THANK YOU FOR CHECKING OUT MY SERVICES

 

Today, with the availability online of a sea of genealogy resources and websites to surf, both free (familysearch, etc.) and pay-to-view (ancestry, findmypast, etc.), as well as many Catholic Parish Registers freely available to view via the National Library of Ireland website, not everyone has the need or feels the need to seek out an experienced researcher to assist in digging for information on their Irish ancestor/s.  But it is precisely because it is awash with such information that it is very easy to drown in it, or at the very least feel out of one's depth.

 

The fact you are here would suggest one of the following:

 

a) You didn't know of any of the aforementioned resources and websites, which means you are more than likely about to go surfing so the very best of luck with building your Family Tree.  However, should you require commissioning my services in the future I will be more than happy to assist you. Or perhaps you have a specific query that I can quickly answer and if I can then I will happily do so without charge.

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Perhaps you already have a wealth of genealogical information but there are so many branches intertwining that your Family Tree is rather tangled, leaving you feeling terribly frustrated.  If so, I can at least assess your findings because sometimes fresh eyes can see things more clearly and can help make sense of it all.

 

(b) You would love to locate information on your ancestor/s roots but simply don't have the interest in doing the digging yourself

 

(c) You are restricted by either distance or time so are unable to begin digging or to continue digging up your roots

 

B & C may require one or all of the following:

 

     (1) My assistance to retrieve the following records in Ireland 

 

*Civil (birth, marriage, death),

  Church (baptism and marriage),

  Ordnance Survey (transcripts and maps),

  Valuation Office (entries from Revision Books), (memorials, indentures and maps).

 

It is important to know upfront that due to Ireland’s turbulent history, civil registration only being introduced in the mid to late 1800s (1845 for non-Roman Catholic (RC) marriages and 1864 for RC births, marriages and deaths as well as non-RC births and deaths), and also parish records being incomplete or indecipherable, it can be very difficult, though not impossible, to go back to early 1800s and perhaps earlier, if indeed that is what you are seeking. But for the most part, unless your ancestors were wealthy and/or belonged to the nobility/gentry/clergy or had an impact on society that was *news worthy or were heavily involved in a major historical event or that you are steeped from the top of your head to the tip of your toes in 'the luck o' the Irish' then the chances are there won't be adequate information available to take you further back than early/mid 1800s.

 

Please be mindful, if you aren't already aware, that genealogy can quickly become 'addictive', extremely time consuming, and also very expensive so it is in your best interest when commissioning any Research to set yourself a generation whereby you are content to stop searching.  It is well known that almost every answer in ancestry research throws up yet another question if not more, for example: You want to know the date in the mid 1800s when your great-great grandfather died as you have been searching for years to no avail then I locate an obituary that provides this answer BUT now you want to know what he died from, and so on and on it can go.

 

You will never know everything so

 

'Be Sure Of Your Ultimate Goal In Building Your Family Tree Before Availing Of Any Commissioned Research' 

 

     (2) My assistance as a researcher in Ireland for one of the following:

 

 (i) General Family History (GFH) Report - This is what most people opt for when hiring a researcher because it can unearth the best *available information on your ancestor. This report is based on an average 10 hours research and includes a comprehensive range of searchable records such as:

 

• census records (1901/1911)

• civil registration records (birth, marriage and death)

• church records (baptism, marriage and occasionally death)

• emigration/immigration records (ship passenger lists/border crossing, naturalisation)

• property/land/valuation records (Griffith's Valuation, Tithes)

• research specific records (records not outlined above, i.e. court/newspaper/prison)  

 

The cost of a GFH Report, which should if your family can be located in the aforementioned records trace them back to at least 1864, covers research time plus cost of writing the actual report, which can be time-consuming.  And in order to complete the most successful report of this nature, it is usually necessary to purchase some photocopies (not actual copies) of birth/marriage/death records not available on-line and perhaps carry out a variety of searches (usually land/property) if relevant to your ancestor. However, the cost of any necessary records and indeed anything relevant to your family research that is required outside of the purchased package will always be agreed beforehand. You will never be charged for work you didn't seek or that wasn't first agreed upon.  While I will strive to complete your GFH Report as quickly as possible, please allow at least 4 weeks for completion of same.

 

*Irish records can be basic and light on information as well as be illegible therefore there is no guarantee that all your genealogical expectations will be met.

 

Throughout the course of any research I am commissioned to carry out I will provide you with a progress update.  Should you have any further information that has come to light during this time then it is important to alert me to it as it may greatly assist in the search.  The more information you provide me with, even if it was handed down via 'family legend' rather than 'family Bible', then the better chance there is of my assisting you in reaching your 'ultimate goal'. What may seem like an insignificant piece of information to you may well be the 'footprint' that leads to a vital missing piece of your ancestral jigsaw puzzle

 

Unless otherwise requested, General Family History is followed through the male line. 

 

When your GFH report is complete I can, if you so wish and at an agreed price, create a personal family history book or website that contains the findings of the report plus other relevant material to be discussed. 

 

(ii) Ancestor Biography - This is usually requested when someone wishes to find out as much as possible about an ancestor who may have been an 'A-lister' of the time and has a high probability of having featured in the contemporary records of the day.

 

However, everyone has a story to tell and a biography to be written. Being famous doesn't make someone a better person, or even necessarily a more interesting one, just one with more exposure. Therefore in constructing an AB I will combine all the data I have located on your ancestor as per the time constraints of the service you purchase plus other material - to be discussed. It will be as detailed and as in-depth a biography of your ancestor as the chosen purchased service permits. And when your AB is complete I can, if you so wish and at an agreed price, create an ancestor book or website that contains the Biography plus other relevant material - to be discussed.  

 

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