ULSTER PLANTATION TIMELINE

By Kathleen Latta, Branch 16 Captain (Issue 52, Spring 2014)

lattakj@telusplanet.net

In preparation for my genealogical journey to Ireland, possibly in the next two years, I wanted to get an idea of how early we arrived in Ireland.  I've taken a brief history off of a good website at www.ulsterancestry.com.  Following the line "The Ulster-Scots" takes you to an article titled "The Scots-Irish: The Thirteenth Tribe," written by Campbell Paterson.

He writes that up to 1607 there were only a small number of migrants from Scotland and England.  Between 1600 and 1640, the first big wave saw about 100,000 Scots and 20,000 English migrate to take advantage of the longer land leases.  Defeat of the Catholic Jacobites ended between 1689 and 1691.  The Siege of Derry took place within this period (1688-89) and in the book there is a besieger named Latta listed.  these turbulent times saw many of the migrants from the first wave die or flee back to Scotland, fearing for their own safety.  the next wave between 1690 and 1700 saw approximately 50,000 come to Ireland, again with the enticement of 21 year Land Leases.  By 1707 the Scottish Parliament merges with the English, however, amidst the calm that follows, Land Leases are being doubled, sometimes trebled.  Ulster Planters then saw whole communities leave for the American Colonies when leases expired.

In contest then, it is possible for two or three 21 year leases to have been in place.  Hence one could guess or infer that by the Siege of Derry, we may have been on Irish soil at least two generations prior to the Latta listed in the book.  A question comes to mind at this point.  Did Lattas stay between the first and second wave of migration?  The documents at PRONI indicate that they indeed stayed.

    Being relatively new to the pursuit of genealogy, I am trying to get a handle on my father's mass of information gathered from his 20 some trips overseas to the Emerald Isle.  So far I have only scratched the surface.  That's why I expect to take two years to go over his material.  I want to have a comprehensive list of what needs to be done, and where to go and get information needed to fill in some blanks.  I need to get his boxes of information categorized so that other researchers can have as up to date information as possible.  At this point in time, I am not completely aware of all that I have on hand.  With John Latta of Branch 3 going over to Ireland right away (April, 2014), I could only wish to be more prepared for answering his questions.  I and others have given what help we can and I wish him a Bundle of Irish Luck on his journey.

To begin with I have started documenting the stuff my Dad brought back from P.R.O.N.I. in Belfast.  Going online at www.proni.gov.uk, I found 29 documents listed that contain a reference to the name Latta/Lata.  The table that follows is in a format that we can use to talk to each other, so that we are referencing the same item.  I have listed them in date order so that one can see the events historically.  some of them you can view portions of on the PRONI website using the e-Catalogue number listed.

The PRONI search engine showed no Latta's listed in the 1740 Religious Census.  In the 1766 Religious Census there is an Alexander Latta listed as paying tithe's in the Diocese of Armagh, Parish's of Arghaloo and Carnteel, County of Tyrone.  There is also a Lutta, Alexander listed in the same area.  I am not sure if this is a transcription error or the possibility of two actual people.  Possibly father/son or cousins?

Just to check for early listings I went back to the LDS web site www.familysearch.org to see what their earliest listings were.  They had some that were very interesting indeed.  they are as follows: