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Grand Lodge of Ireland Membership Records Online

1 Dec By

A major Irish record source has now come online at Ancestry.com. It is titled “Ireland, Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Ireland Membership Registers, 1733-1923,” and consists of 24 volumes of scanned and indexed records. The originals are housed at the Grand Lodge of Ireland (GLI) library in Dublin.

I have used these records for many years, and now having them online is a dream come true. The GLI is the second oldest in the world, founded in 1725. It serves individual lodges throughout the 32 counties of Ireland and, today, Northern Ireland. In addition, many lodges outside of Ireland would have warrants through the GLI, which makes this more than an Irish resource. This also includes militia units and British Army regiments.

While the records themselves may be somewhat basic, especially in the early volumes, information will include name and lodge number. Later records will include advancement information, resignation, transfers, occupation, and personal notes such as deaths. Regardless of what personal information is provided, the lodge number, such as Lodge #18 (Newry, County Down) may be the most valuable. The individual lodge covered a geographic area. If you do not know where in Ireland your ancestor lived, then the lodge location narrows your search considerably.

There are some quirks to this source. For example, after the 1830s, it was mainly, although not exclusively, a Protestant source. Prior to the Papal Bulls being published in Ireland in 1826 condemning the Freemasons, lodges were mixed Catholic and Protestant. Also, the class of people who were Freemasons were not the poor. Consider that a man had to have enough money to at least pay the dues! It was very common for the middle-class and upper-class segment of Irish society to be Freemasons.

A final word. These are only membership records. Once you have identified a lodge number, then the GLI library will have correspondence involving that individual lodge. These “Deputy Grand Secretary Correspondence Files (1820-1880)” may provide some additional details on members. This makes the Ancestry.com database your key into other records still held with the GLI.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

When Are You Ready to Subscribe to a Database Website?

19 Oct By

When you are considering subscription websites I would recommend you do your research first in order to get the most value for your money. If you have limited funds to dedicate to your genealogy addiction, then perhaps my insights may be helpful. Here is what I have come to understand:

  •  Many subscription websites have a working relationship with other subscription websites. If it looks like a subscription website has an overabundance of newspapers, for example, then they may have a working relationship with a subscription newspaper website. So you only pay for one subscription instead of two or three. That saves money in the long run.
  • FamilySearch, which is free, has working relationships with subscription websites. So what you actually find on a subscription website, may be free on FamilySearch! Both Ancestry.com and Findmypast have working relationships with FamilySearch. Working partnerships between websites benefits everyone.
  •  If you have a library card with a local or university library, see what they subscribe to as part of their electronic references. You may find that they have the Ancestry Institution edition, which is different than the personal subscription. Once again, you save money as these institutions already subscribe for their patrons.
  •  How often do you use particular databases? As a professional, working on numerous cases each week, I use many databases every day! However, if you are not a professional, will a subscription be worth your investment? If not, use free databases first, judge the benefits, and then make the decision whether a paid subscription is worth your investment.
  •  Some websites will sell subscriptions by the month, semi-annual or annually. RootsIreland.ie is a perfect example. If you don’t know how often you will use it, then try a month subscription. Do the same with any website which gives you an option or promotional deal. If you have a positive experience, then you may want to consider an extended subscription, typically priced at a cheaper rate.

I frequently tell people that a subscription website is much cheaper than plane tickets, lodging, car rental and gas to just about any place. It is all how you look at it. I find that a properly researched subscription, which fits your needs, actually saves you money and time in the long haul.

Happy Hunting.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

 

Using PERSI on Findmypast

12 Sep By

Periodical Source Index (PERSI) the creation of the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, inventories titles of genealogical periodicals from around the world. It is not an index to what is in the articles, simply an inventory of titles and subjects.

The ACPL has the world’s largest collection of genealogical periodicals. It is larger than the huge periodical collection at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. ACPL’s collections are so large that people take research trips specifically to Fort Wayne to utilize them.

PERSI is now hosted by Findmypast. Whenever a database switches hosts there is always a learning curb. Here’s how I approach the current quirks in the Findmypast database:

  • I go to the “Search” button at the top and then click on the “A-Z of Record Sets.”
  • Then I type in “Periodical Source Index” and it will come right up.
  •  Once in the database, I find “article keyword” or “optional keyword.” It actually works better than “subject.” I’ve found the “subject” doesn’t always pull up all the articles on a topic. These have to be worked along with the geographical search.
  • A word of caution about the places. I try not to be too specific, a state/province and a county work just fine. Also, be aware you have to wait for the standardized place name, such as Illinois, to come up and then click it. Don’t rush through this.

Once you have narrowed your search geographically and by “keyword” all articles should reveal themselves. This is the magic of PERSI. Now you find a copy of that particular volume and issue of the journal. PERSI will give you major repositories that house a given journal.

As a professional genealogist, I use PERSI on a regular basis. There I find articles that transcribe cemeteries, tax lists, church registers and more. Many of which are not on microfilm or published in a book somewhere. It is like a hidden library that nobody but PERSI ever told you about! There is no way to know how helpful a particular article will be until you find a copy of and study it.

Give PERSI a try at Findmypast and see if you can make some discoveries of your own.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

Cemetery Databases Online

22 Jul By

Genealogists have created some amazing printed cemetery transcripts. However, what if your cemetery of interest has not been transcribed, indexed and published? Often an Internet search will provide a transcription of the tombstones or the burial registers online. These can also be amazing but what if the cemetery transcript cannot be found through a simple Internet search?

Question Database Contents

I begin my search in three major websites dedicated to tombstone research. I use Interment.net, Find A Grave, and BillionGraves. These are remarkable websites, and can act as a launching point for deeper research efforts. However, be aware you still may not find what you are seeking. Even when you do there are some hard and fast questions you need to ask.

  • Have all the tombstones been transcribed in the cemetery? Often these databases are partial listings.
  • Was all the information from the tombstone included in the extract? It’s difficult to judge without seeing the stone.
  • Is there a picture to accompany the transcript? Where available on these websites, they can be especially helpful.

Contacting Cemeteries

In cemeteries that have section, lot and plot numbers, you can contact the cemetery itself and see if any other information exists or if they can provide a picture of the tombstone. I have discovered that it is important to always offer a donation if there is no charge. The staff is going out of their way to answer genealogy requests, which takes them away from their pressing duties of operating a cemetery and dealing with bereaving families.

In urban cemeteries it is common for many people to be buried in one plot, but possibly only one or two tombstones were ever erected. With the grave coordinates the cemetery staff should be able to tell you if anybody else is buried in the plot. These could be relatives or friends from Ireland. Then again, they could have no connection other than someone bought space in the plot for a needed burial.

Cemetery research can be as wild as it is fascinating. It can reveal much about our ancestors and the community in which they lived and died.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

The Syndicated Newspaper Article

19 Jun By

We are blessed to live in a time when newspapers are being scanned and, within reason, indexed. Although sometimes the indexing capacity is not as accurate or clear-cut as we would like, we still have to keep in mind the way we did research a decade ago!

I was working on a case where a murder was involved. This was in the late nineteenth century. It was a pretty bad one where the husband kills his wife and then disappears. When caught, he was tried and convicted. In my mind, that entire process from murder to conviction, spoke of a news worthy drama which would certainly make the local newspaper.

Consulting Historic Newspaper Websites

To say the least, I was disappointed when I discovered the newspaper I needed was not yet added to the collections on GenealogyBank or NewspaperArchive. However, I reasoned, there was potentially enough drama involved perhaps it was syndicated to other newspapers around the country.

I was exactly right. So taking those two main newspaper websites, I began plugging in familiar names and places as keywords in the search engines for the websites. Bingo! I found references to the murder, the manhunt and the eventual trail and conviction. It was syndicated in many newspapers around the country. Some of the states did not even border the one where the crime was committed.

Filling in the Gaps Through Syndicated Articles

Now with all the newspaper facts at my fingertips, I could begin to fill in and clarify the family lore. The information also opened up a broad range of sources. Did anybody hear me say “prison records?” Yes, one source leading to another.

Although I did not have access online to the newspaper I actually wanted; I was able to successfully substitute it with syndicated articles from other newspapers around the country. That makes for a good day in family history research!

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

Calendar of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1920

9 Apr By

The FamilySearch website has a very useful and free of charge database for identifying probate material. “Ireland, Calendar of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1920” is an index to the published calendars. The original published books are alphabetized within each year. The database on FamilySearch means you can search for an extended amount of time, even when you only have sketchy information.

The published calendars cover all counties up through 1917. After that there are separate calendars. This index to calendars is also duplicated, and free of charge at the National Archives of Ireland website.

The Scope of the Search

Much like other websites, the database search capability does pose some difficulties. Searches tend to have standardized fields, most of which do not apply. For this reason you might want to put in the limited information; such as name, county of death and range of dates.

You may be surprised who left wills. For example, these calendars start in 1858, a decade after the massive deaths and immigrations due to the Potato Famine. The reduction in the population meant land and wealth was freed up for many who stayed. So although your ancestor may have immigrated, siblings may have stayed and took over family holdings.

If you know a townland where the family lived, then you should be able to determine relatives who stayed. However, do not rely on a townland name when using the database search fields. You still will need to go into the calendar itself, which is scanned as part of this database.

The Search Does Not Stop with the Index

Once you have found entries in the index that are of interest to you, then you will need to click onto the image. At that point, you are linked to the image of the book itself.  It will provide a basic abstract of the original will or administration.

From the abstract you will need to look at the microfilm of the original document. This will be a manuscript, which can be found at the Family History Library.  The originals are housed at the National Archives of Ireland. By referencing the manuscript, you will have all the information in the document. The exception is the Principle Registry, which records do not survive.

Reconstructing the Family History

The index can be used in conjunction with the Griffith’s revision books, church registers, and the 1901 and 1911 censuses. In short, a more complete picture of your family history can be reconstructed through this will database.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

Militia Service Records, 1806-1915

30 Mar By

FamilySearch in cooperation with FindMyPast has scanned and indexed the militia records of the United Kingdom housed at The National Archives, Kew. This major collection is series War Office (WO) 96.

What was the Militia?

The militia was part of the military. The militiamen were drawn locally and generated their own records. The militia units would serve outside their home area when needed.  They were a supplement to the British Army.  

After the United Kingdom was created in 1801 the “Militia of the United Kingdom” became the reserve military forces.  By the 1820s compulsory enlistment was abandoned and the militia became a voluntary force. The men would receive basic training at an army depot, then return to civilian life, reporting back for periodic training.

Contents of a Militia Service Record

The hosting of these records through FamilySearch is free and can be searched by name, birthplace, birth year, and military service place. It is also searchable on the FindMyPast website. A typical record is a fill in the blank form. Important information that may not be indexed but could possibly be found includes:

  • Name
  • Parish/Town/County of Birth
  • Whether a British Subject
  • Parish/Town/County of Residence
  • Parish/Town/County of Residence in the Last 12 Months
  • Age in Years and Months
  • Marital Status
  • Physical Appearance and Health
  • Religious Denomination
  • Militia Unit
  • Service Record
  • Next-of-Kin
  • Date

The forms can be several pages long. This collection includes 555,558 indexed records from throughout the UK during the period. If you type in “Ireland” as a birthplace, for example, 71,225 records become available through the indexing. However, you can narrow a search by Irish county of birth. Be aware that number is greatly increased if you include men of Irish descent born in other parts of the Empire, such as India, but were living in the UK when they enlisted.

Importance of the Records

For young men in the nineteenth century, the militia would have been attractive as a supplement to their civil pay. For that reason, you may find information about your family, even if you have no knowledge of anyone serving in the larger British Army.

If you would like help with your genealogy s please call 385-214-0925.

United States Public Records, 1970-2009

13 Mar By

If you are seeking to either fill in recent data in your research or trying to locate family members lost to you, then FamilySearch has the database for you. Their database “United States Public Records, 1970-2009” is similar, yet different to the Ancestry.com version of public records.

On 15 January 2015, I blogged on the Ancestry.com “U.S. Public Records Index.” It is taken from non-restricted records covers all 50 states from 1950 through 1993. The FamilySearch and Ancestry versions work very well together. The FamilySearch database is free.

The FamilySearch database indexes the names, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, and possible relatives of individuals from throughout the United States. The sources include telephone directories, property tax assessments, credit applications and other records already easily available to the public.

It is important when using such a database that the information can be obtained with little effort elsewhere. The databases simply bring a variety of public sources into one searchable format. This means you may find the same person listed several times. A good explanation of what constitutes a public record in the United States can be found on the accompanying link to the database “Learn More” which directs you to the FamilySearch Wiki article “United States, Public Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).”

You will be able to track the movements of individuals; making this handy if you are researching living descendants of an ancestor. Where you have to be careful is you find multiple people by the same name. Knowing a specific birth date or year can help considerably. Also be aware one record may include a middle name and another one may not; yet they are for the same person.

If you contact someone through a public records database, that person may raise privacy questions. “How did you find me?” Simply direct them to the database itself and assure them you found them through the use of public records, not private records.

If you would like help with your genealogy needs please call 385-214-0925.

1901 Townland Index Online

5 Jun By Leave a Comment

An important database has come online. It is the 1901 version of the “Index to Townlands,” sometimes referred to as the “Townland Index.” It is now available on The Irish Genealogical Research Society website. I cannot tell you how long I have waited for either the 1901 or 1871 editions to come online. The reason is that unlike the standard 1851 Townland Index, the later ones list an extra category for the Electoral Division.

What is a District Electoral Division?

The Electoral Divisions, more properly termed District Electoral Divisions (DED) is a grouping of townlands within the Poor Law Union. If you have used the Griffith’s revision books to any extent, you know that aside from the Poor Law Union, you have to know the DED to access the massive microfilm collections through the Family History Library. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland have placed their revision books online; with a place name index to townlands, erasing the need to know the DED. However, until these come online for the Republic of Ireland, the problem remains and you still need the DED.

Three Ways to Search the Database

This new database allows for three different searches:

  •  General townland search
  • Townlands in specific Civil Parishes
  • Townlands in specific District Electoral Divisions

All three are invaluable. For example, if you are using Griffith’s or the revision books, the townland names are meaningless without a map in front of your. Even if you know your townland name, you will no doubt be interesting in other families by the same name or in-laws in the same area. These searches allow you to group the townland names by DED. This narrows your search to a particular section of a civil parish or Poor Law Union.

I will be using this database over and over again. So thank you to the compilers Perry McIntyre and Terry Eakin from Australia for a job well done. A special thanks to The Irish Genealogical Research Society for being the host.

If you would like assistance with your Irish family history Contact Us.

The Irish Mission at Watson House

16 May By Leave a Comment

There is a new database called The Irish Mission at Watson House. It has the potential to be a major resource. However, it has to be utilized in a “thinking outside the box” approach.

Introduction to the Watson House

In an effort to help young immigrant women arrive safe, the Irish Mission for Immigrant Girls in New York City was established. The Catholic clergy and others would work tirelessly to help over 100,000 woman. The records generated are part of the Our Lady of the Rosary, Saint Elizabeth Seton Shrine, at Watson House.

The need for such a safe house for female immigrants arose during an agricultural depression in Ireland which began in 1879. This saw more women emigrating alone. The church established the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary for the Protection of Irish Immigrant Girls, purchasing the house in 1885, located in Manhattan at 7 State Street facing the harbor. It was intended as temporary housing until the girls could be met by family, friends or transfer to a final destination.

Using the Database

The first thing you will find when searching the Watson House records is that it is not clear cut. For example, although the records provide date, age, name and county of origin in Ireland, there’s little way know if you have the correct girl. Which Mary Kelly is yours? The solution I found was to use the destination field in the search feature. This allows you to seek all Mary Kelly girls who went, for example, to Cleveland, Ohio. If this is where your ancestor went, then this helps to narrow the field considerably.

In another approach, you can search all girls who went to Cleveland. Then use that pool of names and see if any were associated with your ancestor who settled in Cleveland. Where I see that you would have a problem is if the girl stayed in Manhattan.

These are just two of many approaches to a database such as this. So be careful not to discount databases such as this simply because they are not straightforward. You simply have to look at the information from the sidelines and then determine how to best approach the collection.

Click Here if you need help with locating your Irish immigrant ancestor.

 

 

 

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