hi i am researchng my 4th great grandfather john studders who states he was born in armagh ireland in 1814 he was supposedly convicted of stealing a horse in ireland and transported to australia on the ship sophia in 1829 we have no information regarding his parents names at all i have traced his family in australia in great detail but tracing him overseas has proved to be a major issue any help would be greatly appreciated thanks
Sunday 17th Mar 2013, 07:12AM
Message Board Replies
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Hi,
Thank you for your message.
It may be difficult to find information without a more specific place of origin in Co. Armagh. 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.
If he was transported to Australia you may be able to find his transportation record which may help narrow down a place. Once you have this you will be able to search in church records.
Transportation from Ireland for crimes committed in Ireland, lasted from 1791 to 1853, ending 15 years earlier than transportation from England. The records of the Chief Secretary's Office, which had responsibility for the Penal system, are the major Irish source of information on transportees. Not all of the relevant records have survived, particularly for the period before 1836, but what does exist can provide a wealth of information. These records were microfilmed and a database was presented to the Australian government and can now be found in many State archives. The NAI retains copies and the database, in particular, can save a great deal of time and effort. www.nationalarchives.ie
You could also try searching in Griffith?s Valuation. This is a property valuation survey carried out in Ireland 1848-1864. Although it does not offer any genealogical information but can sometimes be used to tie a person to a specific place. I already did a quick search and one result for Studders in Armagh came back: a landlord in Drumcree parish:
Perhaps if the transportation records yield no results you could take this as a starting point for your search.
Some other websites that you may find 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
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/armagh/index.html
Family Search: www.familysearch.org
Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm
I hope that some of this is helpful. 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