Immigration to North America

epending upon the year of birth of your Irish ancestor, it is possible to extend your research over to Ireland if you begin without a specific place of birth in Ireland, however in most cases this is not a shortcut to beginning your Irish research. Bottom line here, if you don't have a specific place name in Ireland, you aren't through doing research in your own country just yet.

Here are some sources which will help you find your ancestors' Irish townland. I apologize for not having information on Australia or other countries; I would be happy to post the information if you send it to me.

General Sources

Immigration Records and Passenger Lists
Cemetery Records
The LDS Church has many of the cemetery records available on microfilm, if you have a Family History Center near you.
Funeral Home Records
To determine whether or not a funeral home exists in your area of interest, most Funeral Homes carry a "blue book" of all the funeral homes in their country. Operators seem to feel it a good selling point to advertise the number of years they have been in business. Look through the book until you find a funeral home in the area your ancestor died that shows the most years in business (and particularly in business at the time of the death of your ancestor) and give them a call. I've never found one that couldn't tell you who had the oldest records in their possession. A simple telephone call to them can lend the information you are seeking
Land records and/or Wills
Directories and local histories

Canada

Archives/Libraries
Almost all Canadian records which have been committed to microfilm, are available to US researchers by interlibrary loan.
- The National and Provincial Archives of Canada are very helpful to genealogists. Tracing Your Ancestor's in Canada is available by mail through the:
  National Archives
  395 Wellington Street
  Ottawa, ON K1AON3
- In the Research Tips and Resources Library, you will find a file entitled "Ontario Archives" which includes a microfilm catalog of items which may be ordered through interlibrary loan.
Peter Robinson Settlement of 1825.
Publications
Eric Jonnasonn's "Tracing Your Canadian Ancestors" is a good place to start.

United States

Naturalization Records
They sometimes give a place name, seemingly depending on where the Naturalization was granted. Midwest records seem to have a great deal more information included than do those of the West or East Coast. Those I have seen simply show that the immigrant was renouncing his allegiance to the Queen of England!
Revolutionary War Records
The Revolutionary War pension and bounty land records of the Veterans Administration Archives, in the National Archives, Washington, D.C., includes the papers of a very large number of men and their widows who were of Irish or Scot/Irish origin. See the Guide to the Genealogical Records in the National Archives by Colket, Jr. and Bridges published in 1964.
Directories and local histories
These sometimes give the place of birth. See the Consolidated Bibliography of County Histories in Fifty States in 1961 by Clarence S. Peterson (Baltimore,1963). This booklet shows what county histories are available and whether they are already available on microfilm through the LDS Church.
Publications
- "WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION: Sources for Genealogists" by John W. Heisey and published by Ye Olde Genealogie Shoppe in 1988. In the late 1930's, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in their Federal Writer's Project, sent many writers into the halls of records in various counties in the US and in many instances the actual records were extracted (these sometimes include cemetery information as well). Not all of these extractions were published, but many were and this book lists all those that were.
  Many of these records are available through the LDS Church. Many other of these records are available for you to "rent" through American Genealogical Lending Library
- "Newspapers in Microform", (LDS Church film # 1145942) is a book carried by most major libraries lists, among other things, the various groups that owned the newspapers, which issues are available and which issues have been converted to microfilm and are, therefore, available through interlibrary loan and usually lists what repositories have the original papers. If the US portion of the family knew where the immigrant ancestor was born in Ireland, this bit of news will usually be found in the obituary.

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