| Guide<br>Introduction<br>Events in the lives of your ancestors, including births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths, may have<br>been officially recorded at the time they took place. In many cases, you need to know exactly<br>where an event took place in order to find a record of it. If you don't know the place, you may be<br>able to find that information in sources readily available to you. This guide suggests sources that<br>may help you identify place-names.<br>What You Are Looking For<br>Look for the name of the place where an event occurred in the life of one of your ancestors.<br>Steps<br>Follow these 8 steps to find sources that will help you identify a place-name.<br>Step 1. Gather information from home and family sources.<br>Many sources for identifying place-names may be found in your own home or in the home of a<br>family member or relative. These sources may include:<br>• Letters.<br>• Journals and diaries.<br>• Scrapbooks.<br>• Family Bibles.<br>• Birth, baptism, marriage, or death certificates.<br>• Photographs.<br>• School records.<br>• Military records.<br>• Naturalization papers.<br>• Obituaries and funeral cards.<br>• Newspaper articles.<br>• Deeds.<br>• Pension records.<br>• Tax records.<br>• Wills and other probate records.<br>• The personal knowledge of older relatives.<br>Any of these sources could supply needed place-names. Gather information from the sources<br>you can find in your home and from relatives.<br>Ireland, How to Find a Place Name<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/20/01<br>2<br>Step 2. Write the information on forms.<br>Write the information you find on pedigree charts and family group record forms. If you need<br>forms, you may print them from your computer now, or you can order a supply online. You can<br>also purchase a software program for your home computer that helps you organize your<br>genealogy and allows you to print out these forms. Programs are available at most computer<br>software stores. One program, Personal Ancestral File, may be downloaded online. It may also<br>be purchased on CD-Rom.<br>Not all of the information you collect will fit on pedigree charts and family group record forms. See<br>Tip 1.<br>Step 3. Decide on a research goal.<br>Once you have gathered information and recorded it on forms and in notes, you can see what<br>information you have and what is missing. You may have dates without places to go with them.<br>Even when a place is identified, you should verify that it is correct. Determine a place name, such<br>as a place of birth, that you would like to find or verify. This is your research goal.<br>Step 4. Look for compiled research sources.<br>After reviewing home and family sources and selecting a research goal, look for research on your<br>family compiled by others. Someone else may have already identified places where the events in<br>the lives of your ancestors occurred. Compiled research may be found in private and public<br>collections of individuals, libraries, and societies, as well as on the Internet.<br>For more information about finding compiled research sources, see How to Find Compiled<br>Sources.<br>Step 5. Analyze what you know about your ancestor.<br>If you are still missing the name of the place where an event in your ancestor's life occurred, you<br>can analyze the facts you do know to help you determine where to look for the missing<br>information. See Tip 2.<br>Step 6. Look for indexes.<br>Look for indexes to records with broad coverage for Ireland or for indexes to records for the<br>specific county where your ancestor lived. Surname indexes to collections of records may provide<br>the names of places where people of your surname lived. You can then look for your ancestor in<br>records of those places. Indexed records may include:<br>• Civil registration records.<br>• Census records.<br>• Church records.<br>• Burial or cemetery records.<br>• Probate records.<br>• Tax records.<br>• Land records.<br>Indexes are available at libraries with genealogical collections, such as the Family History Library.<br>Indexes may also be available on Internet web sites. Some indexes are created by family history<br>societies, private groups or individuals and may be available for purchase from them. For more<br>information on finding indexes, see Where to Find It.<br>Ireland, How to Find a Place Name<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/20/01<br>3<br>Step 7. Cite your sources.<br>Every time you find new information in a record, cite your source. When you cite a source, you<br>document the information taken from that source. If you need to look at the source again, your<br>documentation will help you find it. If others should consult your research, they will also be able to<br>find the source.<br>Cite your sources on a research log, and include a library call number when applicable. If it is an<br>original source, make note of where you found it. Your research log will serve as a guide to your<br>research.<br>If possible, make photocopies of your sources, and cite the sources on the copies.<br>Step 8. Find information about a place.<br>Once you have identified a place, you should find information about it.<br>You should also locate the place on a map.<br>Tips<br>Tip 1. What should I do with information that does not fit on my<br>genealogy forms?<br>In addition to names, dates, and places, you will collect additional information about the lives of<br>family members that does not fit on standard genealogy forms, such as:<br>• Military service.<br>• Education.<br>• Employment history.<br>• Social or economic status.<br>• Migration.<br>• Participation in community, social, religious, or historical events.<br>• Physical description.<br>• Other biographical details.<br>You should keep this additional information as notes. Keep these notes with your records, or<br>include them in the area provided for notes in your genealogy computer program. Your notes<br>should also include the source of the information.<br>Tip 2. How do I analyze what I know about my ancestor?<br>You can analyze the facts you know about your ancestor to help determine where to look for<br>missing information. For example, if you are looking for the birthplace of your ancestor, you might<br>ask yourself the following questions:<br>• What is the earliest known fact about my ancestor?<br>• Where were my ancestor's parents born, married, or buried?<br>• Where were my ancestor's siblings born?<br>• Where was my ancestor married?<br>• Where was my ancestor's spouse born?<br>• Where were my ancestor's children born?<br>• Where did my ancestor die?<br>• If my ancestor emigrated, who were his neighbors in the place where he eventually settled?<br>• Did any of my emigrant ancestor's relatives also emigrate?<br>Ireland, How to Find a Place Name<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/20/01<br>4<br>You may search the records of the places where any of these events took place to see if you can<br>find birth information for your ancestor. In addition, learning about your ancestor's relatives and<br>neighbors may give you clues that will help you find information about your ancestor.<br>Where To Find It<br>The following are suggestions for finding indexes to records that may help you identify placenames:<br>On the Internet<br>Indexes to selected records of Ireland may be available on Internet web sites. In addition, many<br>of the family history societies in Ireland and throughout the world have Internet web sites that<br>contain lists of their publications for sale, including indexes. You can access many of the sites for<br>Ireland and some indexes through GENUKI. Others may be available through additional websites<br>such as CYNDISLIST.<br>Family History Centers<br>Most Family History Centers have at least one index to records of Ireland in their collections:<br>• International Genealogical Index, available on microfiche, on computer, and on the Internet. It<br>includes information extracted from civil registration and church records of Ireland. You may<br>access the index here by clicking on Search for Ancestors above, and then selecting the<br>International Genealogical Index.<br>Some Family History Centers will not have microfilmed indexes to records of Ireland in their<br>collections, but centers can borrow microfilms from the Family History Library. There is a small<br>fee to have a microfilm loaned to a center.<br>If an index is not available on microfilm, you may request a photocopy of an index page from the<br>Family History Library. You should complete a Request for Photocopies form, which is available<br>at all Family History Centers. Complete the section of the form for books, and include the library<br>call number for the index that you obtained from the catalog. Send the form and the payment to<br>the library.<br>Family History Centers are located throughout the United States and other areas of the world.<br>See Family History Centers for the address and phone number of the center nearest you.<br>Family History Library<br>The Family History Library has a large collection of indexes to records of Ireland that could help<br>you identify place-names. There is no fee for using the library's collection in person.<br>For a list of the library's holdings, click on Family History Library Catalog above. Do a Place<br>Search for both the country and your county of interest. Look for topics with Indexes as<br>subtopics. When looking at the catalog entry for a specific index, check to see if it is available in<br>microform and can be sent to a Family History Center.<br>For more information about contacting or visiting the library or a Family History Center, click on<br>Family History Library System above.
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| Guide<br>Introduction<br>When you begin family history research for one of your ancestors, you should begin by looking for<br>compiled research. Compiled research sources contain names of individuals for whom data has<br>been transcribed, indexed, or collected. These sources were created by individuals, groups,<br>societies, universities, archives, and commercial corporations. Determining what research has<br>already been done by others, including your own family members, can:<br>• Save you valuable research time.<br>• Help you find information in original records more quickly.<br>• Help you avoid unnecessary duplication of work.<br>• Provide clues for further research.<br>• Guide your research.<br>What You Are Looking For<br>Look for compiled sources which may give information on your ancestors. The information you<br>find varies from record to record. These records may include:<br>• Names of children, spouse, parents, siblings, and other family members.<br>• Birth or baptism, marriage, and death or burial information.<br>• Dates of other important events such as immigration or land purchases.<br>• Age at the time of dated events.<br>• Place or street of residence.<br>• Occupations.<br>• Schools attended.<br>• Military service.<br>• Religious affiliations.<br>• Country, county, or specific place of origin.<br>• Other biographical data.<br>Steps<br>These 7 steps will help you find and use compiled sources.<br>Step 1. Identify compiled sources.<br>Identify as many compiled sources as possible. They can include:<br>• Published family histories.<br>• Unpublished manuscript histories.<br>Ireland, How to Find Compiled Sources<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/20/01<br>2<br>• Local histories.<br>• Computer databases and surname listings.<br>• Compiled pedigrees.<br>• Biographies.<br>• Record collections.<br>• Indexes to original records (such as censuses, marriages, and gravestone inscriptions).<br>• Registries for research exchange.<br>• Surname or one-name lists.<br>To find examples of compiled sources, see the publications listed in Where To Find It.<br>Step 2. Locate compiled sources.<br>You can find compiled sources through:<br>• The Internet.<br>• Family History Centers.<br>• The Family History Library.<br>• Archives and Libraries.<br>• Heritage Centres.<br>• Societies (family history, county, regional, and national).<br>Step 3. Decide which compiled sources to search.<br>Search for compiled sources that:<br>• Deal with your specific family name.<br>• Cover your specific place of interest.<br>• Cover a range of years during your ancestor's lifetime.<br>Step 4. Search compiled sources.<br>Compiled sources are often indexed or alphabetically arranged. Search for your ancestors in the<br>compiled sources you find. In addition to your direct-line ancestors, search for their family<br>members, relatives, or in-laws. Information about other relatives may give you clues to<br>information about your direct-line ancestors.<br>Step 5. Copy and document the information in your research<br>notes.<br>Copy the information from the record exactly as it was given onto the family group sheets and<br>pedigree chart for your ancestor. Be sure to record the source of the information onto a research<br>log. You may want to make a photocopy of the record for future use. To learn how to keep good<br>notes, see Note taking & keeping for genealogists.<br>Step 6. Analyze and use the information found in compiled<br>sources.<br>Compare any information you found in compiled sources with knowledge you already have about<br>your ancestor. Does it:<br>Ireland, How to Find Compiled Sources<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/20/01<br>3<br>• Conflict with what you know? If the information conflicts, use other sources to verify it.<br>• Support what you know?<br>• Add to what you know?<br>Then ask yourself:<br>• Did the source have the information I wanted?<br>• Is this information accurate?<br>• Does this information suggest other sources to search?<br>Step 7. Verify information from compiled sources with other<br>records.<br>When you obtain information from compiled sources, you must verify the information by searching<br>original records.<br>Where to Find It<br>Internet Sources<br>FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service<br>Many compiled sources are available on the Internet.You can search for compiled sources<br>through FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service. FamilySearch Internet can search online<br>records and other web sites to see if they contain the information you need. To look for compiled<br>sources through FamilySearch Internet, go to Search for Ancestors and use either the All<br>Resources or Web Sites search option.<br>Websites<br>The following are examples of websites that provide compiled sources that are searchable by<br>surname:<br>• Internet FamilyFinder<br>• Ancestry.com (Fee required)<br>• GenSeeker<br>Links to Websites<br>Many websites do not provide names and dates but link to sites that do. Examples of these are:<br>• CyndisList.<br>• GENUKI (Genealogy in the United Kingdom and Ireland).<br>• GenDex.<br>• Genealogy SiteFinder.<br>• Ireland GenWeb.<br>• Northern Ireland GenWeb.<br>Family History Centers<br>Family History Centers have computer databases of compiled records. In addition, a Family<br>History Center may have some compiled sources for local families. Family History Centers can<br>also borrow microfilms and microfiche of compiled sources from the Family History Library. The<br>Library charges a small fee to loan microfilm or microfiche to a Family History Center.<br>Ireland, How to Find Compiled Sources<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/20/01<br>4<br>If a compiled source is not available on microfilm, you may request a photocopy from the Family<br>History Library for a small fee. You will need to fill out a Request for Photocopies form, which is<br>available at Family History Centers. Complete the form with the library call number for the source.<br>Send the form and the fee to the Family History Library. Note that many published sources are<br>copyrighted and cannot be photocopied in their entirety.<br>Family History Centers are located throughout the United States and other areas of the world. For<br>the address of the Family History Center nearest you, see Family History Centers.<br>Family History Library<br>The Family History Library has one of the world's largest collections of compiled research<br>sources. These include:<br>• International Genealogical Index--available on microfiche, on computer, and on the Internet. It<br>includes information extracted from civil registration and church records of Ireland. You may<br>access the index here by clicking on Search for Ancestors above and then selecting<br>International Genealogical Index.<br>• Ancestral File--available on microfiche, on computer, and on the Internet. It includes<br>information submitted by individuals researching their Irish ancestry. You may access the<br>index here by clicking on Search for Ancestors above and then selecting Ancestral File.<br>• Pedigree Resource File--index only, available on the Internet. The files are on CD and may be<br>purchased online. You may access the index here by clicking on Search for Ancestors<br>above and then selecting the Pedigree Resource File.<br>• British Isles Vital Records Index--available on CD at the library and many Family History<br>Centers. It can also be purchased online.<br>• Family History Library Catalog, Surname Search--lists published family histories; available on<br>microfiche, on computer, and on the Internet. You may access the catalog here by clicking on<br>Family History Library Catalog above and then selecting Surname Search. Search for<br>your surname of interest.<br>There is no fee for using the library's collection in person.<br>Sources for Previous Research in the British Isles lists and discusses major compiled sources<br>available in the Family History Library. Some of these sources are available in other archives and<br>libraries.<br>For information about contacting or visiting the library, click on Family History Library System<br>above.<br>Archives and Libraries<br>Compiled sources are available in archives and libraries throughout the world. Some major<br>archives and libraries are:<br>Ireland<br>• The National Archives of Ireland.<br>• General Register Office, Dublin.<br>• General Register Office, Belfast.<br>• The National Library of Ireland.<br>• The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.<br>England<br>• The British Library.<br>• Public Record Office.<br>• Society of Genealogists.<br>Ireland, How to Find Compiled Sources<br>Research Guidance<br>Version of Data: 08/20/01<br>5<br>Australia and New Zealand<br>• National Archives of Australia.<br>• National Archives of New Zealand.<br>• National Library of New Zealand.<br>United States and Canada<br>• National Archives (U.S.), with regional branches throughout the country.<br>• Newberry Library.<br>• Library of Congress.<br>• New England Historic and Genealogical Society Library.<br>• National Library of Canada.<br>Addresses for archives and libraries can be found at Ready, 'Net, Go. Select Master List of<br>Archives.<br>Contact an archive or library before you visit to find out what compiled sources are available.<br>Heritage Centres<br>Government sponsored offices, called Heritage Centres, are located throughout Ireland to assist<br>individuals with their Irish family history research. They have compiled collections and indexes of<br>Irish records, including:<br>• Church records.<br>• Census records.<br>• Civil registration records.<br>• Gravestone inscriptions.<br>• Tax records.<br>• Land records.<br>• School registers.<br>• Trade directories.<br>• Voters' lists.<br>• Workhouse records.<br>Centres will search their collections for a fee. For more information about these centres, go to the<br>Irish Family History Foundation web site.<br>Societies<br>Family history and genealogy societies may also extract and index records and may have<br>collections of research done by their members and others. Many societies also publish journals<br>and periodicals that include compiled research.<br>Some of the societies in Ireland include:<br>• Local family history societies.<br>• The Irish Family History Society.<br>• The North of Ireland Family History Society.<br>• The Ulster Historical Foundation.
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