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On this page we hope to share information with you to make your research time here and in Ireland more enjoyable and efficient. Some of these Hints and Tips are from our own personal experiance, some are from our friends while others we saw while we were reading or surfing the Internet. It is doubtful all your research questions will be answered on this one page but hopefully you will gain some knowledge about what information you need before you can truely be an effective researcher of Irish ancestors.

This is a very new experience for us and our very first effort at a web page, so please have patience, and check back often. We have lots more we want to add to these pages in the near future.

Thank You . 

What's in A Name (Includes, what's in a name, additional information, other points to keep in mind)

Finding Your Ancestors in Ireland (Includes, fact's to keep in mind, after exhausting all american records, there a several general indexes which could be consulted,; determine the jurisdiction of your place in Ireland in as much detail as possible)

Naturalization and Immigration (Includes, introduction, the courts, general rule, exceptions to general rule, the records, location of records, federal court records, more information, finding immigration records, how to get your ancestors papers from the immigration and naturalization service.)

Pot O' Gold by Myra Vanderpool Gormley (Includes, lost your Irish ancestor?, census goes into detail)

Emmigrant Savings Bank (Includes, Emigrant Savings Bank records, 1841-1945, bulk (1841-1923), mostly for NYC)

Definitions of terms found during Irish Research (Includes a breakdown and explanation of the areas in Ireland)

Griffith's Valuation

Irish Census and other Records

Estate Records

We are going to talk about some very basic needs before you can even think about doing research in Ireland. Irish research is DIFFICULT at best. Some reasons for this is because existing records are not centralized and are very hard to find.

The first and biggest mistake most people make once they find out they have and Irish ancestor, whether it be from a census or family word of mouth, is think they can just "hop across the pond" and start researching. NOT SO WITH IRISH RESEARCH!!

Two of the most basic needs to research in Ireland are the names of the Townland and/or Parish. Without one or both of these place names you won't get anywhere. You also need a basic knowledge of the various ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS of Ireland, which we will discuss at another time.

Now, where and how to find this information. After you have searched the most common sources or information, (census, death certificates and so on), you will need to look for at least one record that gives you either the Parish or Townland your ancestor came from. This record could be an obituary, a grave stone inscription, naturalization record or even a will.

It is highly unlikely ships passenger lists will provide very much, if any at all, useful information. This comment comes from experience. We spent an entire week going through passenger list microfilms in the National Archives in D.C. In my particular case just about every ship had at least 2 Michael GRADYS', and some had as many as 5 Michael GRADYS'. Also EVERY roll we looked at said place of origin "Ireland". So in completion, if you have not found that Parish or Townland name, you are not ready to search in Ireland. You still have more to do on this side of the "pond".

WHAT'S IN A NAME AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Genealogy is a time consuming, tedious and often times frustrating hobby. While the road to success has many roadblocks and detours, the satisfaction and pleasure of getting the one more piece of information about your past that sends you back an entire generation is almost to great to describe.

Maybe I should have said that the road to success MAY HAVE many roadblocks because if we are prepared for them we can move right along with our research without losing valuable time and money searching for the non existent ancestor. In some circles it is said that "Names are changed to protect the innocent." In genealogy we can say "Names are changed just to cause us problems."

We also often times overlook information that is available to us on records that we get for other reasons. We spend years finding and getting a copy of a death certificate because we want to prove a date and place of death for an ancestor and overlook other information that the death certificate can give us. We will talk about that in a minute. First let's talk about ....

WHAT'S IN A NAME

Names are VERY OFTEN misspelled and/or anglicized. Often an immigrant entering a country was giving their information to another immigrant, (equaling) two foreign accents colliding! Examples:

A - Mary sounds like (therefore may be written as) Marie, or visa-versa.

B - Franzeska becomes Franchesca = Frances

This can cause us to not find ancestors unless we constantly be on guard for this. As an example, If we are researching a British surname SMITH ... we would not want to automatically discount anyone that spelled their name SMYTH or SMYTHE. Using the same example if the family were of German descent, watch out for the SCHMIDTs, they just might be yours.

In one branch of my family, my GGGGF is Johannes KRON and his father is Johannes CRON. The farther back you go in your research the more likely you are to find many people were illiterate or completely uneducated. This results in many misspelling or names written according to the way it sounds.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Very often a wealth of information is overlooked, or, the researcher is just not aware of the information that can be gained. During this portion we hope to make you aware of some possibilities.

During their research many researchers overlook a lot of information that is available to them. In many cases, researchers aren't even aware of what they have, much less how much more is available. I will give you a few examples of my own experiences.

1 - I had gotten a death certificate on one aunt and one uncle (sister and brother) but they lived quite far apart. One lived in Brooklyn and the other in Westchester. She was married and so had a different surname. Going over the death certificates for the 3rd or 4th time it finally hit me that they were both buried in the same cemetery. That seemed odd since she was married and lived elsewhere.

I wrote to the cemetery and requested a copy of the cemetery records with the grave site, plot # etc. Well, I almost fell over when I received the reply. It turned out to be a family plot. I found my great grandparents, great great grandparents, and all sorts of uncles, aunts, great uncles and great aunts, 30 in all!!!

2 - In another line, I got my great grandmothers death certificate. Her death certificate stated that she died in St. Roses' Hospital. I wrote to the hospital and they sent me a copy of her admittance sheet and the information it contained.

3 - In yet another line, I wrote for a copy of my great grandfathers will. I received a copy of it in its' entirety. Lo and behold my great grandfather owned a Cigar and Candy store in Brooklyn along with owning the WHOLE apartment building and a Powder Puff Factory on Willis Ave. in the Bronx.

The will also said that he requested to be buried in his "Knights Templar Uniform". It gave the address of one of my great aunts that had moved to Washington, DC to work after her husband was buried in "the family plot".

4 - On a research trip to D.C. I found old N.Y. newspapers in The Library of Congress on microfilm . There I found my great grandfather's obituary. In his obit was listed the County and Parish in Ireland where he was born. With that information, I went to a different room in the Library. I found the Irish Catholic Directory and went to the pages listing the County, then the Parishes with all the Catholic Churches addresses in that Parish. From that I started writing letters to every single Catholic Church in the Parish.

In one of the responses I received, the Parish Priest said he found the records of my great grandfather, one brother and two sisters. Another Hit!!! I wrote again requesting copies of the birth certificates. On those were listed the names of my great, great grandparents. Plus one godmother and one godfather had the same surname as my great great grandmother's maiden name, (a sister and a brother of hers).

The point I am making is: Don't overlook any possibilities, no matter how small or insignificant the may seem. You just never know what you might overlook. BE THROUGH!!!!!! Write that one more letter asking for information. You never know just what kind of treasure chest you my uncover.

OTHER POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND

Often times the person giving the information for death certificates and such may not always know the correct data, year, or age. Allow yourself at least 5 possibly 10 years on either side.

When the Irish entered the US in the 1800's they were discriminated against and as a result could not find suitable employment in a lot of areas. As a result, some actually changed the name on purpose to make them sound more English. As a result you may find that your CALLAHANs here are called O'CALLAGHAN in Ireland.

To research in Ireland is difficult at best. Without the name of a Townland and Parish �. .just about impossible. THE COUNTY IS NOT ENOUGH. If that is all you have you still have a lot more research here to do.

FINDING YOUR ANCESTORS IN IRELAND

I. Learn everything possible about the immigrant and his family from North American records. It is nearly impossible to trace ancestors without first knowing the place of origin in Ireland. You will want to search every possible source for clues as to this place of origin before you begin research in Irish records. If you do this it will greatly improve your chance of success in doing Irish research.

a. vital records (family records - old letters)

b. obituaries

c. church records

d. land records

e. naturalization records

f. immigration records

g. military records

h. court records

i. counties or local histories

j. probate records

k. census records

 II. FACTS TO KEEP IN MIND:

a. There were no exact sailing schedules as late as 1850. This resulted in some people moving for a short time to a seaport town. Main seaports towns are: Belfast, Dublin, Cork, and Waterford.

b. Many small ships took people to England (especially Liverpool) to await a larger ship going to America. Some people may have remained in England for a short period.

c. Place names may have been misheard, misspelled, or misquoted.

d. Traditions may be entirely incorrect.

e. Emigrants often moved in groups. If you cannot get the place of origin for your ancestor, trace one or more of the families who might have moved with him or lived near him. They often stayed near each other after settling in North America.

f. Few emigration records exist for people leaving Ireland. There are no official records for emigration from Ireland to North America prior to 1815. Your best source would be United States or Canadian immigration records.

g. History is important because conditions in certain parts of the country (Ireland) might have been causes for emigration.

III. IF, AFTER EXHAUSTING ALL AMERICAN RECORDS, YOU HAVE NOT DETERMINED THE PLACE OF ORIGIN IN IRELAND, THERE ARE SEVERAL GENERAL INDEXES FOR IRELAND WHICH COULD BE CONSULTED.

a. Civil Registration.1845-present. Genealogical Society.

b. Surname Index to Tithe Applotment Records (c.1830). Ireland.

c. Surname Index to the Valuation Records (c.1850-55. Ireland.

d. Registry of Deeds, Surname Index, 1708 -1904. Genealogical Society.

e. Probate Indexes. These are not always for the entire country but rather for ecclesiastical areas and may be found useful in locating residence. Genealogical Society.

f. General books about Irish surnames. Genealogical Society.

g. Index to the Collections at the Genealogical Office in Dublin. Genealogical Society.

h. Index to the Collections at the Public Record Office in Belfast. Genealogical Society. 

IV. DETERMINE THE JURISDICTION OF YOUR PLACE IN IRELAND IN AS MUCH DETAIL AS POSSIBLE. THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS WILL -ALL- BE IMPORTANT AND SHOULD BE DETERMINED:

A. PROVINCE - there are four provinces in Ireland consisting of several counties each. They are: Ulster, Leinster, Connaught, and Munster.

B. COUNTY - there are 32 counties in Ireland. There are two counties that have changed their names, Leix or Laoighis or Laois formerly Queen's County and Offaly (Ua Failghe) formerly King's County.

C. BARONY - the barony is usually an area of land within a county. It is based on old tribal jurisdictions. There are 325 baronies.

D. DIOCESE - this is an ecclesiastical division. There are 28 dioceses for the Church of Ireland. The boundary of each diocese does not always correspond to the counties boundaries.

E. PARISH - this is a smaller division of diocese. It can contain several towns or cities or there may be many parishes in a large city. There were 2,447 parishes in Ireland.

F. CITY AND/OR TOWN - this is civil jurisdiction.

G. TOWNLAND - these are small parcels of land which sometimes represent small farms or acreage. There are about 60,000 of them.

MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE PREVIOUS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN YOU LOCAL FHL - BE SURE TO CHECK THE "IRISH LOCALITY CATALOGUE".

Naturalization and Immigration

The topic of Naturalization and Immigration comes up all the time in Genealogy and there are some who don't really understand the process, what records are available or where these records are.

I have gathered the following information from The National Archives and Records Administration Web address and other sources.

National Archives and Records Administration

Naturalization Records

Introduction

Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. It is a voluntary act; naturalization is not required. Of the foreign-born persons listed on the 1890 through 1930 censuses, 25 percent had not become naturalized or filed their "first papers."

 The Courts

From the first naturalization law passed by Congress in 1790 through much of the 20th century, an alien could become naturalized in any court of record. Thus, most people went to the court most convenient to them, usually a county court. The names and types of courts vary from State to State. The names and types of courts have also varied during different periods of history-

--but may include the county supreme, circuit, district, equity, chancery, probate, or common pleas court. Most researchers will find that their ancestors became naturalized in one of these courts. A few State supreme courts also naturalized aliens, such as the supreme courts of Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, New Jersey, and South Dakota. Aliens who lived in large cities sometimes became naturalized in a Federal court, such as a U.S. district court or U.S. circuit court.

General Rule: The Two-Step Process

Congress passed the first law regulating naturalization in 1790 (1 Stat. 103). As a general rule, naturalization was a two-step process that took a minimum of 5 years. After residing in the United States for 2 years, an alien could file a "declaration of intent" (so-called "first papers") to become a citizen. After 3 additional years, the alien could "petition for naturalization."

After the petition was granted, a certificate of citizenship was issued to the alien. These two steps did not have to take place in the same court. As a general rule, the "declaration of intent" generally contains more genealogically useful information than the "petition. "The "declaration" may include the alien's month and year (or possibly the exact date) of immigration into the United States.

Exceptions to the General Rule

Having stated this "two-step, 5-year" general rule, it is necessary to note several exceptions.

The first major exception was that "derivative" citizenship was granted to wives and minor children of naturalized men. From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens. This also meant that an alien woman who married a US citizen automatically became a citizen. Conversely, an American woman who married an alien lost her US citizenship, even if she never left the United States.) From 1790 to 1940, children under the age of 21 automatically became naturalized citizens upon the naturalization of their father. Unfortunately, however, names and biographical information about wives and children are rarely included in declarations or petitions filed before September 1906.

The second major exception to the general rule was that, from 1824 to 1906, minor aliens who had lived in the United States 5 years before their 23rd birthday could file both their declarations and petitions at the same time. The third major exception to the general rule was the special consideration given to veterans. An 1862 law allowed honorably discharged Army veterans of any war to petition for naturalization--without previously having filed a declaration of intent--after only 1 year of residence in the United States.

A 1894 law extended the same no-previous-declaration privilege to honorably discharged 5-year veterans of the Navy or Marine Corps. Over 192,000 aliens were naturalized between May 9, 1918, and June 30, 1919, under an act of May 9, 1918, that allowed aliens serving in the US armed forces during "the present war" to file a petition for naturalization without making a declaration of intent or proving 5 years' residence. Laws enacted in 1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952 continued various preferential treatment provisions for veterans. 

The Records

It is impossible to provide hard-and-fast rules about the content or even the existence of naturalization records. The 1905 Report to the President of the Commission on Naturalization remarked:

The methods of making and keeping the naturalization records in both the Federal and State courts are as various as the procedure in such cases. Thus the declaration of intention in some courts consists merely of the bare statement of the intention and the name and allegiance of the alien, while in other courts it also includes a history of the alien....

�In a majority of courts alien applicants are not required to make the declaration of intention required by law ... and in other courts he is. Previous to 1903 a majority of courts did not require petitions or affidavits; other courts did. Some courts keep a naturalization record separate from the other records; other courts include the naturalization record in the regular minutes of the court. Some records contain full histories of the aliens, but a majority of the records show only the name, nationality, oath of allegiance, and date of admission.

In 1903 a Justice Department investigator made even more condemnatory comments:

I find the naturalization records in many cases in a chaotic condition, many lost and destroyed, and some sold for old paper. Most the records consist of merely the name and nativity of the alien with no means of identifying aliens of the same name. In numerous cases I find aliens naturalized under initials instead of Christian names, surnames misspelled or changed entirely, and names of witnesses inserted in place of the alien naturalized.

The examination of the records discloses the remarkable fact that never, since the first enactment of the naturalization laws, has any record been made in any court of the names of minor children who, under the operation of the statutes, were made citizens by the naturalization of their parents.

The Location of these Records

County Court Records

Naturalization records from county courts may still be at the county court, in a county or State archives, or at a regional archives serving several counties within a State. Some of these records or indexes have been published, such as the Index of Naturalizations, Ashtabula County, Ohio, 1875-1906, published by the Ashtabula County Genealogical Society.

Do not be surprised if county court employees tell you that their naturalization records are at "the National Archives" or that their court never conducted naturalizations. Most current court employees are probably not genealogists and may not be familiar with the court's older records. It is up to the researcher to determine the location of older court records. County Court Records in the National Archives.

As a general rule, the National Archives does not have naturalization records created in state or local courts. However, some county court naturalization records have been donated to the National Archives and are available as National Archives microfilm publications: 

Federal Court Records

If the naturalization took place in a Federal court, naturalization indexes, declarations of intent, and petitions will usually be in the National Archives regional records services facility serving the State in which the Federal court is located. Some of these indexes and records have been microfilmed.

The Microfilm Reading Room (Room 400) in the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, has some microfilmed Federal court naturalization indexes, declarations, and petitions, but they do not form a complete collection of these records. For listings of naturalization indexes and records available as National Archives microfilm publications in Room 400 see listings for Record Group 21, Records of U.S. District Courts; Record Group 85, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and Donated Materials in the National Archives in Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1996). 

For more information

For more detailed information about naturalization laws and procedures, consult:

John J. Newman, American Naturalization Processes and Procedures, 1790-1985 (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1985).

For general information about the regulation of immigration into the United States, consult:

U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, An Immigrant Nation: United States Regulation of Immigration, 1798-1991 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991).

For information about Federal naturalization records and indexes available as National Archives microfilm publications, consult: Listings for Record Group 21, Records of U.S. District Courts; Record Group 85, Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and Donated Materials in the National Archives in Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1996), which is available on-line or for purchase.

For detailed information about the location of Federal, State, and local naturalization records and their availability on microfilm, consult:

Christine Schaefer, Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1997).

The previous portion of the talk was is adapted from "The Location of Naturalization Records," The Record, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 21-22 (Nov. 1996)

Finding Immigration Records

The National Archives in Washington, DC has an extensive collection of immigration records and many of these records are indexed alphabetically by name or chronologically to facilitate retrieval. But problems abound. For instance, from 1846 to 1897, records for ships arriving at the port of New York (it wasn't named Ellis Island until 1892) are not indexed. Unless you have the name of the ship or either the month and year of the travel, such records cannot be located without many hours of work. The lists you do find are incomplete and often a passenger cannot be located even if an index is available.

One benefit of obtaining this information is discovering the exact name of the village or town from where your ancestor departed and to which city the immigrant was heading after arriving in port. Details like occupations, languages, and education levels are sometimes included, although primarily for arrivals after 1900.

This particular record (dated April 11, 1901) provides the following information: Full name of passenger; age; sex; marital status; occupation; nationality; last residence; port destination; final destination; how much money passenger held; whether previously in US.; name and address of relative joining; condition of health; and whether a polygamist!

The best strategy for researching immigration records is to have low expectations and patience. A trip to the National Archives in Washington, DC is a must and you should be armed with names, dates, and ports of arrival to ensure some success. 

How to get your ancestor's papers from the Immigration and Naturalization Service

Step 1:
Get the citizenship date from the 1920 census information for your immigrant ancestor.

Step 2:
Prove you are a direct descendant of the immigrant by using copies of death, birth or marriage certificates. (Usually, the immigrant death certificate plus birth certificates leading to you are enough.)

Step 3:
Fill out the Freedom of Information Act Form (from the US Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service) requesting the Declaration of Intention (D of I is more important than Naturalization) and Naturalization papers. The form is Form G-639.

Step 4:
Clearly mark the outside of the envelope "Freedom of Information Request" and mail the forms and papers to:
 

INS Office,
425 NW I Street,
Washington DC.

Step 5: They will bill you for the copies.

Web Address for The National Archives and Records Administration
URL: http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/natural.html

MYRA VANDERPOOL GORMLEY GENEALOGY COLUMN 03/19/94
QUARTERLY MAY LEAD TO A POT O' GOLD 3/13/94

Lost your Irish ancestor? Perhaps s/he was one of those who spent time in the British colony of Gibraltar. And who would think to look there?

"The Irish in Gibraltar," by Dwight A Radford, is an interesting article on sources available for this lesser-known locality. It appeared in the summer 1993 issue of a new publication called the Irish at Home and Abroad.

The Irish have had a presence in Gibraltar, both in a military and a civilian capacity, since it was captured by Great Britain in1704, according to Radford.

Can't find the final resting place of an Irish ancestor? Perhaps he is buried in Gibraltar, which has 2 cemeteries-- North Front and Trafalgar. Trafalgar is the burial place for those who died in the1804 yellow fever epidemic as well as those who were killed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It is no longer used. North Front is still in use.

Both cemeteries contain the remains of many Irish-born individuals and their descendants. However, research must be done in person or through an agent; at the present time, there are no published transcripts or microfilm copies of the cemetery registers available.

On the other hand, many genealogical records pertaining to Gibraltar have been microfilmed, and are available at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City. These records are accessible through the FHL's branch libraries, called Family History Centers, which are located in many cities throughout the US.

Available records of this famous British military post of particular interest to Irish ancestor hunters are: censuses, civil registration and Catholic church records.

Various records of Gibraltar may help in either documenting that your Irish ancestor was there at some point or in identifying where in Ireland the family was from.

If you have "lost" an Irish ancestor, it might be worthwhile to check the records of Gibraltar.

Census enumerations include both the civilian and military population, and they are available on microfilm through the FHL for the following years: 1777, 1791-2, 1834, 1868-1871, 1878-1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931.

MYRA VANDERPOOL GORMLEY GENEALOGY COLUMN 03/19/94
Census Goes Into Detail

The enumerations beginning with the1868-71 time period usually only list "Ireland" as the place of birth, but in some cases, a county or even a city in Ireland is mentioned.

These census records can be valuable for genealogical purposes since, in addition to listing country of birth for each person, they list every member of a household and state their religion and relationships.

The Irish at Home and Abroad contains 16 to 20 pages per issue and is published quarterly. Subscription rates are $15 per year. Back issues are available for $5 each.

Subscription Information

The co-editors are professional genealogists, Dwight A Radford and Kyle J Betit. To subscribe, contact the editors at PO Box 521806, Salt Lake City, UT 84152-1806.

This periodical of Irish genealogy and heritage focuses on records and techniques of interest to the family historian. Each issue highlights a particular Irish county, and provides details about sources available for that area.

There also are sources for tracing immigrants, records in Ireland, and various regional and local topics where information about the Irish can be found.

More About the First Issue

The premier issue, sold separately for $3, was published in May 1993. It featured articles on County Limerick; advice for the beginning Irish researcher; Union Civil War records; Irish church records; on-site research pertaining to the Duffy family of Londonderry; Ontario (Canada) vital records and the Irish in Philadelphia.

Each issue also has book reviews of interest to Irish researchers. The editors do not plan to use traditional queries by readers, but they will accept documented case studies of Irish genealogies for publication.

Emigrant Savings Bank

The New York Public Library has received the records of the Emigrant Savings Bank. The records include details of many Irish (and some other ethnic) immigrants in the late 19th century. In setting up an account, a great deal of personal information was gathered. This information was to be used by the subscriber depositer) in the event that a passbook was lost.

I don't know if any abstracting has been done from these records yet. One of the librarians at NYPL said that these records will be invaluable to social historians and family historians. The information gathered quite often included where the person was from originally, what ship they had arrived on and where, who were their parents, what was their appearance, etc. If your relatives arrived in NYC, you might check out this resource.

I have included a copy of the record from the NYPL. If you are not in the NYC area, perhaps you can contact a researcher in the area who can do some research in the papers for you. Please note that this is not a book and is not available via interlibrary loan.

AUTHOR - Emigrant Savings Bank.

TITLE - Emigrant Savings Bank records, 1841-1945, bulk (1841-1923)

DESCRIPT - 15 linear feet (59 v.)

ARRANGED - Seven series: 1. Irish Emigrant Society; 2. Deposit Accounts; 3. Real Estate; 4. Real Estate Finances; 5. Main Branch; 6. Bank Buildings; 7. Investments.

BIO/HIST. - The Emigrant Savings Bank was established in New York City in 1850 by the Irish Emigrant Society which was founded in 1841 for the protection of immigrants from Ireland. The bank offered a safe place to keep the immigrants' money and a way to send money home to destitute relatives. The society's officers also served as officers of the bank, and the society sent remittances overseas through the agency of the bank. The official business of the society, still extant although inactive, is conducted by the bank.

NOTE Finding aid available in repository.

RESTRICTED Apply in Special Collections Office.

SUMMARY Collection consists of selected records of the Emigrant

Savings Bank, particularly records pertaining to the Irish Emigrant Society and data about the bank's depositors and borrowers. Irish Emigrant Society records, 1841-1933, include minutes of the board of trustees and finance committee, and an account ledger. Bank records contain information about deposit accounts, real estate, buildings, and investments. Society and bank records document the social history of Irish immigrants on either side of the Atlantic, with occasional references to German and French immigrant. Deposit accounts often contain detailed personal and genealogical information about individual depositors.

FORM/GENRE Maps. aat

SUBJECT Immigrants -- United States.
SUBJECT Irish -- United States.
SUBJECT Irish Americans -- Societies, etc.
SUBJECT Emigrant Savings Bank.
SUBJECT Real estate investment -- New York (N.Y.)
SUBJECT Banks and banking -- New York (N.Y.)
SUBJECT Ireland -- Emigration and immigration.
SUBJECT Ireland -- Social conditions.
SUBJECT United States -- Emigration and Immigration.
ADD'L NAME Irish Emigrant Society.
Before you go to New York Public to use these records, I would suggest that you talk with the staff of the Special Collections Department.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS FOUND DURING IRISH RESEARCH
Administrative Divisions

Tracing your Irish ancestry requires a little understanding of the administrative divisions that exist in Ireland. The main divisions that are encountered during genealogical research in Ireland are listed below. It is also useful to have some knowledge of the history of Irish records.

The island of Ireland consists of FOUR PROVINCES:

*Connaught

*Leinster

*Munster

*Ulster

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS

The main administrative divisions that exist in Ireland are:

*County

*Barony

*Civil Parish

*Townland

*Poor Law Union

*Diocese

*Parish

COUNTY

The county is the principal unit of local Government. There are twenty-six counties in the Republic of Ireland and six counties in Northern Ireland. Most document collections are organized on a county basis. This division reflects the imposition of the English system of local government in Ireland. Begun in the twelfth century, the thirty-two county framework was completed with the creation of Wicklow in 1606. County boundaries usually reflect the lordships of major Gaelic families.

Northern Ireland was established in 1921and the Irish Free State in 1922. Records concerning the six counties, which were previously held in Dublin, were moved to the North - so a researcher may have to follow such records. Some anomalies exist such as the fact that the Census Records covering the six counties for 1901 and 1911 are still covered by the 100 year rule North of the border but these census records including the six counties are freely available in the South! 

BARONY

There are 331 baronies in Ireland. A Barony is an important county subdivision. It is thought to be a Norman division although its precise origin is unknown, they tended to reflect the holdings of Irish Clans. There are generally between seven and ten baronies per county although Cork has twenty and Louth has only four. Baronies became established in the government land surveys of the seventeenth century and are now considered obsolete. A barony can occupy parts of two counties in which case it is referred to as a half barony.

CIVIL PARISH

There are 2508 Civil Parishes in Ireland. From the seventeenth century the so-called civil parish, based on the early Christian and medieval monastic and church settlements, was used extensively in various surveys. By the mid-nineteenth century the pattern of civil parishes was well established. By 1841 the population of Ireland had risen to 8,175,124 and this was reflected in changing parish boundaries. New parishes were created by either subdividing larger ones or by withdrawing townlands from adjoining parishes. 

For example, in 1765 Montiaghs Parish in County Armagh was separated from Seagoe Parish, while in County Londonderry Carrick Parish was created in 1846 by withdrawing eleven townlands from the adjoining parishes - three from Balteagh, three from Bovevagh and five from Tamlaght Finlagan. The civil parish essentially covered the same area as the established Church Of Ireland. The Roman Catholic Church, owing to the Reformation of the sixteenth century, had to adapt itself to a new structure centered on towns, and villages. Civil Parishes frequently break both barony and county boundaries, indicating they were drawn up at an earlier period.

TOWNLAND

There are 60,462 Townlands in Ireland. It is the smallest administrative division and on average covers about 350 acres. Many Townlands share the same name - for example there are 56 Kilmores and 47 Dromores. A full list is available in the Valuation Office. The townland is essential to researchers who wish to pinpoint the precise origin of their ancestors. The townland was named at an early period, and it usually referred to a very identifiable landmark in the local area such as a mountain, a bog, an oak forest, a village, a fort or a church. 

People with little knowledge of the Irish language standardized the townland as a basic division in the seventeenth-century surveys. As a consequence many place names were either lost or had their meaning or construction altered. A record of townland names, shapes and sizes for all Ireland exists in the Maps of Ordnance Survey completed in 1846.

POOR LAW UNION

The Poor Law Act of 1838 introduced another administrative division - the Poor Law Union. Initially there were 130 and eventually 163 poor law unions. Between 1838 and 1852, 163 workhouses were built throughout the country, each at the center of an area known as a Poor Law Union. The workhouses were normally situated in a large market town, and the Poor Law Union comprised the town and its catchment area, with the result that the Unions in many cases ignored the existing boundaries of parish and county. 

The workhouse in the town provided relief for the unemployed and destitute, generally under very harsh conditions. Records were kept of the inmates and these can provide useful research material. The Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, adopted the poor law union as the basic administrative division in place of the civil parish and barony. The poor law unions of Ireland were subdivided into 829 registration districts and 3,751 district electoral divisions, with parishes and baronies being retained only as a means to make comparisons with records gathered before 1898.

DIOCESE

Three ecclesiastical synods - Cashel in 1101, Rathbreasail in 1111 and Kells in 1152 - imposed a diocesan organization of four provinces: Armagh, Cashel, Dublin, and Tuam, each headed by and archbishop and under them twenty-two bishops in charge of as many dioceses. These diocesan boundaries have remained virtually constant to the present day and are in use by both the Catholic and Anglican Churches.

 The number of dioceses has, however, varied with consolidation through time by both the Catholic and Anglican Churches. Dioceses have little or no relation to the boundaries of the counties, the latter having been created long after the dioceses. Until 1834 the dioceses of the Church of Ireland were grouped into four provinces. The number of provinces was then reduced to two, Armagh and Dublin.

PARISH

A diocese is subdivided into parishes. Parishes are usually composed of the aforementioned civil parishes. However modern Catholic parishes do not follow this general rule.

Griffith's Valuation

In order to produce the accurate information necessary for local taxation the Tenement Act of 1842 provided for a uniform valuation of all property in Ireland, to be based on the productive capacity of land and the potential rent of buildings. The man appointed Commissioner of Valuation was Richard Griffith, a Dublin geologist, and the results of his great survey, the Primary Valuation of Ireland, were published between 1848 and 1864. The Valuation is arranged by:

County

Barony

Poor Law Union

Civil Parish

Townland

and lists every landholder and every householder in Ireland. Apart from townland address and householder's name, the particulars given are: name of the person from whom the property was leased (immediate lessor);

description of the property;

acreage;

valuation.

The only directly useful family information supplied is in areas where a surname was particularly common; the surveyors often adopted the Gaelic practice of using the father's first name to distinguish between individuals of the same name, so that John Reilly (James) is the son of James, while John Reilly (Michael) is the son of Michael.

Copies of the Valuation are widely available in major libraries and record offices, both on microfiche and in their original published form. The dates of first publication will be found under individual counties. The Valuation was never intended as a census substitute, and if the 1851 census had survived, it would have little genealogical significance.

As things stand, however, it gives the only detailed guide to where in Ireland people lived in the mid-19th century, and what property they possessed. In addition, because the Valuation entries were subsequently revised at regular intervals, it is often possible to trace living descendants of those originally listed by Griffith. (See Valuation Office Records).

"Ho + Land" is "house and land" >"Ho + Offs + Land" House, offices, and land - "offices" means small outbuildings that would be part of the farm (ex., stable, cow byre, hen house, etc.)

"In Fee (L.A.P.)"

In Fee means that the land occupier owns the land and is not a leaseholder. "L.A.P. in immediate lessor column indicates that holding has been purchased under the Land Purchase Acts" - This notation is found at the end of one of the Valuation Books. The Land Purchase Acts assisted the small farmers to own, rather than lease, the property that they worked.

You may see mentions of maps which refer to the valuation entries, but, the reference numbers change in the period 1883-1902.

There was some consolidation and renumbering of plots at the end of the nineteenth century. The "Valuation Maps" (i.e.,the Ordnance Survey maps with the Valuation plot numbers written in) were/are regularly updated. Over the last 150 years, there are several versions of the maps. Some areas don't change at all; for others the differences are significant.

The Valuation Maps are kept by the Valuation Office. Until a few years ago, photocopies of the originals could be made; but, because of the fragile condition of the maps that had to be stopped. The Valuation Office is currently copying all the original maps. When that is done, the maps can be reproduced for sale. They expected to have the process finished by March 1998, but, it is a very large project and I would expect delays.

You need to give the Valuation Office complete information on the place: townland name, civil parish, county. It is very helpful to give them the sheet numbers which are listed in Griffith's Valuation. Be aware that some plots are on the edge of maps, and you will need to purchase more than one sheet. Also, tell them what year you are interested in (give a date range, ex. 1880-1900).

The Valuation Office is supposed to be moving, but I'm sure they will get mail addressed to: Valuation Office, 6 Ely Place, Dublin 2, Ireland. Phone: (01) 763211.

The maps cost 10 Irish pounds in Dublin; I'm sure there would be additional mailing costs. The maps are worth it. They are extemely detailed with a scale of 6 inches to 1 mile. Every house, cart track, tree, ancient ruin, etc., is shown in addition to the outline of each plot. The maps are about 30 x 40 inches wide.

It's the combination of Griffith's, the Valuation Records and the maps that give Irish genealogists a gift that almost no one else has. As a reward for putting up with all the hard work and frustrations in Irish research, when you've done it right you can go home again. You can see on the map exactly where your ancestors were living in 1850. You might find when you go to Ireland that the house is gone, but you can still tell where it stood

IRISH CENSUS AND OTHER RECORDS

I. BACKGROUND

Religious census returns for certain places were taken in the 18th Century (c.1740-66). These were some of the first census returns in Ireland and some still survive today. However, the first complete census returns were taken in 1813. This enumeration was followed by others in 1821,1831, and every ten years thereafter until 1911. Most of these census returns have been destroyed. The 1901 census is the first complete census in existence today. Although many of the census records were destroyed, there are some substitutes that may be helpful.

II. CONTENT (AVAILABLE CENSUSES ONLY)

A. Religious censuses (1740-66) vary in their details, but may include the heads of households, parish by parish, and indicate their religion; or may give statistics only. Some returns are available for Dioceses such as Ardagh, Armagh, Clogher, Cloyne, Connor, Cork, Derry, Dromore, Down, Elphin, Ferns, Kildare, Kilmore, Ossory, Raphoe and Ross.

B. 1821 Census gives names of inhabitants, relation to head, ages, occupations, and information about the house and property. Some returns are available for parishes A-M, County Cavan; A-D, County Offaly; A-R, Fermanagh; A-L, Galway; A-T, Meath.

C. 1831 Census gives names of inhabitants, relation to head, ages, occupations, and information about the house and property. Some returns are available for the following parishes in Londonderry County: Agevey, Aghanloo, Arboe, Artrea, Banagher, Glendermot, Killowen, Macosquin, Tamlaght-Finlagen, Templemore, and Termoneeny.

D. 1841 Census gives names of inhabitants, ages, sex, relation to head, marital condition, year of marriage, occupation and birthplace (country, county, or city). The only return available is for Killeshandra Parish, County Cavan.

E. 1851 Census gives the same information as the 1841 plus a list of those people belonging to the family that are not present (including their names, ages, sex, relation to head, present occupation, and country, county, or city of current residence) and a list of those family members who died while residing with the family during the last 10 years (including names, age, sex, relation to head, occupation, season and year of death). Returns are available for Drumkeeran, County Fermanagh and the following parishes in County Antrim: Aghagallon, Aghalee, Ballinderry, Ballymoney, Carncartle, Craigs (Ahoghill), Dunaghy, Grange of Killyglen, Killead, Kilwaughter, Larne, Rasharkin, and Tickmacreevin.

F. 1901 Census gives name of inhabitants, relation to head, religion, age, sex, occupation, marital condition, birthplace (country, county, or city), information on house and property including the name of the lease holder. This census is available in its entirety.

G. 1911 census gives same information as the 1901 plus the number of years married, total number of children born alive, and number of children still living. This census is also entirely available.

III. AVAILABILITY

A. Most of the existing census records are on film at the Genealogical Society up to 1901. For the 1911 census, only parts of County Antrim are at the Genealogical Society.

B. In Ireland, these records are found at the Public Record Offices in Belfast and Dublin and the Genealogical Office in Dublin.

IV. SUBSTITUTES

A. "OLD AGE PENSIONER'S CLAIMS" (1841-51). In 1908 the Old Age Pension Act was passed and with this act came the need for proof of age. In many instances, census returns of 1841 and 1851 were used. In some cases, actual extracts are available for these censuses. In most cases, Old Age Pension Search Forms are all that survive. These search forms ask for the claimant's name, father, mother, exact address when census was taken, age in census, age at claim, and census year for which the search is requested. These records exist primarily for Northern Ireland and most are on film at the Genealogical Society.

B. "TITHE APPLOTMENT BOOKS" (1823-38). This record provides a detailed account, parish by parish, of the land occupiers in each townland and includes the extent and value of their individual farms. Those in urban areas are not included. The Tithe Applotment Books for all of Ireland are on microfilm at the Genealogical Society. Indexes for these records are available at the Public Record Offices in Belfast and the National Library in Dublin.

C. GRIFFITH'S VALUATION (1848-64). This government survey of all privately held lands and buildings was taken to determine the amount of tax that each person should pay toward support of the poor and destitute in each Poor Law Union. All occupiers or tenants, and the immediate lessors of all lands, buildings, etc. for private or business use were liable for the tax. In some areas, these valuations start in 1839; but the majority exist from 1848-64. Such information as the name of tenants, lessor, townland, parish, and tax will be found on these records. They exist for all of Ireland and for the most part are available at the Genealogical Society. An index by surname by parish and county is available at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.

D. SCHOOL RECORDS (c. 1850-1920). These are primarily records of public schools and include names of pupils, ages, religion, days absent or present, occupation of parents, residence of family, and the name of the school. Sometime the name of the county and school last attended may be given or the cause of withdrawal and destination of the pupil. Most of these records are indexed and are at the Public Record Office in Dublin and Belfast or the Genealogical Office in Dublin. The Genealogical Society has microfilmed many of those available from Northern Ireland.

 

Estate Records

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the vast majority of the Irish population lived as small tenant farmers on large estates owned for the most part by English or Anglo-Irish landlords. The administration of these estates inevitably produced large quantities of records, maps, tenants' lists, rentals, account books, lease books etc. Over the course of the twentieth century, as the estates have been broken up and sold off, many collections of these records have found their way into public repositories, and constitute a largely unexplored source of genealogical information.

There are, however, good reasons for their being unexplored. First, it was quite rare for a large landowner to have individual rental or lease agreements with the huge numbers of small tenants on his land. Instead, he would let a significant area to a middleman, who would then sublet to others, who might in turn rent out parts to the smallest tenants. It is very rare for estate records to document the smallest landholders, since most of these had no right of tenure in any case, being simply tenants "at will".

A related problem is the question of access. The estate records in the two major Dublin repositories, The National Archives and The National Library, are not catalogued in detail. The only comprehensive guide is given in Richard Hayes' "Manuscript Sources for the Study of Irish Civilization" and its supplements, copies of which can be found in the National Library and National Archives. This catalogues the records by landlord's name and by county, with entries such as "NL Ms 3185. Rent Roll of Lord Cremorne's estate in Co. Armagh, 1797". Hayes gives no more detail of the areas of the county covered, and it can be difficult to ascertain from the Tithe Books or Griffith's just who the landlord was; Griffith's only supplies the name of the immediate lessor. The holdings of The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland present similar problems, with access depending on a knowledge of the landlord's name. In addition, it should be added that many of the collections in the National Library have still not been catalogued at all, and thus remain completely inaccessible.

The largest single collection in The National Archives is the Landed Estate Court records, also known as the Encumbered Estate Courts, which are not catalogued in Hayes. The Court was set up to facilitate the sale of estates whose owners could not invest enough to make them productive, and between 1849 and 1857 oversaw the sale of more than 3000 Irish estates. Its records contain many rentals and maps drawn up for the sales, but are so close in time to Griffith's as to make them of limited use except in very particular circumstances. Once again the principal problem of access is in identifying the relevant landlord, since they are catalogued once again by landlord's name. There are a number of ways to overcome, or partially overcome, this obstacle. With common sense, it is often possible to identify the landlord by examining Griffith's for the surrounding areas the largest lessor is the likeliest candidate. If the immediate lessor in Griffith's is not the landlord, but a middleman, then it can be useful to try to find this middleman's own holding or residence and see who he was leasing from.

Two publications may also be of value. O.H. Hussey de Burgh's The Landowners of Ireland provides a guide to the major landowners, the size of their holdings, and where in the country they were situated. Landowners in Ireland: Return of owners of land of one acre and upwards..., (London:1876) is comprehensive to a fault, and is organized more awkwardly, alphabetically within county. Despite all the problems, research in estate records can be very rewarding, especially for the period before the major nineteenth century surveys. To take one example, the rent rolls of the estate of Charles O'Hara in Counties Sligo and Leitrim, which date from c.1775, record a large number of leases to smaller tenants, and supply the lives named in the leases, often specifying family relationships. It must be emphasised, however, that information of this quality is rare; the majority of the rentals and tenants lists surviving only give details of major tenants.

more detailed guide to the dates, areas covered, and class of tenants recorded in the state papers of the National Library and National Archives is in the process of preparation by the Genealogical Office. To date, Counties Cork, Leitrim, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo have been covered.

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