Ancestry adds Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Freemen Records (1673-1945) to their collection

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It's always good to see Ancestry adding more Northern Irish and Irish collections; this time it is a collection that contains records of the Freemen of the City of Londonderry between 1675 and 1945.

From Ancestry: 

The collection is comprised of the Register of Freemen (1700-1945), Extract Books (1675-1840), and Freemen Index (1793-1862). In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Freemen was the only organisation allowed to conduct business and own property within Londonderry.

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Detailed records from sixteenth and seventeenth century Ireland are scarce, so this collection can be invaluable in documenting your Irish ancestors. If you are unsure where to begin your search, start by locating your ancestor’s name in the Register of Freemen (1700-1945), an index organised alphabetically by the first letter of the surname. The Register will provide a year and entry number beside your ancestor’s name. Use the year to find the appropriate Freemen Index book, then the entry number (written on the left hand side) to find your ancestor’s entry.

It’s worth searching this collection for your ancestor’s name, even if they lived outside of Londonderry. The Londonderry Freemen became a semi-hereditary organisation over time, and its members often resided outside of the city. You may also find your ancestor’s name amongst complaints against “strangers and foreigners” who conducted business in Londonderry but were not Freemen.

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Spend some time browsing the collection and searching for your ancestors in it here: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63087/.

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