looking to find Watt Family

Hi,

It can be hard starting without basic facts. I did that with my grandfather, all I knew was his name and address of where he lived, but not where he was born, when he was born or whom he was born to. We now have 7 generations back on his lines.

A good understanding of what records are where, is one key to solving the puzzle. The Irish Genealogy Toolkit, has excellent material to help sort it all out. http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/index.html

The second key is gathering dates to work from. As you know that Thomas went to Scotland, (I don?t know if he remained there or not), I would start with locating as much data as you can In Scotland. Many clues can be gathered from marriage, census, or other documents. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

The year he was born will be crucial in indentifying which records to pursue in Ireland. If at all possible try to identify what religion Thomas was, as many records were only kept at local church levels for some time periods.

Another useful free tool is found at http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname. Once you key in the surname, click the map link on the left menu and it will plot the name areas for the Griffiths Valuation time frame. This will help identify area that might have descendants.

Andrew might be found in the Griffiths Valuation if he was still alive in 1847-1864. http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch

Another site that can reveal data is https://familysearch.org. Just key in items as you know, such as name, where the residence was, spouse name. Keep the dates blank until you find something to be able to frame a timeline with.

Good Luck in your search! Jeanette