Irish researchers are well familiar with the lack of formal records (general civil registration was not organized until 1864), and hence are very adept at finding alternate sources of information which can be used to fill in blank spots in their family histories. Similar to the land record surveys conducted later was one such alternate source — the Spinning-Wheel Premium Entitlement List (also known as Flax Growers Bounty List), created in 1796 to publish the list of approximately 60,000 individuals who received the right to plant flax.

This may seem now like a rather frivolous reason to go to the time and trouble to list 60,000 individuals, but an understanding of the importance of flax and the linen industry to the Irish dispels any disbelief that such a list can serve genealogists well. The list is arranged by county and parish (except for Dublin and Wicklow, which were not included in the list). Unfortunately, no townland is included, but a savvy researcher will use the parish information in conjunction with other resources to pinpoint an individual's location.

Typical information found within this Family Archive is the individual's name, county, and parish. An example entry:

March 23, 2000

Related Data on CD-ROM • Data on CD-ROM: International Land Records: Irish Flax Grower's List, 1796 • Passenger and Immigration Lists: Irish to America, 1846-1865 More Articles • Finding Your Ancestors in Ireland • Irish Research • Irish Resources • Irish Resources on the Internet Helpful Web Sites • Ireland On the Message Boards • GenForum: Ireland

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