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Smith’s Inventory of Genealogical Sources: Ireland

11 Jul By Leave a Comment

A valuable finding aid is Smith’s Inventory of Genealogical Sources: Ireland. It is an in-house inventory of sources at the Family History Library (FHL). They are usually referred to as Smith’s Inventory.

The FHL staff and volunteers compiled this inventory using only the resources in their British Isles collections, under the direction of Frank Smith. Unlike the famous Periodical Source Index (PERSI), which only inventories articles from periodicals, Smith’s Inventory adds these to sources hidden in books and the microfilm. The books are more self-explanatory, unlike the microfilm. Many microfilmed manuscript collections do not have page numbers. Smith’s Inventory mentions them, and then you have to backtrack in order to find the reference. This is not easy, but it’s usually the nature of Irish collections.                       

Smith’s Inventory is most helpful in accessing estate papers, freeholders’ lists, genealogies and tombstone inscriptions. While there are many subject categories, these are the ones I tend to use the most. Now be aware this is a dated source with the inventory published in 1994. Even at this, the value of bringing these hidden resources into the light cannot be underestimated.

Smith’s Inventoryis on microfiche. For Ireland the microfiche are as follows, all part of FHL #6110527: Irish General (Fiche #1-#3); Irish General-Antrim (Fiche #4); Antrim-Armagh (Fiche #5); Armagh-Cavan (Fiche #6); Cavan-Cork (Fiche #7); Donegal-Down (Fiche #8); Dublin (Fiche #9); Dublin-Galway (Fiche #10); Galway-Kildare (Fiche #11); Kilkenny-Leix (Fiche #12); Limerick-Londonderry (Fiche #13); Londonderry-Mayo (Fiche #14); Meath-Offaly (Fiche #15); Offaly-Tipperary (Fiche #16); Tipperary-Westmeath (Fiche #17); Westmeath-Wicklow (Fiche #18).

If you are accustomed to using the FHL microfilm, then this is a must to make sure you haven’t missed some of the more obscure and hidden sources.

What is Genuki?

8 Jul By Leave a Comment

As a professional genealogist, I am constantly referring back to the GENUKI links. There are specific county sections as well as categories covering all of Ireland. The basic categories for both are: Archives and Libraries, Bibliography, Biography, Cemeteries, Census, Chronology, Church Records, Civil Registration, Court Records, Description and Travel, Directories, Emigration and Immigration, Gazetteers, Genealogy, Heraldry, History, Land and Property, Maps, Military History, Names (Geographical), Names (Personal) Newspapers, Nobility, Occupations, Periodicals, Probate Records, Social Life and Customs, Societies, and Taxation.

Some Irish counties do not have much, while others have a myriad of links to explore. Some links lead you to the Irish GenWeb Project, others to the local heritage centre, various databases, and just as many to sites developed by individuals with a specific interest. There’s no way of knowing what you will find until you look. Also, you will need to keep referencing GENUKI as this is a growing website constantly being added.

I can personally recommend GENUKI from years of constant use. It doesn’t always have a link which answers a question I might have. However, when it does, and I solve a problem, I couldn’t be happier!

Periodical Source Index (PERSI)

5 May By Leave a Comment

Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is an inventory of article titles from genealogical periodicals worldwide. It is not an index to the data within the article. Without this resource, valuable and essential research tools would be locked away in these journals. PERSI is the creation of the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They have the largest collection of genealogy periodicals in the United States. The Family History Library (FHL) probably has the second largest. The ACPL has one of the finest genealogy collections in the nation: www.genealogycenter.org/Home.aspx

I do not work on an Irish case without consulting PERSI. It is really that essential of a tool. Sometimes we forget that someone in Kansas may have extracted the very Irish record we need, and published their compilation in their local Kansas society journal. Without that title being inventoried in PERSI, by subject, locality or surname, it would be lost to us who do not receive that particular journal. The joy of PERSI is that it inventories such articles, no matter who publishes it. The prerequisite is that the ACPL has it in their collection.

The way I use PERSI is by geographic locality, such as Ireland and County Cork. I do use the name of the parish as a search parameter. Sometimes I will do a subject narrowed by county, such as tax lists.

Once you have the reference to the journal, article title, volume and number, then you can see if you have access to that issue close to you, at the FHL, or if you need to order a copy from the ACPL. There are many options for obtaining photocopies of articles. Some are even on the Internet.

There are two excellent PERSI databases online. The first is on www.ancestry.com and the second is www.heritagequestonline.com Both are excellent databases, and I use them faithfully.

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