Old age pensions were introduced in Ireland
in 1909, but applicants had to prove they were 70 years old. This wasn’t
easy, as civil registration of births in Ireland only began in 1864. Instead, officials
used the 1841 and 1851 census returns as evidence. This resulted in the
creation of several important sources.
First, the extraordinary Dublin archivist D. A. Chart compiled a comprehensive index to heads of households in the 1851 census for Dublin city and parts of Belfast.The pension applications themselves also survived, as did corresponding results when the census records were examined. In some cases there are certified copies of census returns for specific households from all over the country.
The excellent National Library of Australia on line Trove site now provides access to The Port Adelaide Post Shipping Gazette, Farmers and Commercial Register, supported by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and Port Adelaide Enfield Public Library Service; the Riverina Times, Hay Standard and Journal of Water Conservation, supported by Hay Historical Society; and the Temora Herald and Mining Journal, supported by the Temora Shire Heritage Committee. Above items from Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory newsletter by June Tomlinson .
