MacDonnell family Magheralane Antrim

Hi,

Thank you for your message.

Have you checked church records for information on the families? Most Catholic records are held locally, however you can check what records are available in specific parishes on the irishtimes website. For Drammaul parish follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Antrim&parish=Drumaul&churchid=411

If the family were Anglican check http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/.

You could also check for them in the two land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. There are two. The first are the Tithe Applotments Books. These were compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland. You may find either James or Jane in these or possibly their parents. You can search these here:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

The later records are Griffith's Valuation. These date from 1848-1864 nd can be found here:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/

Do you know much about William's emigration? Generally more information was given at the place of arrival rather than that of departure. If you looked into his emigration records you may find some more information there.There are lots of books and documents available about the Irish emigration to NZ. There is a website you could look at: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/irish/2 for information about the Irish in New Zealand.

You could also check the 1901 and 1911 census records for any family that were still in Ireland. These can give lots of useful information. You can check these here:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

Some other websites which may be helpful 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

Family Search:  https://familysearch.org/

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

I hope that this is helpful. Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. 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

Thankyou for your helpful information... I will have a good look through your suggestions. 

Cheers

Shirley MacDonnell