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hello  I am looking for information about my family from County Tyrone.  In the early 1800s Felix Givens and his bride Catherine Davlin Givens  came to America.  Catherine was pregnant and gave birth to a daughter Rose while on the ship.   I am intersted in knowing more  details of where they came from.  Felix had two brothers Charles and  Richard. Catherine came or moved near Hugh and Charles Davlin. All started in Troy New York  and eventually moved to Illinois. The are Catholic. Felix and Catherine were born between 1810-1818.. I have information about them since they moved to America. But only know they came from County Tyrone. I would love to know more about these family members. thank you!  Ellen

Saturday 22nd Mar 2014, 01:50AM

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  • Dear Ellen

    Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out and apologies for the delay in replying to 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 Felix and the family that mentions any place names at all? This can include wills, marriage/death records, census records, letters, diary entries etc. Have you tried searching Ancestry.com for any mention of your ancestor?s name in member family trees or messages? Ancestry is also hosting ?webinars? on their site. The latest focuses on how to use Irish records when you do not know where your ancestor is from.

    There are some places where you can search online for Felix, however these websites do not have complete collections and many do not cover the period after 1900:

    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.

    Other important sources include the Tithe Applotment Books and Griffith?s Valuation:

    Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1837): http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/index.jsp

    Griffith?s Valuation (1847-1864): http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/

    Ulster Historical Foundation: http://www.ancestryireland.com/

    Some other websites that may be helpful are:

    The National Archives of Ireland: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/ - you can search the 1901/1911 Census on the National Archives page too

    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

    Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm

    Irish Genealogy Tool kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/

    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.

    Best of luck with your search

    Clare Doyle

    Genealogy Support 

    Friday 4th Apr 2014, 12:59PM

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