I am looking for the family of Mary Farrell, born 1825 in County Kildare. she had at least 2 siblings - Jane (possibly younger) and Thomas. The family left for the Cape Colony at some time before 1850 (during the famine maybe?) probably to Cape Town. Mary was married a John Brooks by 1850 and her siblings were also in South Africa so I am assuming the whole famiky emigrated. I'd appreciate any information. Kevin French, Cape Town.
Saturday 28th Sep 2013, 07:45AM
Message Board Replies
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Hi Kevin,
Thank you very mncu for your message.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information without a more specific 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.
Do you have any documentation pertaining to the family that mentions any place names in Kildare at all? This can include wills, marriage/death records,census records, letters, diary entries etc.
There are some places where you can search online, however it may be difficult to discern whether the results are relevant to your family or not without more information:
www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some church records for Ireland.
www.rootsireland.ie have a large collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.
Do you know the siblings father?s name? If you do perhaps you could try searching for him in the land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. Although these do not offer any genealogical information they can sometimes be used to tie a person to a specific place. There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites that 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
Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm
Irish Genealogy Tool kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/kildare/index.html
From Ireland: www.from-ireland.net
Remember to post any new information that you find 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.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Monday 14th Oct 2013, 10:07AM