Irish ancestry

For queries within the area of Lancashire between the Ribble and the Mersey.
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jaynefg

Irish ancestry

Post by jaynefg »

I've come up against a real blank when looking further back in my family history and would be really grateful for any advice.

I can trace several ancestors back to their birth in Ireland (most having come over in the potato famine) but census records just say place of birth Ireland. Without knowing which part of Ireland, I am stumped. Grateful for suggestions/ideas

Very many thanks

jaynefg

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Blue70
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Post by Blue70 »

Hi Jaynefg

Welcome to the forum. It's unlikely you will find out the counties of origin unless you strike it lucky and discover them on Roots Ireland or Irish Genealogy ie. If they are common Irish names you will have too many possibles to go further back. Can you tell us the names of the people and the dates?

This database search facility might be helpful it shows the distribution of surnames in Ireland in 1890:-

http://www.ancestryireland.com/database ... _mathesons


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MaryA
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Post by MaryA »

Hi and welcome to the forum. One of the important things to do is make sure that you have both surnames - have you been able to confirm the mother's maiden name by means of the birth certificate of the children.

Ancestry, or http://www.liverpoolhistoryprojects.co.uk/ might be able to provide baptisms for the children, if they were RC you might be lucky in having the surname given.

Have you looked around the area they were living when they first arrived to see if other families gave a county in Ireland they came from? people often settled near to family or friends rather than be alone in a strange land when they arrived.
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kwr
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Irish Ancestry

Post by kwr »

Don't want to be too gloomy but Irish ancestors are difficult. I'd suggest trying as many censuses as possible. I was lucky (in a sense) in that my Hugh Caffey who arrived, with parents, probably in Maryport, before 1861 did finally have a county of birth. I had him in 1861,1871,1881,1891 and 1901 just as Ireland. Bu praise the lord in 1911 he says he is from County Down.

The bad news after that is that I cannot find him or his parents with any certainty in Co. Down.

Hope this helps a bit......

Ken
Roberts, Parry, Allison, Taylor, Ballard, Lucas, Dodd, Blackhurst, Jacobson, Lunt, Phillipson - are the Bootle & Liverpool names - plus Jones (Liverpool+Carnarvon). Cuthbert, Ballard, Price (London -Somers Town)
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