User:Beccac1229/Sandbox5

= Tips to Narrow Down Results =

** NOTES**

Getting Started in Irish Genealogy
Start with known and go to unknown

Irish surnames are very common

Keep wide focus - don't just focus on immediate ancestor - look at their siblings/extended family in records in country of arrival and in country of origin

Research strategies First look at home records - interview relatives Start with grandparents and then go back to get across the pond To find ancestors in Ireland you MUST have the exact parish or townland

Irish surnames are super common - you cannot expect to find a John Conway if all you know is that he was from County Cork

Take note of neighbors of Irish ancestors in America - they may have immigrated together and one of them may have a record listing their origin

Look at gravestone inscriptions - may list parish or townland of origin in Ireland

Ireland Beginning Research Series Immigration Part 1: Strategies
To find an ancestor in Ireland you need to know: name, date of event (or pretty good approximate date), event place (need to know at least a county), names of family to put them into context, religion, occupation, social status - CREATE AN IDENTITY FOR YOUR ANCESTOR - the more points of reference the better chance you'll get the right fit


 * Ireland Immigration Handout
 * Ireland Emigration and Immigration Wiki

When talking to family - names and relationships more likely to be remembered correctly than dates and places.

Spelling variations - people spelled their names differently - they spelled phonetically O' and Mc' were dropped or added basically at random
 * Irish Surnames - spelling variations

Place names are spelled phonetically.

Remember nicknames for given names

Townlands: The IreAtlas Townland Database

Passenger lists:
 * Not until 1900s did passenger lists begin to include place of origin
 * Passenger lists (outbound) not kept by Great Britain until 1890
 * Passenger lists (incoming) not kept in the US until 1820
 * Passenger lists (incoming) were not kept in Canada consistently until 1865

Strategy:
 * 1) Find EVERYTHING about your ancestor's life in the country of arrival. If the parish/townland of origin not found then:
 * 2) Find everything for everyone they were related to. If the parish/townland of origin not found then:
 * 3) Come forward: documents of their children may reveal Irish origins. If the parish/townland of origin not found then:
 * 4) Find everything for everyone Irish they were associated with (they may have been associated with them in the old country)