Torrens Families Genealogy
Biography Photographs Youghal Bann Valley Torrens Books

This site contains a lot of information not only about the various American Torrens Families, but also about the Scots-Irish migration through the north of Ireland. It is linked to a site on Bann Valley genealogy. Together they have much to interest the general genealogist and the social historian.

Torrens families mailing list

The company I run, 4QD, host two genealogy mailing lists.

One is for discussing matters related to Torrens families genealogy and the second for anyone descending from the Bann Valley families. Use the 'Join Us' button above for full information.

Introduction

Although this site is concerned mainly with genealogy of the Torrens / Torrance / Torrence families (in all its varied spelling) I have tried to write it in such a way that it should be interesting to other genealogists. There are therefore various essays on subjects of general interest.

The families of the Torrens name (and its variations) have been quite well documented: there are two books on the families plus several other collections of data. Both of these books have been transcribed and are available. There are also various trees of Torrens families.

My own interest in genealogy is essentially as an organiser of data so most of the information here is gleaned from elsewhere. I am particularly indebted to my late father (Robert George Torrens (1903 - 1981) who did much of the immediate research of my own branch. Fortunately my father's papers are now in my possession and many (most?) have been transcribed to this site.

Site Contents

The data on site is divided into a number of areas, most of which have their own index:

• Biographical information of several family members
• Books
  Two major books have been transcribed fully but there are several minor ones detailing the Torrens families. These and other books that are of interest to Torrenses are listed.
• Data
  Various data pertaining to Northern Ireland such as 1663 Hearth Money Roll lists, 1740 Protestant Householder lists. See also the Bann Valley site for a lot more data
• Discussions / Essays
  Such things such as a list of ancestors of the various Torrence lines, places of particular historical interest to the families, the way family names get used as forenames, The traditional Scotch-Irish naming pattern.
• Documents
  Various wills, deeds, Exchequer bills etc. mostly pertaining to Jared Sidney Torrence's research when writing The Descendants of Lewis Elliott and Anne Hart
• Letters
  • Miscellaneous Letters
    Including the letters from America (1803-1804) which established the Hugh Torrens of Mayoughill line and stared Jared Sidney Torrance's search for Irish roots..
  • JWK Letters
    The correspondence between Jared Sidney Torrence and J W Kernohan 1919-1921
  • RGT Letters
    My father, Robert George Torrens, had long and productive corresponence with Robert Grier Torrence - the son of Robert McIlvane Torrence, author of Torrence and Allied Families. These letters are reproduced here. Dates 1979-1981
• Trees
  Many trees of the Torrens lines.
• Various data on Irish Torrenses

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