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.

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

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[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.

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.

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[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.

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
Place Names & Immigration	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
Scots-Irish Colonial Immigrants	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

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[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.