A Guide to finding your Irish Ancestors by Chris Krawczyk
The following guide is based on notes I made while researching my mothers family tree. We knew that our family - Finnamore - came from Ireland to Ontario, Canada around 1841. We had a heck of a time finding anything prior to that, but did end up getting some results.
The Curse all Irish Genealogists must bear
The first thing you need to know - and it's not encouraging - is that in 1922 the Public Record Office, which housed most of the genealogy records in Ireland - was totally destroyed during the Irish Civil War.
Lost in this fire were census returns for 1821 - 1851 and many other legal records. Experts figure about 90% of all records of importance were destroyed. Also the census returns for 1861 - 1891 were pretty much destroyed by the British later on. The debate as to why is still ongoing.
So, if you're searching post 1891 you may have some luck. If you're searching pre-1891 you're basically doomed right? Wrong. There are many things you can do.
Let's Get Started
If you're new to research please take a look at "A Beginners Guide to Genealogy Research" and some of the other articles located in the library. This article doesn't get into research basics.
So, where were we - OK you are most likely attempting to trace your ancestor who crossed the sea and trying to determine where they came from in Ireland.
Ireland is organized by County. Counties are subdivided into Parishes. Parishes are subdivided into towns or townlands. A townland can be as small as a group of a dozen farms.
It's good to know what religion your ancestors were when they came here. Were they Protestant (Church of Ireland) or Catholic. If they were Catholic and you can locate a specific church you may be able to find records. Many Catholic churches, not trusting the British, kept secret records of their own. But that is hit and miss. Some will have them, some will not.
Understanding Name Variations and Conventions
Most of the Irish of the 19th century were illiterate. I have one document where my great great-great-great-grandfather signed his name with an "x". Their were no computers to keep records. How a name was recorded often depended on the ear of the person recording the name. You need to be on the lookout for different spellings that sound the same. You also need to be aware that the spelling my shift slightly overtime.
Additionally the translation from English to Gaelic can make your job a nightmare ending up with a dozen of more variants of a name being used by the same family. I would recommend buying a book on Irish Names.
I've been told that Catholic families named their eldest son after the paternal grandfather, the second son after the maternal grandfather, and the third after the father. The first daughter was often called after the maternal grandmother and the second after the paternal grandmother but this sometimes varied. This didn't seem to be the case with my family, but you never know.
You will also find that certain surnames are more associated with certain counties then others. This might help you narrow your search. Again, a good book will help you with this.
Doing your research
Who were your ancestors and why did they leave? There was a great famine from roughly 1845 through to the 1850's. You'll find most emigration during that period. Were they tenant farmers? About 90% of Irish emigrants were. Records were poor for these people, but there are some things you can do as we'll discuss later.
I recommend getting a good book or two on Irish Genealogy. They will help you with names, historical background, geographical divisions, and tell you the different records places around the country.
Most of doing your research is the same as normal genealogy. I would see some articles on basic research, we're not going to discuss it here.
Also, find out if your local society has a special interest group for Irish genealogy and contact them or go to their meetings. Use other people's experiences to help you.
You should search the internet for passenger ship lists. You may get lucky and find your ancestors. If you're Australian, you should look for convict transportation records too.
Researching in Ireland
There are two central centers for research in Ireland. One in Dublin for the south and one in Belfast for the north. It's worth taking a look, but don't expect too much if you're searching earlier than 1890. But like all detective work, you need to try because you never know. They do have some records.
Also, every county will have a genealogy center. Most of them will provide a search for a fee. They can be contacted by mail or email.
Tithe Applotment Logs and Griffith's Valuation
These two things are amazing. Both are available on microfilm at your local LDS genealogy center, although they may have to order a copy from Salt Lake City.
Tithe's were taxes owing to the Church of Ireland. Catholics were required to pay these taxes too. Tithe Applotment Logs began in 1831 recording information sorted by county, parish, and townland across the country. Including a list of defaulters. Which were then provided to the police.
If you have a ballpark idea where your family came from, take a look at these. It takes some time, but it could be worth it. Not only land owners but principal tenants can be found listed in the logs.
It's where we found our ancestor recorded as a defaulter in 1833 in a little townland called Jigginstown, Naas Parish, County Kildare. Our theory is he took his family and left sometime between then and 1841. After all, he was a wanted man I guess.
Griffith's Valuation occurred in the 1850's. It is a country wide property valuation commission by the crown. A bit more organized than the tithe logs, also helpful. It helped us because it confirmed our ancestors were gone by then. There are some sites that offer digital searches on Griffith's Valuation. I haven't seen any for the Tithe Applotment Logs yet (I could be wrong).
Conclusion
I hope this helps you with your research. I know how frustrating Irish research can be. There are three things I absolutely recommend:
1) buy a good book to help you
2) join your local genealogy society special interest group
3) don't forget about the Tithe Applotment Logs and Griffith's Valuation
Good Luck, and Good Research!
|
