www.ballymoneyancestry.com - visit on-line, then visit on vacation!

TRACING your family roots in the Ballymoney, Co Antrim area has become much easier thanks to a new website introduced by Ballymoney Borough Council.  www.ballymoneyancestry.com is a free, search-able database which holds over 55,000 individual family history records .

It's the first website of its kind in Northern Ireland and was supported by the Council and the European Union Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme.
Along with a genealogy database, it also provides essential information for everyone planning a family history vacation in the Ballymoney district. 
In the first month, more than 7,000 visitors explored the site and this response has underlined the prominence of North Antrim as a rich source of emigrants throughout the centuries. 

The site has attracted people from the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Scotland, England and, of course, Ireland.
Keith Beattie, Museum manager, Ballymoney Borough Council, confirms:  "Over the past decade, genealogical tourists have been arriving in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, in increasing numbers. 

"On their journey to North Antrim, these travellers have often encountered a series of traumatic episodes - for example, the indecipherable accent used by absolutely everyone they meet; negotiating the Belfast traffic to reach the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI); or the unforgettable sight of their first Ulster Fry at breakfast!

"Being aware of such experiences, Ballymoney Borough Council  attempts to make a visit to this beautiful region a painless and rewarding experience, hopefully finding for them some thread of their ancestry to take back home.

"While PRONI is a wonderful resource and information on Ballymoney and the surrounding districts features prominently in these vast archives, the difficulty for these genealogists is where to start looking when faced with such a mountain of indices and catalogues!

"Since 1997, Ballymoney Borough Council has attempted to collect in a single depository the most significant local genealogical resources (such as householders lists, trade directories, hearth rolls etc.) relating to the town of Ballymoney and the villages and townlands of the present-day borough - Balnamore, Cloughmills, Dervock, Dunloy, Loughguile (or Loughgiel), Rasharkin and Stranocum. 
"Thanks to a dedicated volunteer, Robert Thompson, and the work of the Ulster Historical Foundation, the Council have now compiled databases of all this information, in addition to workhouse records, school registers, cemetery lists, burial records and may other census substitutes," adds Keith Beattie.
Until recently, this information was only available to visitors to the Family History Resource Area in Ballymoney Museum.  However, Ballymoney Borough Council, in its commitment to preserving the local heritage, has undertaken the building of a major, new museum venue.  Unfortunately, while this work is in process, the museum will be temporarily closed until 2005 and the website will prove to be an invaluable resource during the interim and beyond.

Ballymoney Borough Council is hoping the website will help boost tourism.
Keith Beattie says:  "The benefits of the website are widespread.  Not only will it assist visitors with their research into local genealogy archives, it is also expected to lead to an increase in North Antrim tourism by 2004-2005. 

"It is hoped that, having had the opportunity to research their ancestry on-line, more and more people will be encouraged to come to the borough of Ballymoney and walk in the footsteps of their ancestors."

Ballymoney Museum will re-open in 2005, although inquiries are welcome by writing to Keith Beattie, Museum Manager, Ballymoney Borough Council, 14 Charles Street, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, BT53 6DZ, Northern Ireland, Tel: 44 (0)28 2766 0245 Fax: 44 (0)28 2766 7659 Email: keith.beattie@ballymoney.gov.uk . 

Ballymoney Museum and Ballymoney Borough Council cannot access family history research on behalf of members of the public.