Beara Peninsula Genealogy

Riobard O'Dwyer has studied the genealogy, history and social customs of the families on the Beara Peninsula, Counties Cork and Kerry, for more than 40 years. Many people from this area emigrated to the United States and Canada over the last 200+ years. In 2009, he published three volumes of The Annals of Beara. The work contains information on families from the Roman Catholic parishes of Adrigole,  Allihies (both in Volume 1), Bere Island, Eyeries (both in Volume 2), Castletownbere and Glengarriff (both in Volume 3).[1] Volume 3 also contains a brief history of the O'Sullivan clan.[2]

Roman Catholic Parishes Beara Peninsula. Courtesy National Library of Ireland[3] 

The foreword to volume one outlines that he consulted every church record in the area. This was combined with local knowledge of who married whom, what occupation they had and where they lived locally or emigrated to.[4] The combination of these aspects allowed the author to tie many North American immigrants to what townland there were originally from on the peninsula.

The volumes were digitized earlier this year by the New England Historic Genealogical Society and are available on their website, americanancestors.org. Currently, only volume one has been indexed, while volumes two and three are browse only. A table of contents for all three volumes is available here (pdf).

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[1] Rregisters.nli.ie notes that Castletownbere and Bere Island are the same Roman Catholic parish.

[2] Description. Beara, Ireland: The Annals of Beara. 2016. Available online at https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/ireland-the-annals-of-beara/about/?rId=0&filterQuery=page:5http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/annals-of-beara/about: accessed 30 July 2017.

[4] Search the map, Roman Catholic Parish Registers at the National Library of Ireland. http://registers.nli.ie: accessed 30 July 2017.

[4] O'Dwyer, Riobard. The Annals of Bears: Volume I Adrigole and Alihies Parishes. Statesboro, Georgia : Gold Stag Publications. 2009. p. i.

Toronto Repealers 1844

One of the most useful sources for finding the Irish place of origin for Irish immigrants in the U.S. and Canada in the 1840s is newspaper reports about Repeal Associations. My previous post about Repeal Associations in Prince Edward Island, Canada, explains what they were.

Toronto, like other North American towns and cities, saw the establishment of a Repeal Association by Irish immigrants. The Toronto Mirror newspaper carried an article in 1844 about the activities of the organization and provided the names and Irish counties of origin of its members. These names were compiled in an article in Families, the journal of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Consult 'Nominal List of Repealers from the Toronto Mirror 2 February 1844' in the June 1997 (Vol. 36, No. 2, pp.111-116) edition to read the article. 

The Old Stone Bank

The records of the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank of New York City are some of the best when it comes to helping a researcher find where their ancestors came from in Ireland. Financial and banking records in other states can also be just as useful if two criteria are met: (i) the bank had a system to prove a customer’s identity by asking a series of biographical questions to which it had the answers, already supplied by the customer, and (ii) the records of the institution have survived to this day. In Rhode Island, there is such a set of records.

The Providence Institution for Savings was founded in Providence, Rhode Island in 1819. The institution’s original building was destroyed in 1837. After seventeen years in temporary headquarters a new building was constructed at 86 South Main Street in 1854, which was expanded in 1898 into its present form. Since the construction of the domed building in 1854, the bank had been unofficially known as the "Old Stone Bank". The name was officially changed to Old Stone Savings Bank in 1967. This corporation was absorbed by Citizens Bank in 1993 after 174 years of service.[1]

The records of the Old Stone Savings Bank were acquired by the Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) and have been arranged by series. The series of greatest general interest is Series 8, the Signature Books, containing 29 large volumes. From 1844 to 1857, the books include only signatures with occasional comments. In 1857, the depositor's residence began to be recorded. As of 1863, these volumes recorded name, residence, occupation and remarks. Birthplace and age began to be recorded systematically in 1882. Marital status and names of parents were added in 1890. The books come to a halt in 1897.[2]

Local historian Raymond McKenna has worked extensively in these records and also maintains the website Federal Hill Irish, which is all about Irish immigrants in Providence, RI. He has compiled a listing of almost 2,000 surnames from the signature books and what counties in Ireland the people with those names came from.[3]

The records are not digitized but are available for research at the RIHS library, located at 121 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02906. You can read more about the collection by searching for 'Old Stone Bank Records' in the RIHS online catalog.

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[1] Rick Staller. 2006. Old Stone Bank Records. Available online via Rhode Island Historical Society Catalog at http://rihs.minisisinc.com: accessed 23 April 2017.

[2] Ibid.

[3] McKenna, Raymond. Irish Surnames in Rhode Island & the Irish Counties They Represent. Federal Hill Irish. 20 November 2014. Available online at http://federalhillirish.com/2014/11/irish-surnames-in-rhode-island-the-irish-counties-they-represent: accessed 23 April 2017.

From Roscommon to Texas, MD

Assisted emigration is a feature of 19th century migration from Ireland to the United States and Canada. The owners of the estates in Ireland from which the emigrants left varied, with one example begin 'Crown estates,' those ultimately owned by the British Monarch. They were dotted around Ireland and one such estate was Ballykilcline in Kilglass Civil Parish, County Roscommon.

Beginning in 1847, 366 people left the estate on ships that sailed from Liverpool to New York City.[1] The assisted emigrants sailed on the Roscius, Metoka, Jane Classon, Creole, Channing, and Laconic. The last of these ships left Liverpool on 25 April 1848.[2] The small area of Texas, Baltimore County, Maryland was where many of these arrivals ended up. A limestone quarry began there in the years before 1847 and the Balykilcline assisted emigrants moved there for employment.

The complete list of emigrants from Ballykilcline is available in Eilish Ellis' Emigrants from Ireland, 1847-1852: State-aided emigration schemes from crown estates in Ireland. A detailed website about the assisted emigrants is also available to review. Archaeological excavations of the Texas area were due to be carried out in the mid-2000s and an overview of this is available on the website of the Center for Heritage Resource Studies, University of Maryland.

I first learned about this migration on the Irish Genealogical Society International blog.

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[1] Ellis, Eilish. Emigrants from Ireland, 1847-1852 : state-aided emigration schemes from crown estates in Ireland. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co. 1993. p.12.

[2] 'The Emigrant Ships,' The Story of Ballykilcline, (http://www. ballykilcline.com) accessed 25 March 2017.

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.

Tewksbury Almshouse Inmate Biographies

American and Canadian almshouse records from the 19th century have always been fruitful hunting grounds for information about immigrants from Ireland. I have previously written about Saint John Almshouse in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and now it is the turn of Tewksbury, located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Tewksbury Almshouse first opened in 1854 and quickly saw more admittals than the number it was built for.[1] Those who were admitted came from all over Massachusetts. What is very interesting about this institution is that detailed notes taken from a patient's intake interview have survived. Known as 'inmate biographies,' many of these are lengthy, detailed narratives that cover the person’s full life history, focusing on family relations, work, and health.[2]

The first phase of this digitization project has seen records from 1854 to 1883 come online, however, there are very few records from before 1860. There are currently records for approximate 40,000 individuals that can be viewed online. The final phase of digitization will see records added through the 1890s. There are records from after these years, but they will not be placed online. Some of the original records are at the Museum of Public Health in Tewksbury, while transcriptions of other original records, since destroyed, are available on microfilm at the Massachusetts State Archives. The digitized records come from both of these institutions. 

The records are heavily populated with immigrants from Ireland with the following example showing the genealogical gold they contain: [3]

Mary Stanley, inmate biography, 1873

Reg. No:              41109

Age:                     56

Name:                  Mary Stanley

From:                   Boston June 4 1873

Condition:           Well

Discharged:         June 24 1873

Removed:            Boston

By Whom:           Tupp [?]

For Nos:

56 b[orn] Ire[land] Co. Roscommon Land[ed] Quebec Ca[nada] May 15 1837 per Ship Emerald. Direct to Boston and resided in Boston since.  M[arrie]d Henry Stanley in Boston 1838. N.N. [?] No R[eal?]. Est[ate?] No taxes Laborer died Boston Jan[uary] 1856. Son Thomas Stanley stone mason resides #25 Northampton St. Daug[hter] Mary H[ouse?] w[i]f[e] of Benjamin Washington. #5 Smith's Court off Joy St. P[arents?] Richard and Ann O'Brien d[ied?] Ire[land]. Last lived rear of 383 Harrison Ave with Mrs Dayley. Says [she was] in no other inst[itution]. Officer Prouty [?] of Station 5 knows her. Rheum[atism?] In City Hosp[ital] 2 years ago. No M[oney?]. No Home.

As best that I can tell, the website on which this collection is hosted, University of Massachusetts Lowell Digital Initiatives, does not have a standalone database where you can search this collection. Instead, the search facility searches all digitized collections. However, all names from the Tewksbury Almshouse collection have been indexed.

You can read more about the collection here and access the records here. Browsing the records is also available, beginning here.

My thanks goes to R. Andrew Pierce, a professional genealogist in Boston, for telling me about this digitization project.

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[1] Meltsner, Heli. The Poorhouses of Massachusetts: A Cultural and Architectural History. Massachusetts: McFarland, 2012, pp. 32–33.

[2] Fisher, Joseph. 'Tewksbury Almshouse Intake Record Collection at UMass Lowell,' Highlights. Boston Library Consortium (https://blc.org/special-highlights/tewksbury-almshouse-intake-record-collection-umass-lowell): accessed 19 February 2017.

[3] Tewksbury Almshouse, 'Tewksbury Almshouse Intake Record: Stanley, Mary,' No. 41109, 4 June 1873; Digital Initiatives @ UML, University of Massachusetts Lowell Library (http://libhost.uml.edu/items/show/1807): accessed 19 February 2017.

The Canada Company

Throughout history, private companies have always been interesting in settling people on colonized lands and large tracts of lands acquired from national governments and monarchs. It was no different in parts of modern-day Canada. One interesting example was The Canada Company. It was formed in the 1820s to sell and settle land in Ontario, of which its southern parts was known as Upper Canada from 1791 to 1841.

After settling the first generation of arrivals, it was in the interest of such companies to facilitate the settlers to write back to family members in their place of origin and send remittances. Both acts would encourage more settlers to come to the company's lands. The Canada Company settled a considerable number of Irish immigrants and compiled a large amount of documentation in the process.

The company's records were acquired by a Canadian archive after it ceased operation in 1951. Among the records were four volumes that reported on the company's efforts to assist settlers with their remittance payments.  Relevant genealogical information from these volumes was included in Genealogical extraction and index of the Canada Company remittance books, 1843-1847, published in 1990.[1] About half of those immigrants  were from Ireland. The records detail the residence of the settler and, crucially, the residence of person receiving the remittance in Ireland. These people are most likely to have been family members or those from the settler's place of origin in Ireland.

This publication is not universally available.  Copies can be found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, Toronto Public Library, and elsewhere . The original records are at the Archives of Ontario.

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[1] Dwight D. Radford and Kyle J. Betit. A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Irish Ancestors. Betterway Books: 2003, p.67.

Waltham Savings Bank Records

The Waltham Savings Bank was founded in Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts in 1853. The bank kept a wide range of records and those from 1853 to 1987 were donated to the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) in 1994.

MHS has cataloged and condensed the records into three series. Among the collection are Deposits (1853-1891) located in Series II, Customer Records (1853-1935). The catalog description for the deposits outlines that "although much of the information contained in the deposit records is duplicated in the customer account balances, the records were kept because they also contain personal information on the customer, including signatures of new account holders, place of residence, age, place of birth, and parents' and spouse's name."[1]

I have not viewed records from this collection but there seems to be tremendous potential for these records to provide place of origin information for any Irish immigrants that banked with the Waltham Savings Bank. From 1860 to 1900, the percentage of the Irish-born population in Waltham was approx. 18-20%.[2] Therefore, it is quite likely that a sizeable number of the bank's customers were from Ireland.

You can read the Waltham Savings Bank's collection description and how to access its records on the Massachusetts Historical Society website.

My thanks to the @Catholicgeneal twitter account for bringing this collection to my attention.

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[1] Kristen A. Farmelant and Brenda M. Lawson. Waltham Savings Bank Records, 1853-1987 Guide to the Collection. September 2014. Massachusetts Historical Society. Available online: http://www.masshist.org/collection-guides/view/fa0132 : accessed 8 January 2017.

[2] Based on my own calculation from the 1860, 1870, 1880 & 1900 U.S. Federal Censuses on Ancestry.com

Newfoundland's Grand Banks

The Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogical and Historical Data website was founded by Bill Crant and Don Tate in the 1990s. Their mission statement is succinct and direct: "The purpose of this site is to provide original genealogical and historical data in the form of census information, Provincial wide directory publications, church, parish, and cemetery records, and many other original source documents. It has been created for those desiring to do research in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador."[1]

The site is obviously a treasure trove for those who had ancestors that lived in or immigrated to this part of Canada. Of particular interest to this blog is the information contained in the transcribed Roman Catholic parish registers from the city of St. John's. After selecting 'Parish Records' on the home page, you are provided with a list of place names from throughout the province. Selecting your place of interest presents you with transcribed parish records from various denominations. The St. John's Roman Catholic baptismal and marriage records provide a lot of useful information, with many of the marriage entries providing a 'last permanent residence' for Irish immigrants.

Immigration to this part of the world from Ireland was mostly made up of people from the southeast of Ireland—Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, south Tipperary, east Cork—who were attracted to work in the fishing industry. This is reflected in the registers - John Neil of Mothel Parish [County Waterford] married Mary Keating of Cashel Parish [County Tipperary] in St. John's Parish, St. John's on 22 June 1800.[2]

A fascinating section of the website is Parish Records of Newfoundlanders located in Other Countries. There are examples of Newfoundlanders recorded in the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Patrick, Waterford City, Ireland in the 1750s; Roman Catholic church records in Montreal, Quebec; and  in various denomination in Nova Scotia. Early Catholic marriage records from Halifax, Nova Scotia are a delight, with names of parents and places of birth provided for both parties. For example, James Dowling of County Carlow, Ireland, and son of Michael Dowling and Winifred Phelan, married Margaret McDonald of Newfoundland, daughter of John McDonald and Alice Corcoran, on 18 April 1833 in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Parish.[3]

Digital images of church records from Newfoundland are also available to browse for free on the Familysearch database Newfoundland Church Records, 1793-1945. Therefore, using both websites can give you the best of both worlds - a transcribed, searchable list of entries and digital images.

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[1] Craig Peterman. Mission Statement. Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogical and Historical Data, August 2015. (http://ngb.chebucto.org/mission.shtml), accessed 3 October 2016.

[2] St. John's Roman Catholic Parish (St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada), marriage register, p. 22, 2 June 1800, John Neil and Mary Keating; transcription, "1799 - 1811 Marriages - St. John's RC Basilica Parish," St. John's City, Parish Records, Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogical and Historical Data (http://ngb.chebucto.org), accessed 7 January 2017.

[3] St. Mary's Roman Catholic Parish (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), marriage register, 18 April 183, James Dowling and Margaret McDonald; transcription, "Marriages 1830 - 1900 St Mary's Basilica RC," Other Countries, Parish Records, Newfoundland's Grand Banks Genealogical and Historical Data (http://ngb.chebucto.org), accessed 7 January 2017.

Irish Emigration to New England Through The Port of Saint John

Saint John, New Brunswick is a port city that Irish immigrants have used since the 18th century as a gateway to North America. Located on the Atlantic seaboard, it provides for easy access to a wide range of Canadian and American locations. During The Famine, thousands of Irish immigrants arrived at Saint John. Tracing Famine arrivals is difficult at the best of time so it is great to have Irish Emigration to New England through the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1841 to 1849 to assist research efforts.

First published in 1996 (then re-published in 1997 and 2004) and written by Daniel Johnson, it is a compendium of extracts from the records of various institutions in Saint John County, New Brunswick. They include hospitals, asylums and workhouses, along with information gleaned from the journeys of the immigrants, their receiving of outdoor relief, and where they might have lived or temporarily resided in Saint John County.

Interesting examples abound in the publication. Names derived from a "Catalogue of immigrants from the United Kingdom relieved on parish poor accounts and not charged to the immigrant account year 1842," a document at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, are accompanied by Irish counties of nativity. Patrick May, 58, from County Kilkenny, [condition] sick and asmatick [sic]; William Freil, 76, from County Donegal, blind and feeble; and Barbara Ford, 47, from County Leitrim, dropsical [sic], are just three examples.[1]

Records for the year 1841 in the temporary lunatic asylum also have detailed information. Catherine Coyle, 33, and John Clougher, 26, both from County Roscommon, were two of the people admitted on 1 May 1841. Mary was discharged five months later but John was still there in 1844.[2]

It is often forgotten that Canadian ports were used to immigrate when the final destination was in the United States, hence the name of the publication. Therefore, don't discount this important work if you are researching Famine immigrants in Massachusetts, Vermont or elsewhere in New England. The book is also available in digitized format via the database 'Irish Emigration to New England through the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1841 to 1849' on Ancestry.

Click here for a long list of other sources to do with New Brunswick that I have written about.

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[1] Johnson Daniel F. Irish Emigration to New England through the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1841 to 1849. Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, Maryland. pp. 15-16; digital image, Irish Emigration to New England through the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1841 to 1849," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed 3 December 2016.

[2] Johnson Daniel F. Irish Emigration to New England through the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1841 to 1849. Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, Maryland. p. 13; digital image, Irish Emigration to New England through the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1841 to 1849," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed 3 December 2016.

Albany County, New York Naturalizations, 1836-1864

The Connors Genealogy website has been online since 2001 and contains a large number of transcribed records from New York State and Ireland. Run by Pat Connors, it was one of the early websites to show the potential of volunteer transcription efforts when it came to records concerning Irish immigrants in the United States and record sets from Ireland.

One section of the site that is truly excellent is the list of transcribed Albany County, New York naturalization records from 1836 to 1864. For those that had an Irish county of birth recorded on their petition for naturalization, Connors provides this information, along with their name, age, residence (usually the city of Albany) and date of petition. There are hundreds of such examples. John Hartigan, age 66, petitioned to become a citizen of the United States on 3 November 1846.[1] He was born in County Limerick, resided in Albany, and had left Ireland from Limerick. James Lally was a resident of Watervliet, Albany County when he filed his petition, coincidentally also on 3 November, in 1838. He was born in County Offaly and had emigrated from Dublin.[2]

Helpfully, the Family History Library (FHL) film numbers are provided for each year. John Lally's petition is on film number 1301571. A quick search of the FHL Catalog directed me to the relevant film.

You can access the Albany County naturalizations here and the Connors Genealogy landing page here.

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[1] Albany County NY, Naturalization Records, John Hartigan petition for naturalization 3 November 1846, Connors Genealogy

(http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/Albany/AlbanyIrishBorn1846.htm), accessed 20 November 2016.

[2] Albany County NY, Naturalization Records, John Lally petition for naturalization 3 November 1838, Connors Genealogy

(http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/Albany/AlbanyIrishBorn1838.htm), accessed 20 November 2016.

New Orleans Irish, Arrivals – Departures

New Orleans Irish, Arrivals – Departures was written by John Finn and published in 1983. Finn was a Roman Catholic priest from County Sligo who was appointed to a parish in New Orleans, Louisiana. He quickly became intrigued by St. Patrick’s Cemeteries in the city and the history of the Irish who immigrated to New Orleans over the previous 180 years.

His publication primarily consists of a few thousand entries that Finn gleaned from headstones in the three St. Patrick’s Cemeteries. Finn recorded all information from the headstone, including Irish places of origin and birth, where found. Many of the burials occurred in the 19^th century. For example, Ellen Donnelly, died on 4 September 1865, age 24 and was buried in St. Patrick Cemetery number two. She was from Killoran, County Galway.[1] Useful cemetery maps and pictures of some of the headstones are also included.

Finn also transcribed Irish immigrants from passenger lists of ships that arrived in New Orleans. The listing is not comprehensive but entries are taken from the years 1815 to 1847.

New Orleans does not initially come to mind when Irish immigration to the United States is considered. However, as pointed out in David T. Gleeson’s The Irish in the South, 1815-1877, the Irish population of the city in 1850 and 1860 averaged just over 15%.[2] By 1860, this considerable percentage consisted of 24,398 immigrants from Ireland.[3]

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[1] Finn, John. New Orleans Irish, Arrivals – Departures. Privately Published: Jefferson, Louisiana, 1983. p. 164.

[2] Gleeson, David T., The Irish in the South, 1815-1877, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 2001. p. 35.

[3] Gleeson, David T., The Irish in the South, 1815-1877, p.34. 

U.S. Census Series: Bald Eagle, Pennsylvania

Bald Eagle in Clinton County, Pennsylvania is a very small town broadly halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, the state capital. In the 1860s, the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad was completed as part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.  Some of the men from Ireland who worked on the railroad had their county of birth recorded in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census. They are found among farmers and laborers who also had their Irish counties of birth recorded. The same information was also recorded for some female immigrants from Ireland.

It is interesting to note that all those that had their Irish counties of birth recorded were from Munster. However, the enumerator, assistant marshal J.P. Heard, only recorded this information in the first five pages in his enumeration of Bald Eagle. All other immigrants from Ireland just had their country of birth recorded. One wonders if all the other Irish immigrants were also from Munster counties and their presence in Bald Eagle was due to chain migration from the south and south west of Ireland. Of those with counties of birth recorded, Cork and Clare have the largest concentrations.

Irish County of Birth	Number
Cork	21
Clare (incl. Claire)	15
Waterford	3
Kerry (incl. Carry)	3
Limerick	1
Total	43

Browse the enumeration for Bald Eagle by clicking here.

The Irish In St. Louis, Missouri

The website of the St. Louis Genealogy Society (SLGS) is a must for anyone doing research in city. The 'Irish in St. Louis' section of the website has three very useful listings. First, you will find a list of all the Roman Catholic parishes in the city and their year of foundation. The introduction helpfully points out that researchers should "compare the church address and your ancestor’s address on a St. Louis map" to determine which Church a person of interest may have worshipped at. Thankfully, the website has a map section.

I have previously written about Repeal Associations in relation to Terrence Punch's work in Prince Edward Island, Canada newspapers. A meeting of the Repeal Association of the Friends of Ireland took place in St. Louis on 10 May, 1842. The Missouri Republican newspaper reported on the meeting and an article listed 172 men and where the Irish-born, which comprised the vast majority, were from in Ireland. The SLGS has reproduced the list and helpfully added information for many of the men from other record sets.

There is also a collection of notices from local newspapers concerning Irish immigrants and their descendants. The vast majority are death notices, with some information wanted adverts also included. Some included Irish places of origin.

In conjunction with these useful resources, also check out my blog post about Ward 2 of St. Louis in the 1860 U.S. Federal Census. Irish places of origin were recorded for more than 300 people.

New York State Naturalizations 1802 - 1814

Thomas Addis Emmet was a lawyer who was heavily involved in the United Irishmen organization in the 1790s. Born in Cork, he was arrested on the eve of the 1798 rebellion and eventually settled in New York City, where he lived out the remainder of his days. He died there in 1827.[1] His grandson, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, amassed a considerable collection of important documents and the collection was donated to the New York Public Library in 1896.[2]  

One of those documents is a list of immigrants naturalized in New York State between 1802 and 1814. Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet was known for his pro-Irish independence sympathies and the vast majority of the 115 names on the list are for men from Ireland. Importantly, the Irish county of birth is provided for almost every entry.

Early New York Naturalizations

The names were transcribed and published in a 1963 edition of the Bulletin of The New York Public Library.[3] This edition of the bulletin was digtized by Internet Archive and is freely available online. Click here for access.

The Emmet Collection was digitized by the New York Public Library and is available to view here.

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[1] Thomas Addis Emmet, born 1764, died 1827 in New York City, buried Saint Mark's Church in the Bowery, New York, New York, memorial number 6813864; digital image, Find A Grave (http;//www.findagrave.com), accessed 24 September 2016.

[2] Thomas Addis Emmet collection, Archives and Manuscripts; The New York Public Library (http://archives.nypl.org), accessed 24 September 2016.

[3] Wolfe, Richard J. Early New York Naturalization Records in the Emmet Collection With a List of Aliens Naturalized in New York 1802-1814, Bulletin of the New York Public Library, Volume 67, Number 4, April 1963, pp. 211-217; accessed Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/earlynewyorknatu00wolf), 24 September 2016.

U.S. Roman Catholic Cemetery Publications II

This post contains the second half of a list of books of transcribed grave marker inscriptions from Roman Catholic cemeteries in the United States. Grave marker information can sometimes provide an Irish county or civil parish of origin. Scroll down to the most previous blogpost (20 September) or click here for the first post.

Please add a comment if you know of publications for states Minnesota through Wyoming that are not on this list.

Minnesota

Bakeman, Mary. Calvary Cemetery, St. Paul, Minnesota. 5 volumes. Roseville, MN: Park Genealogical Books. 1995-1999.

Missouri

St. Louis Genealogical Society, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints AND St. Louis Eighth Ward. Catholic Cemetery Inscriptions of Jefferson County, Missouri. St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Genealogical Society. 1985.

Stricklin, Dawn C. Catholic Cemeteries in Southern Missouri and Illinois: Volume 1 in the Mortality Series. R.J. Stymes & Sons. 2013.

Available online at: https://archive.org/details/Stricklin2013

Montana

Brink, Marilyn. Tombstone inscriptions: St. Joseph's Catholic Church cemetery, Miesville, Mn. St. Paul, MN: Dakota County Genealogical Society. 1989.

New Jersey

Conroy, Bill. St. Rose of Lima Catholic Cemetery, Freehold, NJ, Division 1. Freehold, NJ: Self-published. Year Unknown.

Available online at: https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE58187 (opens as pdf)

Conroy, Bill. St. Rose of Lima Catholic Cemetery, Freehold, NJ, Division 2. Freehold, NJ: Self-published. Year Unknown.

Available online at: https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE58182 (opens as pdf)

New York
Ardolina, Rosemary Muscarella. Old Calvary Cemetery: New Yorkers Carved in Stone. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books. 1996.

Ardolina, Rosemary Muscarella. Second Calvary Cemetery: New Yorkers Carved in Stone. Floral Park, NY: Delia Publications. 2000. 

Barber, Gertrude A. Tombstone Inscriptions in the Catholic Cemetery at Richfield Springs, N.Y

and Also in the Exeter Cemetery at Exeter, N.Y., Both Located in Otsego County, N.Y. New York, NY: Self-published. 1931.

Kearns, Francis M. Assumption of Mary Parish, Redford, New York: Baptisms, 1853–1910, Marriages 1853–1923, Burials 1853–1925, Sepultures and Cemetery Records. Clinton, NY: Northern New York American-Canadian Genealogical Society. 1990.

Nial, Loretta M. Tombstone Inscriptions in Cemeteries in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York Indicating a Foreign Place of Origin. Troy, NY: Self-published. 1976.

Available online at: http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/troy/tombstone.htm

Siarkiewicz, Emilie Jones. St. Ann's Catholic Cemetery, Hinckley, New York. Hinckley, NY: Self-published. 1993.

Silinonte, Joseph M. Tombstones of the Irish Born: Cemetery of the Holy Cross, Flatbush, Brooklyn. Concord, Ontario: Becker Associates. 1992.

Ohio

Author Unknown. ‘The Restoration of Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Dennison, Ohio and List of Irish Immigrants Buried There.’ Ulster Genealogical and Historical Guild Subscribers' Interest List. Vol. 11. 1988.

Ross County Genealogical Society. Tombstone Inscriptions & Burial Records of Saint Margaret's Catholic Cemetery and Tombstone Inscriptions of Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery Ross County, Ohio. Chillicothe, OH: Ross County Genealogical Society. 1989.

Schlegel, Donald M. The Columbus Catholic Cemetery History and Records, 1846-1874. Columbus, OH: Columbus History Service. 1983.

Oregon

Wolfe, Rosemary. St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery, the Dalles, Wasco Co., Oregon. The Dalles, OR: Mid-Columbia Genealogical Society. 1983.

Pennsylvania

Author Unknown. ‘Gravestone Inscriptions From St. Peter's Catholic Church, Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1799–1900.’ Directory of Irish Family History Research: Subscribers' Interest List. Vol. 18. 1995.

Ensley, Brian J. St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Biographical Sketch and Cemetery Listing

Old Conemaugh Borough, Johnstown, PA. Apollo, PA: Closson Press. 2001.

Middleton, Thomas C. Pew Register and Interments in St. Mary's Burying Ground, Philadelphia, from 1787–1800. West Jordan, UT: Stemmons. 1988.

Zimmerman, Edgar H. St. Paul's Catholic Cemetery (Goshenhoppen), Bally, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and New Cemetery of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church, Bally, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Apolla, PA: Closson Press. 2000.

Utah

Smith, Veda and Henry H. Weese. Mount View Catholic Cemetery, Ogden, Weber County, Utah. Ogden, UT: Self-published. 1940.

Available online at: https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE92007 (opens as pdf)

Virginia

Chitwood, W. R. Tombstone Inscriptions, East End Cemetery and St. Mary's Catholic Church Cemetery, Wytheville, VA. Wytheville, VA: Self-published. 1984.

Miller, Michael T. Burials in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Alexandria, VA, 1783–1983. Baltimore, MD: Heritage Books. 1986.

Pippenger, Wesley E. Tombstone Inscriptions of Alexandria, Virginia (Volume 5): St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery (1795). Alexandria, VA: self-published. 2005.

Wisconsin

Bird, Miriam Y. Town of Granville (Milw. Co.) Irish and St. Michael's Cemetery. Whitefish Bay, WI: Mimi Bird. 1994.

Milwaukee County Genealogical Society. Town of Granville, Irish & St. Michael's Cemetery. Milwaukee WI: Milwaukee County Genealogical Society. 1995.