21st Century

To honour Danny Dowling’s 99th birthday we held a Family Tree Workshop in the Glenmore Community Hall last Sunday. Thanks to Noah Bradfield for the photos of participants. Based on the number of packets given out there were 27 participants. We hope that everyone came away with new information to help them discover their Glenmore ancestors.

If you were unable to attend here are the forms that were given out.

[1] Family Tree

This is a drawing to record your ancestors. This particular tree was downloaded from a free site, so visit a few and see which tree you prefer. Regardless of what tree you choose, I recommend using a pencil because you will find it necessary to correct and update information. Where to begin? Start with what you know.
[1.1] YOU–Place your name (one line 1) on the left, and dates of your (b) birth and (m) marriage under your name. Dates are usually written as 23 June 1978 or 1 Sept. 1779. This avoids confusion.
[1.2] YOUR PARENTS–The two lines immediately to the right of your name (lines 2 and 3) are for your parents. Your father’s name goes on the upper line (2) and your mother’s name on the lower line (3). It is up to you whether you use your mother’s maiden name or married name. If you use your mother’s married name put née [maiden name] below her name. Example Margaret Reilly née Aylwards. Between your mother and father place the date of their marriage (m. 19 Oct. 1955).
[1.3] YOUR GRANDPARENTS–There are four lines for your grandparents. Two are linked to each of your parents. Therefore, your father’s parents fill the upper two of the four lines. Your paternal grandfather is on the top. The bottom two lines are for your mother’s father and mother.

[2] RESOURCE SHEET

Most people do ok up to their grandparents, but are not sure of their great-grandparents or their grandparents birth, death and marriage dates. This leads us to our resource sheet packed with Irish resources to help you begin to uncover information. Some of the free sites that are the most helpful are the census of 1911 and 1901 as well as IrishGeneology.ie . However, one of the best resources for finding information is from older family members or neighbours, family headstones etc. Most people are quite happy to talk about the past. Please note GDPR applies to Church Records.

RESOURCES

[2.1] St. James Cemetery

Some headstones provide a lot of information. Some of it is wrong. A lot of ages are wrong. Prior to 1860 the government did not record birth or death records. Thus, parish records are often your only source prior to 1860. However, GDPR—stops the State and clergy from providing information in line with what is released by Irish Genealogy.ie  (see below). Note in some early marriages the residence of the groom was recorded as the same as the bride where the marriage was celebrated. If the couple had children their residence at birth provides an avenue to record a family that moved.

Helpful Hint—a date of death usually gives you an approximate birth year for checking the parish registers. Glenmore civil records (birth, death and marriages) before 1920 are listed with Waterford and thereafter Thomastown. Helpful Hint—deaths are recorded where the person died not where s/he lived.

[2.2] glenmore-history.com 

To use this site for family research a laptop or computer is best. If you do not have access to a laptop or computer both the Ferrybank and New Ross libraries have computers which are free of charge to use with a library card. Library cards are free of charge, and the card can be used at any public library. Check the surname pages for obituaries, interviews recorded by Danny and newspaper articles etc. (Married women are generally listed under their married names, with maiden names provided if known. Then check their maiden name).

In addition to the weekly blog articles, there are also lists of members of the Old Glenmore IRA, farmers etc. The blog also has a search feature that will locate up to 10 references for you. Place the name you are researching in “   “ to limit your search to that individual.

Townlands—to access most records and to ensure you have the correct record, you must determine where your ancestor lived. The townlands have been very fluid. See the list of Glenmore townlands with Civil Parishes and Danny Dowling’s 1961 list of residents.
Connecting—to see other people researching various parish names e.g. Fitzgerald etc.
Roots—contains headstone inscriptions from old cemeteries, longer obits, memory cards.
Useful Links to Online Resources—includes Danny’s publications, maps, census links etc.

[2.3] Libraries

Kilkenny Library–Online   https://kilkennylibrary.ie/eng/our_services/local_studies/

Ferrybank Library 051 897200 or email ferrybank@kilkennylibrary.ie   They have a number of books of local interest but also have free access to on line old newspapers. Not all old newspapers are on line. However, the main libraries in Kilkenny City and Waterford have old newspapers on micro film or fiche that are free to search.

New Ross Library 053 91 96722  or email newrosslib@wexfordcoco.ie They have books of local interest, and free access to on line old newspapers including the New Ross Standard (has more computers, book to ensure a seat).

[2.4] Irish Genealogy.ie

Civil Records – Civil Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths are the official State records of Births, Marriages and Deaths in Ireland.

• Birth 1864-1924
• Marriages 1845- 1944
• Deaths 1871- 1974

[2.5] Parish Records

Glenmore Parish Register—see https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0987
            Site contains marriages from 1831 to June 1883; Baptisms from 1831 to 1880

Slieverue Parish Register—before Glenmore became a parish it was part of Slieverue see, https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1031      Note that it states Slieverue is in the Diocese of Ossory, in County Waterford…this is because the postal address was Waterford. Baptisms from 1766 on; Deaths from Dec. 1766 to 1799; & Marriages 1766 on. The records particularly the death records are not complete.

A free on-line index is available  findmypast.ie (Beware it is a pay site & offers free trials that may lead to an unwanted subscription.)

[2.6] Census Records 

1901 and 1911 are available and 1925 is due to be released this year. Remember to check the townlands to ensure you get the correct Pat Walsh. See https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/

[3] Other sites or services

Family search.org is a free international site maintained by the Mormons. It holds a variety of Irish records and indexes.

There are a number of paid or subscription cites and services. Some have free access for two weeks to allow you access to test the site/service. It is a good idea to have a number of searches before you try the service. One of the most helpful is ROOTSIRELAND.ie. It has Baptismal and Marriage Church records across the country. BEWARE—many people rely on the research done by others and can be led astray. Always check and satisfy yourself regarding your ancestor.  The record closer in time to the actual event is usually the more reliable. For example, a baptismal record is closer in time to a birth than an inscription date on a headstone or recorded in an obit.

[3] RESEARCH RECORD SHEET

I developed the third sheet to manage all the ancestors with the same or similar names and to stop researching what I previously found. Often I would perform family research in the winter and put it to the side in the summer. Then when I started researching again I would end up looking up something I previously found. Thus, for each ancestor I was trying to locate I filled out one of these sheets. Often when it is difficult to find an ancestor they might be located through a sibling or child. On this sheet you can record everything for an ancestor in one place.

Looking Ahead

We are seeking ideas for what we can do in 2027 to honour Danny Dowling’s 100th birthday. If you have any suggestions please email them to glenmore.history@gmail.com or give them to Pat Dowling.

Again thanks to Noah and the Glenmore Tidy Towns team that helped last Sunday and to everyone who helped by providing information or mentored a person beginning their family tree.

If you need a hand looking up an ancestor just send an email to glenmore.history@gmail.com

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh