I am looking for any information on my ancestor Patrick Nolan. So far the only information I have been able to find is that he was born in 1840. Possibly emmigrating around the mid 1860's through New York then on to Michigan where he worked in the iron ore mines. His wife was listed as both Jane and Johanna Keating?? in census records and she was also from Ireland. My grandmother passed down stories of them coming from County Cork or County Kerry. They were Catholic as well.
Any information or help would be appreciated!
Sunday 10th Feb 2013, 01:51PM
Message Board Replies
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Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information on Patrick without an exact place of origin. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.
The stories about Co. Cork and Kerry may be a starting point for your search, however. Irish Genealogy, have begun a project to upload church records to their website free of charge. As this is an ongoing project only a few counties have been covered so far. Fortunately, registers from Kerry have already being uploaded, and Catholic registers from the Cork and Ross Diocese have also been uploaded. (Please note that the Diocese of Cork and Ross only covers parts of Cork, not the whole county)
If Patrick was from these areas you should be able to find his birth record here, and possibly his marriage record if they were married in Ireland. This would give you a parish of origin, which would then allow you to search further. You can search these records here:
www.irishgenealogy.ie/index.html
www.familysearch.org also have some church records from all counties available, however these are not complete records.
www.rootsireland.ie also have a large collection, however you have to pay to view these.
Have you looked much into Patrick?s emigration? Sometimes more information was given at the port of arrival rather than that of departure so this may be a place to find more information-and possibly a, more exact place of origin. For immigration information in the US check the National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/
If he went through New York in the 1960?s he was most likely processed at Castlegarden. You can search their database here:
Some other websites that you may find useful in your research include:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
I hope that some of this is helpful and that you are able to establish a place of origin. Once you have this more research options will open up for you. Remember to post any new information that you find. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support