This is due to the fact that my Grandmother – Bridget Theresa O’Mahony Gifford – was born in Ireland and I was approved for Irish Citizenship by Descent in 2016. Don’t forget to ask for cemetery plot cards! Submitting a DNA sample to Ancestry.com or some other website will surely keep you up late on many nights as you exchange messages with your DNA matches. The records now available online include: Birth register records – 1864 to 1920; Marriage register records – 1845 to 1945 & Death register records – 1871* to 1970. Search Irish Family History records online: parish registers; church records; Roman Catholic and Protestant. About Irish Records Index, 1500-1920 After the fire at the Dublin Record Office in 1922, the government appealed for Irish residents to donate any copies of records they possessed. © Copyright 2021 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Notice the Irish caps on the three boys! They have traveled to Ireland six times and especially enjoy “chasing” Irish ancestors for their clients. * Kate and Mike Lancor live in Moultonborough, NH and enjoy “chasing” their own Irish ancestors as well as helping others “chase” theirs. Mike also inherited a scrapbook put together by his great aunt Grace that contained many, many obituaries and newspaper stories about his ancestors, another treasure trove indeed. For instance President Clinton claims Irish ancestry despite there being no documentation of any of his ancestors coming from Ireland, but Andrew Jackson and Kennedy on the other An Irish American family indeed! By 1790, America had a white population of 3,100,000. The arrival of destitute and desperate Catholics, many of whom spoke only Irish or … Unfortunately, death certificates for individuals born in Ireland seldom include the name of the county in Ireland where they were born, let alone the name of the townland. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places and economy. From left to right (James Byrne, Kate, Marilee, Patsy Byrne). The following 9 states all have more than 15% Irish ancestry in their total populations. Kate (top right) and her siblings on a St. Patrick's Day long ago in North Albany, N.Y (Little Limerick). Irish in America; Population Statistics. Every year, the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey asks millions of Americans questions about their lives; from their economic and social situations, to how they identify and what they regard their ancestry to be. Scope: population of the United States United States 0% 10% 20% 30% Count Other 1 Unclassified 2 German Irish English American Italian Polish French Scottish Norwegian Dutch European Swedish Subsaharan African Scotch-Irish West Indian Russian French Canadian Arab Kate grew up in North Albany, NY, also called “Little Limerick”. Below is a list showing many of America's largest ancestry groups. The second bible contained photos of Mike’s Irish immigrant ancestors on the Kennedy and Laide sides. The data reveals that immigration to New York had been the preference for nearly half a million (483,000) Irish-born settlers. Most Irish Americans begin their search by following one or more ancestry lines. Research done into the DNA of the Irish has shown that our old understanding of where the population of Be aware, it will soon become a lifelong pursuit that will keep you up through the early morning hours on many occasions! 1930, 1920). Make sure you head out with a good pair of shoes, notebooks, pens, laptop or pad, good camera, sidewalk chalk, a water squirt bottle, and “prayers for and help from your ancestors”. www.irishgenealogy.ie is a website that allows users the opportunity to search a wide range of record sources in their search of their Irish Ancestry. © Copyright 2021 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Mike's uncle Dick Lancor with Mike's great grandparents Richard Laide and Jenny Kennedy. Since then, many more Irish records have become available online and the odds of finding the homelands of one’s Irish ancestors has definitely improved. Thomas Fitzgerald, born in Bruff in 1823, and Rose Anna Cox, born in County Cavan in 1835, were the parents of John Francis Fitzgerald, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 11, 1863. The percentage of people of Irish ancestry and 25 or older who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher is 34.2 percent. I have been tracing my Irish family history for approximately 10 years. At least 22 presidents of the United States have some Irish ancestral origins, although the extent of this varies. The data from 2016, the latest survey made available, is particularly interesting as while there has been a recent dip in the census numbers for Irish Americans - dropping from 39.6 million to 32.7 million in the Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey - there’s still a strong showing for those who self-identify as having Irish ancestry in 60 percent of US states (plus the District of Columbia). It makes no sense to spend days trawling through databases to find out your great-grandmother’s surname if someone in the If you can’t find a passenger list for your ancestor, consider that at times it was cheaper and simpler to travel to the U.S. via Canada. For demographics by specific ethnic groups rather than general race, see "Ancestry" below. With a massive 32 million people in the US claiming some kind of Irish ancestry, it should come as no surprise that in 31 US states, Irish is ranked within the top three ancestry groups people report in the census. J and J Limited Company. We have spent many exceptional and emotional days visiting and sharing family history with distant cousins in Counties Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. Read more: Discover your family history in Ireland at the Genealogy Event. Census shows population decline, Read more: Numbers of Irish Americans not going down - here’s the proof, Eat What You Want Day: Irish blackberry jam and custard donuts recipe, Happy Birthday, Bono! Few states have death certificates online, so you will likely pay a fee to obtain a copy from the town or state where your ancestor died. Nora Regan's death certificate names her parents James Hearney and Nora Pendergast and states that they were all born in Ireland. This means that there are about seven times as many Irish ancestors in the United States as there are people in the country of Ireland itself, a not too shabby statistic to toss around in conversation over a pint. Of these, 190,000 were in New York City. I live in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. This article was submitted to the IrishCentral contributors network by a member of the global Irish community. The number and percentage of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2016. Filipino came out on top in Hawaii while American Indian topped the rankings in Alaska and Oklahoma. There is no better place to start than contacting family members to find out if they have records, photos, bibles or stories they can share. There are over 200 family records, as well as a free Ulster-Scots app and the Foundation offers a range of research services. The states are listed in descending order from highest to lowest total Irish … Death certificates seldom exist in the U.S. prior to 1880. ... 5,102,858 Scotch-Irish. For a fee, you can request Civil War records from the National Archives. If you have “hit a brick wall” or simply don’t have time to “chase” your ancestors, then send them an email to see if they can help. Between 1846 and 1855, some of the Fitzgeralds migrated to America to escape the devastating potato famine. Kate’s way to memorialize an ancestor who’s records were “lost in time” for 150 years. Irish Family History Foundation online research service for the 32 county genealogy centres throughout Ireland. Trying to find your Irish ancestors or delve deeper into your family's history and genealogy? Benjamin Harrison’s mother Elizabeth Irwin was descended from two great-grandfathers from the province of Ulster: James Irwin and William McDowell, who emigrated in the early 1700s. © Copyright 2021 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Individuals born in Ireland to non-Irish nationals after January 1, 2005 (after the enactment of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 2004) are not automatically entitled to Irish citizenship—additional information is available from the Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The dip is also due to Scots-Irish and those who identify as Northern Irish being counted separately (They represent about 5 million). The most significant ports for North America included, Boston, Philadelphia, Grosse Ile, City of Quebec, Montreal in Province of Quebec, Baltimore, especially 19th Century New York, Portland Maine, … The 26th president had ancestry from Ireland, Holland, Scotland, England and France, with his Scotch-Irish ancestry coming from Glenroe in County Antrim-- however he rejected the term Irish-American, stating a "hyphenated American is not an American at all". What does a $48k bottle of Irish whiskey taste like? Most Irish Americans begin their search by following one or more ancestry lines. Just do it! We also recommend the subscription websites Ancestry.com or My Heritage if you decide to go further. The most important lesson our genealogist friend taught us was that your search must begin in the U.S! That's five times larger than the entire country of Ireland, which is just under 5 million . Distant cousins take time for a photo in front of St. Mary's Church in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. Most Irish cities in America celebrate their heritage and ancestry with cultural centers, museums, food and festivities. The “luck of the Irish” gave Mike access to two family bibles. Read more: Can you guess the ratio of Irish Americans to the number of Irish? According to the map, New England easily tops the list as far as total percentage of the population being of Irish descent. their paths crossed your ancestor’s again. The marriage certificate of James Doyle and Mary Whalen found in a family bible. You can find more information HERE. Visit the Ancestry Support Center at help.ancestry.com. NYS Historic Newspapers). Other common ancestries among the various states were English, Italian, African-American, and Mexican, while many people appear to have simply responded with US or White. If some of your Irish male ancestors immigrated prior to 1862, then it is likely they served in either the Union or Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War. The Irish population in the U.S. is about 34 million people. Truly unique photos that were not found anywhere else! Mike began by following his Laide line and expanded to his Doyle, Whelan and Kennedy lines. Kate and Marilee bought the clay pipes at the Claypipe Visitor Center in Knockcroghery, Co. Roscommon, Ireland. British nationalists' sickening support for soldier accused of Troubles murder must stop. You are also automatically considered an Irish citizen if you were born outside of Ireland between 1956 and 2004 to a parent (mother and/or father) who was an Irish citizen born in Ireland. Unless at least one parent or an Irish-born grandparent was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, you have no automatic right to Irish citizenship on the basis of extended previous ancestry (that is, ancestors other than your parents or grandparents). Kate (center) and her distant cousins Mick and Anna Harney in front of a Harney gravestone in the All Saints Catholic Church cemetery in Newtown, Co. Waterford. Kate and Mike checking out the treasure trove of information found in the Doyle/Whelan family bible. A glance at the 1850 U.S. Census for Harrisville reads like a ship log of Irish emigrants headed to Boston or New York Harbors during the Great Irish Famine. The records for one of Mike’s ancestors (Matthew Whelan) stated that he was from Littermore, Blackwater, Co. Wexford, Ireland. He held office from 1829 – 1837. St. Patrick’s Day in was one of the most celebrated holidays of the year. Mike sharing family trees with Kate's distant cousin James Byrne of Kilmolin, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. Backside of the plot card for Johanna Regan's gravestone. The only name on this gravestone is Kate's second great aunt Johanna Regan (1858-1886), but 18 souls are buried in this family cemetery plot. We both were raised hearing stories and tales about our Irish American immigrant ancestors. Mike grew up in Harrisville, NY in rural Lewis County. Kate began by chasing her Fitzpatrick clan and expanded to her Regan and Harney lines. This Irish Government supported, official web site, is dedicated to helping you in your search for records of family history for past generations. To become an IrishCentral contributor click here. Of these, some two-thirds (about 300,000) are thought to have originated in the province of Ulster. When visiting cemeteries, "leave no stone unturned"! The Genealogy Event is August 30 - September 1, 2018, in Adare, Co. If you decide to begin “the chase” for your Irish American ancestors, then we recommend you begin with one specific clan and expand out from there. The Irish emigration to the United States spans several centuries. Kate began by chasing her Fitzpatrick clan and expanded to her … Your Irish ancestor may have crossed the border immediately or even a generation or two later. It wasn’t until later in life that we became “hooked” on “chasing” our ancestors back in time to the Emerald Isle. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. More than 30 million U.S. citizens are of Irish descent, and Americans with at least one parent that is an Irish citizen at the time of their birth are automatically considered Irish citizens. The map to the right shows the Irish population of the United States based on statistics from the 1890 census. 32.3 million or 10%. Irish American history: post-Independence Baptisms, weddings, funerals and more took place in churches. Kate's second great grandmother Catherine Regan (age 76) is the top name of this side of the plot card. There are tens of millions of Americans with Irish heritage, and many of them still bear those original Irish surnames with pride. Start with a simple Google search and move on to the free Family Search website. Irish also came in second place in 14 states and in third place in 15 states, including Oregon and Pennsylvania. What a miraculous find! After discovering a gravestone with one name on it (Johanna Regan), Kate asked the cemetery’s genealogist for a copy of the plot card. IN CHURCH. Scrapbook kept by Mike's great aunt Grace filled with obituaries and family history stories. Historic newspapers are great sources for obituaries and social news regarding your ancestors. In 1718 the first successful emigration from Ireland to New England took place, laying the foundation for the large-scale settlement of colonial America by the "Scotch-Irish." We have both been extremely successful in “chasing” many of our Irish ancestors back to their “roots” in Ireland. About Irish Emigrants in North America, 1775-1825 Emigration from Ireland to the Americas can be said to have started in earnest during the early eighteenth century. Johanna was the first of 18 of Kate’s ancestors buried in this one cemetery plot between 1886 and 1934. Thanks to the fantastic records held in the cemetery office, Kate was able to obtain cemetery plot cards for her ancestors. After learning as much as you can by interviewing family members and pouring over family records, then move on to the cemeteries where your Irish American ancestors are buried. Eat What You Want Day: Irish blackberry jam and custard donuts recipe, Happy Birthday, Bono! They may not be totally accurate, but are usually filled with useful bits of information that will point you in the right direction.