Your Trail of Breadcrumbs to Ireland Begins here!

Where In Ireland were yours from?

Which of the 26 Counties of Ireland? Carlow Kilkenny Offlay Cavan Laois Roscommon Clare Leitrim Sligo Cork Limerick Tipperary Donegal Longford Waterford Dublin Louth Westmeath Galway Mayo Wexford Kerry Meath Wickford Kildare Monaghan

Or, which of the 6 Counties of Northern (British) Ireland?   Antrim Down Armagh Fermanagh Derry Tyrone

As most Irish records are organized by location, you must know where your family lived!

However, the task is not quite as insurmountable as it may first appear. A major aid is that as David Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer, Family-Search has noted: “Surnames were pretty stable and stayed in the same geographic areas over hundreds of years. Because of this we can go to a specific geographic area in Ireland, look for that surname and from there look for the most probable places where your ancestors might have been.”

What do I need to find the name of the place?     At least one of the following: Irish Surname and forename [first name] County Townland and/or town] Parish

Where do I find these things? Irish Surname & Irish forename [first name]?  From YOU!   But for the others,

A native of the parish of Roslea, County Fermanagh

The Townland Index for Roslea

The Townland Index for Freshford

U.S. census birth locations

And what if all you know is the name?   Then we apply Mr. Rencher’s surname stability test.

Tithe Applotments The first Irish tax. Compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings over one acre should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland (the main Protestant church and the church established by the State until its dis- establishment in 1871). Listed head of households only.   Using only your surname, go to http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

Tithe Applotments Surname Forename Townland/Street Parish County Year Hardiman Michl Kilglass Ahascragh Galway 1824 Thomas Peter Wm Drimgriffin Annaghdown John Shehane Park Athenry 1827 Erriff Ballyhean Mayo 1830 Ringarraun Jas Knockawn Ballynakill 1834

Using only your surname, go to Griffith’s Valuation Carried out between 1847 and 1864 to determine liability to pay the Poor rate (for the support of the poor and destitute within each Poor Law Union). Surname Cluster Graphically depict where your surname was in mid-19th century (1847-1864) Ireland. Using only your surname, go to http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm

Surname Map

Surname Results Households by County in Griffith’s 1847-1864 Down 1 Galway 65 Roscommon 14 Westmeath 1 Dublin 1 Mayo 4 Tipperary 1

Using only your surname, go to Griffith's Valuation Provides detailed information by head of family on where people lived in mid-nineteenth century Ireland and the property they possessed. Using only your surname, go to http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.htm or http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation.

Griffith’s Occupier Surname Hardiman Occupier Forename Thomas County Galway Parish Abbeygormacan Townland Knockaun Original Page Map Views

Griffith's Valuation

Irish Censuses 1821, 1831, 1841, 1851 Remnants Check to see which Counties are not included! All Counties in 1901 and 1911 censuses Using your surname, go to http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie

Irish Pension Records Old Age Pension 1908 applicants Parents’ names Residence 1841/1851 Their age 1841/1851 Using only surname, go to http://censussearchforms.nationalarchives.ie/search/cs/home.jsp or https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/2346275

A Pension Record

Using the parish name, go to Irish Church Records Using the parish name, go to http://registers.nli.ie Baptisms 1846 to 1882 Marriages 1846 to 1882 Marriages 26 Apr. 1863 to 02 Feb. 1881 38 images Incomplete

Irish Church Records-Northern Ireland The Church of Ireland currently is getting its records online; they are free to see at http://ireland.anglican.org/about/151

Hope this helps you in following your trail of breadcrumbs to your Irish ancestry