How Did They End Up There?

by Juliana Szucs

Migrations have always fascinated me. Perhaps it’s because I have lived my entire life within about 30 miles of my birthplace. Yes, I am a comfort creature who craves familiar surroundings.  

How the heck did our ancestors pack up their lives and move their entire families long distances with no modern conveniences—and to destinations sometimes largely untested? That takes a special kind of courage.

These folks leave us with many questions. How and why did the guy I wrote about, get from a home in Connecticut where he was born in 1805, to the Indiana wilderness, where he was married in 1827 at age 22? 

This week let’s look at some ways in which we can learn more about our ancestors’ journeys to new homes and why they made the decision to leave one place for another. 

Assessing the Community

As we research back in time, often our first indication of a migration is a birthplace on a census record, as was the case with my Connecticut-born friend Warren, who was living in Indiana. Typically migrations of this type, weren’t done in isolation. Extended family and others from a common community may have traveled together or followed one another in succession to a new location. Observing your ancestor’s “neighborhood” and the shared backgrounds of the people in it can sometimes clue you in to a more specific location.

Looking around him in the 1850 census, I found thirty families had at least one member who had been born in the Nutmeg State (Connecticut). Armed with these surnames, I can see whether any of the people in the area who hailed from Connecticut appear to be associates of Warren’s family. Court and probate documents might provide answers. And as always, stories and insights found in the records of the contemporaries of my research subject could also shed insights on his family. 

The Wikipedia entry for Fulton County, Indiana, where the family was living in 1850, gives me some information about how New Englanders began moving into the area in the 1820s and 1830s, and how the Erie Canal helped make the region more accessible, right about the same time as my subject made his way here. Deeper dives into the history of the area should provide even more information (and provide necessary verification of the details on Wikipedia). 

Educational materials and learning opportunities at conferences and institutes can also help fill in blanks. The NGS Annual Conference will also include several lectures on migration, and even one on river pirates in the Ohio River. (You can view the entire NGS conference schedule here.)

Population growth in New England and a shortage of land in the region around that time had made moving to the Midwest more appealing. The basic summary information provided in Wikipedia mentions that these “’Yankee’ settlers were descended from the English Puritans.” While that’s possible, there were people of many other faiths and ethnic backgrounds present in New England and many schisms occurred in the predominant religions as well. 

Indeed, I am finding his wife’s family and close associates of Warren’s family in Quaker records in Indiana. Since Quakers (and another sect called the Rogerenes who practiced a similar faith) lived in the area from whence the family reportedly came, I’ll keep this in mind as I seek out records in Connecticut. Moreover, religion could have played a factor in their migration, as was the case with many denominations in this country.

A look at the FamilySearch Wiki for Fulton County provides me with a good list of available records for that county.  It also includes links to access online collections. I’ll be keeping in mind my roster of names of those who lived near Warren’s new home and who shared Connecticut (and nearby Rhode Island) origins.

In my ongoing research, I discovered that in 1840 one Revolutionary War pensioner was named in the county, which proved to be another fascinating lead. Bounty land, and in later years, homestead records are also excellent resources that may help you learn about your ancestor’s migration. The more information I absorb about the people who surround Warren’s family and the societal considerations of the times, the easier my trek will be back to Connecticut. The knowledge I gain will also give me a better understanding who these people were and how they found that special kind of bravery. 

Photo courtesy the Library of Congress Photo Collection, Erie Canal, Tonawanda, N.Y.

Finding Irish Origins

by Juliana Szucs

Exploring Irish ancestry can be a rewarding journey, revealing the rich history and resilience of a people whose impact is deeply woven into the fabric of history. While Irish genealogy presents unique challenges due to record losses and other complexities, with the right strategies and resources, navigating these challenges can lead to the discovery of fascinating and rewarding stories.

Before You Cross the Pond

Before you start wandering around in Irish records, for Americans, it’s best to start your Irish research here in the States. The same applies to other countries where the Irish migrated and left a legacy.  It’s critical to learn as much about your family here in the US, so that you can compile a comprehensive timeline of where and when they lived here. Arrange the details about your family chronologically in whatever format you think is most practicable based on your comfort. For me, a plain word processing document is the easiest way to create a timeline. I organize the details I’ve pulled from the records in a way that makes sense.

It's simple, but super effective in pinning down where our ancestors were at the time of important life events, such as births, marriages, deaths. residences, immigration, military service, and so much more. This leads to the records created by those events. Knowing an exact location can be particularly useful for many Irish who settled in large cities here in the US. Urban residents tended to be more mobile because they typically didn’t own property and thus were subject to rental terms and rates, which often prompted annual moves, so in these cases, a good working timeline is paramount.

What You Need to Know

Before you make the leap back to Ireland, there are several critical pieces of information that will help you to be successful.

·         Name. This one’s probably easy, but bear in mind that the way you spell a surname may not have been how your ancestors did. In fact, your ancestor may not have spelled at all, so spelling of names can be phonetic (e.g., Huggins, Higgins, Higgan, Huggans), and prefixes like O’, and Mc/Mac may appear and disappear randomly (e.g., Kelly/Kelley, O’Kelly, McLoughlin, McLaughlin, Loughlin, Laughlin, Loghlin, etc.). You may also run across variants with Gaelic-rooted spellings.

·         Age. You might think that this would be a rather simple thing, but if you’ve done any Irish research you know that age discrepancies are very common. So give the ages you find in your ancestors’ records a little wiggle room. They probably did the same, and with the records you have access to, you may find that you have more clues to that date than they did.

·         Birthplace or residence in Ireland. This one requires a little knowledge of Irish land divisions. There are four provinces in Ireland, which are in turn divided into 32 counties. Beyond that you have a number of smaller divisions, including baronies, parishes, poor law unions, and townlands. When asked where they were from, they may have given the name of any of these, so knowing about the various jurisdictions will help you to locate records in Ireland. An excellent resource for this is Townlands.ie, and Brian Mitchell’s A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland.

·         Family structure, including extended family. The value of knowing the names of siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws cannot be underestimated. These families often traveled and settled with other families from the same areas of Ireland from whence they came. You will be incredibly grateful for your ancestors’ FAN Club (friends, associates, neighbors), as you’ll often find them linked to them in records in various ways. Maintain lists of all of the surnames you find associated with your people, including sponsors, witnesses, neighbors, business partners, and any other associates. A neighbor in Ireland may have signed on as a sponsor at a baptism, or a witness to some other record. Seeing these ties can provide additional evidence that you have identified the correct person in the records.

·         Immigration date. Knowing when your family immigrated can help you determine whether you should be looking in records here or in Ireland at a particular time. Use ages and places of births of children where possible to zero in on this time frame. In the timeline example above, I used birth dates and ages found in census records and the length of time in the US listed on a death record of one family member to help zero in on eight-year span during which the family likely immigrated.

Places to Look

So where do we find these details? Genealogy 101 tells us to start with home sources. Your Irish origins may be hiding in a family bible, correspondence, memorabilia, or even in heirlooms that may have originated in a particular part of Ireland.

Of course, we have the old standby of census records – both federal and state where available. City directories can fill in the gaps between enumerations. Vital records may give a more precise birthplace, although religious records are sometimes more detailed when it comes to this information.

Historical newspapers are increasingly available online, and some newspapers were good about putting in the names of townlands or parishes in obituaries and in other articles. Look for Irish newspapers, which also included links to the homeland, and also seek out other death-related collections, like cemetery records.

Military and related records like the World War I and World War II draft cards, can sometimes include a specific location of origin for Irish immigrants. Pension records also include close personal details and stories that can help you with your quest.

Probate records could include the names of family members who stayed in Ireland, and business and account records like those of the New York Emigrant Savings Bank,1850-1883, which are searchable on Ancestry. In this collection, to prove identity and access an account, “test books” were used that included personal details that presumably only the account holder would know. In the record extract below, Nicholas Walsh, a porter living at 52 Beekman St., gave the bank these details about his family:

Nat of Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, [Ireland], Arrd. May 29 ’51 per the Scotland L’pool. Par. Living Jno & Alice Tully, 5 Bros. Jno here, Jas, Michl & Thos in [Ireland], no Sister. Is single.

Immigration marked an important point in their lives, and they often didn’t do it alone. As you narrow your search for an arrival record, keep an eye out for those familiar names. You may find groups of people from the same area traveling together, particularly in the famine years, where people were leaving en masse. And that migration in itself is a story that deserves to be preserved. Knowing when they left and the history of the period in which they emigrated can give you the reasons for their departure, the conditions under which they would have sailed. You’ll also find some stories of chain migration, where families came over a few members at a time, with typically one or both parents leading the way, possibly with older children, then later sending for the rest of the family once they were established.

Once you’ve conducted extensive research in the location where your ancestor landed, you’re probably going to find that you already have a good start on your Irish family history, and you’ll be prepared for the next step of your research journey in the records of the Emerald Isle.

*Photograph courtesy Loretto Dennis Szucs, Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Finding Hidden Ancestors in Online Collections

by Juliana Szucs

You know they should be there in that online collection you’re looking into, but they’re not. Dang it.

Bull Family. Bergen Public Library. Flickr the Commons. https://flic.kr/p/86qTuj

  

Unfortunately, this isn’t an uncommon scenario. But, with a little finesse and creative searching, the records you seek will sometimes come out of hiding for you. Try these tips. 

Don’t Give TMI (Too Much Information) 

Sometimes it’s tempting to add as much information as possible to zero in on the record you need quickly. More information also might mean more details that don’t match or aren’t even found on the record. And every piece that doesn’t match what’s in the index you are utilizing can nudge relevant results lower or rule them out. 

Try a new search and start small with only basic information—a name, a birth year (provided an age has been indexed in that record set), and a place where the record was created. Use the search form creatively. Maybe only one piece of information that doesn’t match is throwing you off; try leaving off a critical detail like a first or last name, and zero in using other fields, such as gender, race, literacy, or whatever else the index offers to compensate for the lack of information. This can help you locate records where a name may have been massacred in the indexing process.   

“That’s Not How My Last Name is Spelled” 

Never overlook the possibility that your name hasn’t always been spelled the way you think it was. Name variants, language and pronunciation, and poor handwriting can compound difficulties. And remember that some of our ancestors may have not even known how to spell their name. These tips can help with misspellings or name variants. 

• Look for letters that are often mistaken for another letter. S vs. L, H vs. K, etc. Vowels should be thought of as interchangeable. Is it an a or an o? Pronunciation is sometimes so similar among vowels, the record keeper may have written what he or she heard.  

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• For non-English ethnic surnames, this is especially common. Jan Mekalski, often spelled his name Menkalski. It isn’t until we take into account Polish pronunciation that this makes sense. In the Polish alphabet, the “e with a little tail” – ę – is pronounced “in.” So Jan was spelling his name phonetically.  

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• Never assume your ancestor always used the same surname. Jan Mekalski also spelled his name John Wagner. In the area where they lived, Polish laborers were having a hard time getting work. Since he also spoke German, he started using the German surname Wagner to get a job. That lasted nearly two decades until World War I broke out, and he readopted his Polish surname.  

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• Look for reference materials that deal with surnames from your ancestors’ home country. There are many excellent books that have been written specifically for surnames of a particular ethnicity, as well as many online resources. Do a quick search for [your ancestor’s ethnicity] +surnames for more information.  

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Given, Middle, or Nickname? 

This little quandary is all too common. You may find the same individual using various given names at various times. Official documents may give one name, while others may be more casual, using a middle name, confirmation name, nickname, or some other variant. Try them all, and if you’re not successful, try to search for the surname alone.  

Were They Really There?  

Here’s where a good timeline can save the day. Create entries by date including locations where the family has been found in other records. Be sure you’re not looking for them in record sets from before they were born, or after they died. And of course, were they actually in that place? Knowing dates and places of birth of all family members, can help pinpoint where records were created in cases where a family was on the move.  

Was the Location There? 

Consider the possibility that the town, township, or district where your ancestors lived, either didn’t exist as a municipality at that time, or perhaps it had a different name. Also, boundaries change throughout the years. Counties often divided as they grew and formed new counties, so the current county borders may not be what they were when your ancestors lived there. Even the state or province lines may have changed. Look for regional maps from that period so you know you’re looking in the right place.   

Sidestep 

For census records, if you’re not having luck with your direct ancestor’s name, try the name of someone else you think would have been in the household at that time. Missing the family in 1870, even though you have them in that place in 1860 or 1880, look for neighbors who were also there in the census before and after; see if you can find them in 1870, then browse the area to find your ancestor’s enumeration (if it exists; sometimes people did get missed).  

Browse, Browse, Browse… 

With any record set, browse and familiarize yourself with the records. Where volumes have been digitized and indexed, look to the front of the record set to see if an original index is within the digitized images.  That index may differ from one created through the digitization process. And, as an added bonus, you may run across unexpected family members in the collection that you hadn’t thought to look for.  

Sure, searching for records can present challenges in any venue, but when we find them, it makes that find even more sweet!