Looking for ancestors

Hi,

Thank you for your message.

Unfortunately, it may be difficult to records of the children as the reality of finding documentation pertaining to births/baptisms/marriages/deaths in Ireland prior to 1800 ? particularly in rural areas ? is that they simply may not exist. As the Church of Ireland was the official church of the country at the time, the bulk of what does survive from this period is often in these registers.

For information on Church of Ireland registers check http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/. 

Catholic records in Carrickfergus only begin c. 1820 as you can see from the Irish Times website:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Antrim&parish=Carrickfergus&churchid=1142

There are some sites that have some records online that you may be able to search:

www.familysearch.org a free website with a large collection of records.

www.rootsireland.ie also has a vast amount of records available, however you have to pay to use this site.

It, will be difficult to find information on the McKenzies unless you have a more specific place of origin, as most Irish record sources are based on specific location.  It may be an idea to write to the Ulster Historical Foundation for some assistance- however a fee may apply. Here are their contact details:

Ulster Historical Foundation,

49 Malone Road,

Belfast,

BT9 6RY,

Northern Ireland.

Phone: +44 28 9066 1988 Email: enquiry@uhf.org.uk

In the meantime, some websites which you may find helpful with your search are:

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

Genealogy links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/antrim/index.html

                                http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/down/index.html

If you find any more information such as a definite place of origin for the McKenzie?s remember to post it here. 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.

Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,       

Genealogy Support