Archive for June 2nd, 2009

Irish Genealogy Search- How to Successfully Trace the Ancestors

Irish genealogy search abroad can be hard and time-consuming, but is not out of the question. Indeed, by utilizing resources available in the internet, one can successfully collect info on the Irish ancestors that, only a few years back, would have needed a trip to Ireland to get. The key is to know what info is available and how best to get it. It’s a free online genealogy search.

Few Things to Consider about Conducting Irish Genealogy Search

First, be cognizant of what public records might still available. Most genealogists bank heavily on birth, death, marriage and census registers. Most Irish records foredating the twentieth century has not endured. A nose count of the Irish population was brought all ten years from 1821 until 1911. Most nineteenth century census registers were destroyed, either as a result of the 1922 bombarding of the Public Records Office in Dublin during the Irish War, or by government order. Nose count returns for every family survive for all 32 counties for 1901 and 1911.

The registration of civil marriages in Ireland was needed starting in 1847. In 1864, further legislation needed the registration of all Roman Catholic marriages as well as all births and deaths. This means that, in theory, all births, deaths and marriages dating to the mid-nineteenth century are in the public registers. In spite of the lawmaking, many important life events were not formally registered. Luckily, no Roman Catholic, Presbyterian or Methodist parish registers had been passed on to the Public Record Office and were not demolished in 1922. Though some 1000 Church of Ireland parish registers were destructed, particularly in Ulster, had not been acceded.

Second, while conducting Irish genealogy search on the Irish ancestry, be cognizant of language and skill. Many Irish were illiterate person prior to the twentieth century and could not spell out their names. The spelling out of their names in public registers may vary from today’s spelling, particularly for the individual who migrated to other countries. Also, finding names may be baffled by spelling out in the Irish language. For example, Sinead is the Irish spelling for Jane. In addition, remember that Roman Catholic parish registers may have been published in Latin.

Finally, one require to know where and how to find the register. The main sources for Irish genealogy search are the public records offices, the archives and the parishes. In summary, it is potential to trace the ancestors from abroad if one is willing to spend the time to search the suit sites. The more that one already knows about the ancestors – names, dates, locations, religion – the easier the Irish genealogy search will be.

Pointers When Seeking Death Records In Genealogy

When creating a genealogy, death records can be one of your biggest assets. Along with birth records and marriage records, death records can provide extremely valuable information about an individual ancestor as well as his family. When creating a family tree, designs and included information may vary from tree to tree. However, a family tree will always account for births, deaths and marriages. It is important to make sure that these dates and locations are accurate.

Modern death records for the United States can be located through the Social Security Death Index. This Index is fully searchable online at no charge. From the Social Security Death Index you can find the birth date, Social Security Number and state of issue, death date and last residence of your ancestor.

To search the Social Security Death Index, simply input as much information as you have. It is possible to search only by last name, thereby finding the death records of everyone who shares a particular surname. This can be useful in starting research on a possible ancestor about whom you know very little or finding a whole new branch of a family tree.

If you are seeking death records from another country or pre-1960s United States death records, you will have to go through alternative sources. If you know the town and approximate year in which your ancestor died, try contacting that town’s offices. You may be able to get information on how to proceed. Also try contacting genealogical societies both locally and online. Some societies publish their own databases of death records and other vital records. These sources are generally based on the members’ research and may not be 100% accurate,  so use caution and document your sources carefully.

You may also want to check military, probate and even prison records to find the death records of a particularly elusive family member. Women’s records can be particularly difficult to find as during some eras, women were considered the property of her husband or father.  Some lives of many women were never at all.

It is possible to use guesswork to fill in the blanks if you simply cannot find certain death records. This is often necessary in the case of persecuted peoples such as Jews or Gypsies as well as slaves. If you cannot find death records for one or more of your family members, then fill in as much information as you can and move on. It is possible that the death records will surface at a later date or you will be able to estimate the approximate time of death with a reasonable degree of accuracy as you obtain more information.