U.S.
Census
The Census is taken because
it was mandated by the U.S. Constitution. The wonderful part of it is that
by asking about the ancestry of the residents in each region of each state,
even if you are unsure what country your ancestry descended from you will
narrow the point of search. In 1790, the U.S. population was 3,231,533.
This did not include slaves or the untaxed Indians.
Census Facts
taken every 10 years, in the
year ending with zero
has been taken 21 times
1790 Census was destroyed by
the British during the War of 1812
1890 Census was also destroyed
census shall remain private
for 72 years
latest Census available to the
public is 1920
takes at least two years to
prepare the work for distribution to the public (back
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Family History
Scroll
$19.95
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Your
Family History Scroll details;
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Who Your
Ancestors were?
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Where they
came from?
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When your
family first appears in the records?
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Your ancient
family territories and estates?
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The main
branch and branches through time?
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The most
ancient family Coat of Arms recorded.
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Notables
from Nobles, to serfs and more?
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Were they
farmers, military, serving faith, millers, merchants,.?
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What impact
did Your Family have on their region and countries?
Your
map to Your Family Research?
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BRITISH
PASSENGER LISTS
Tracing your dna ancestry
to North America there were several major passenger ports in Canada
through which hundreds of thousands of passengers arrived from Ireland,
Scotland, Wales, and England. Many of the passenger lists for these arrivals
provide little information about the passengers and their ancestry. This
is because: England considered Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Canada
as part of the United Kingdom. Passenger lists were required
to list "aliens" who were traveling not people who were considered
English citizens (whether they were Irish, Scottish, Welsh, or Canadian).
This is also why you won't find records of people from Ireland and
Scotland traveling back and forth between their home countries
and Wales and England. They weren't considered aliens--they were
considered citizens of the commonwealth. (back
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PASSENGER
LISTS FOR IRISH ANCESTORS
If you need to search ships'
passenger lists for Irish ancestors, you'll want to check out Filby's major
indexes. One of these is the Irish Famine Immigrants list, which has grown
from four volumes to nine and is certain to grow some more. You can
find the entire set at major libraries and genealogical societies.
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OLD
WEST TIPS
Finding
Records of Wagon Trains
The best way to track an
ancestor who may have headed west by way of wagon train, is to check the
"jumping-off places." Some of those places were: St. Louis ,Davenport,
Iowa ,Omaha , Muscatine, Iowa ,Dubuque, Iowa. Check the local newspapers
during the time period that you're researching your ancestry. Look for
reports of wagon trains heading west. These reports can identify the captain
of the wagon train, provide the number of people traveling, and, often,
list the names of the families from nearby towns who took the journey.
Note - not everyone gave their real name, as this was posted publically,
and some indentured servants were treated badly. If a name was changed
and you suspect this was your ancestor check for the use of the mothersor
grandmothers maiden names. One way of cross referencing is to check for
family names from the same region/county in the old country - this will
bring the size of the list down as to possible ancestors.
Tracing
your Ancestry through the Indian Territory
Finding records of mountain
men, trappers, farmers, and traveling men who lived in the territories
is difficult, but not impossible. Several types of territorial records
are kept in state historical libraries and the National Archives. County
histories often mention original settlers, although the records might
not be accurate.
Wagon
Trains West
Wagon masters often kept
diaries and records, which were later donated to local genealogical
societies. Newspapers in towns along the trail--such as Omaha, Kearney,
and Ogallala, Nebraska--announced the arrival of wagon trains.
Wagon trains associated
with specific churches might be recorded in church records in the
town of arrival or departure. (back
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IRISH
IMMIGRATION
In the 1840's and
1850's, hundreds of thousands of Irish left their homeland because
of famine. While many landed in Boston and New York, even more immigrants—called
the two-boat people--took a boat first to Canada, and then took a second
boat across the Great Lakes because it was cheaper than going directly
to New York. Still thousands more came through New Orleans and up the Mississippi
River to the Midwest, where Catholic priests and parishes sponsored entire
towns of immigrants. Many Irish family names only exist today in
the United States and Australia but not in Ireland itself because the family
either died out or emigrated during the Great Potato Famine.
People were assisted in leaving
Ireland in several ways:
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Relatives sponsoring
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Landlords -
accepting servant indentures to repay the cost of the voyage
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Government
assistance programs
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Friends or
church groups
Irish
settlers came to the United States in three major waves.
The first and smallest wave
of Irish settlers arrived in the late 1600's when the English declared
Irish properties open and planed English undertakers (overlords)
and Scottish borderer immigrants in the North of Ireland.
The second wave of Irish
settlers came during a major uprising between the Irish and the English
in 1798. Thousands of Irish left, coming to America through New England
or through Canada and the Great Lakes.
The third wave and largest
wave of Irish settlers came during the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840's
and 1850's, where the choice for many families was to immigrate or to starve,
indenturing themselves if necessary to reache the land of plenty. These
settlers came through all ports--Canada, New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
New Orleans, and even San Francisco.
Locating
Irish Ancestors' County of Origin
Researching Irish ancestors
is difficult unless you know at least what county they came from. The Irish
family name may have originated in a particular county, but your ancestors
may have been from another branch. To help pinpoint the county of origin
of your patricular ancestry, check our researched family history scroll
for regions of the different branches during that timescape and then try
to locate any records that were kept in the country to which your ancestors
immigrated.
In the 18- 1900's
the "Four Courts" was where all public records including family ancestry,
marriage and personal records were held in Dublin, Ireland. The Four Cousts
were set afire during a local uprising in the 1900's and everything except
one wing of the building was damaged or destroyed. Most of the records
went up in smoke. The Church of Ireland kept the state records but Catholic
records were not kept there but instead at Four Courts. This means not
all of the Church of Ireland parish registers were destroyed, as the remaining
wing's records were preserved and many records remain today. Many parish
ministers also kept copies of the Church of Ireland ancestry records in
their home parishes. Virtually all 19th century census
returns have been destroyed but the Irish censuses for 1901 and 1911 may
be examined at The National Archives in Bishop Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
(Researchers should note that the 100 Year Rule prohibits disclosure of
the 1901 and 1911 returns for the six Northern Ireland counties of Antrim,
Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone but they may be looked at in
Dublin.) Locating Irish records is difficult but not impossible.
You'll have trouble finding records before 1800. (back
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FINDING
ANCESTOR ADOPTION RECORDS
Ancestry
adoption records are considered court records and are located in the County
Clerk of the Courts office in the county in which a person was adopted.
All ancestry records are included in the main indexes of the court records
(not in the will or estates books). Generally, individual entries are not
listed under the alphabetic last name of the adoptee or the relinquishing
person. They are generally indexed under "I," which stands for "In regards
to: Name of the child."
How
to Find an Adopted Ancestor's Biological Parent
To
track down an ancestor's adoption information, you first need
to determine the circumstances behind the adoption (even if you never find
out the exact reason), so you how best to approach your research. Some
of the reasons for the adoption might have been:
A parent
died and your ancestor was adopted by family members.
Your ancestor
left his/her home country as an orphan to come to the US or another
country.
The ancestor's
mother was unmarried and the father was unknown.
The ancestor
ran away from home.
The ancestor
was abandoned and left at an orphanage.
How
to Find Modern Adoption Records - Your Biological Parents
When
attempting to find your biological parents ancestry, you must first consider
the laws of the state in which you were born.
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Does the
law require that your "new" birth certificate reflect the same birth date
and birthplace as the original?
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Does the
law require that the new birth certificate have the same hospital and doctor's
name on it?
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Does the
law in your state allow for out-of-state or out-of-country adoptions?
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Does the
law in your state allow you, the adoptee,to request a court order to have
the adoption records open?
You
must remember that biological parents have rights.
Search
out the laws of your state and determine what obstacles you will face.
Finding
Information About Ancestor Orphanages That No Longer Exist
You
may discover that some of your ancestors were sent to orphanages. Some
may have been true orphans, while others may have had parents who were
too ill to care for them or died on the ships coming over. If you've run
across an orphanage that no longer exists, consider doing the following:
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Check
local libraries and genealogy societies to see if orpahnage records were
donated.
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Check
with the state social services to see if they have records of the ancestors
orphanage
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Check
with local county clerks and recorders to find out who the property (and
sometimes the records) were transferred to and if there was a court proceeding
to transfer the remaining residents to another location.
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Orphanages
had to comply with census laws, so check census records for lists of residents.
ANCESTORS
IN THE UK
English
and Welsh Ancestors and Ancestry - ENGLAND/WALES AGRA:
The
Association of Genealogists and Record Agents was founded in 1968. A list
of members can be obtainedby writing to the Secretary, AGRA, 29 Badgers
Close, Horsham, West Sussex, England, RH12 5RU, enclosing #2.50 or 6 IRCs.
Scottish
Ancestors and Ancestry - SCOTLAND ASGRA:
The
Scottish equivalent of AGRA. Write for a list of members and specialized
services to the Secretary, ASGRA, 51/53 Mortonhall Road, Edinburgh,
Scotland, EH9 2HN.
Irish
Ancestors and Ancestry - IRELAND:
Hibernian
Research Company Limited claim they are Ireland's oldest and largest research
company. They are not a public service but a company in the research business.
HRCL is at PO Box 3097, Dublin 6, Ireland, fax number + 353 1 497 3011.
The Irish Genealogical Research Society has alibrary located at the Irish
Club, 82 Eaton Square, London, England, SW1W 9AJ.
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