{"id":3221,"date":"2013-03-26T15:30:15","date_gmt":"2013-03-26T15:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=3221"},"modified":"2013-03-26T15:30:15","modified_gmt":"2013-03-26T15:30:15","slug":"what-counties-towns-in-ireland-did-our-ancestors-come-from","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/what-counties-towns-in-ireland-did-our-ancestors-come-from.html","title":{"rendered":"What Counties & Towns in Ireland Did Our Ancestors Come From?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Genealogists know the frustration of tracking down your Irish immigrant ancestor\u2019s birth, marriage or death certificate, hoping that it will be the document that finally tells you where in Ireland your family came from\u2014only to be disappointed once again.<\/p>\n

\"Irish<\/a>
Irish American death certificates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So many census registrars simply wrote \u201cIreland\u201d on the form, giving no additional clues about the town or county. This practice can present a challenge to those of us seeking to locate the towns or counties in Ireland where our Irish immigrant ancestors came from.<\/p>\n

You can see this problem in the 1892 New York state census<\/a>, which is online. Here is a typical entry, for the Scully family. The census tells us that the family members were born in \u201cIreland\u201d and now live in Albany, New York.<\/p>\n

\"1892<\/a>
1892 New York Census: Scully<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Credit: \u201cNew York, State Census, 1892,\u201d index and images, FamilySearch (https:\/\/familysearch.org\/pal:\/MM9.1.1\/X366-VPR<\/a>. Accessed 21 Mar 2013, Kate Scully, 1892.<\/p>\n

How are we going to find out exactly where in Ireland the Irish family members were born? Irish American Newspapers<\/a>!<\/p>\n

It has been my experience that Irish American newspapers are the genealogist\u2019s most reliable source for finding information about our Irish ancestors\u2019 birthplaces. Will every Irish obituary or marriage record give these details? No\u2014but many of these old Irish American newspaper records do.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s turn to historical Irish American newspapers to try and find the birth place of the first Scully member listed in the NY census.<\/p>\n

Searching GenealogyBank for references to Catherine Scully of Albany, I found her obituary published in the Irish World News<\/em><\/a> (New York City, New York), 2 December 1893, page 5.<\/p>\n

\"Catherine<\/a>
Irish World News (New York City, New York), 2 December 1893, page 5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bingo. This old newspaper obituary tells us that she was born in Ballingarry, which is in County Tipperary, Ireland.<\/p>\n

And there are more genealogical clues\u2026It tells us that:<\/p>\n