From Ulster to Philadelphia

An Alphabetical Index of Ulster Emigration to Philadelphia, 1803-1850 dates from the early 1990s and was compiled by Pennsylvanian Raymond D. Adams. The specific and succinct nature of the title quickly tells the genealogist what this publication should be used for. There are entries for almost 2,000 individuals who arrived into Philadelphia in the first half of the 19th century. Some combination of name, age, family members that traveled with them, ship, year of arrival, port of embarkation and address in Ireland is provided for each person. The address is typically a townland.

The main disadvantage of this book is that the primary sources from where the information came from is only hinted at - "Customs Lists and passenger Lists contained in the National Archives [presumably of the United States], existing passenger lists recorded voluntarily by ship's masters of the Cunard and Cooke shipping lines, and civil parish emigration lists retained by the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland."[1] Without clear citations, you still have to try and track down the original documentation that provided the information so as to help prove the Philadelphian immigrant's Irish place of origin.

Based on this description of sources and the specific years of arrival listed in the book, I'd suggest following up with Brian Mitchell's books to learn more about where the information comes from.

Mitchell, Brian. Irish Emigration Lists, 1833-1839 - Lists of Emigrants Extracted from the OrdnanceSurvey Memoirs for Counties Londonderry and Antrim. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company. 2007.

Mitchell, Brian. Irish Passenger Lists, 1847-1871 - Lists of Passengers Sailing from Londonderry to America on Ships of the J. & J. Cooke Line and the McCorkell Line. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company. 2001.

Mitchell, Brian. Irish Passenger Lists, 1803-1806 - Lists of Passengers Sailing from Ireland to America. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company. 1995.

An Alphabetical Index....is also available as a searchable database on Ancestry.

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[1] Adams, Raymond D. An Alphabetical Index to Ulster Emigration to Philadelphia, 1803-1850. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company. 1992. p. vii.

Prince Edward Island Repeal List 1843

The Act of Union came into effect on 1 January 1801 and created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Various efforts at repealing the act occurred both within and outside Ireland. Those who were of this mindset became known as repealers and many Repeal Associations were established in the United States and Canada. One such example was in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada in the 1840s.

In the 1980s, Terrence M. Punch (more about him in a recent blog post) wrote  in The Island Magazine about finding newspaper articles from 1843 that listed the names of Irish repelaers in PEI. Importantly, an Irish place of birth was also provided for many of the men. The newspaper in questions was the Halifax-based Register and the lists of names were published in various editions from October and November of that year.

Punch's first publication[1] provides the names of 149 men and over 100 Irish places of birth. His second[2] lists 253 men with the majority of names also having an Irish birthplace provided. You can access both publications on the website of the University of Prince Edward Island, as they have digitized old editions of The Island Magazine, or click the links below.

A Prince Edward Island Repeal List for 1843 (pdf)

A Prince Edward Island Repeal List for 1843 Part Two (pdf)

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[1] Punch, Terrence M. A Prince Edward Island Repeal List for 1843. The Island Magazine. 1986, no. 20 Fall Winter. pp. 29-31. Available online at http://vre2.upei.ca/islandmagazine/fedora/repository/vre%3Aislemag-batch2-266: accessed 31 January 2016.

[2] Punch, Terrence M. A Prince Edward Island Repeal List for 1843. The Island Magazine. 1987, no. 21 Spring Summer. pp. 33-36. Available online at http://vre2.upei.ca/islandmagazine/fedora/repository/vre%3Aislemag-batch2-281: accessed 31 January 2016.

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.

U.S. Census Series: Wheeling, West Virginia 1880

About 30,000 residents were enumerated in Wheeling, West Virginia in the 1880 U.S. federal census. Irish immigrants accounted for about 5% of the population at that point. J.L Stauton[1] was the census enumerator in the first sub-district of the 6th Ward. This section was in the downtown area where Market, Main and 20th Sts. straddle Wheeling Creek as it flows into the Ohio river. As he went about his work, he recorded the county or province of birth for about 55% of Irish immigrants that he enumerated.

Page from 1880 U.S. federal census, Wheeling, West Virginia

The 1880 federal census also asked for the place of birth of the person's parents and he also recorded this information. This can be particularly useful if one of the parents is deceased. For example 23 year old Alice Moran, is living with her mother Mary at 31 Main St.[2] Alice is listed as being born in West Virginia, mother born in Kilkenny and father born in Dublin. There is no male of the correct age living with the family so he may be deceased. Despite this possibility, we know what county in Ireland he most likely came from.

It is interesting to note the strong presence of people from Connaught, with Mayo, Galway, Roscommon, and Connaught itself, all heavily represented. The numbers for place of birth information from this 6th Ward sub-district are:

Galway 13

Mayo 13

Connaught 6

Roscommon 5

Cork 3

Derry 3

Ulster 3

Tyrone  3

Kilkenny 3

Sligo 2

Donegal 2

Laois (Queens) 1

Longford 1

Dublin 1

Carlow 1

Down 1

Munster 1 [3]

Cavan    1
Total 63

Ireland  50

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[1] That is my best effort at interpreting his signature at the top of the census pages.

[2] Ancestry.com, 1800 US Census, Ohio County, West Virginia, population schedule, City of Wheeling 1st Supervisors District, Sheet 2B, House 17, family 21, Alice Moran; digital image, Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 2 February 2015; citing Family History Film 1255410 Roll 1410. 

[3] This could refer to Munster, Germany

From Achill To Cleveland

In 2003, the town of Achill in Co. Mayo was twinned with the city of Cleveland, Ohio. The reason for this twinning was due to the considerable number of Achill emigrants who settled in the city over the last 150 years.

A great example of this connection is seen in the Lavelle Family From Achill to Cleveland website. Lavelle is one of those wonderful rare Irish names and can be tied to a particular part of Ireland. MacLysaght's The Surnames of Ireland outlines that it "is the name of a north Connacht sept, also found in Donegal."[1] Indeed, the website has documented 44 different Lavelle families who settled in Cleveland from Achill.

Estimates vary as to how many Clevelanders have Achill ancestry with anything from 25%[2] to 80%[3] claiming such links. However, I have not been able to find cited documentation to support these numbers.

Do you have Irish ancestors in the Cleveland area and are looking for their place of origin? Chances are, they were from Achill.

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[1] MccLysaght, Edward. The Surnames of Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Press. p. 190.

[2] Lavelle Family From Achill to Cleveland. Year Unknown. http://lavelles.us: accessed 6 January 2015

[3] Author Unknown. History of the Twinning of Cleveland, Ohio and the Parish of Achill, County Mayo, Ireland. Year Unknown http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/view?docId=ead/OCLWHi0286.xml;chunk.id=bioghist_1;brand=default: accessed 6 January 2015.

From Donegal To Philadelphia

The always excellent Irish in the American Civil War website recently had an in-depth article about Irish chain migration to the U.S. Focusing on the life of Private Charles O'Donnell, the blog curator, Damian Shiels, tells the story of how many people from the civil parish of Donaghmore, Co. Donegal emigrated to Philadelphia, PA, beginning in the early 19th century.

Click here to read the full article.

Irish Emigration Database On DIPPAM II: Place Of Origin Information

Read part one of this series by clicking here, or scroll down if on the homepage.

To review: DIPPAM (Documenting Ireland: People, Parliament, and Migration) is an online virtual archive of documents and sources relating to the history of Ireland, and its migration experience from the late 18th to the 20th centuries. In this series I am focusing on one part of DIPPAM, the Irish Emigration Database (IED).

Examples of Irish place of origin information can be found in many types of documents on the IED, across the 18th and 19th centuries.  As all the information in the IED has been transcribed, a researcher can quickly enter the names and places that are of interest to their research. Many of the transcriptions contain a modern fixed spelling of  a word in parenthesis beside the original, or a full spelling of an abbreviation, for example Pensylvania [Pennsylvania?][1] and Anthony McClean, near Letter Kenny,[Letterkenny,?] Co. Don.[Donegal?][2]. This can help with searching the database, but as with all transcribed records, caution should be taken and, if possible, the original viewed to get all possible information from the document.

Screen shot of a entry in the DIPPAM Irish Emigration Database

Three examples, from across the centuries show the potential in this database. Firstly, this newspaper article from 1762 discusses the findings of a group of men who inspected land in Nova Scotia, Canada. Seventeen Irish immigrants are listed, along with where they are from in Donegal, Antrim, and Derry/Londonderry.[3]Another example is the reporting of deaths of Irish emigrants, of which there are hundreds. In this short notice, the death of a Fermanagh man in Canada in 1835 is reported in the local newspaper in Ireland.[4] Lastly, 1897 probate information for a Tipperary woman who died in California mentions where she came from in the county and the name of her sister.[5]

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[1] DIPPAM. Declaration of Committee of Immigrants to Nova Scotia.  http://www.dippam.ac.uk/ied/records/28069: accessed 20 August 2014. Document ID 305015. Originally from The Belfast Newsletter, 11 March, 1762.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] DIPPAM. Death notice of Michael Graham, Monaghan, Upper Canada.  http://www.dippam.ac.uk/ied/records/51766: accessed 20 August 2014. Document ID 9408370. Originally from The Enniskillen Chronicle, Thursday, November 5, 1835.

[5] DIPPAM. Estate and Effects of Mary Treacy.  http://www.dippam.ac.uk/ied/records/53220: accessed 20 August 2014. Document ID 9410121. Originally from Estate and Effects of Mary Treacy at Public Records Office of Northern Ireland.

U.S. Census Series: Lincoln, Indiana 1870

Hendricks county is just to the west of the city of Indianapolis in the state of Indiana. By 1870, the city had grown steadily due to the first railroad, which opened in the 1840s. 

In the 1870 census, Lincoln township in Hendricks county reported a population of 1,502. 5.25% of those people are listed as born in Ireland, a total of 79. For all 79, their county or place of origin is listed.[1] 

The breakdown is as follows:

Galway 64

Dublin 5

Down 3

Cork 3

Glinn/Glenn [could possibly refer to Glin, Co. Limerick] 2

Donegal 1

Belfast 1

Lincoln, Indiana census page showing county of origin

You can read through the 38 pages of census returns for Lincoln township by clicking here. Browse the pages by using the image number arrow.

The U.S. Census Series of articles highlight examples from the federal census that give an Irish county/place of birth.To read about other examples like this click the 'Census Series' label, below.

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[1] All total numbers and percentages come from a manual tabulation from the relevant census pages. Small errors are quite possible.

A Michigan Gaeltacht

Beaver Island, Michigan, and Árainn Mhór (Arranmore), Donegal are two places separates by thousands of miles, yet they have a strong bond. In 2000, the two islands were twinned due to the huge numbers of Árainn Mhór natives who settled on Beaver Island, beginning after the Famine.

More in-depth information about this can be found on a number of websites such as donegaldiaspora.ie, a University of Notre Dame blog about Historical Archaeology of Irish America, and AineMcCormack's The Irish in America. An article on this topic was also published in The Irish at Home and Abroad Vol. 4. No. 4. 1997.

A brief examination of the 1880 U.S. Federal  census shows that over one third of residence in Manitou County[1], MI had the name Boyle or Gallagher[2], names usually associated with Donegal[3]. The arrival of these Donegal people saw the development of a Gaeltacht (Irish speaking area) all through the 19th century, until its demise in the early years of the 20th century.[4]

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[1] This county was disbanded in 1895 and replaced by Charlevoix county. Both counties include(ed) Beaver Island, and surround islands.

[2] "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417683); Boyle search 33 names, Gallagher search 50 names, Total Irish born in Manitou county 257 names; search carried out 3 September 2013.

[3] MacLysaght, Edward. The Surnames of Ireland. Dublin: Academic Press. 1985.

[4] Fernandez, Laura. Beaver Island Lumber Company and Culture Change on Historical Archaeology of Irish America. 2011; http://blogs.nd.edu/irishstories/student-projects/summer-projects/beaver-island-lumber-company-and-culture-change/ : accessed 3 September 2013