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
New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy, by Brian Mitchell “This 122-page text, larger than an ordinary “pocket size,” is detailed, easy-to-read, and well written. The instructional materials, case studies, timelines, and other enhancements are well done and easy to follow. Brian Mitchell does not disappoint with this latest work. His text should be in arm’s[…]Read more
If you’re still on the fence about David Dobson’s new guidebook for Scottish genealogy, Brian Mitchell’s handbook for Irish roots, or the 6th edition of Paul Heinegg’s three-volume compilation of colonial-era free African Americans from Virginia and the Carolinas, you don’t have to rely on the publisher to help you make up your mind. We […]Read more
From Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette (August 2020) by Genealogical Society of Ireland Genealogical.com New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy The publication by the Clearfield Company; Baltimore, Maryland, of the ‘New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy‘ by Brian Mitchell is a very welcome and timely addition to the published resources for Irish family history. This well known and[…]Read more
(The following essay is excerpted from pp. 39-40 from Mr. Mitchell’s book, New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy.) With civil registration of births and deaths commencing in 1864, and with the patchy survival of church records before this time, gravestone inscriptions take on a special significance. Many Church of Ireland burial registers were destroyed by[…]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
