Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Delaware Website - Lalley.com

How many of you have started out doing your family history and over time the search morphed into an effort to collect all of the records for a surname/townland/parish etc? If you are one of those people then you will be able to relate to the curators of the website Lalley.com. 

In the words of site owner, Joseph M. Lalley: "what began [as] a simple search for our family's ancestors who arrived in Wilmington as early as 1830, soon became a major research project seeking the answer to why the Irish came to Wilmington, Delaware and a search for the locality in Ireland from which they emigrated."[1]

The Lalley.com website has a whole range of transcribed records, with probably the most impressive being their set of Catholic parish registers. The record set was last updated in 2010 but it has almost all baptismal and marriage records for the parishes in the Diocese of Wilmington (Delaware and Maryland) for the years 1795 to 1925. There are also death and cemetery records, federal census entries, and transcribed city directory and passenger list information.

Beyond this, the site has a range of other useful sections, such as links to Delaware website for genealogy and local history.

Access the website by clicking here.  

See a previous post about cemetery records from the Diocese of Wilmington by clicking here.



[1] Lalley, Joseph. Why This Site? 2004. http://www.lalley.com: accessed 23 April 2015.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

U.S. Naval Enlistment Records

United States Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855-1891 is a record set that gives an Irish county or town of birth for almost 4,500 Irish immigrants. "A rendezvous was the recruiting station where the men enlisted in the Navy. Officers at the rendezvous kept a record of each man enlisted and reported the information weekly to the Navy Department. These documents are known as the 'weekly returns of rendezvous reports.'"[1] These recruiting stations were located all over the U.S., for example: Mare Island and San Francisco (California); Baltimore (Maryland); Boston (Massachusetts); Saint Louis (Missouri); Portsmouth (New Hampshire); New York (New York); Erie, League Island, and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania); Newport (Rhode Island); Hampton Roads and Norfolk (Virginia).

A lot of useful genealogical information can be found in these records, including: name of naval rendezvous, name of new recruit, date and term of enlistment, rating (rank), name of ship to which assigned, previous naval service, city and state where born, age, occupation, and personal description. For example, in Saint Louis, Missouri, on 29 October 1862, Lawrence Fitzpatrick enlisted as a seaman for general service for the remainder of the Civil War. He was a 33 year old laborer, who was born in Co. Galway. He had brown eyes and hair, a light complexion, and was 5 feet 8 inches tall.[2]


Lawrence Fitzpatrick Enlistment, 1862 (Click to enlarge)

Men from Dublin and Cork make up almost half of this records set, with Donegal, Derry/Londonderry, Galway, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford all having strong representations.

County
No. of records*
Dublin
1,125
Cork
773
Donegal
305
Derry/Londonderry
291
Galway
290
Limerick
273
Tipperary
213
Waterford
210
Kerry
90
Tyrone
86
Kilkenny
78
Sligo
73
Wexford
64
Antrim
62
Armagh
58
Roscommon
58
Mayo
54
Cavan
45
Longford
35
Monaghan
34
Down
30
Clare
28
Wicklow
24
Leitrim
23
Kildare
23
Westmeath
20
Louth
20
Fermanagh
15
Laois/Queens
14
Meath
14
Offaly/Kings
10
Carlow
9
County not specified, place is
50 (approx)
TOTAL
4,496

These records are available on a number of the main genealogy websites including Ancestry, Findmypast, and Familysearch. Familysearch has digitized and indexed the records. In total the collection contains over 262,000 records. About 46,000 are for men from Ireland, which means that just under 10% have a specific place of birth in Ireland named on their record.

*Note: numbers are very close approximates as it is difficult to count every single example.


[1] Familysearch.org. United States Naval Enlistment Rendezvous (FamilySearch Historical Records). 2015.
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Naval_Enlistment_Rendezvous_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records): accessed 21 April 2015.
[2] "United States Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855-1891," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XG3C-M3Y: accessed 21 April 2015), Lawrence Fitzpatrick, Nov 1862; citing p. 478, volume 22, place of enlistment Saint Louis Missouri, NARA microfilm publication M1953 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 19; FHL microfilm 2,381,636.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Irish Genealogical Society International

Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) is a Minnesota-based genealogy group. Along with the Irish Family History Forum (IFHF) and The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA), it is one of the three largest Irish genealogy societies in the U.S. I have previously profiled the IFHF (here and here) and TIARA (here and here) and now it's the turn of IGSI.

IGSI is based in the twin city area (Minneapolis-St. Paul) of Minnesota. "Founded over 30 years ago by a small group of people interested in sharing their knowledge, IGSI has since developed into a well-respected Irish genealogical society with over 650 members in six countries, and an extensive library and research facility."[1] This is an apt description of the organization as they are one of the premier Irish genealogy organizations to be a member of regardless of genealogical experience, where you live, or where your Irish ancestors settled in in the U.S.

Members receive a generous return for their $30 (general)/$25 (electronic) membership dues. Each quarter, there is a newsletter, Ginealas (Irish for genealogy), for members to consult which contains articles, announcements and general information for researchers. They also receive a copy of The Septs, a quarterly journal dedicated to: information about Irish genealogical research methods and examples of successful searches, information about IGSI and other goings-on in the world of Irish genealogy, articles about various aspects of Irish history and the Irish diaspora, and pointers to more information in other locations.[2]

For those who can get to St. Paul, MN, their library is a substantial facility, as it is housed at the Minnesota Genealogical Society building at 1185 Concord Street North, Suite 218, South St. Paul, MN, 55075. There is a large holding of Irish genealogy material, along with Minnesota-specific sources, and records related to other ethnicities. Among the services on offer, the research staff will:
  • work directly with you on research and teach Irish research classes on Irish Days at the library, the 2nd Saturday of most months
  • respond to email queries at Librarian@IrishGenealogical.org
  • help out-of-town researchers at the library outside of open hours, if unable to come during usual hours
  • help IGSI members, as described in the Members' Research Help section.[3]

Other useful services available to members and non-members alike include a genealogy bookstore, a genealogy research service, and a regularly updated blog.



[1] Irishgenealoigcal.org. About Us. Year Unknown. http://www.irishgenealogical.org/page/about-us: accessed 16 April 2015.
[2] Irishgenealoigcal.org. The Septs. Year Unknown. http://www.irishgenealogical.org/page/septs: accessed 16 April 2015.
[3] Irishgenealoigcal.org. Library. Year Unknown. http://www.irishgenealogical.org/page/library: accessed 16 April 2015.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

The Irish At Home And Abroad Journal

The Irish at Home and Abroad is a genealogy journal that was published in the 1990s. It came out quarterly for six years between 1993 and 1999 and to this day is still one of the most in-depth and detailed research publications that can help you with a wide variety of topics. This should not be a surprise as it was edited by Kyle Betit and Dwight Radford, two of the foremost experts in the U.S. on the topic of Irish genealogy.

A peruse through the table of article titles[1] shows the many interesting topics that can help with Irish genealogy research in the U.S. and Canada. 'Alberta Irish,' 'Brooklyn Diocese, Catholic Church Records,' 'Ancient Order of Hibernians in the US,' Repeal Societies in North America,' and 'San Francisco Irish' are just a sample.

If you find an article that may help you with your research there are a number of ways to obtain a copy. First, most large genealogy institutions and libraries should have a set of the journals. Check the GSI database on this website for relevant places. Second, one of those institutions, the Allen County Public Library in Indiana, has a service called PERSI that you can obtain genealogy journal articles from.

Topic
Volume
Issue
Year
Page
Alberta Irish
6
1
1999
19
American Lineage Society
6
2
1999
70
Antrim County
5
4
1998
186
Applotment Book
3
1
1996/6
4
Argentina, Irish Immigration
4
3
1997
133
Argentina, Irish Immigration
5
1
1998
26
Armagh
4
2
1997
76
Argentine Church & Cemetery Records
6
4
1999
187
Australia Civil Registration
3
1
1996/6
21
Australian Convicts, Irish
5
2
1998
91
Australian Connection, Girls in Famine Workhouses
6
1
1999
26
Australian Civil Registration
2
2
1994/5
56
Australian Free Settlement
2
4
1994/5
146
Australian Genealogical Computer Index (AGCI)
1
Spring
1994
17
Barbados Irish
2
3
1994/5
92
Beginners in Irish Research
1
Premier
May 93
1
Belfast City
6
3
1999
127
Boston Irish
1
Winter
1993/4
14
British Army, Irish in
1
Winter
1993/4
1
British Army Records in New Zealand
5
3
1998
135
British Library, Newspaper
2
4
1994/5
149
British Parliamentary Papers
1
Fall
1993
4
British Parliamentary Papers, Australian
6
3
1999
124
Brooklyn Diocese, Catholic Church Records
3
4
1995/6
172
Bermuda Irish
3
3
1995/6
111
Canada, Census Records
3
4
1995/6
152
Canada, Registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths
4
3
1997
114
Canada, The United Church of
3
3
1995/6
127
Canadian Cemeteries
4
2
1997
60
Canadian Immigration Records, Pre-1867
2
3
1994/5
84
Canadian Land Records
5
4
1998
175
Canadian Newspapers
5
1
1998
18
Canadian Passenger Lists
2
1
1994/5
20
Carlow County
53
3
1998
120
Casey's Collection, Cork County, Dr. Albert Casey
3
4
1995/6
156
Cataba, as Scots-Irish
6
3
1999
112
Catholic Church Records, Brooklyn Diocese
3
4
1995/6
172
Catholic Cemeteries, New York City
3
1
1995/6
38
Catholic Nuns, Brothers & Priests in U.S.
4
3
1997
121
Catholic Qualification Rolls
6
4
1999
165
Cavan County
2
2
1994/5
60
Cemeteries, Canadian
4
2
1997
60
Cemetery Records, Argentina Church &
6
4
1999
187
Cemetery Records, Ireland
3
2
1995/6
48
Cemetery, Catholic, New York
3
1
1995/6
38
Cemetery Strategies, New York
3
3
1995/6
104
Census Records, Canada
3
4
1995/6
152
Census Returns, Non-Population
3
2
1995/6
56
Chicago Irish
2
2
1994/5
46
Chicago, Newberry Library
2
2
1994/5
54
Chickasay-Scots Irish
3
3
1995/6
96
Choctaw-Irish
4
2
1997
83
Church of Ireland Records, Dublin
6
2
1999
55
Church of Ireland Records
1
Premier
May 93
3
Cincinnati, The Irish
1
Spring
1993
9
Civil Registration, England & Wales
3
3
1995/6
124
Civil Registration, Ireland
2
1
1994/5
15
Civil War, Union Draft Records
4
4
1997
184
Clare County
5
2
1998
84
Confederate Pension Records
6
3
1999
108
Continental Colleges, Irish
6
2
1999
62
Convicts, Australian Irish
5
2
1998
91
Cork County
2
4
1994/5
113
Cork County, Dr. Albert Casey's Collection
3
4
1995/6
156
Down County
1
Spring
1993
5
Downpatrick to Utah Territory via Scotland & India
2
4
1994/5
151
Dublin, Church of Ireland Records
6
2
1999
55
Dublin County
2
2
1994/5
59
England's Poor before 1834
3
4
1995/6
158
Estate Papers, how to find
6
1
1999
14
Estate Records, Ireland
1
4
Spring 1994
1
Falkiners of Ontario & Tipperary
2
2
1994/5
66
Family History Library
2
Premier
May 93
6
Family Information, Collecting
2
1
1994/5
13
Famine Workhouses, Australian Connection, Girls in
6
1
1999
26
Freeholders (Church) Freeman Voting Registers
6
4
1999
146
Freeman Voting Registers (Freeholder's Church)
6
4
1999
146
Galway County
2
1
1994/5
30
Genealogical Office, an Introduction to Records
4
1
1997
56
Gibraltar Irish
1
Spring
1993
15
Girls in Famine Workhouses, an Australian Connection
6
1
1999
26
Given Names, Complexity
1
Spring
1993
6
Griffiths Valuations
4
3
1997
106
Griffiths Valuations, More Than Just Names
5
2
1998
58
Heritage Centers of Ireland
4
3
1997
135
Hibernians, Ancient Order of, in U.S.
4
4
1997
162
Homestead Records for Tracing Irish Immigrants
3
1
1995/6
Immigrants, Homestead Records for Tracing Irish
3
1
1995/6
23
Immigrants Passenger Lists
4
3
1997
118
Immigration Records, Canadian Pre-1867
2
3
1994/5
84
Immigration, Irish, Argentina
4
3
1997
133
Immigration, Irish, Argentina
5
1
1998
26
Industrial South Wales, Irish in
1
Spring
1994
10
Inter Library Loans
1
Spring
1993
13
Ireland to Australia, Transportation Registers
1
Fall
1883
9
Irish Place Names & Immigration
5
1
1998
7
Isle of Man Irish
4
1
1996/7
35
Kilkenny County
4
3
1997
126
Kentucky, Early Scots-Irish Research
4
4
1997
176
Kerry County
4
4
1997
168
Kerry County, Dr. Albert E. Casey's Collection
3
4
1995/6
156
Kildare County
3
1
1995/6
33
Land Records, Canadian
5
4
1998
175
Leases for Lives in Ireland
6
4
1999
171
Leitrim County
5
1
Jun 05
39
Limerick County
1
Premier
May 93
7
Lineage Society, American
6
2
Jun 05
70
Londonderry County
3
3
1995/6
116
Londonderry County, Peter Duffy of Cahore
1
Premier
May 93
15
Loyal Orange Institution in the U.S.
3
2
1995/6
69
Manitoba Irish
4
1
1996/7
19
Maori Irish
6
1
1999
6
Masonic Records, Irish
3
4
1995/6
140
Mayo County
1
Fall
1993
7
Militia & Yeomanry Records
6
3
1999
102
Milwaukee Irish
5
3
1998
128
Minority Religions (3 American) Irish Immigrants
5
2
1998
77
Minority Religions in Ireland
2
4
1994/5
122
Mobile Irish
2
1
1994/5
24
Montreal Irish
1
Fall
1993
17
Mt. Jerome, a Victorian Cemetery
4
2
1997
72
Muscogee Creek, Focus on Scots-Irish
3
1
1995/6
14
National Schools of Ireland
3
2
1995/6
87
Naturalization Records
1
Spring
1993
6
Newberry Library, Chicago
2
2
1994/5
54
Newspapers, Canadian
5
1
1998
18
New England Historical Genealogical Society
1
Winter
1993/4
13
Newfoundland Memorial University
3
2
1995/6
78
New Orleans Irish
1
Fall
1993
13
News Letters, Irish
5
3
1998
110
Newspaper, British Library
2
4
1994/5
149
New South Wales, Church Register
3
3
1995/6
131
New South Wales, Letters of Colonial Secretary
4
2
1997
89
New York City, Calvary Cemetery Strategies
3
3
1995/6
104
New York Catholic Cemeteries
3
1
1995/6
38
New York Irish Research
2
3
1994/5
73
New York City, State Census 1855-1925
3
2
1995/6
82
New York State Alien Landowners 1790-1913
1
Spring
1994
8
New Zealand, Australia Civil Registration
3
1
1995/6
21
New Zealand, British Army Records
5
3
1998
135
New Zealand Church Records
3
2
1995/6
65
New Zealand Deceased Estate Records
4
4
1997
187
New Zealand Hawke's Bay Province, Immigration
2
3
1994/5
103
New Zealand Indexes
2
1
1994/5
33
New Zealand Old Age Pensions
4
1
1996/7
42
North American Church Records
6
1
1999
30
Nuns, Brothers & Priests in U.S., Catholic
4
3
1997
121
Ohio, Early Scots-Irish (1787-1840)
5
4
1998
164
Ontario Newspapers
2
4
1994/5
143
Ontario Palatines
4
2
1997
64
Ontario & Tipperary Falkiners
2
2
1994/5
66
Ontario Township Papers
1
Winter
1993/4
11
Ontario Vital Records
1
Premier
May 93
14
Out of Ireland
2
3
1994/5
90
Oregon & Washington Donation
2
2
1994/5
69
Organizing Your Research
2
2
1994/5
44
Palatines in Ireland & Ontario
4
2
1997
64
Parish Unknown, What To Do
5
3
1998
140
Parliamentary Papers, Australian, British
6
3
1999
124
Parliamentary Papers, British
1
Fall
1993
4
Passenger Lists, Canadian
2
1
1994/5
20
Pension Records, British Army
4
1
1996/7
11
Pension Records, Confederate
6
3
1999
108
Philadelphia Irish
1
Premier
May 93
11
5
1
1998
7
Poor, England before 1834
3
4
1995/6
158
Priests, Nuns & Brothers in Ireland
5
2
1998
70
Priests, Nuns & Brothers in U.S., Catholic
4
3
1997
121
Public Records Office of North Ireland (PRONI)
1
Spring
1994
21
Qualification Rolls, Catholic
6
4
1999
165
Roscommon County
3
2
1995/6
58
Records Destroyed ?
1
Fall
1993
1
Repeal Societies (Irish) in North America
5
1
1998
23
Roman Catholic Guide to Parish Records
2
2
1994/5
65
Royal Irish Constabulary
4
1
1996/7
4
San Francisco Irish
2
4
1994/5
135
Saskatchewan Irish
3
1
1995/6
27
Scots-Irish as Cataba
6
3
1999
112
Scots-Irish as Cherokee
2
2
1994/5
37
Scots-Irish as Chickasaw
3
3
1995/6
96
Scots-Irish as Choctaw
4
2
1997
83
2
4
1994/5
127
Scots-Irish in Colonial America
2
1
1995/6
1
Scots-Irish in Tennessee
4
31
1993
141
Scots-Irish of Muscogee Creek
3
1
1995/6
14
Scottish Poor Law and Its Records
4
4
1997
192
Shiell, Dr. Hugh, A Study Case
3
4
1995/6
177
Sligo County
4
1
1996/7
28
South African Church Records
6
3
1999
120
South African Death Notices
5
4
1988
162
South African Irish Immigration
4
4
1997
165
South Carolina Early Scots-Irish (1670-1840)
5
1
1998
31
Surnames, Complexity of
2
1
1994/5
11
Tenison Groves Collection
3
3
1995/6
108
Tennessee-Early Scots-Irish Research (1768-1840)
4
3
1997
141
Tennessee, East Historic Center
1
Fall
1993
6
Tipperary County
3
4
1995/6
163
Tipperary & Ontario (Falkiners)
2
2
1994/5
66
Tombstones & Church Records
1
Fall
1993
11
Townland Unknown, What To Do
5
4
1998
157
Tyrone County
1
Spring
1994
18
Union Civil War Records
1
Premier
May 93
8
United Church of Canada
3
3
1995/6
127
United States Census 1790-1870
2
3
1994/5
81
Unknown Origin, What To Do
5
1
1998
15
U.S. Catholic Nuns, Brothers & Priests
4
3
1997
121
U.S. Census & Soundex 1880-1920
3
1
1995/6
12
U.S. Lands Records To Identify Immigrant Origins
5
3
1998
114
U.S. War of 1812 American Records (1812-1815)
6
4
1999
177
Utah from Downpatrick, Ireland
2
4
1995/6
151
Utah Irish
1
Spring
1994
22
Utah Territory via Scotland & India, Downpatrick to
2
4
1994/5
151
Valuation Books, Ireland
1
Winter
1993/4
7
Voting Registers, Freeman (Freeholders Church)
6
4
1999
146
Washington & Oregon Donations
2
2
1994/5
69
Wexford County
6
2
1999
74
What To Do If Only the County in Ireland Is Known
5
2
1998
94
Wicklow County
2
3
1994/5
99
Wicklow County, A Case Study, The Cullen Family
1
Spring
1994
7
Wills & Admins, Pre-1858
2
3
1994/5
107
Yeomanry & Militia Records
6
3
199
102



[1] Obtained from
Familysearch.org. Index to the Irish at Home and Abroad. August 2009. Available at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Index_to_The_Irish_at_Home_and_Abroad: accessed 12 April 2015.