| Marriage Certificate: | LEGAL firstly, because there is usually more family information than
in the Church records, especially names of parents CHURCH |
| Death Certificate: | Names of Deceased Parents; Deceased Possible Age, but mostly is
incorrect Funeral Director Burial Place |
| Census: | Gives information such as years of entry into the USA and naturalisation. NB: ALL possible censuses should be found to compare ages and answers to questions |
| Naturalisation: | The Application rather than Declaration of Intention, or the final Grant. This application - stage two of the process - is often the only place where the locality information is listed. The townland will probably be spelt phonetically, so care will be needed to identify correctly. Use any available index to the Townlands of Ireland, now on microfiche [1901] and reprinted [1851] |
| Shipping Lists: | Very few are indexed, so searching can be very frustrating and
fruitless. Unless one knows the exact year, this search can be tedious and frustrating without indexes. Normally shipping lists do not show location of origin, but the port of embarkation Check published sources, such as the Filby volumes, Glazier's Famine Emigrants, NEHGS Missing Friends. Remember that Ellis Island was not opened until 1892. |
| Headstones & Graves: | Often the only place where the locality of origin is shown. If damaged - repair them. [Believe me, this has worked!] |
| Family: | Talk to ALL Relatives, young or old; check and cross-check
the stories you are told. No-one will tell you the exact same
information. Were any of the emigrant's siblings in religion? If so, check the archives of the order or diocese to see if the baptismal certificate has survived. Search through photographs and family papers; It is surprising where there are clues to location, such as a family poem, a song or story. Documents, Wills, Leases, Family Bible Memories of any visitors from Ireland? Any letters from Ireland? |
| Miscellaneous: | Newspaper Obituaries and be sure to read all the newspapers published
in the locality ANY, ANY, ANYTHING at all such as: Words used in speech can identify a location. Photographs (style of dress, etc.)? Family poetry? |
| REMEMBER: | You may have the vital location among your folklore without realising it. Send exact copies of your documents to the genealogist rather than your analysis of researches. There could be clues therein that you have ignored. |
| THERE IS HELP NEARBY: | Consult your local library/telephone book for: [1] Local/county/state Genealogical Society or Family History Society [2] Nearest Family History Centre [under Church of the Latter Day Saints] [3] Internet - but be sure what you are collecting is good information |
It seems that ages were recorded to suit the circumstances, A young boy might declare an older age at emigration, so that he would be admitted into the country; then as he approached old age, he would be likely to list himself as younger, to keep his employment. Frequently a woman would register a younger than she was because of both job and marriage opportunities. And, of course, people do forget how old they are! There is an Irish saying “I must get my age from the Priest” showing that the baptismal registers would be consulted, eg before applying for an Old Age Pension. Our forefathers knew that they could not rely on their memories. Therefore, a death certificate or headstone saying “65 years 3 months 2 days” cannot be used to find an exact birth date. The emigrants were usually older than the records indicate; the largest gap I have found is fourteen years.
Keeping an open mind about findings is particularly true in the terms of 21st century technology. There is much family and genealogical data available through the Internet. However, do not take this information as ‘true’ without checking it out. The same principle applies to the several genealogical CD ROMs now available. The source of information should be determined, and the data should be checked by other resources. Public records now online include Scottish Origins, Irish Transportation to Australia, the War Graves Commission and the International Genealogical Index, part of the the Genealogical Society of Utah’s database. However, much of the ‘genealogical’ material found on family-history web pages and bulletin boards is very unreliable and needs to be verified from the source documents. The Internet can introduce relatives to each other, but as most of the Irish sources are not online, personal searching of baptisms, marriages, probate, local studies and other records is still essential.
Do not neglect locating the headstones of the emigrants. Often these memorials are the only source of townland location.