Before You Contact Us

Do your homework in your home area first. The more information you can provide us with, the better the chances of success. In general, there are a number of sources that you should check before submitting an application to the centre.

Ancestors Death Records:

In some countries death records contain the names of the parents of the deceased. Death records also give an indication of the year of birth of the deceased.

Newspaper Death Notices & Obituaries:

Some biographical details on your ancestor, including his/her Irish county of origin and the names of surviving brothers and sisters may be contained in a newspaper obituary published in the local paper after your ancestor’s death.  They can often state the year when they arrived in their new country/town.

Ancestor’s Marriage Records:

Your ancestor may have two records of marriage, namely a civil and a church record. Each may contain different details, so both are worth checking.

Naturalization Records:

These may contain the date and place of birth, occupation, place of residence and the name of the ship on which the immigrant arrived. The information can be very variable, however. The records are still for the most part with the courts where the naturalization proceedings took place, which may be a US District Court, any court of record in the states, or the district or supreme courts of the territories (before statehood). Some records are now in Federal Record Centres. Indexes for the states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island before 1906 are available in the National Archives, Washington.

Oral Family History & Family Documents:

Your relatives may have some useful documents including memoriam cards, correspondence from relatives, or a family Bible containing important family dates.

Census Returns:

Most Irish census returns only survive from 1901.  However, in the UK these commence in 1841, in 1790 for parts of America and in 1828 for parts of Australia.  So, it is very important to check the availability of all census returns in the areas where your ancestors emigrated to.

Army/Navy/Convict/Naturalisation Records:

If your ancestor served in the army/navy services, or was transported or naturalized, biographical details such as place or year of birth, parent’s names etc. may appear on such documentation.

Wills & Deeds:

These may also contain including names and addresses of relatives remaining in Ireland.

Burial & Cemetery Records/Memoriam Inscriptions:

May contain additional information to death records.