About

My name is Joe Buggy and welcome to Townland of Origin. The primary focus of this blog is Irish genealogical research in North America. The temptation is strong to start researching in Ireland when you know, or find out, that you have Irish ancestry. But the clues to where your ancestors are from in Ireland can often be found in the U.S. or Canada. By highlighting interesting records and resources, it is hoped that the posts will assist you in the hunt for your ancestor's townland of origin in Ireland.   
                                                 
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So, what exactly is a townland?

It is the smallest administrative unit/geographical division of land in Ireland. They are smaller than the civil/religious parishes and there are over 61,000. The main aim of almost everyone tracing their ancestors back to Ireland is to find what townland they left when they emigrated.

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I previously worked for 5 years as a genealogist in New York City and Washington, DC. I moved back to Ireland in 2015 and now work in Dublin for AncestryProGenealogists, the in-house research team of Ancestry.com.

My first book, Finding Your Irish Ancestors in New York City, is available from Genealogical Publishing Company. I am also the co-creator of the Irish Directories Database. You can follow me on twitter at @TownlandOrigin

In case you are wondering, yes that is my real name and yes it is Irish. It's an anglicized version of Ó Bogaig(h)It's a rare name and there are not that many of us. We can nearly all trace our ancestors back to Kilkenny and Laois. I bet all you Murphys, Ryans and Kellys wish you had my name!

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If you are curious about the vividly green map that forms the masthead of the blog, it comes for the 1872 publication The Statistics of the Population of the United States, Compiled from the Original Returns of the Ninth Census. It was created by Julius Bien.


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Lastly, please be courteous: I put a lot of time and effort into researching post for this blog and do not get compensated for this research. DO NOT pass off my work as your own. Please do link to blog posts and use my work in your research, but only with a full citation that attributes me as the source of the information you use. Plagiarism is not cool! Thank you.

Sample citation: Buggy, Joe. [Title of blogpost]. Townland of Origin Blog. [Full date of blogpost]. Available online at [Insert URL]: accessed [Full date of access].


23 comments:

  1. joe
    any intrest in doing some geniolgy work for me. I can go back to about 1850 here in us but need the irish connections. help me please. jaymad@gmail.com
    Jay

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  2. Hi Jay,

    If you get in contact with the Irish Ancestry Research Centre in Limerick, Ireland (website above), they will be able to assist with your research.

    Regards,

    Joe

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  3. Joe, I am one of the lucky ones.... from Kilkenny, my mother's name was Buggy. My grandfather was a blacksmith and family tradition has it that the first blacksmith settled in the townsland of Upper Grange (between Gowran and Goresbridge) during the tie of Cromwell. In understand that this has a ring of truth about it as the blacksmiths followed the army (lots of horses) and Cromwell wintered in Kilkenny. DO you have any links ofr Buggys in Australia. Not sure if this site is meant to be asking you questions but I did think you might like to hear from another Buggy,

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ann,

      My email is on the lectures pages. Please do make contact. Thanks.

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  4. Unfortunately, there were far too many GERAGHTYs as well! They're all driving me crazy!

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  5. Jimbo, you're lucky! My Irish ancestors' surnames are Hearn, Dunn, and Burke. Do you know how many William Hearns there are?!

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  6. Joe,
    Looking forward to getting your new book. Thought it was ironic that your surname led me to the townland of my ancestor Elizabeth Webb. Her husband Richard Kilroe fought in the Civil War and when applying for a pension he reported that he was married in Queens County Ireland by Father Richard Burggy (guess he had a bit of an Irish accent!!) anyway more research led me to Clonaslee where Fr. Buggy was parish priest during the right year and eventually to Elizabeth's father who was John Webb the RC school teacher in that town from 1832 until they emigrated in the Mid 1850's. Don't know if you are related to this priest but susoect you might be. Anyway thought you would like to hear this story. As you said it's the tactile and antecdotal info that makes researching one's history come alive! Thank you!!

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  7. Joe, Can you provide me a name and contact info for a good genealogy researcher in County Cork? The family is McCarthy, I am certainly willing to pay and would appreciate any possible help. We think the family is from Bantry. Thank you

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  8. Hi Joe,I have just come across your page while booking tickets for this years Back to our past event. I have done some research on my family back to 1790 plus one further generation but no dates as of yet. I was wondering if you could advise, if possible, where i would start on tracing my great great aunt, whereby on her birth record there's a note that she married a man in 1916 - USA ( Ihave his name and the actual date of marriage but location is just USA). Thanks. Jennifer

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    1. Hi I'll be participating in an Ancestry Masterclass Q&A at BTOP. We'll be taking questions from the audience and I'd be happy to answer.

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  9. Fantastic! Thank you. I have made a little progress so look forward to BTOP.

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  10. Hi. Have traced my ancestors back to Carnbeg Townland and Antrim Townland, both County Antrim on the 1851 census. Also, they took out marriage bonds. Found them listed as prominent members of a church in Clough. I haven't been able to get back to Ireland for further research. 1851 census shows them as linen weavers with children away at school and servants. Suggestions on further research?

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  11. I recently purchased your book, "Finding Your Irish Ancestors in New York City", and within two pages of reading, broke through several brick walls! Thank you for all your work and research. The book is pure gold!!!

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  12. Check out my books: Together in Exile, Poor Ignorant Children and Whence They Came -- many, many townlands of origin!

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