Family tree/genealogy

Dave!

Hey folks,

I was bored yesterday, so once again, I decided to start doing a bit of research on my family (I've started and never followed up, previously), and tried to go back as far as I can with my family. I've only asked my immediate family (seeing as I only started it yesterday), and I've got a fair amount of information off my mother. I've found out some really wierd stuff, though! Well not wierd, just stuff I didn't know, like my aunt living in Germany for years, and how she's fluent in German. And how she got sick, and everything. My mtoher is a fountain of knowledge, lol. I'm gonna ask my aunts what they know, and then move back another generation, and then I'll have to start travelling places. I'll have to go to a few graveyards, for instance, to find out when people were born and died. I'll have to go up to Monaghan too, to ask my dad's family about things. I'm gonna give it a serious shot, cos I think it's a shame that we've not got one of these in my family already (well, that I know of), and I think it would really be something to be proud of to be able to trace my family back at least a few centuries. Who knows what history I'd find!

So, just wondering if anyone's given this a shot, how hard it was, how interesting it was, things you've found out, how far back you got, etc.

Imagine going back a few centuries and finding out that your family was involved in 1798, or 1803!

TheWolf

G'luck with it mate. Isnt there a problem going back so far though, because all the records were burnt?

Dave!

Yeah I read that too, but I'm sure there's other sources and stuff -- I shalln't be disheartened

By the way, with a bit of research I managed to find my great grandfather's house in Drumcondra, just a few minutes ago! And my great grandmother's house was across the road, so that's pretty cool

gonker

I have gone back to 1843 on my dads side. Then it got confusing....two people with the same surname got married very confusing....So I gave up at that stage.... My Dad and brothers are the last males with their surnames in the family scary seeing as my brother has a little girl and my other brother no kids yet..... I used memorial cards a lot as they usually have the age and of course the date of death!

Tar.Aldarion

I used the net and got back really far...my ancestor wrote the american anthem

boneless

I found out that an ancestor was hanged for theft... and his wife was transported to Australia. Ah!! The good ol'daze....

NoDayBut2Day

I have wanted to do this for awhile, but never did...

Tobias Greeshman

I remember doing this a while back, think I went back to my great great grandparents on my fathers side (~1840). I remember it was pretty incomplete and never bothered completing it, pity now.

lilmissprincess

We had to do it in 3rd class. Overnight...

dundalk cailin

yea its something i wouldnt mind doin. my mam drew up a family tree bout 10yrs ago but its pretty out of date now..she's really interested in geneology, she organised a huge family reunion for descendants of 4 families that stem from her mam's side..pretty interesting stuff!

bug

I did this a few years ago.
Found out my great grandfather was a poet, (always heard the rumour but never saw the book) found his book, entitled the Harp & the crown (which he was punished for in the RIC, apparently the authorities took offence to the title and didnt believe that it represented the emblem on his cap), I found it in the national library after much searching. Copied a few poems too and gave them to my mother as a present. He had dedicated the book to my great grandmother, although he left her shortly after he dissapeared from service in the RIC .
Found out he wrote the words to a fairly recognisable scottish song.
My search with him ended in Kew in Surrey. where I have to go some day to research his army records... Rumours persist about his backround, indeed the very reason why he married my grandmother ... Informer, spy...etc. Very interesting. He dissapeared after world war one, after being a quarter master in the british army. He was reported alive at the end of the war, by his young son who he stumbled on by mistake, whilst on leave.

One aspect of my fathers side is pretty weird. I went on a walking - literary ghost tour of Dublin one night, and an associate of my great uncle popped up on one of the stops Great...weird...story, possibly not for this medium.

maeve49

Besides your Mam and Dad where are you getting the info on your family, I did this a few years ago but wouldn't mind having a look at it again, what with the internet and all that info at our fingertips! Did u find the internet of any use?:D

Baldie

Where would one go on the internet to find out this kind of information?

bug

well to start with its handy to know a bit about their back round.
Birth dates are a serious plus. Trying to get copies of old birth certs is difficult and costs money.
Churches will help in cases. Baptismal records will tell you birth dates etc and churches will help out in that regard.

Its good to have an idea of what your looking for or about. Ask current family members as much as possible. In my case I was trying to prove/disprove rumours and stories, and just find out a timeline of events.

It takes more phone calls than browser power in my experience.

ionapaul

A chap on my father's side of the family drew up a very detailed family tree a number of years ago, which I found facinating. I was in college doing in Masters in History, focused on the Irish reaction to the American Civil War, at the time, and lo and behold I find out that my great x 2 (or x 3) grandfather fought for the Union side. Over 50,000 Irish soldiers fought, which is amazing - consider the fact that only a few thousand fought the British during the 1916 rising. One of my great grandfathers was a petty officer(quartermaster?) in the British navy.

Aviator55

Go to Easons and buy "Tracing Your Irish Ancestors" by John Grenham.
Be careful though, my wife has become obsessed, and you can find yourself queuing in the national archives behind fifty plump American's each trying to trace a Patrick Murphy who emigrated to the US in the nineteenth century, oro maybe the eighteenth..

arbeitsscheuer

Found out that one of my ancestors is Richard DeClare (also known as Richard FitzGilbert) aka Strongbow. So that's quite impressive I guess.
Also related to some Crusaders, and some Celtic warriors but it's been a while since I looked it up or displayed any interest tbh.

Eoin

If you want to find out the origin of your family name, a place on Nassau Street in Dublin can do this for you. I got the family name and crest put on a plaque for the aul' fella a few years ago, and the shop was able to find the origin of my surname (it dated back to 1300 or so).

I don't think they can't really help you with actual family tree in between the origin of the name and you, but it may be of some use. I can dig out the shop name for anyone interested.