FamilySearch Facebook Community Research Pages

FamilySearch has developed several Research Community pages on FaceBook and Skype.  These groups have been designed to allow you to collaborate with others that are searching in the same local of your ancestors, ask questions, and help others by sharing what you know.  Do you have to be a professional?  Definitely not.  The groups are designed to encourage anyone with an interest to ask questions and to share the knowledge that you have.  Come join in the fun.  If you would like to learn more about these groups, by following the directions for the FamilySearch wiki at  Join A Facebook Research Community. The research groups currently available are worldwide and include:

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Sweden
4. England
5. Ireland
6. Wales
7. North America to include: Illinois, Missouri, New York, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia

If you do not see a local that you are currently researching, you can suggest an area to be started as a Community Research.  If you visit the link Join A Facebook Research Community, you can learn how to participate in this exciting opportunity.  Don't have a Facebook account? Then check out the Skype Research Community. Have fun!

Skype Community Research Pages

FamilySearch has launched several new Skype  Research Communites which has a sister site on Facebook for most of the Skype  Research Communities. You may be asking what is Skype, or you may be wondering how would a Skype Community be able to help you with your research.  Skype is allows you to video call and/or SMS chat with anyone on Skype for free.  So how is this going to help you?  FamilySearch has developed several Skype Research Communities including:
Denmark
Sweden
Finland
England
Ireland
Mexico City, Mexico
The United States of America to include Illinois, Missouri, New York, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Hemet, California.
These groups are designed to encourage you to ask questions and help others.  I personally have been in conversation with someone from Germany who has been helping me with the Danish language and helping me understand how to utilize a Danish (language barrier for me) map website.  The person you are visiting with can share their screen with you so you can watch what they are doing and/or send you files.  If you don't have a video camera on your computer, that is ok.  Skype also allows for SMS chatting (instant messaging), which allows you to visit and help each other.  The communities are friendly and everyone is willing to answer questions.  Come and learn how to join the fun by clicking on Join a Skype Research Community

FamilySearch Courses

FamilySearch announced today that the number of genealogy courses that are available for learning is now over 140 courses. The courses include Beginning and Advance courses covering areas such as Australia, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, and the United States. There are lessons on Basic Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Scandinavian, and Spanish Handwriting. Courses are also available for learning research tricks, how to use the Genealogy library, and Genealogy Boot-camp. I would urge you all to check out the classes that are available to help you with your research. If you don't find a class that is of interest to you this month, check back frequently as new classes are being added every month. To learn more click FamilySearch Research Courses

Do you have a Ticket to leave?

When I first saw the phrase "Ticket to Leave" it made me think of the Beatles song "Ticket to Ride". The only similarity that the two phrases have is the word Ticket. A ticket by definition is a slip of paper that allows one admission or entitlement to a service. So you may be wondering what a Ticket has to do with genealogical research. Could it be a ticket for boarding a ship to emigrate?

A "Ticket of Leave" was a document given to convicts in Australia to work and live in a given area of the colony prior to their sentence was completed or if they were pardoned. Those convicts that were given a "ticket of leave" (TOL) could own property and be self-employed, but they were required to attend church and appear before the judge when it was required. As previously discussed in an earlier post regarding convicts to the Fremantle Prison, the convicts were expected to work off their sentences. Ticket of Leave male convicts were allowed to marry or to bring their families over from England. The Ticket of Leave provides the genealogist with valuable information including birth year, previous occupation, their native country, year and place the person was tried and convicted, and also information regarding the transportation ship they were on to Australia. Another piece of information which is included on the document is a physical description of the person convicted.

This Ticket of Leave information was discovered on a website called Convicts to Australia - A Guide to Researching your Convict Ancestors. This website allows you to search the name of the ship, convict, pensioner guards, convict tales and also by the woman's name. The easiest way to these databases is through the link on the top that is titled "Search These Lists Online". Once you click on the the Convict Ships to Australia link you will need to look to the left of the page that loads to broswe the names of the ship. The other databases have a drop down list for the ships located on the upper right hand side of the page to assist in browsing. All of the links provide a search box on the upper right hand of each page where you can type in your search terms.

Now if you do not have a convict in your family tree, don't feel left out. The "Convicts to Australia" website will allow you create your own personal convict under the link "Claytons Convicts". This just for fun, but it will even create a fun story to go along with the name you choose. Another great feature of the site is the Convict tales. This link provides a brief biography of various individuals. Please note that not all of the convicts in the databases are included in the Convict Tales section. The biographies that are presently at the site are ones that have been contributed by researchers to the site.

If you would like to learn more about Convicts to Australia or the Guards, click Convicts to Australia. Have fun!

What in the World is PRONI?

You might wonder what is PRONI? PRONI is short for The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). The PRONI is in the process of digitizing their vast holdings of records both public (school, Crown court, Coroner’s court, County Councils, Board of Guardians or Workhouses) and some privately donated records (Church Records, Diaries, Journals, Wills, Photographs). PRONI, a government organization was founded in 1923 shortly after the Four Courts Fire in Dublin during the Civil War of 1922 - 1923. The focus of PRONI was to gather records from the private sector to assist in filling in the gaps from the records that had been destroyed in the Four Courts fire.

The PRONI website has three databases that are available for research:
1) The Ulster Covenant
2) The Freeholder Records
3) The Will Calendars

The first two databases are complete with the third database still in process. The original images are available for searching but require a DejaVU plug in to view the images. If you have Irish Ancestry and would like to research in these databases, click PRONI - Family History. Have fun!

Have you heard about Emile?

Have you ever heard of Emile? Emile is an acronym for early EMIgrant LEtter Stories. Emile was a project that lasted 1 year from September 2004 to September 2005. The Emile project focuses on letters written from emigrants to their family they left behind in their native country. Five countries participated in this project which are the Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Sweden.

Each country has a separate link with various information included such as pictures, stories, what prompted the people to leave their homeland and many other. Please note that the amount of information contained on this website is limited to several families, but it does provide you with some insight about the emigration climate of the 19th and 20th Century. If you would like to learn more, click EMILE. Have fun!

Leitrim-Roscommon Website

Leitrim-Roscommon Website is a wealth of information regarding not only the counties of Leitrim and Roscommon Ireland, but also the counties of Mayo and Sligo. If you want to learn more.....Read on.

Leitrim and Roscommon are located adjacently on the west side of Ireland. The authors of this site have provided user friendly search engines and databases to include the following:

*Surname Database of surnames being researched in Leitrim and Roscommon. At times you will see links to a researchers personal web page and can also contact them via email.

Leitrim-Roscommon Townland Database is a searchable database of all the towns in these two counties used for the 1851 census.

IreAtlas townland database is a database of ALL the towns in Ireland during the 1851 census, including information regarding the County, Barony, Civil Parish, Poor Law Union and Province.

Griffiths Database is a database which contains the Griffiths Valuation of Galway, Leitrim, Limerick and Roscommon. The database is extremely large and is stillunder development but the authors of the site have allowed limited on-line searchingcapability.

1901 Census is a database containing transcribed information from the 1901 census of Ireland for Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo and Sligo and other counties. The Roscommon, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo databases are complete. All of the other counties are still under development and are on-line for limited searching.

1749 Elphin or Synge Census contains transcribed data from the census in the Diocese of Elphin. The information is this database cover most of Roscommon and Leitrim.

Map Resources include maps for the Towns, Civil Parishes, Baronies, Catholic Parishes and Poor Law Unions in Leitrim and Roscommon.

1890 Surname Distribution in Ireland

A Soundex Code Generator is a free gift from the websites' programmers. For more information in regards to soundexes, click What is a Soundex?

The Kilglass Population survey was put together by Terry McCormick. The survey contains a tabulated listing of the population for the Civil Parish of Kilglass between 1749 and 1881.

This is but a few of the databases and informative links on this site. A message board has been incorporated onto this website allowing the user to post a query to the group (registration is required before being allowed to post). If you have Irish ancestry this site might be able to help you break through your brick walls. Click the Leitrim-Roscommon website to view the many avenues of research for your Irish ancestors. Have fun!

Mayberry RFD and Irish Convicts?

If you are from the United States and you hear the word Mayberry, the picture that might be conjured up in your mind could be the Mayberry RFD from the The Andy Griffith TV Show. The Mayberry Home Page has nothing to do with the small town of Mayberry, but is the brain child of of the website's author Peter Mayberry.

This Mayberry Home Page site has nothing to do with the small town of Mayberry RFD with the exception of possibly the characters Andy Taylor and Barney Fife. Like the occupations of Andy and Barney, the Mayberry Home Page deals with people who have broken the law. The Mayberry Home Page searchable databases for Irish Convicts and the Braidwood New South Wales Goal in Australia.

The Irish Convicts and Database contains:
* Irish convicts to NSW 1791-1834 - The database is a compilation of Irish State prisoners, convicts who were tried in Ireland, and convicts who were tried outside Ireland whose native place was in Ireland.

* 1798 and 1803 Irish Rebellions - The database contains information regarding convicts from 1798 and 1803 Irish Rebellions. They were transported via the following ships to New South Wales. The date the in the parenthesis is the year the ship sailed.

* Friendship (1800)
* Minerva (1800)
* Anne aka Luz St. Anna (1801)
* Atlas I (1802)
* Atlas II (1802)
* Hercules (1802)
* Rolla (1803)
* Tellicherry (1806)

* Wicklow United Irishmen 1797-1804 - This database contains information regarding the rebels of the county of Wicklow that were involved in the Irish Rebellions.

The Braidwood Goal in New South Wales database contains:
* Braidwood Gaol Entrance Book 1856-1899 - compiled from the Registry entries at the Gaol. The websites author, Peter Mayberry states, "Unfortunately the exact date & reason for admission was not recorded in the register. An approximate time period was interpolated by using the ages of some of the "inmates." It must be stressed that travellers and others used the gaol's facilities as it offered the cheapest accommodation."

The website is user friendly and provides you with a variety of valuable genealogical information including birth dates for the convicts. The information is presented is extracted information and the original documents are not viewable online. Having said this, documentation of each of the records is provided listing the primary and secondary sources for you to look at if you so desire. If you would like to research in this site, click Mayberry Home Page. Have fun!

Fianna Study Group Irish Research

The Fianna Study Group Guide to Irish Genealogical Research is a site with a great deal of information to assist those researching their Irish Roots. Come explore the possibilities by reading further.

You might be wondering what Fianna means and I share with you what I have found. Fianna was a legendary band of warriors who were called upon at times to defend the Kings of Ireland during the 1st through 3rd Century AD. The Fianna were comprised of three different classes of Irish men who were required to serve their chieftain for a particular length of time, after which they were released to return to their every day lives. The group was also comprised of mercenaries from various countries such as Scandinavia and Britain. These men were paid for their services the the reigning king. This group was also involved in maintaining peace and order during their service in addition to protection of the chieftain and king. If I still have your attention, you are probably wondering what this has to do with genealogy. The motto of the Fianna Groups was: Truth in our hearts. Strength in our hands. Consistency in our tongues. The group also had a strict conditions for acceptance which included being a poet and versed in the 12 books of bardic literature, stand in a hole waist deep with a shield while nine warriors threw spears at him, and many other requirements.

In keeping with the tradition of the Fianna Warriors, The Fianna Study Group's "Fianna Guide to Irish Genealogy" bringing the finest values for your assistance in researching your Irish ancestors. The site consists of many facets including Irish Time line and History, Maps, Military, Milesian Genealogies, Immigration, and Surname reference information to name a few. Another exciting portion of this site includes a recently acquired transcriptions from primary sources including the following:

Civil Marriages, 1864, extractions
Civil Marriages, various years, extractions
County Erie, Miscellaneous R C Church Records
Miscellaneous R C Church Records

- THE TERRITORIES OF THE ANCIENT IRISH FAMILIES --
- THE ANCIENT IRISH CHIEFS AND CLANS -
Taken from "Irish Pedigrees", by John O'Hart

Derry County
1631 Muster Roll

Kerry County
St. Patrick's, Kilkenny: Marriages
St Mary's, Kilkenny - Marriages and Baptisms
St. John's, (Maldin Street), Kilkenny - Marriages and Baptisms

Louth County
Freeholders 1822
Freeholders 1824/5
Dundalk Householders 1837
Tullyallen New Church Subscribers
Tenants of Lord Roden c.1837

Mayo County
Swinford, East Mayo Census - 1901
Kiltimagh Baptisms
Marriages, Diocese of Anchonry Starting at 6-7-1808,
Parish of Meelick and Kilconduff,
Kiltimagh Marriages
Swinford Marriages
Roman Catholic Marriages, Parish of Kiltimagh

These transcriptions are available for you to research for free as is the case for the entire website. To learn more about researching your Irish ancestors, click Fianna Guide to Irish Genealogy. If you would like to search the transcriptions, click Transcription Index. This site also provides information regarding epidemics in the United States, Celtic music, and Ancient Surnames History. This site has a great deal to offer, easily navigated and I would recommend it to you for your review. Have fun!

United Kingdom Mormon Pioneers

As we all know, history is a very important part of a family history. Where were our ancestors born? Where did they live? Where did they marry? What was their lifestyles?

The British Mormon Historical Society has developed a website titled Mormon History - Dedicated to the British Latter-Day Saint History. This site is dedicated to providing historical information regarding the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the United Kingdom. The information provided on this site includes historical accounts of some of the newly converted members, missionaries, and mission presidencies.

The website has several pages including information regarding Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and England. A few countries that are also included on this site and not readily apparent, are listed under the side tab(link) titled LDSEP Archive. The LDSEP Archive is an older version of this site titled the LDS European Project. I have used the LDSEP site prior to it's incorporation with the British Mormon Historical Society website. The countries included on the LDSEP Archive are Denmark, Sweden, England, Wales, Ireland, and Switzerland. Like the current Mormon history website, LDSEP has information regarding missionaries, members, and mission presidencies.

Both the LDSEP and Mormon History site contain biographies of various missionaries, members and mission presidencies. I you have LDS immigrant ancestors from the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark, this site would be a great place to learn about the history of the church in the ancestral areas. If you would like to search the Mormon History - Dedicated to the British Latter-Day Saint History site click Mormon History in the UK. To research in the LDSEP site, click LDS European Project. If this link does not work properly you can also go to the site by clicking the LDSEP link (located on the lower left hand tool bar)on the home page of the Mormon History - Dedicated to the British Latter-Day Saint History site.

Have fun searching!

Gazetteer of British Place Names

The Gazetteer of British Place Names maintained by the Association of British Counties, is another excellent resource for Family Historians and Genealogists to research that will provide information regarding the current location of historical records repositories, which will decrease the amount of time trying to locate the proper place to request for records.

According to the website, the authors state that this site has advantages over on-line gazetteers because of the following reasons:

"1) Firstly, it has the most comprehensive coverage of any on-line gazetteer in that it covers the whole of Great Britain and contains over 50,000 place-name entries. It contains commonly accepted spelling variations of place names including an exhaustive coverage of Welsh and Gaelic spellings. It provides full details of the correct county for places both prior to and following the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1843."

"{2) An important feature of the Gazetteer is that the places it lists in Column 1 are settlements (e.g. villages, hamlets, towns, localities) rather than administrative areas (i.e. parishes, townships, tythings etc.). Many gazetteers aimed at genealogists only include the names of these latter types of administrative areas. Within a parish there can be several separate settlements each with its own distinct name and identity. In some cases these would be recognised on Census Reports as "townships", "tythings" etc. and they may appear in gazetteers in this guise. However, large numbers of identifiable "places" do not fall into these categories and usually do not appear in Census Reports (or in the various on-line gazetteers based upon these). This is particularly true in the case of the large number of new towns and villages which developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of these never gave their names to parishes. However, most parishes did give their name to the main settlement within them. Hence, these parish names do appear in the Gazetteer."

Also discussed on this site is a discussion regarding the term counties in the early 1970's where the Local Government Act abolished the counties, when in fact they had abolished the "administrative counties" and "county boroughs" created by the LGA 1888 and create a whole new set of local government areas." The key word here is "administrative" and "local government areas." The change did not effect the geographical counties. If you would like to read more about the challenges of English Gazetter research, please click Notes for Historians and Genealogists.

If you would like to search the index, please click
Gazetteer Index.>

Irish Famine Immigration Ships Records

The Archival Database at the National Archives has indexed the Irish Famine Immigrant Ships Records that arrived in the New York Port between January 12, 1846 - December 31, 1851 available for searching.

The information that obtained from the extracted ships manifest include the name and age of the immigrant, the native country, destination, port of embarkation, the ship name and date of arrival to the New York Port. Other items of interest that are possibly available to view in the record is the person's occupation, whether or not they can read or write, and what area of the ship in which the person traveled.

If you would like to search this database click here to be redirected to the site.

Missing Irish Ancestors? Have you tried the Want Ads?

Missing Irish Ancestors? Have you tried the Want Ads? Your ancestors may have tried to located their missing family members by the use of want ads in the local newspapers. The Boston Pilot Newspaper printed a "Missing Person" column for family members that had lost contact with their lost friends and relatives that had immigrated from Ireland to the United States. The Boston Pilot ran column ran the column 90 years from October 1831 to October 1921. This project is sponsored by Boston College’s Irish Studies Program and produced by the Office of Marketing Communications. The ad collection of over 37,000 ads is a searchable database that provides valuable information for the missing person. The ads were extremely successful resulting in the distribution of the paper throughout the United States and overseas in Ireland and Australia.

The column frequently includes the origination county and parish in Ireland, their occupation, the possible destination port, the person that placed the ad and up to 50 different items of interest, including work history and ships name to name just a few. This database is one that you will want to check out if you have Irish ancestry. Click here to go to this website.

Ireland-Australian Transportation Records

The Ireland-Australian Transportation Records are a collection of records that document the transportation of convicts covering the period 1788 to 1868. In some cases these records include members of convicts' families transported as free settlers. The records include the date and place of the conviction, the length of the conviction and the crime committed. Some of the records indicate the ship that the person was transported on from Ireland to Autralia. There is also a comment field in each of the records. Some of the records that I viewed had information about additional family members which could prove helpful in completing a family group record. This website includes the following:

* Transportation Registers, 1836-1857
* Prisoners' Petitions and Cases, 1788-1836
* State Prisoners' Petitions, 1798-179
* Convict Reference Files, 1836-1856: 1865-1868
* Free Settlers' Papers, 1828-1852
* Male Convict Register, 1842-1847
* Register of Convicts on Convict Ships, 1851-1853

Click here or look at the side toolbar of this webpage to locate the link to this website.