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 surnames appear in many types of genealogical records. See the records listed below for more details.

How to Use This Page
The following records can assist researchers in finding more about their Irish immigrant ancestors in American records.

Links have been put in at the beginning of each source to help you find more indepth information. These links will help you gain an understanding of the record type. On this page, the other information listed in these sources can help you locate information quickly and guide you to websites or where information can be found. 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
Findmypast.co.uk has the following indexes for British Military: [findmypast]

Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919 National Roll of the Great War 1914-1918

De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour 1914-1918 Royal Naval Division 1914-1919

Army Roll of Honour 1939-1945 Armed forces births 1761-1994 Armed forces marriages 1818-1994 Armed forces deaths 1796-1994

Waterloo Medal Roll 1815

Other army lists/roll calls 1656-1888

Ancestry.co.uk has the following: [Ancestry]

Babergh Hundred Military Survey of 1522 British and German Deserters, Dischargees, and POW's Who May Have Remained in Canada and the USA, 1774-1783. Part One and Two British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 British Army WWI Pension Records 1914-1920 British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920 British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918 British Naval Biographical Dictionary, 1849 Charterhouse Register 1872-1910 Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy, 1660-1815 England, The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918 Great Britain Army War List, January 1893 Great Britain, Royal Naval Division Casualties of The Great War, 1914-1924 Indian Army Quarterly List for 1 January 1912 UK, Army Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 UK, British Army Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 UK, De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914-1924 UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 WWII United News Newsreels, 1942-1946

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]