Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: The Complete Guide

Professional Irish genealogist John Grenham has written a book that combines all the best features of a textbook and a reference book, a book that carefully explains the elements of Irish research while at the same time providing an indispensable body of source materials for immediate use. Thus in Part l the most basic genealogical sources are gathered together and discussed in light of a research project, while in Part 2 sources which have a more advanced application are examined. And in Part 3 there is a reference guide to a comprehensive range of materials including county source lists, printed family histories, and church records.

Here are some of the highlights of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: Maps of all Catholic parishes, checklist of sources for wills and testamentary records, list of manuscripts in the Genealogical Office in Dublin, itemization of passenger and emigration lists, various county by county source lists, complete listing of family histories in the National Library of Ireland, complete listing of all Church of Ireland parish registers, and a listing of Irish research services, societies, and repositories.

The tremendous growth of interest in Irish family history since the publication of the first edition of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors has brought to light many new sources and has radically changed the way in which some familiar sources can be used. These developments--along with a need for updates and revisions to the existing text--are the primary reason for publishing a new edition, which includes an expanded account of Northern Ireland repositories and a more comprehensive description of the holdings of the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

But the most significant advance in this 2nd edition is the inclusion of a list of Roman Catholic parish records--a 150-page list of copies of all known Roman Catholic records that can be found in the National Library of Ireland, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, the LDS Family History Library, and in local Irish Heritage Centers. County by county and church by church, this list gives the dates, locations, and formats of all existing copies of baptism, marriage, and burial records. Keyed to parish and county maps, it is perhaps the single most important finding aid available to the genealogist.

Grenham's new edition builds on its predecessor's excellent coverage of Irish genealogical sources. As in the first edition (LJ 1/93), a brief introduction to initiating a research project is followed by a discussion of the major sources. Although Grenham broadened the scope of this edition to include information about the holdings of the Family History Library and other repositories in Ireland, libraries should not discard the first edition, as it contains a large amount of data not to be found in the second. For instance, the new edition includes listings of Roman Catholic parish records rather than the Church of Ireland parish records listings that were part of the first edition. Information about manuscripts in the Genealogical Office and a list of family histories located in the National Library of Ireland are also omitted. Libraries that own James Ryan's outstanding Irish Records (Ancestry, 1997) will still want to purchase this book for its updated information. Recommended for all collections. Milner, a professional researcher and speaker, and Jonas, president of the British Isles Family History Society, offer their combined expertise to those in search of their English heritage. Geared more toward beginners than Mark Herber's Ancestral Trails (LJ 3/1/98), this starts with an excellent review of the basics of research and the procedures to acquire information from stateside libraries, LDS Family History Centers, and the Internet. Several chapters then address specific, complex sorts of records. Copious examples give readers an idea of what to expect. Icons point out tips, reminders, and case studies, and brief bibliographies for further reading are found throughout the book. For its thorough introduction and its direct approach to sometimes challenging records, this book is highly recommended for all libraries.DElaine M. Kuhn, Allen Cty. P.L., Ft. Wayne, IN
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