Whether your ancestors hail from the Green Isle or immigrated to it, this book will help you trace and understand them.
Before you touch your computer, scavenge your family’s attics, basements, and closets for old papers, memorabilia, and pictures. Then, talk to your older relatives. Their memories can be just as valuable as any online resource.
Census Records
Irish genealogy can be a challenge for non-native researchers. In addition to navigating unfamiliar geography and unrecognizable names, many historical documents in Ireland are based on a different record-keeping system, making locating family history difficult.
The good news is that Irish genealogists have never had more resources at their disposal than they do today. In the past decade, there has been a revolution in online access to Irish records.
When delving into the exploration of Irish ancestry and tracing familial roots, examining Irish genealogy records becomes an essential and enlightening endeavor, offering a wealth of historical information and valuable insights into one’s heritage.
Previously, the country was considered a laggard in providing online record transcripts; now, it is one of the leaders. This guide shows you how to use this new technology and make the most of existing resources to trace your Irish ancestry.
This book also explains the best ways to access census records, an essential starting point in any genealogy search. It provides information about the different types of census records and what kind of information they contain, identifies helpful resources, and discusses essential research strategies.
Moreover, it is an excellent companion volume, expanding on some topics and clarifying others. For example, it discusses the importance of Irish surnames and place names and how to use them to locate records, a topic not covered in earlier work.
Church Records
While it’s not impossible to trace your Irish roots with online resources alone, a professional genealogist can help you get the most out of the available information.
Church records can be a rich source of genealogy details, especially for Catholics. They may document marriages, deaths, burials, and birthplaces for parents and children. They also often contain names of relatives that aren’t written in other records, such as siblings or cousins.
When searching for Irish church records, it’s essential to know the denomination of your ancestor. Knowing this will help you target churches they may have attended. Also, remember that the church you’re looking for could be far from your ancestor’s home.
Another essential piece of info is the townland your ancestor’s family lived in (not to be confused with an Irish County, which is what you need for a full search). This geographic area could be as small as a field or as large as a village. Knowing the name of your ancestor’s specific townland is also helpful, as this can point you in the right direction for finding records.
If you can find the name of your ancestor’s townland, contact the local church office for further inquiries. Remember that these offices aren’t obligated to fulfill genealogy requests, so be polite and respectful. Ask if they can direct you to other records sources for the period in question.
Vital Records
The most fundamental pieces of genealogy information are vital records of births, marriages, and deaths. They can help you create more precise timelines as you conduct research, and they often lead to discoveries in other resources.
If you have ancestors who immigrated to the United States, you can trace their lives using vital records from the city where they settled. If you need access to the original microfilms, visit the library or engage a professional genealogist (the Board for Certification of Genealogists maintains lists).
Other genealogy records can also help you pinpoint your Irish ancestor’s place of origin. The free website offers ecclesiastical and civil records with more detail than you’ll find on the for-fee site Ancestry. And if you need help locating an ancestor on the surviving documentation, look for a townland name or specific surname in a directory of early settlers. These listings can include witnesses to baptisms and marriages, guarantors for loans, and “referees” confirming good character—and they’re often extended family members or old pals.
Once you’ve exhausted the surviving records, you can explore other sources to learn more about your Irish ancestor’s life story. Personal letters can provide tidbits about their personalities and a glimpse of the world they inhabit. And photographs can breathe life into your ancestor’s story. You can search online for images or use a local historical society to view pictures on-site.
Other Records
Tracing your Irish ancestors can be daunting, but you can overcome roadblocks with the right tools and support. These five great resources will help you overcome common research pitfalls and get a complete picture of your family’s history on the mystical island.
Forget the fable that all Irish records burned in a 1922 courthouse fire. That myth has caused many would-be researchers to give up on their ancestor’s origins. The reality is that what you can discover depends on where you start, how far back your ancestors lived, and a bit of luck.
Most Irish immigrants were poor tenant farmers with little documentation of their lives beyond the local Catholic parish records. If your ancestor’s family lineage is represented in those records, you can likely trace it back two centuries or so.
The for-fee website offers a vast collection of ecclesiastical and civil records. Other valuable resources include published town histories and unpublished local manuscript collections. These can provide clues on your ancestor’s home village or county’s religious practices, folklore, customs, and cultural settings. You can also better understand the immigrant’s journey by researching their extended friends and neighbors in the new country. Witnesses to baptisms and marriages, guarantors on loans, and “referees” confirming good character (who may have been old friends or family) are all potential sources of information.