Finding an Irish Ancestor Using United States Records

Notes on Immigration
The Irish emigration to the United States spans several centuries. By far, the most significant ports for North America included, Boston, Philadelphia, Grosse Ilse, City of Quebec, Montreal in Province of Quebec, Baltimore, especially 19th Century New York, Portland Maine, New Orleans, Atlanta, San Francisco. Ports of embarkation and ports of call included Liverpool, Belfast, Waterford, Cork, Dublin, Southampton, Bristol, and London.

Due to the English Crown Government's austere laws, i.e. Penal Act of 1695, which drove many native Irishmen from their lands, and out onto the streets, it induced many able-bodied Irish to emigrant with their families, where means were possible. Catholic or Protestant families may show up in Catholic and Protestant records in the United States. Irish emigrant surnames appear in many types of genealogical records. For a more in-depth study on just which United States records the researcher should first seek, in order to learn the specific place of birth or their [Irish origins, you can view this article].

See the records listed below for more details.

How to Use This Page
The following records listed below can and may quickly assist researchers in finding more about their Irish immigrant ancestors in American records (see links). The wiki and these sources should be a useful guide.

British Military
For more indepth information on British Military for Ireland, try our wiki under [England Military Records]

Many Irish have joined the Military and this Military covers many branches.

British Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Royal Navy

Records of hospitals: Chelsea, Greenwich, Kilmainham

Online records
Ancestry.com offers the following important records databases from U.S. Military sources:

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Military 24,016,021 U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Military 7,108,005 U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Military 8,369,212 U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 Military 6,402,239 U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 Military 6,261,619 American Civil War Soldiers Military 4,252,125 U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles Military 4,257,810 Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 Military 2,078,784 U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 Military 1,378,006 U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 Military 425,724 Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865 Military 1,565,511 U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1940 Military 11,989,087 American Civil War Regiments Military 6,508 U.S. Navy Cruise Books, 1950-1988 Military 86,206 U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 Military 391,018 WWI Civilian Draft Registrations Military 1,231,099 War of 1812 Service Records Military 582,271 Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1861-1865 Military 193,819 Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903 Military 170,057 War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815 Military 2 WWII U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Muster Rolls, 1939-1949 Military 1,041,701 Confederate Service Records, 1861-1865 Military 57,571 U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945 Military 357,086 Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution Military 1,043 Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots The National Archives (NARA) provides the following rich repertoire of records:

Compiled Service Records:
Compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. They will provide you with your ancestor's rank, unit, date mustered in and mustered out, basic biographical information, medical information, and military information.

Pension Applications and Pension Payment Records:
The National Archives also has pension applications and records of pension payments for veterans, their widows, and other heirs. The pension records in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. are based on service in the armed forces of the United States between 1775 and 1916. Pension application files usually provide the most genealogical information. These files often contain supporting documents such as: narratives of events during service, marriage certificates, birth records, death certificates, pages from family Bibles, family letters, depositions of witnesses, affidavits, discharge papers and other supporting papers.

Bounty Land:
Bounty land warrant application files relate to claims based on wartime service between 1775 and March 3, 1855. If your ancestor served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, early Indian Wars, or the Mexican War, a search of these records may be worthwhile. Bounty land records often contain documents similar to those in pension files, with lots of genealogical information. Many of the bounty land application files relating to Revolutionary War and War of 1812 service have been combined with the pension files.

Numerous wars have been fought, providing researchers with records for the following war campaigns:


 * American Revolution
 * War of 1812
 * Mexican War
 * Civil War
 * Wars on American soil
 * Spanish American War
 * Philippine Insurrection
 * Boxer Rebellion
 * World War I
 * World War II
 * Korean War
 * Vietnam War

Census
The census records can show Irish by listing their birthplace. All the census records from 1841-1911 will show a birthplace of Ireland or a specific place in Ireland that the person was born.

For more indepth information on Census for England, try our wiki under [England Census]

The census of England is available online from 1841-1901 at these websites:

www.findmypast.co.uk/

www.thegenealogist.co.uk

www.ancestryinstitution.com

The census of England is available online for 1911 at this websites: www.findmypast.co.uk

The census of England is available online for 1841, 1861 and 1871 at this website:

www.britishorigins.com

The census of England is available online for 1841 and 1861 at this website:

http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=allCollections;r=1

Family History Library
The Family History Library has the census of 1841-1901 on microfilm and for freeaccess of the above websites with many indexes of the census 1841-1901. The Library also has some pre-1841 census records for England that will have Irish listed. look at www.familysearch.org at the Family History Library Catalog

Church Records
For more indepth information on Church Records for England, try our wiki under England Church Records: [England Church Records

Church records are plentiful in England 1538-present. 1538 is when parish registers of the Church of England were required to be kept on parchment and the records in most parishes still exist. Other religions are known as Non-Conformists and good records have been kept. Since the higher percentage of the population of Irish were Catholic, the church records of the Catholic Church must be highly considered. The church records for all religions can encompass Births, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths, Burials, Monumental Inscriptions, Minutes from meetings, business records, tithing, rates, payments, attendance, members, church histories. Our listing here is to direct to Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, and Burials under each religion shown.

How do you find the records and access them?

Online

Record Office, Repository or Library

Original Church

Civil Registration
For more indepth information on Civil Registration for England, try our wiki under [civil registration

Civil registration for England and Wales in available is some way in an index form from 1 July 1837 to the present.

Civil registration is the recording of birth, marriage and deaths in a certificate form.

Certificates can be obtained from:

www.gro.gov.uk

The cost is seven pounds or more depending on how quickly and if you have a reference to the certificate.

Indexes to the certificates can be viewed in many ways:

Free online index produced by volunteers is:

www.freebmd.org.uk  This index is incomplete has over 230 million records

Other indexes for pay include

www.ancestry.co.uk This index is very complete and offers better coverage of indexes. Easy quick searches for larger periods of time.

www.findmypast.co.uk This index is complete. This index is lacking in larger period of time searches. Takes longer to search, but can be done.

www.thegenealogist.co.uk The index is complete, but must be searched quarter by quarter for each year of interest.

Occupation
Occupations and finding work was necessary for the Irish to survive or have a better way of life. Many Irish came to England looking for work. The following link provides information on [England Occupational Records]

Probate
The wiki for England has been provided with links to probate records for each county. Search under the county and the probate records and this will lead to indexes and probate records of wills, administrations, act books, etc. This link takes you to the England page that show a map of all the counties of England. For probate click on the county of interest and then click on probate records. [England probate records]