If a professional genealogist and DNA cannot find my Irish Great Grandfather, then I am I doomed nev
Answers
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From personal experience of searching for an Irish ancestor for 50+ years and having a professional genealogist unable to solve the mystery and DNA providing some unclear hints, I have not lost hope for the following reasons:
- There are daily great advancements in the science of DNA genealogy which could provide clearer answers in the future.
- My DNA skill and knowledge is improving all the time so I am hoping that I will develop a greater understanding that may provide some additional clues.
- Availability of records is improving all the time and additional records or record substitutes may become available in the future.
That's why I still have a lot of hope. I bet we see incredible DNA genealogy advances in the next decade to resolve many of our ancestral mysteries.
Do Not Despair!
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I admire your tenacity Ali! Could you through some my way! I wanted to find where my Great Grandfather was born in
Ireland so I could go there. Walk in his foot steps and those of his family. But time if growing short. It truly is a brick wall.
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On other Irish lines of great difficulty, sharing my Gedmatch number on various FB DNA websites has helped me narrow down their location to within a few parishes in specific counties. I have ten Irish lines and I only started out knowing where one ancestor was actually from, but I have located all them now, except one line. Those results mostly came from DNA matches since many paper records do not exist for those early dates.
A few I located by following their sibling lines that had more records and locating an obituary or naturalization papers that did not seem to exist for my direct ancestor, but for the sibling I was able to find the genealogical info I needed.
May the luck of the Irish be with you!
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I joined a free site called irelandxo.com. It is dedicated to helping the Irish diaspora locate their Irish parish of origin. I have the perennial Patricks and Marys that plague us all. However, the local Irelandxo genealogist for Tulla, Clare, was able to take me to the estate where she reckoned my great great grandfather had been a tenant farmer, based on the townlands where his children were born and where he said he lived on his marriage record. I still haven't sorted out Patrick's parents , though.
Good luck. Give irelandxo a try.
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Yes, it's a great site! We highly recommend it.
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Keep at it. Don't give in. With the help of a genealogist on Ireland reach out, I was able to take a scenic route through Scotland where my Great Grandmother had two of her daughters born . From there I was able to trace her parents back to Ireland in Ulster. It doesn't happen overnight but it's worth it. DNA test would help point toward a specific area in Ireland.
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Hello HPaige,
I've been looking for my Great Grandfather John Welch since I was 20 yrs old. Not steady, mind you, but off and on. We now have the DNA of John's great grandsons besides several women on his side. Nothing. Not a tidbit.
I have mostly stopped my own search as every avenue has been scoured. By the way, I am 66 yrs old! So I have some time invested in John!
Thank you for your reply. I'll try to keep a positive attitude.
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Kathleen,
I don't have a clue as to where my Great Grandfather might have been from. If I knew that, it would be so much easier to track him. I have been a member of irelandxo.com for almost a year. We just can't pin him down to a county. I have seen several "John Welch'" born in the UK but giving the birth country as Ireland. I would like to find where he came from, his parents, if there are still relatives alive before I kick the bucket! I want to go see where he was born. But time marches on.
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