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The Irish Documented in Spanish Archives

15 Sep By Leave a Comment

An interesting and important collection for the Irish who went Spain, and then perhaps elsewhere, is “The Irish in Spanish Archives” hosted by The Irish Genealogical Research Society. This collection was compiled by society member Samuel Fannin who lives in Spain, and researches in the Spanish Archives.

Why the Irish Went to Spain

The Irish went to Spain for several reasons. After the Treaty of Limerick (1691), Irish swordsmen joined the Spanish Army. Others came for Catholic religious schools in Alcala de Henares, Salamanca, Seville and Lisbon. Still others came as merchants or seeking wealth, as Spain was a world power opening up trade with the New World. There was a presence of Irish gentry among the immigrants. The strongest presence of Irish came from Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford.

Genealogical Possibilities

There are few records from which to document the Irish in Ireland itself for the 1600s and 1700s. However, there is much available to document their presence in Spain itself. This means an Irish birth place for an ancestor who settled in Spain or in its colonies may be preserved in a Spanish record. That literally may be the only place you will find it.

Irish in the Spanish Archives Primary Sources

Sanuel Fannin’s compilation, arrangements, and indexing of the Spanish Archives material is nothing short of priceless. The source material is divided into three separate pdf files on the website free of charge:

Spanish Archives of Primary Source Material

  • Malaga
  • Cadiz
  • Cordoba
  • Granada
  • Seville

Spanish Archives of Primary Source Material

  • Bilbao and LaCoruna

Index: Individuals by Irish County

The two main pdf extractions provide the historical background needed to understand the context for the Irish in a particular location. For example, in the 1700s, the Irish merchants were organized and working in the trade of sugar, iron and copper in Malaga. If you are researching an early Irish family with Spanish connections, then Samuel Fannin’s contribution to the world of Irish genealogy is the first place to stop! It is highly recommended.

If you would like help with your Irish in Spain or in the Spanish colonies call 385-214-0925.

 

Researching the Irish and Anglo-Americans in Spanish America (Part 1)

4 Oct By Leave a Comment

Many Irish and Anglo-Americans settled in the Spanish and Mexican territories of what is now the USA. They arrived as merchants, soldiers in the Spanish military, farmers, or as adventurers. They often obtained land grants. To buffer the expanding United States after the Revolutionary War, Spain began opening up vacant lands for settlement. Regardless of why they arrived, remember they were not living in the United States. They were in Spanish America, with different laws, language, culture, and even religion. This subject applies equally to Irish Catholics and Protestants, as both would swarm southward.

Areas of settlement can be found mainly in the modern day areas of southern Alabama, California, Florida, eastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and Texas. Louisiana was divided between France and Spain; while Florida was contested between Spain and Great Britain. So always tie your history into your research.

Culturally, it’s important to remember that these settlers became Spanish subjects. Foreigners were required to take an oath of allegiance, and convert to Catholicism.

In regards to religion, while technically conversion was a prerequisite to settlement, it could not always be enforced as there were no few priests on the frontier.

The advent of so many settlers meant Spain would lose its lands piece by piece. Areas in Mississippi and Alabama were abandoned by 1799, Eastern Louisiana declared independence and was annexed by the USA in 1810, and in 1813 the port of Mobile was also annexed by the USA. Finally by 1821, Spanish Florida was transferred to the expanding USA. After the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the process would be complete for most of the areas considered Spanish.

Tomorrow’s blog will be on some of the records left behind to document this intriguing piece of USA history.

Southeastern Passports (1770-1823)

4 Aug By Leave a Comment

Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770-1823

A fascinating yet odd source you might not think about is the passports to travel through Indian lands or foreign territories. It’s easy to forget that large portions of what is now the Southeastern United States were foreign lands into the late 1830s.

Passports were issued by Indian agents, which lead to resentment by other authorities. Soon state governors, Indian chiefs, Spanish office holders and even prominent civilians would issue their own version of a passport. Illegal passports were sometimes issued to traders for a fee. In theory, what the various passports had in common was they were to be granted upon an assurance of good conduct while in Indian lands or Spanish territories. In reality, every type of person imaginable applied for passports which would lead to frontier lawlessness. Regardless of how or by whom a passport was obtained, they are amazing and can be used to document the movement of people across the frontier. This authorized passage geographically was east of the Mississippi River in the period 1770-1823.

Prior to 1824, the Secretary of War was responsible for issuing passports, and the Government’s relations with the Indian tribes. In 1824, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was established within the War Department. The passport records for the pre-1824 period have been abstracted in Dorothy Williams Potter’s Passports of Southeastern Pioneers, 1770-1823: Indian, Spanish and Other Land Passports for Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, North and South Carolina(Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982, 1990).

Southeastern map of the United States in 1800

This work is divided into section reflecting the different kinds of passports issued. These include Spanish Passports in the Mississippi Valley; British and Spanish Passports in West Florida; War and State Department Passports and State Passports. This is a major resource in your frontier research.

 

 

 

Professional Links

Dwight Radford, visit me at: www.thejourneyhomegenealogy.com

Leland Meitzler Publisher of genealogy products and books: www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com

Irish Genealogical Society International: www.irishgenealogical.org  I write articles for their journal The Septs

Kelowna & District Genealogical Society located in beautiful British Columbia: www.kdgs.ca I will be speaking at their conference in September

Mike O’Laughlin author of Irish family history books: www.irishroots.com

Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, MFA, CG professional book editing: www.nonfictionHelp.com  

Come enjoy the December research tour: www.SaltLakeChristmasTour.com I am one of the consultant’s at this wonderful event

 

 

 

 

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