LOCATE A PLACE OF ANCESTRY IN IRELAND USING AMERICAN SOURCES AND PRINTED IRISH RECORDS
Read the first question, responding "yes" or "no," and continue as directed
1. Do family and home sources contain an ancestral Irish place name?
........................................................................................YES read 20 ................. NO read 2
2. Does a printed family or local history contain Irish place name(s)?
........................................................................................YES read 20 ................. NO read 3
3. Does the death certificate, tombstone or newspaper obituary give the ancestor's Irish birthplace?
........................................................................................YES read 20.................. NO read 4
4. Does a will or probate record contain reference to Irish place(s) of origin?
........................................................................................YES read 20 ................. NO read 5
5. Does the marriage record or the birth or baptismal record of an ancestor's child give an Irish place of origin?
....................................................................................... YES read 20 ................. NO read 6
6. Was the ancestor naturalized? [Note: Few women were independently naturalized before 1922]
........................................................................................YES read 7................... NO read 8
7. Does the naturalization record give an Irish place of origin?
.................................................................... .................. YES read 20.................. NO read 8
8. Did the Irish ancestor serve in the US military?
........................................... ........................................... YES read 9 ................. NO read 10
9. Do military records state the ancestor's Irish place of birth?
........................................................................................YES read 20 ................ NO read 10
10. Did a US or state census taker designate an Irish birthplace or county?
....................................................................................... YES read 20 ................ NO read 11
11. Does a ship passenger list indicate last residence in Ireland?
....................................................................... ............... YES read 20................. NO read 12
12. Did the ship sail from an Irish port?
........................................................................................YES read 13 ................ NO read 14
13. Search for shipping records or "catchment basin" data for the shipping line, then ............................ CONTINUE BELOW
14. Can you determine the place of ancestry for a sibling or close relative?
........................................................................................YES read 20 ................ NO read 15
15. Were Irish from a specific county dominant where the immigrant resided or in the church where he or she worshipped?
........................................................................................YES read 20 ................ NO read 16
16. Was the ancestor married in Ireland after 1845 or born there after 1864?
........................................................................................YES read 17..................NO read 18
17. Localize origins by searching the Indexes to Irish Civil Registrations
........................................................................................YES read 20 ................ NO read 19
18. Was the ancestor, or his/her parents or siblings living in Ireland about 1850?
........................................................................................YES read 19 ................ NO read 20
19. Attempt to localize the family from an index to Griffith's Valuations
........................................................................................YES read 23 ................ NO read 22
20. Search Alphabetic Index to Townlands and Parishes. Is the place name a county?
........................................................................................YES read 21 ................ NO read 22
21. Is the place name a civil parish or an identifiable town land?
........................................................................................YES read 23 ................ NO read 24
22. Retrace steps, attempting to localize a parish or townland name for ancestor's known siblings and near relations. ........................................................................................YES read 23 ................ NO read 24
23. End of Search. Consult Lewis' Topographical Index for description and ecclesiastical jurisdictions, and A Guide to Irish Parish Registers or other references to locate available records .........................
24. Seek professional assistance from the Genealogical Office Dublin, the Ulster Historical Foundation Belfast, the Irish Family History Foundation, a local Heritage Center, or a private research service in Ireland.
Copyright © 2001 Edward J. O'Day
Last revised: August 23, 2001