Church records are a vital resource for Irish families, but even if you know where your family came from in Ireland, it may still be challenging to find them. Luckily, some websites can access Irish church records, including baptisms, marriages, deaths, and parish registers.
It also includes a searchable database of memorials to those who died during wars in Northern Ireland.
Marriages
Many Irish couples emigrated to find work and often separated for long periods. This means that when searching for your ancestors, you must look at the available records to determine whether you have the right person.
It would be best if you also considered that names were frequently changed to fit in with the culture of their new home. It is common to see prefixes such as ‘the’ or ‘our’ added to names, so search for the full name to ensure you get all the vital information.
Luckily for Irish researchers, many of these historical records are now available online. It is now easier than ever to trace your Irish heritage.
Births
The 1922 fire that destroyed most of Dublin’s Public Records Office left Irish genealogy researchers with a vast gulf to bridge. However, many essential collections survive, and thanks to recent digitization projects, they’re becoming more accessible than ever to access online.
The primary Irish genealogical resources are civil records for births, marriages, and deaths.
It’s also worth knowing that church records are often more comprehensive than civil ones. So, if you’re struggling with Irish family history, try concentrating on church records and tracing your Irish roots back as far as possible through them. It’s also helpful to know the naming patterns of your Irish ancestors, which can help you track them down in the Irish genealogy records. Knowing their mother’s maiden name, in particular, is helpful because it can lead you back to their father’s family.
Deaths
Because of poor economic conditions and devastating events such as the Great Famine, Irish people spread across the world to find better lives. Tracing your Irish ancestors can be difficult but possible, as many records are now available online.
One of the best ways to start your research is by searching death records. You can also look for church or land records that recorded the value of tithes (taxes) paid to the Church of Ireland on Irish land. It is also worth looking at countries your ancestors traveled to and spent time in, such as England, Scotland, America, or Australia, as they may have left records there. You can also try contacting local family history societies in these locations.
Censuses
While many irreplaceable Irish records were blown up in 1922, some have survived.
Tracing ancestors in Ireland requires familiarity with the complexities of administrative divisions. Knowing the difference between a parish, townland, civil registration district, barony, and county can help narrow your search.
Parish Registers
Parish registers, baptisms, marriages, and burials are a vital source of information when researching your family history. They pre-date civil registration, which began in Ireland in 1864, so they are an invaluable tool for tracing your Irish ancestors.
You can access online indexes to parish records through sites, but always try to get access to the original documents where possible. This will give you more information than the indexes and can pick up erroneous entries, such as names changed to fit into society or incorrect spelling.
You can also access online records such as tithe applotment books, which record the value of land paid to the church and can reveal where your ancestors lived at that time. Alternatively, many Family History Societies are prepared to search their parish and nonconformist indexes for you for a fee.
Land Records
Due to their extreme poverty and emigration in droves, many Irish ancestors left behind land records. These documents can be a precious resource for genealogy research.
The most important of these are deeds which document the transfer or sale of ownership to real property. They often contain explicit statements of relationships, such as heirs of deceased land owners, or they provide other indirect evidence of family connections.
Military Records
Since 1700, between 9 and 10 million people born in Ireland have left their homeland for work, love, and adventure. Tracing these ancestors can be rewarding yet daunting, but finding the right records and tools for your research can help you uncover new details about their lives in the United States and across the pond.
When searching for military records, it’s essential to have the individual’s full name including their maiden and middle names. Additionally, it’s helpful to have a clear idea of the branch of service and if they were enlisted or officers.
Some of the most valuable records to search for in this category are draft records, service records, bounty land records, and pension applications. All of these records contain various pieces of information that can provide valuable insights for researchers.