Manx National Heritage Library

Public Information Sheet No. 4 January 2002

With the passage of time many people researching family links are unable to obtain details as far back as the last publicly available census which was taken in 1891.

This leaflet outlines some of the available sources held in the Library or General Registry which can help researchers from 1892 to date.

1901 Census Return

A microfiche set is held in the library and it is also available online at www.census.pro.gov.uk for a small fee.

Directories

• Barrett’s Borough of Douglas Directory 1955
• Barrett’s Isle of Man Directory 1963
• Bent’s Business Directory, IOM supplement 1902, 1907.
• Brown’s Isle of Man Directory 1894

Library Ref L10

N.B. Unfortunately there is no equivalent of the Kelly’s Directories for the Isle of Man.

Electoral voters’ lists

• 1883-1915, 1919/20, 1950-84 (incomplete)
• (later years are currently in the Fines Office of the General Registry, available by prior appointment)
• Manuscript Ref 9842
• Douglas Burgess Roll 1924/25

Library Ref F71/16x

N.B. Extension of Franchise: 1866 Male property owners and tenants, 1881 Female property owners (widows & spinsters), Male lodgers, 1892 Female occupiers (widows & spinsters), 1903 Female lodgers (widows & spinsters), 1919 Adult suffrage, ex servicemen aged 18-21.

For fuller detail see relevant Acts of Tynwald at D200/1, (Reading Room shelves).

Telephone directories

• 1900, 1906, 1925 - date

These are issued at frequent intervals but until fairly recently are very slim volumes as most people did not have a private telephone. They are mainly of use for checking businesses or professional people such as doctors or managers.

Library Ref B102/11

Cemetery records, burial registers and monumental inscription

The IOM Family History Society (IOMFHS) has been gradually transcribing the original parish registers. They have virtually completed the monumental inscriptions which are arranged by parish and indexed. Burial registers are also well on the way to completion. These indexes are available on request at the Library counter.

Newspaper obituaries and family announcements

Two series of modern newspaper indexes exist: a general manuscript one from 1934-48 available on request at the counter and a more complete biographical card index from 1957-94 in the Reading Room. Entries include obituaries, awards and significant events affecting individuals.

Family announcements are not usually indexed but, if a date is known, the papers can be easily searched as they are available on microfilm. The majority of modern newspapers have now been microfilmed and the Library has an extensive collection. Printouts can be made from microfilms for a small charge.

N.B. For off Island researchers, copies of Manx papers are also available at the:

• British Library Newspaper Library, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HE. Tel: (020) 7412 7353 Email: newspaper@bl.uk Website: www.bl.uk

Journal articles

Indexes to variety of local journals have card indexes available in the Reading Room which are worth checking for biographical details. These include:

• IOMFHS Journal1979 - dateL3FAM
• Manx Life1971 - 1996L6ML
• IOM Victorian Society 1980 - dateL3VIC
• Newsletter
• Manx Tails1982 - dateL6A4
• IOMNHAS Proceedings 1900 - dateL6

Indexes to civil registration records of births, marriages and deaths

A microfiche copy of the index which is divided into four districts before 1979 and then all island from 1980-1993, is kept in the Library Reading Room. This is useful for confirming when and whether an event took place on the island. Full certificates can then be obtained from the General Registry. Unfortunately some marriage entries are only indexed by the male name which can make checking difficult.

N.B. The Isle of Man has its own General Registry and is NOT included in the indexes to the other UK registries for civil registration or probate. Contact:

Wills

These are indexed alphabetically. The Library has a wills index in the Reading Room to 1920 and copies of all wills from the earliest date up to 1916 on microfilm. For later indexes and wills consult the General Registry.

Printed biographical sections G88, G90 and G91

From printed books to short articles, there are a large number of entries catalogued alphabetically in the card index to these stock classes in the Library.

Manuscript sources at MD20

For unpublished research notes and articles about families and individuals, check the card catalogue in the Reading Room using the personal name indexes to the manuscript collections.

N.B. As with any personal research these manuscript sources can be inaccurate and researchers should check the information given.

IOM Examiner Annuals, 1900 - 79

These include an annual chronology Events of the Year which often mentions individuals. For the first world war it includes a large number of photographs and brief personal details of servicemen killed in the previous year. For the second world war it has a roll of honour for each year.

Norris Modern Press Yearbooks, 1906 - 72

These have detailed listings of public officials.

Dictionary of National Biography and Who Was Who, 1900 - 90

Sets of both of these are on the Reading Room shelves and they have cumulative indexes for the twentieth century. A small number of prominent local people rate entries in them. They are also available in most large British public libraries.

King William’s College Register 1899 - 1989

Lists all past pupils of this public school, with, where known, a career summary, date of birth and date and place of death.

Parish/Place Histories

Bride, Maughold and Ramsey have detailed histories by W & C Radcliffe. These publications contain information about many families. from these areas.

• History of Kirk Maughold Library Ref F64/148
• Kirk Bride: a miscellany Library Ref F64/157
• Shining by the Sea, History of Ramsey 1800-1914

Library Ref F72/14

All of these are on the Reading Room shelves.

People associated with particular occupations or employers

They may appear in company or organisation histories, for example the Police, Railways, Lifeboats, the Steam Packet Company, and the Douglas Centenary Book 1896-1996. Please check under subject in the library card indexes.

Holiday Guides for Towns and Districts

In the heyday of Manx tourism when the Island was the getaway place for much of the North West, Scotland and Ireland, a surprising number of places issued small guide books. These are useful for holiday premises and their proprietors although not everyone advertised as you usually had to pay to be included.

Guidebooks were issued for the following places, (Library Ref in brackets):

• Castletown (F73), Douglas (F71), Laxey (F78), Onchan (F79), Peel (F74),
• Port Erin (F77), Port St Mary (F76) and Ramsey (F72).

There are also the whole Island Guides published by the Tourist Board, which were issued for most years and list registered accommodation (B266).

Manuscript Sources

There are also a number of other sources such as church records for the Methodist, Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches and military service summaries. Please enquire about specific areas to see if we have relevant records. Card indexes are available in the Reading Room as are some descriptive hand lists of archival collections.

The Manx National Heritage Library holds a wealth of various and extensive source material. Staff at the library and throughout Manx National Heritage, are always pleased to hear from anyone with an interest in Manx history.

AF rev. ed. 01.02

Opening times: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm Closed Sunday and for one week in January

Downloadable Documents
20th Century Sources for Genealogists (38 kb) Format: Acrobat PDF File

You will need Adobe Acrobat to download documents that are PDFs, this is available free by following this link:

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