Family History Conferences 2016

We are pleased to advise that the website for our June 2016 family history conference is now LIVE! We trust that the combination of research opportunities, with the Foundation’s experienced genealogists on hand to provide guidance and assistance, and an extensive touring programme to many historic sites will again prove popular.

For more information on our June 2016 family history conference please visit: http://www.ancestryireland.com/family-history-conference/summer-2016/

Publications

Men and Arms: The Ulster Settlers, c.1630

The bestselling volume in the critically R.J. Hunter Collection is now back in print and available to purchase on Booksireland at £19.99.

Men and Arms is essentially the first census of English and Scottish settlers in the nine counties of Ulster in the early seventeenth century. The edition includes extensive additional information on the settlers drawn from a variety of contemporary sources.

Also back in stock is William E. Hogg’s, Threads: From an Irish Backcloth (£9.99)

Following on from the success of Mrs. Nettlebed’s Year, Foundation Trustee Dr Sam Burnside has recently completed the second volume in this series for children, Mrs. Nettlebed and the Woodlander. An enchanting story and an ideal Christmas gift for the younger folk in your family.

Other recently acquired titles which we hope will be of interest are:

The Country Rhymes of Hugh Porter: The Bard of Moneyslane c. 1780 (£5.99)

The Country Rhymes of Samuel Thompson: The Bard of Carngranny 1766-1816 (£5.99)

Country Rhymes of James Orr: The Bard of Ballycarry 1770-1816 (£5.99)

Tracing Your Great War Ancestors: The Somme: A Guide for Family Historians (£12.99)

Wills of our Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians (£12.99)

All available from www.booksireland.org.uk

Forthcoming Events

We are running a FREE lunchtime talk in association with the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) next month.

Tina Beaird and Debra Dudek from Illinois, USA will be speaking on: All routes led to Chicago: Irish railroad workers and canal builders in the nineteenth century on Monday 16th November at 1pm in PRONI.

Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, IL. Debra specializes in British genealogy and technology topics. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

Tina Beaird is the Genealogy/Local History Librarian at the Plainfield Public Library in Plainfield, Illinois. Tina uses her master’s degree in archiving and preservation to lecture on topics including genealogical research, archival preservation, and Illinois history at national, state and local conferences. She has provided professional research assistance for more than a decade and has been researching her family’s history for over twenty years.

To book your free place, please email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone: (+44) 028 90 534800

In the Footsteps of St Patrick, a travelling exhibition, will be launched in Down County Museum on Wednesday 11 November at 7.30pm. For further details please contact the museum on 028 4461 5218.

 

Obama is from Offaly and now it turns out some of Bruce Springsteen’s ancestors hail from Co. Kildare. Megan Smolenyak, genealogist, has made the connection.

Sources: Article in the Independent and an interview with Megan on RTE

You might like to take a look at this article by Megan Smolenyak which outlines her research and mentions that she used our records that are available via subscription on the rootsireland.ie database to locate the records of Ann and her family.  http://irishamerica.com/2015/10/on-the-prowl-for-springsteens-irish-roots/

Our Kildare genealogist, Karel Kiely, did some some follow up research and located five children of Christy or Christopher Geraty and his wife Catherine Kelly in Rathangan:

James, of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 25th February 1828.
Address: Mount Prospect
Baptismal Sponsors: Andrew Flood and Ally Kelly

John, of Christopher Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 10th May 1830.
Address: Mount Prospect
Baptismal Sponsors: John Colgan and Ann Kelly.

Michael, of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 13th January 1833
Address: Mount Prospect
Baptismal Sponsors: Patrick Murray and Betty Kelly

Ann, of Christopher Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 2nd December 1838
Address: Kiltagham
Baptismal Sponsors: Catherine Neil

Elizabeth, of Christy Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 12th January 1843
Address: Mount Prospect
Baptismal Sponsors: James Halligan and Mary Kelly

Thomas, of Christopher Geraty and Catherine Kelly, baptised on 25 December 1847.
Address: Rathangan
Baptismal Sponsors: James Mitchel and Ann Dawson

At around the same time in the townlands of Kiltagham there was:
James Geraty and Margaret Cullen had Brigid (1844) and Patrick (1847)
James Geraty and Ann Jacobs had John (1861)Peter Geraty and Hanna Jacob had Maria (1848), Patrick (1851), Ann (1854) and Mary (1857).
Pat Geraty and Mary Kelly had Anne (1850) and Teresa (1851) – Address was Rathangan
Tom Geraty and Betty Keegan had Mary (1829) – Address was Rathangan

There are also a number of Geraty marriages in the parish.

There are Kellys at Kiltagham in the early 1800s as shown by this Tithe Applotment book page for the townland where a Thomas Kelly and a James Kelly are listed.

We were not able to find any Geratys in the area in the later 1800s or in the 1901 Census to date.

There are Kellys at Kiltagham South at the time of the 1901 Census:
Maria Kelly, a widow aged 72 years old, from Queen’s Co. and her children who were all born in Co. Kildare:
John aged 30 
Rose aged 32
Patrick Joseph aged 38
Elizabeth Alice aged 41
Mary aged 44

They were children of Patrick Kelly and his wife Maria Dunne – on the baptismal records of their children (between 1852 and 1865) the address is recorded as either Kiltagham or Mount Prospect. Patrick and Maria were married in Mountmellick in 1846 – the register pages are very difficult to read and no other information is known.

Dublin City Book Fair at the Tara Towers Hotel on Sunday, 25th October from 11.am. -5.pm. Admission €2.00.

We will have a wide selection of Books, Antiquarian, Rare, Esoteric, Signed Firsts and a selection of coins to suit almost every taste and pocket. There will also be some Prints and Ephemera.
Some dealers offer Free Valuations, so it might be time to have a look in the attic. Who knows what is up there?

The 33rd Annual Belfast Book will take place at the Wellington Park Hotel, Malone Road, Belfast on Saturday 10th October 2015 from 10.00am – 5.00pm