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Next steps in tracing your Irish family history
If you've already taken your
first steps to tracking your Irish family history, it's probably a bit late for this warning, but I'll give it anyway:
Be aware that hunting for and finding ancestors, especially in Ireland, is an addictive pastime. If you want to jump ship, this may be your last chance!
Of course, if you've already enjoyed the thrill of discovering a previously unknown ancestor or have recently uncovered some unexpected information about your forebears, you are quite likely to already be hooked. Don't worry. You're not alone. Irish family history addicts are harmless enough and the condition will bring you pleasure in spades. It's even legal! Trouble is, like most addictions, it makes us impatient. So, too, do our modern lives. "Now! Now! Now!" is the mantra of the 21st century and we are all guilty of expecting the answer to practically every question to be waiting for us on the Internet. Irish genealogy isn't like that (nor is any genealogy, come to that.) Accept that finding your ancestry in Ireland is unlikely to happen in two clicks of a mouse.
It may take months or years. So slow down, enjoy the hunt, and savour the experience.
Your next steps will depend on what you already know after your initial research but will probably include some or all of the following:
For example, if you don't have a pretty good idea of where your ancestors used to live in Ireland, you would be wasting your time hunting through census records. But if you know the surnames of both parties to a marriage, and an approximate date (after 1842 for Church of Ireland, after 1864 for Roman Catholic), it might be better to head straight to the civil registration indexes. You'll have to use your own judgement (or commission a professional genealogist). Irish Genealogy Toolkit will help you to develop that judgement.
By following the links above or the buttons on the menu to the left (they will all appear in due course), you'll gain an understanding of the most important Irish family history sources, find out what their limitations are, and learn to use them effectively when tracking your ancestors.
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Toolkit Top TipApart from adding depth and extra colour and personality to your Irish family history, members of this extended family might have left behind important records that your direct ancestor didn't. Often, siblings or cousins will supply a clue that can launch you over one of the brickwalls you will occasionally encounter in your direct path.
Hello SailorsThe handsome seated chap to the left is my gt gt grandfather, George Nichols. Beside him is his father, John (born Dublin, 1804). George Nichols started out, like his father, as a cabinet maker, but went on to be a seafarer.
He owned several cargo ships that plied the Irish sea between Wicklow, Swansea and Liverpool. The photo above shows a model of one of his schooners.
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2008. Irish Genealogy Toolkit. Dedicated to helping YOU discover your Irish Heritage.
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If you've already taken your
