Irish Genealogy Searches

If you are building your family tree and have Irish ancestors, before you search Irish records you need to determine the county in Ireland where your immigrant ancestors lived.

Find your Immigrant Ancestor

To find your immigrant ancestor, build your family tree starting with yourself. Assuming you live in the U.S., the 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Online U.S. Census gives birthplace, year of immigration, and naturalization status. Keep tracing backwards until you find your ancestor born in Ireland.

If you don't find place of birth in the census, records from your immigrant ancestor's death often include the name of the county / town in Ireland. These include death certificates, cemetery registers, tombstones, church burial records, and obituaries. If your immigrant ancestor's records don't mention place of birth, check his siblings' records.

Naturalization papers may possibly include this information, although earlier naturalization may just have the country without naming the county. Check both the Declaration of Intention and the Petition for Naturalization as they may contain significantly different information.

Some naturalization records can be found Citizenship & Naturalization Records online database at Ancestry.com Other places to look are the court where the naturalization occurred or the National Archives.

Irish Genealogy