Trace your ancestors f

1. How to trace your ancestors back to
Ireland
Erin Apostolos-erin@meredithlibrary.org
Meredith Public Library

2.  Seven Lessons on researching Irish
Genealogy: Getting Started, Immigration,
Famine and Post Famine Sources, Ulster
and Scots Irish Sources, Church Records,
Civil Registration, Irish Immigration to
North America
 https://www.familysearch.org/learningcente
r/results.html?fq=place%3A%22Ireland%2
2

3.  Searching for ancestors of William
Gallagher: my paternal grandfather
 Born April 2, 1900 in East Boston, MA
 Married in 1921; eight children
 WWI Era Veteran; award in early 90’s
 Parents were Mitchell and Margaret
(Gillis)
 Worked at City Railroad
 Died in 1998
 Father murdered in Brooklyn 1905-1910
 Catholic

4.  Siblings of William: Jennie, Andrew,
Louise and Sadie
 Sadie died giving birth around 1917
 Louise married a Kinder; two
daughters
 William’s father was a Protestant; his
mother secretly baptized her children
Catholic
 Mitchell Gallagher killed with brass
knuckles in apartment building;
children witnessed
 Family came from Northern Ireland

5.  http://www.americanancestors.org/
pre 1850-1915 MA Vital Records-Free
in Library
 Birth Record-Parents’ Names,
occupation, address, DOB, Parents’
place of birth
 Search Familysearch.org, Ancestry,
State Vital Records for Birth Records

6.  http://www.archives.gov and click on “I
want to get my military record”
 Need to be parent, non-remarried
spouse or child of veteran for request
and veteran must be deceased.
 Records older than 62 years are
archived and open to the public
http://www.archives.gov/st-
louis/archival-programs/index.html

7.  Since Mitchell was born in Boston, likely
he is married locally.
 Search http://
http://www.americanancestors.org/ or
familysearch.org for records
 Names, age at marriage, where living,
occupation, place of birth, parents’
names, whether or not 1st marriage,
official’s name

8.  We have place of birth and the name
of his parents (William and Jane) from
his marriage record.
 Search
http://www.americanancestors.org
or http://familysearch.org for birth or
baptismal records.

9.  Born 24 NOV 1867 on 335 Chelsea
Street, East Boston, MA
 Parents William and Jane of Ireland
 Married to Maggie Gillis of Nova Scotia
21 APR 1894
 Lived 89 Prescott when William was
born 2 APR 1900
 Worked as a cork cutter
 Likely died between 1905-1910
Brooklyn

10.  Googled “New York Death Index”
 http://www.italiangen.org/NYCDeath.st
m
 Found this Website which listed death
records for the years I was looking.

11.  With the date I was able to e-mail the
NY Public Library and ask for a
newspaper article regarding the death.
They found it.
 I was also able to write to the New
York The New York City Municipal
Archives with the death certificate
number and get a copy of it.
 Using death certificate was able to
track down cemetery where he is
buried. Stone was missing. 
 Found William and Letitia Stone

12.  Using Ancestry.com in library: 1900 US
Federal Census Record
 Household members and relationship,
occupations, birthplace, birthplace of
parents, month and year of birth, street
address, year of immigration, whether or
not naturalized, read, write or speak
English, owned own home, mortgage,
house or farm, how many children and
how many living, whether or not married,
widowed, divorced

14.  Born in Ireland MAR 1827
 He is a widower
 Immigrated in 1852 and is a naturalized
citizen of the United States
 Worked as a teamster
 Owns his own home on Prescott street
with a mortgage
 Son Mitchell’s family is living with him

15.  He is not on 1910 Census. Check MA
Vital Records at
http://www.americanancestors.org
for death record.
 William died 28 AUG 1900 from
dysentery. Parents William Gallagher
and Letitia Mitchell.

18.  Found on Family Search

20. Found on Family Search-Jane is here with the children, but where is William?
He must have come as they have a son William born a year after her
immigration.

21.  1852 Ship Manifest-New York Arrival;
likely him but not 100% sure.
 10 FEB 1853 Jane and two oldest
children on passenger list

22.  Probate records and Registry of Deeds for
William Gallagher’s will and property
records
 Familysearch.org for siblings of William; try
to find them in the US
 Naturalization Records-will list county of
origin
 Newspaper articles
 Fraternal Organizations

23.  Familysearch.org lists three siblings for
William: Thomas, Sarah, Mary. All four
children have William and Letitia as their
parents. All four were christened in
Lower Cumber, Londonderry, Ireland.

24.  Click
on desired country (Derry). Search
on name and date (using free info from
Familysearch.org. To look at a record on
brsgenealogy.com is about $7.50. )

26.  http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-
valuation/

27.  Go to “Catalog”
 Try searching on the county of your
ancestor
 Order microfilm here after signing in to
your account and choosing a default
Family History Center Location:
https://www.familysearch.org/films/; if you
click on fill number in record it will fill out
form by default if logged in.
 $7.50 for the loan

28.  https://www.familysearch.org/search/collec
tion/list#page=1&countryId=1927084 For
Irish Resources
 Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881
 Ireland Deaths, 1864-1870
 Ireland Marriages, 1619-1898
 Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-
1958

29.  Click on “Search” and Choose UK and
Ireland. Can then choose Ireland or
Northern Ireland
 Can narrow by county
 Vital Records
 Military Records
 Probate and Taxes

30.  Tudor and Stuart Muster Rolls
• Lists of large landlords of Ulster and the names
of the men they could summon to fight
 Books of Survey and Distribution (1636)
• Records ownership before Cromwell
confiscations c. 1641 and after, 1666-1668.
 The Civil Survey, A.D.1654-1656
• Details of wills and deeds relating to land title
• Counties: Cork, Derry, Donegal, Dublin, Kildare,
Kilkenny, Limerick, Meath, Tipperary, Tyrone,
Waterford and Wexford

31.  Census of Ireland, circa 1659
• Names of persons with title to land, total number
of English and Irish in each townland and principal
Irish names in each barony.
• Five counties NOT included: Cavan, Galway,
Mayo, Tyrone, and Wicklow.
 Hearth Money Rolls
• Antrim, Sligo at NEHGS, maybe more
• Lists householder’s names and number of
hearths.

32.  The Convert Rolls (1703-1838)
• List of those converting from Catholicism to
the Church of Ireland.
 Census of Elphin 1749
• Lists householders, their religion, sex, names
of servants. Counties Galway, Roscommon
and Sligo

33.  SurnameIndex for the 1796 Spinning-
Wheel Premium
• Name person and parish in which he lived
• Dublin and Wicklow Counties have no listing

34.  Tithe Applotment Books
• 1823-1838-Tithing to the Church of Ireland-
Name of person making payment and
townland
 Return
of Owners of Land of one Acre
and upwards 1876
• Lists name of owner, address along with
extent and valuation of property

35.  IrishImmigrant Ads-Boston Pilot 1831-
1920-Finding lost relatives
 Session Book of Aghadowey, 1702-1725
(Protestant Immigrants of Londonderry,
Ireland)
 Cork, Ireland: Index to the Marriage
License Bonds of the Diocese of Cloyne,
Ireland (1630-1800)

36.  Deaths Reported in the Boston Recorder
and Telegraph, 1827 and 1828
(Revolutionary War Veterans noted with an
asterisk)
 Protestant Housekeepers: Antrim, Derry,
Donegal, and Londonderry, 1740-Census

37.  http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/
• FREE 3 million church records pre-1900 from
Carlow, Cork, Ross, Dublin City and Kerry;
various religions
 http://askaboutireland.ie/ Reading
Room and Griffith’s
 http://www.proni.gov.uk/ Northern
Ireland
 http://www.genuki.org.uk/ Free UK,
Ireland

38.  http://www.rootsireland.ie/ Non-Profit
Irish Genealogy Site; about $7.50 per
record to view-18 million records
 http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ Includes
free 1901 1911 Census
 http://www.emeraldancestors.com/
subscription-Vital Records Counties
Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh,
Londonderry and Tyrone

39.  http://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ Irish
Newspaper Archive 1700’s to Present-
Search archive for free, but is a
subscription service
 http://www.failteromhat.com/index.php A
personal genealogy site with links to
great resources
 http://www.irishfamilyresearch.co.uk/
Some free resources; focus on rare 19th
Century records

40.  Tracing Your Irish Ancestors by John
Greenham
 Irish Roots Magazine
 A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland
by Brian Mitchell
 How to Do Everything Genealogy by
Geoge G. Morgan
 Podcasts
• http://www.genealogyguys.com Genea. Guys
• http://www.irishroots.com Irish Roots