Over the past two years, we have published compendia devoted to two series of books compiled by Dr. David Dobson: Scots-Irish Links (16 parts), and Irish Emigrants in North America (10 parts). Both of these consolidated works improve upon their original components by adding full-name indexes and, especially for institutional buyers, by assembling all the various[…]Read more
The vast majority of Irish census records prior to 1901 no longer exist. Consequently, as Brian Mitchell explains in his New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy, census substitutes are of great importance to Irish researchers. Perhaps the most important, and certainly the most famous, substitute is Griffith’s Primary Valuation. Conducted between 1848 and 1864, the[…]Read more
As we have noted previously, the most important development in Irish genealogy since Mr. John Grenham published the fourth edition of his textbook has been the enormous strides in posting Irish family content on the Internet. This fact has guided the author in his preparation of the 5th edition of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, available[…]Read more
When Brian Mitchell wrote the original Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy in 1991, with revisions in 2002 and 2008, access to Irish record sources was through examination of original and microfilm copies of historical sources in record offices. Genealogists now, however, have ready access online to most of Irish record sources. Therefore, Brian Mitchell has[…]Read more
The following one-page history of the Carlin clan associated with County Donegal and County Derry is indicative of what the reader can expect to encounter with each of the 300+ histories of surnames compiled by Brian Mitchell in his book, The Surnames of North West Ireland: Concise Histories of the Major Surnames of Gaelic and[…]Read more
Between 1717 and the beginning of the War of American Independence in 1776, 250,000 Scots-Irish, often referred to as Ulster-Scots in Ireland (i.e. Protestant settlers in the nine counties of the Province of Ulster) left Ulster, through the ports of Belfast, Londonderry, Newry, Larne and Portrush, for North America. The Scots-Irish tended to enter North[…]Read more
The Midwest Books Review, edited by James A. Cox of Oregon, Wisconsin, has for decades been an important source of advice for library acquisition librarians in deciding what new publications to add to their collections. Brian Mitchell’s New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy just received a stellar review from Mr. Cox, and we are reprinting[…]Read more
It is a postulate of Irish genealogy that the destruction of the Irish Public Record Office in late June 1922, resulting in the loss of a vast collection of Irish source records at the outset of the Irish Civil War, was the greatest tragedy in Irish genealogy. Among the losses were centuries of census, probate,[…]Read more
Over the last year and a half, Genealogical.com has consolidated two series of books by Dr. David Dobson that were originally published in multiple installments. The first of these was Scots-Irish Links, 1525-1825: Consolidated and Indexed Edition. In Two Volumes, originally published in 15 parts but lacking an index. To rectify these shortcomings, we re-numbered[…]Read more
Brian Mitchell’s New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy is a wonderful combination of how-to book, guide to sources, and case studies–in only 120 pages. It’s expert genealogist Mitchell’s contention that the most important sources for Irish genealogy are the civil registers of births, marriages, and deaths; church registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials; gravestone inscriptions;[…]Read more
Brian Mitchell’ New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy is a concise, use-friendly overview of tracing ancestors in the Emerald Isle and throughout the Irish diaspora. Author Brian Mitchell makes excellent use of case studies as well as his considerable experience as a genealogist and manager of an Irish genealogy center to explain the basics of[…]Read more
In 1663, England’s King Charles II ceded the Carolinas to Anthony Ashley Cooper and seven other proprietors who had supported the Stuarts in ending the Cromwellian Revolution and returning Charles II to the throne. Although the Crown did not divide the Carolinas into two quasi-self-governing regions until 1691, British colonists established the first permanent settlement[…]Read more
