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Irish Passengers to Argentina

9 Dec By Leave a Comment

As it has already been well documented,  most of the Irish who went to Argentina were from concentrated areas in Ireland, making their origin documentable. Some 60% came from counties Westmeath, Longford and North Offaly, 15% from County Wexford, 3% from County Cork, 3% from County Clare and 15% from the rest of the country. It is now easier than ever to document their arrival in Argentina, and for some periods of time, their leaving Ireland.

The passenger lists arriving in Buenos Aires (1821-1870) are on microfilm at the Family History Library: www.familysearch.org The records list the name, age, place of birth (usually country) and relationships between persons traveling together. Sometimes passport information is provided (FHL Microfilm #1840670-84).

The compilation “Irish Passengers to Argentina (1822-1929) includes 7,159 passengers. It is actually a published version of a database compiled from several sources including Eduardo A. Coglan’s El Aporte de los Irlandeses a la Formación de la Nación Argentina (Buenos Aires, 1982). It is online at the website for the Society for Irish Latin American Studies: www.irishargentine.org/passenger.htm This is a free database. When studying the database, remember in Argentina, the Irish were often listed as English. Part of this compilation comes from these passenger arrival records.

Now concerning leaving Irish ports, these are part of the British Board of Trade records (BT 27) and include ships leaving the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (Northern Ireland after 1922) beginning in 1890. This large archive of records is indexed with digitized images on the FindMyPast website: www.findmypast.co.ukas  “Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960.” This is a subscription or “Pay as You Go” website. 

From the UK ports, ships in this database were bound to the Argentine ports of Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Campana, Gallegos, Ibicuy, La Plata, Puerto Madrya, River Plate, Rosario, Tierra Del Fuego, Villa Constitucion and Zarate.

Documenting your family or the branch of your family arriving in Argentina  has never been easier.

Argentina Passports and the Irish Immigrant

20 Nov By Leave a Comment

During Spanish rule in Argentina, the government in Buenos Aires kept tight control over individuals migrating to locations within Argentina and elsewhere. Many Irish born were issued passports from 1817 to 1821. These are a prime resource for learning intimate details about those applying. For example, a physical description of the person is given.

These official documents are handwritten in both manuscript pages and in a fill in the blank format. They are in Spanish with the official government seal; usually three and sometimes four pages.

On the first page of the passport would be the petition, reason for leaving, the destination, and personal information. Typically, the personal information, such as physical description and the destination were transferred over to the printed form to be filled in. Exact birth places are sometimes listed. However, most only list the “fatherland” of the person, age, marital status, race, physical description, occupation and current residence. Concerning the birth place, immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland tended to be listed as being from England. Also be aware that there is no shortage of people from “N. America” also applied for passports.

These are fascinating records. Since Argentina historically has drawn immigrants from throughout Europe, this makes these passports even more important. Passports were granted for business purposes, travelling through Argentina to settle deeper into the inteior or sometimes for visiting another country to visit family. The reasons are stated in the petition part of the passport. Also, don’t neglect the “N. America” immigrants. This could be a valuable clue in tracing family migration patterns.

The Irish in Argentina

13 Jun By Leave a Comment

The Irish contribution to Argentine history is well documented. It is estimated there are about 400,000 Argentines of Irish descent today. About 60% of those original immigrants came from the Irish counties of Westmeath, Longford and Offaly. Another 15% came from County Wexford. Argentina gained its independence from Spain in 1810 and Irish immigration increased. This included both Catholic and Protestant Irish.                   

Most Irish settled in Buenos Aires, however, they did not all stay there. They settled on the Pampas north and west of Buenos Aires. By the 1820 and 1830s, they settled south of Buenos Aires in the communities of Canuelas, San Vincente, Chascomus and Ranchos. By the 1840s through the 1860s the Irish moved west of the capitol to the areas of Rojas, Chacabuco, 25 de Mayo, Bragado and Saladillo.

Large collections of records for Argentina can be found on microfilm at the Family History Library. These include church registers, censuses, passports, civil registrations and passenger list. Many collections have been indexed or digitized on their website: www.familysearch.org

Eduardo A. Coughlan has written several books on the Irish in Argentina which should be consulted. Two are El Aporte de los Irlandeses a la formación de la Nación Argentina (1987) and  Los Irlandeses en la Argentina (1982). Two quality websites are worth exploring. The first is the “Society for Irish Latin American Studies”: www.irlandeses.organd the Longford Westmeath Argentina Society:

www.webspawner.com/users/ldwhargentinasoc An extensive bibliography on the “Irish in Latin America” can be found on the “Irish Diaspora Studies” website: www.brad.ac.uk/acad/diaspora/guides/samerica.shtml

In case you are wondering, I have known North Americans who identified and traced their almost forgotten Argentine branch of the family and made contact with their descendants!

The Irish in Chile

12 May By Leave a Comment

Irish immigration to and from Chile may hold the key to reconstruct a family on the move. Chile is a very European country. Its residents had access to shipping lanes worldwide connecting them to countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Peru, New Zealand and Australia. The Irish came to mine nitrate, grow sheep, work in the shipping industry and be merchants. The founder and liberator of the country was Bernardo O’Higgins, the son of an Irish immigrant. He served as Chile’s first president, 1817-1823.

Places where the Irish and other Europeans are known to have settled, by town and region are as follows. This is not a complete list, but a foundational list:

Region                         Towns

Antofagasta              Antofagasta

Atacama                   Caldera, Copiapó

Bío-Bío                     Los Angeles

Concepcioń              Talcahuano

Coquimbo                Coquimbo, La Compañia, La Serena, Ovalle, Tongoy

Llanquihue               Puerto Montt

Magallanes               Punta Arenas

Osorno                    Osorno, Riachuelo

Santiago                  Santiago

Tarapacá                 Arica, Iquique

Valdivia                    Dagllpulli, La Unión, Valdivia

Valparaiso                Caldera, Los Andes, Valparaiso

Both Catholic and Protestant Irish were in Chile. In a predominantly Catholic country, with few Protestant clergy, this raised the question of how to legitimize Protestant births/baptisms and marriages. In 1844, under Chilean law, non-Catholic births and marriages were legitimized by the Catholic priest who would be the acting “minister” acting “according to their rite.” These were registered in the local Catholic parish registers as disidentes(dissidents or non-Catholic) registers. These are on microfilm at the Family History Library. Irish Catholics would be found in the local parish registers alongside all other Catholic baptisms, marriages and burials.

The website “Society for Irish Latin American Studies”: www.irlandeses.orgis an excellent starting place to place these immigrants in their historical context.

The Irish in Peru

22 Apr By Leave a Comment

A little known immigration destination for the Irish was to Peru. One important aspect of this migration was many of them would eventually immigrate again, only this time to San Francisco.  Most of the Irish were Roman Catholics, although a minority of Protestants also immigrated.

Irish settled in four main areas: Arequipa (Santa Marta and El Sagrario parishes), Cajamarca (San Nicolas Parish), Callao (Santa Rosa Parish), and Lima (El Sagrario Parish). A very important Irish center was in Callao, just a few miles from Lima. As a major port, Callao played an important role in the development, economy and defense of Peru. In 1851, the first railroad in South America was opened between Callao and Lima. Aside from the bustling industry, the Irish were drawn to Callao to mine guano (bat droppings). It was through these industries the Callao Irish would travel north to San Francisco, and south to the port of Valparaiso, Chile, forming a natural migration pattern between the three ports.

Another important Irish center was in the interior city of Arequipa. This is often called the “White City” because of its unique volcanic rock. It is situated in the midst of the Andes Mountains in southern Peru.

Fortunately, many record for Peru can be found on microfilm at the Family History Library: www.familysearch.org In the microfilm the Irish can be found in general records such as civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths; military records, church registers and censuses.

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