SLIG 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research ~ Day 5

Friday morning ~ the last day of SLIG ~ we were in the home stretch as far as SLIG went and a quick check of the schedule showed we were in for a big time!  David Rencher was giving three of the lectures and Tom Jones was going to share how he reconstructed a lineage from Irish records fragments ~ this was going to be one busy day.

• Irish Poor Law System
• Rencher explained the Poor Relief Act of 1838 and how the system worked in practice.  In the back of my mind I  was aware that one of the jurisdictions referenced in Irish records was the Poor Law Union (PLU).  I was not aware of what it meant, how it worked, and the effect of the PLU on our ancestors. 
• This lecture served as another example of how important it is to immerse yourself in the history and culture of the area you research.
• The Act was modeled after the English version of the Act and was administered through the Church of Ireland parishes.
• The purpose of the Act was to "provide for" the poor and destitute by setting up a tax system on land occupiers, building local workhouses, interviewing the poor as to their need, placing them in workhouses, arranging for their removal (either from a parish or from the Country), and keeping track of them.
• During this time period (1830s-1860s) several famines and droughts hit Ireland.  The English government's corresponding decisions, actions and failure to act devastated the Irish population and affected Ireland for generations to come.  An excellent (thoroughly researched, heavily sourced and unflinchingly brutal) book in this regard is The Great Hunger by Cecil Woodham-Smith (follow the link to find it at a library near you).
• Since this course was for genealogists and its purpose was to provide sources for Irish family history research, Rencher only mentioned in passing the fact and results of the famine.  I direct genealogists/researchers to the following websites because I believe a study of the history of this appalling event is crucial to understanding its effect on the Irish people (to the present day).
• Check out Dr. William Rogers' course outline for the Great Hunger at Drew University ~ his course reading list and introduction are quite informative.
• The Wikipedia article on The Great Hunger gives an excellent outline of the causes and effects of this tragedy (be sure to check the accompanying notes and bibliography).
• Quinniplac University's The Great Hunger website provides an excellent introduction to its amazing collection of famine related items (workhouse minutes, parliamentary papers, books, photos, and art).   
• Records were maintained so research in your particular townland should give you a fuller picture of your ancestor's time and circumstances (whether your ancestor appears in the records or not).
• Rencher discussed in detail the possible classes of records and where they could be located:
• Pre-1838 Records ~
• Vestry Minute Books
• Bastardy Bonds
• Pew Schedule/Assignments
• Examinations
• Post-1838 Records (as the system became more institutionalized) ~
• Board of Guardian Minute Books
• Admission Books
• Dismission Books
• Locating the Records
• In Ireland, these records are deposited in the County library.  In Northern Ireland the records are at PRONI.  Rencher provided an appendix that listed the PLU records by Board of Guardian number, County and Repository.
• Rencher ended his lecture by telling us that all of the Irish were in some way affected by PLU from whatever side ~ I took that to mean whether your ancestors were landowners or tenants, city dwellers or rural dwellers, native Irish or transplanted Scots or English, church members or church administrators, families who experienced the workhouses, families removed from their land, individuals and families forced to emigrate, or families who remained.

• Irish Probate Records and Genealogical Collections
• Rencher reminded us that, as in all aspects of genealogy, an understanding of jurisdictions is key to Irish probate records.  
• Rencher discussed the history of Irish probate law and discussed in detail the types of records to be found.
• Wills
• Administrations
• Grant Books
• Day Books
• Inventories
• Rencher discussed the use of original indexes to probate court records  and pointed out the the FHL has an excellent microfilm collection of many probate indexes.
• Many original probate records (say it with me now ...) were destroyed in the Four Courts explosion and subsequent fire of 1922.  However, as is often the case, abstracts or transcripts may exist.  Additionally many wills are registered in the Registry of Deeds in Dublin.  Finally, if an individual had property in other places in addition to Ireland, records would have been maintained in those additional places (think England and Scotland).
• A large portion of the lecture was devoted to a discussion of sources of Irish probate records including:
• Transcript Collections (over 20 collections were detailed and discussed)
• Pedigrees
• Two specific items to check (if your ancestors had probates) are the Prerogative Will Index and the Diocese Index.
• Rencher also suggested checking out the Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) website which has an excellent online catalog and quarterly journal. Rencher even had copies of previous IGSI journals that he passed out ~ yeah a free gift!
• Rencher provided an extensive bibliography as well as appendices listing the pre- and post-1858 probate jurisdictions.  Two books suggested that provide an overview of Irish probate records are:
• ffolliott, Rosemary "Wills and Administrations A Prime Source for Family Research," in Irish Genealogy - A Record Finder, Donel Begley, editor. Dublin: Heraldic Artists, Ltd., 1981.
• Greham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. 2006.
• As always, be sure to check out the FHL catalog for a wealth of probate records available to researchers right here at home (before you make the trip to Ireland).

• Methodology for Reconstructing Lineages from Irish Record Fragments
• If you have not had an opportunity to attend a lecture by Thomas W. Jones ~ try to find one!  He is an amazing speaker and after you listen to him noodle through a genealogical problem you will come away with a new appreciation for the research process done right!
• Of course the underlying theme of any Jones lecture is that lineages can be reconstructed.  However, there are four requirements to do the research accurately and thoroughly:
• persistence
• organization
• extensive research
• systematic analysis
• Jones walked us through his personal research on the Geddes men in County Tyrone, Ireland.  He discussed in detail the steps required to reconstruct a lineage ~
• Conduct an Exhaustive Search
• go from the known to the unknown ~ think "big picture" broad search, do not limit your time period, add years on either end
• make sure you include all name variants
• do cluster research
• search all known surviving records
• extract all information  ~ cast a wide net
• Correlate the Findings
• use tables or spreadsheets to be able to manipulate your data
• Establish Identities
• look for similarities
• look for differences ~ you can't afford to be a lazy or complacent researcher
• Group Identities into Generation
• use chronology ~ look for math errors and locations too far to make sense
• Propose Relationships
• determine family and extended family relationships ~ land records and probates are especially helpful for identifying members but also consider name lists
• consider naming patters
• consider location
• remember to include your negative evidence
• Use the Genealogical Proof Standard to Justify Your Conclusion
• a reasonably exhaustive search
• complete and accurate source citations
• analysis and correlating evidence from each applicable source
• resolve conflicting evidence
• explain your proof conclusion
• Jones gave an excellent (of course) bibliography to assist us in learning about the process and methodology he covered in his lecture.
• He also supplied us with one of his spreadsheets so we could follow along with his analysis of the Geddes' men.
• Jones' lectures are always so packed with information that you just need to sit back, listen and follow along.  Thankfully he provided us with great written materials to review. 

• Preparing for a Family History Experience in Ireland
• Rencher returned for what was billed to be the last lecture of the day (and the course) and it was a a relaxed discussion of preparing for a trip "across the pond."
• Rencher outlined the most important aspect of planning a trip to Ireland ~ What do you hope to accomplish?
• Identify place (where your ancestors lived)
• Identify people (are there siblings, parents who stayed or living relatives today to meet up with)
• Research pedigrees
• Visit your homeland and take in the history and culture of the area
• For each of the above objectives, Rencher outlined the plan to accomplish that goal.
• He reminded us to be realistic about what we can accomplish, how to accomplish it, and the amount of time and effort to accomplish our objectives.
• Planning a trip requires time and effort and includes "doing your homework" in regard to transportation, accommodations, travel guides, research facilities, opportunities to relax and take in the sights.
• Rencher pointed out that group research travel is an option ~ someone to guide you with your research in a new place is always helpful.
• He also reminded us to have a "Plan B" (you have heard of Murphy's Law haven't you?)  and realize that you will not accomplish everything in one trip (I haven't even done that with local research).
• If you are realistic in the planning stages, you will know what to expect and have a better time ~ Rencher's parting words were to "have fun."

• Review & Questions
• Ouimette returned to close out the course and answer any remaining questions.  Not to be outdone by Rencher's gift of previous IGSI journals, Ouimette stepped it up and brought parting gifts (what a great guy!).
• His handout entitled The Irish Collection at the Family History Library ~ Ouimette also discussed the handout in detail (really an additional bonus lecture ~ notes below)
• Ouimette began by telling us that the FHL has the largest and most comprehensive collection of Irish genealogy in the world.  He then spent the next hour outlining the collection (and proving his claim)!
• He discussed the ten most significant records collections available at the FHL.  While I was aware of certain of the records, until this course I was unaware of the importance of a few of them.
• Canceled land books, 1850s-1920s
• Townland and tenement valuation  manuscripts, 1830-1864
• Registry of Deeds, 1708-1929
• Ouimette discussed the catalogue system at the FHL and set out how the Irish collection is cataloged by topic ~ over 75 topics were provided in our written materials.
• The key point of this lecture (yes an added bonus lecture ~ like an additional music track) was to really make us think about all the possible record types/topics that need to be consulted in order to find documentation regarding our ancestors.
• Ouimette did an excellent job of discussing how to find the major records in the FHL catalog.  Keep in mind that records are catalogued by author, title, subject and locality so there are many paths to follow to find the records.
• Ouimette pointed out that Irish records can be difficult to locate at the FHL because "most original manuscript collections are not conveniently arranged by civil parish." That said, Ouimette then suggested how we could make our searches accurate, thorough and (hopefully) successful.
• Check out Ouimette's book Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide at page 143 for a table explaining Irish sources at the FHL.  
• Ouimette reminded us to continue to check out two online resources:
• FamilySearch.org's Record Search pilot where many Irish records are being indexed and are searchable online and 
• Irish Research Wiki at FamilySearch.org which has a wealth of Irish content and research guidance.
• Finally to whet our appetite for all research Irish, Ouimette discussed the large amount of records on microfilm as well as materials that have been scanned but not yet catalogued in the FHL Catalog.  So much material, so little time!
• Ouimette provided us with a one page sheet Research Methodologies for Tracing Irish Immigrants ~ giving us another reminder of the importance of the Genealogical Proof Standard!
• But that's not all folks ~ he also gave us a one page sheet Irish Given Names and Surnames with scads of variants to open our minds to all the possibilities out there for names.
• He gave us a really nice laminated brochure from Failte Ireland Tracing Your Ancestors in Ireland.  If you get a chance, try to locate one of these (a really nice and helpful 6-page summary of all things Irish genealogy).




The front cover of the brochure

 




The back cover of the brochure


It definitely appears there is a wealth of materials available to assist us in our research ~ with our questions answered and our course evaluations filled out, it was time to close out our Irish Family History Research Course ~ Slainte!