Decide how you're going to document your findings
What do you already know?
Background Research
Validation
Finding Ancestral Homes
Hopefully you know the county your ancestors hailed from. This is the most recorded 'place of origin' in emigration records. Before 1922, Ireland was made up of 32 counties. After 1922, six counties in the North East became ‘Northern Ireland’ and the remaining 26 became the Republic of Ireland. In records taken between 1923- 1937, ‘Republic of Ireland’ born US citizens may have had their birthplace recorded as ‘IFS’ or ‘Irish Free State’.
If you have found out your ancestor’s home from family lore, be mindful that the names the locals call the area may differ from official place names. They may also refer to it in its Irish form and it may be recorded in its English form. It may be of help to record the official name but keep a note of the local name.
Civil registration didn’t start in Ireland until 1864, although civil registration for non-Catholic marriages started in 1845. Parish records pre-date civil records but they differ from church to church and are kept in individual parishes. Parish records can be hard to come by and, in a lot of cases, the information recorded might differ if different priests recorded it i.e. Surnames, addresses, etc. You might find that records for a certain period are missing, this could be down to the fact that they may have been lost or destroyed or simply that the priest at the time didn’t keep record. Irish Parish records are available online (for a fee) at RootsIreland.
If you had ancestors in Ireland in 1901-1911 the Census of Ireland 1901/1911 is a great place to start. Bear in mind the spelling variations that may have been recorded. When searching, a good tip is to enter the first 3 or 4 letters (or so) of the surname followed by *, e.g. Keav* if you’re looking for Keaveney as it should also produce Keaveny, Keavny, Keavney, Keavaney, etc... Try a few, it might be worth it. This search also works on FamilySearch.
Many counties have historical websites, societies and researcher's site with genealogical records or links. This is where a genealogy club or online group could become useful to point you in the right direction.
When you've exhausted all the free resources available, it might be a good time to subscribe to a paid site such as ancestry.com or findmypast.ie. Make sure you don't pay for records that are available for free elsewhere.
See the Resources Page for a list of free, helpful websites.
Widen Your Search
When you have hit brick walls branch out to siblings and cousins of ancestors.
Even if your direct line didn’t emigrate, the chances are that they had siblings, aunts, uncles or cousins who did. Their travel records may state the address of their nearest relative in Ireland or a relative who they were going to. They might have also travelled with someone; a friend, cousin, neighbour? It could open a new line to research.
If you know the townland of your family then do a bit of research on the neighbours. As mentioned above, neighbours might have travelled together. It also helps if you’re familiar with the surnames in the area as they might crop up during your research.
Take note of sponsors on baptism records or witnesses on marriage records, especially Irish records. Relatives were often called upon to be sponsors or witnesses. If there was a female sponsor/witness with a different surname then maybe she was a married relation of you ancestor, although sometimes it was customary for married women to be recorded by their maiden names when they were sponsors or witnesses.
Tips from Fellow Researchers
When asked what tips/advice they would give a newcomer to Irish Genealogy, here is what fellow researchers had to offer.
- Keep written notes as you start off. Set them out so you'll be able to understand what was recorded further down the line.
- There are printable family charts available to download free on various websites. Find one suited to you. Bring questionnaires with you to 'interview' family members. Always bring spares!
- Keep note of spelling variations of names and place names and keep information on families that are mentioned but you have not yet connected to your family tree.
- Family tree software is invaluable to store all your information and keep track of relationships. There are many family tree software programs for your PC available to buy and some free programs available to download. Family Tree Maker software is available to buy through Ancestry.com. A free program is MyHeritage’s Family Tree Builder.
What do you already know?
- Start with yourself and work backwards through the generations. When you can’t go back any further branch out to siblings and cousins of your ancestors. This can open up new avenues and connect you with fellow researchers of that line.
- Dig out any family documents you may have; letters, cards, memorial cards, wills, deeds, birth/marriage/death certificates. You might not have have looked closely at the before but they might contains hints to help you progress.
- Plan ahead and set out questions before you visit/call. Have plenty of paper to hand and take plenty of notes! Record brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, dates, occupations, place names. Did any relations emigrate? Did they emigrate on their own or with a friend/cousin? Who did they go to? Where did they settle? Even if you don’t think it’s relevant now you may be glad you asked one day. If visiting elderly relatives bring any old photos or documents you have to help jog memories and start conversations. Bring up in conversation any family stories you might have heard and record their version.
- Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, grand aunts, grand uncles could hold information that you don't have. They may have information you don’t, remember things that you don't, they may have old letters, newspaper cuttings or memorial cards. Try to arrange a visit, or if that’s not possible, write to them or arrange a time to call that’s convenient for them. Explain the reason of the visit to give them notice and they might dig out something of importance. Don't forget your questionnaire!
- Ask for copies of anything you think may aid your research. Bring a camera to take photos of newspaper articles, photos that relatives who are a bit reluctant to part with or leave the house. It’s a good idea to practice this method of ‘digitizing’ before you go to get a feel for it. For example, if you take a photo of a glossy photograph with your flash on you’ll just get a white image! A lot of new cameras have a setting for photographing documents.
- Has anyone else in the family started research? They will be more than happy to hear from you. Get contact details for relations you are not in touch with. You might want to share you findings in the future.
Background Research
- To understand and make better use of the resources available, you should be aware of the land divisions of Ireland. Click here for information.
- Become familiar with the variants of the surnames you are researching.
- If the name had/has an O’ prefix it may have been recorded with or without. i.e. O’Sullivan / Sullivan.
- If the name had/has a Mc/Mac prefix it may have been recorded, especially in old Irish records, as M’. i.e. McCabe to M’Cabe, and also with a space between i.e. Mc Cabe. This may affect search engine results.
- Take in account how it may have changed over the years i.e. Graghty to Garrity, Bourke to Burke.
Validation
- Verify the information you have now gathered. A great place to start is FamilySearch. Again, start from your nearest ancestor and go back. Search for the surname, add the parent’s names and keep the birth location general, i.e. Ireland. Then start narrowing your search.
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- Never assume that 'John Murphy' is your 'John Murphy'! Keep record of possibilities but never add them just because of a hunch. It could lead you off track and waste a lot of time.
- You might come across a tree online with your ancestors on – don’t just copy it – verify the sources and double check. Use the information as a new route to go down and continue your own work. Don't trust anyone else's research but your own. This could save you a lot of time.
- Keep note of your sources of information. You might have to revisit a family that you researched 5 years ago, can you guarantee you’ll remember how you found out the name of the husband of your 3rd cousin, twice removed?
Finding Ancestral Homes
Hopefully you know the county your ancestors hailed from. This is the most recorded 'place of origin' in emigration records. Before 1922, Ireland was made up of 32 counties. After 1922, six counties in the North East became ‘Northern Ireland’ and the remaining 26 became the Republic of Ireland. In records taken between 1923- 1937, ‘Republic of Ireland’ born US citizens may have had their birthplace recorded as ‘IFS’ or ‘Irish Free State’.
If you have found out your ancestor’s home from family lore, be mindful that the names the locals call the area may differ from official place names. They may also refer to it in its Irish form and it may be recorded in its English form. It may be of help to record the official name but keep a note of the local name.
Civil registration didn’t start in Ireland until 1864, although civil registration for non-Catholic marriages started in 1845. Parish records pre-date civil records but they differ from church to church and are kept in individual parishes. Parish records can be hard to come by and, in a lot of cases, the information recorded might differ if different priests recorded it i.e. Surnames, addresses, etc. You might find that records for a certain period are missing, this could be down to the fact that they may have been lost or destroyed or simply that the priest at the time didn’t keep record. Irish Parish records are available online (for a fee) at RootsIreland.
If you had ancestors in Ireland in 1901-1911 the Census of Ireland 1901/1911 is a great place to start. Bear in mind the spelling variations that may have been recorded. When searching, a good tip is to enter the first 3 or 4 letters (or so) of the surname followed by *, e.g. Keav* if you’re looking for Keaveney as it should also produce Keaveny, Keavny, Keavney, Keavaney, etc... Try a few, it might be worth it. This search also works on FamilySearch.
Many counties have historical websites, societies and researcher's site with genealogical records or links. This is where a genealogy club or online group could become useful to point you in the right direction.
When you've exhausted all the free resources available, it might be a good time to subscribe to a paid site such as ancestry.com or findmypast.ie. Make sure you don't pay for records that are available for free elsewhere.
See the Resources Page for a list of free, helpful websites.
Widen Your Search
When you have hit brick walls branch out to siblings and cousins of ancestors.
Even if your direct line didn’t emigrate, the chances are that they had siblings, aunts, uncles or cousins who did. Their travel records may state the address of their nearest relative in Ireland or a relative who they were going to. They might have also travelled with someone; a friend, cousin, neighbour? It could open a new line to research.
If you know the townland of your family then do a bit of research on the neighbours. As mentioned above, neighbours might have travelled together. It also helps if you’re familiar with the surnames in the area as they might crop up during your research.
Take note of sponsors on baptism records or witnesses on marriage records, especially Irish records. Relatives were often called upon to be sponsors or witnesses. If there was a female sponsor/witness with a different surname then maybe she was a married relation of you ancestor, although sometimes it was customary for married women to be recorded by their maiden names when they were sponsors or witnesses.
Tips from Fellow Researchers
When asked what tips/advice they would give a newcomer to Irish Genealogy, here is what fellow researchers had to offer.
- Find your local Family History Centre
- Join a genealogy society
- Don’t pay site subscriptions to view records that are free elsewhere on the internet
- Check Website Privacy Settings
- Don't always take record transcribers work as fact