Irish Ancestor Information

Strive to get as much of this information as possible.

You may not have all of this information but record and document (e.g. where did you get the information) as much of it as you can.

Click here for a PDF version you can print.

  • What name did your ancestor use when they arrived?
  • What name did they use in the old country?
  • What is their date of birth?
  • What are their parents names?
  • What is their mother's maiden name?
  • When did they emigrate from Ireland?
  • Where did they last live in Ireland when they emigrated?
    • What county?
    • What townland?
    • What city, town or farm?
    • What locations have been mentioned in association with your ancestor (list them all)?
    • From what port did they leave?
      • If you don't know, list the closest ports and how far away in miles they are from where they lived. Use Google Maps to help you with this.
  • When did they arrive in America?
  • Where did they settle when they came to America?
  • What port did they come into?
    • Get a passenger list if they are on one.
    • Get an arrival record if there is one (eg. Ellis Island)

If you don't have all the above information, don't worry. You can probably find it. The basics to cross the pond to find your Irish ancestor are:

  1. Their name in Ireland
  2. Their birth date and place in Ireland
  3. When they emigrated from Ireland
  4. Where they last lived in Ireland

If you have these four pieces of information (and they are basically correct) you'll probably be able to find records about your ancestor in Ireland. They don't have to be exact but obviously it helps.

Click here for professional Donna Moughty's approach using case studies.