there’s a good chance they worked in these professions.
2. 9 civil registration districts lie within the county’s borders – Antrim, Ballycastle, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Belfast, Coleraine, Larne, Lisburn and Lurgan. You’ll need to know this when searching for your ancestors’ birth, marriage and death records.
3. A number of US presidents claim their Irish roots back to Antrim. Andrew Jackson’s parent’s came to America from Boneybefore, Andrew Johnson’s grandfather moved from Mounthill, near Larne to North Carolina and William McKinley’s family came from Ballymoney.
4. Slemish, near Ballymena is said to have been home to St. Patrick for at least 7 years during his early life!
5. There are some unique resources available online for discovering your Antrim ancestors like George Bassett’s Book of Antrim (1888), a detailed directory and guide to the county from the late 19th century.
With over 4.2 million Antrim-related records on Findmypast, start your search for your family and see what you can uncover.
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