Patrick Mason
Hi, I just recently joined this group and hoping to have some resources available. I am looking for information on my ancestors from Ireland. The line stops with Patrick Mason, my 2nd great-grandfather. He was born in Galway County in Ireland in 1836 We have no record of his parents. He came to America and worked for the railroad in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois. He died in 1895. We found the Catholic church he attended and they had a document stating that he died but nothing else. Any help would be appreciated as to how I could move forward to find more information.
Thanks,
Diana
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Most Catholic records in Ireland start in the 19th century, and those in the west of the island tend to start later. There are few surviving records from outside Dublin and the larger eastern cities before 1828/9, when persecutions of non-Anglicans ceased.
Unfortunately in 1922 the Irish national archives was bombed and most records destroyed. There are only a few fragments left of the 1821-1851 censuses, and nothing at all of the 1861-1891 censuses. Civil registration for Catholics didn't start until 1864. Your best bet for records are the Registry of Deeds and Newspapers, both of which don't mention working and middle class families very often.
For Newspapers, have a look at the British Newspaper Archive: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
For the Registry of Deeds, see here for background information and instructions on how to search: https://irishdeedsindex.net/ Most of the records are not indexed, but can be browsed manually at FamilySearch
Ireland is probably the most difficult country for genealogical research in Western Europe, as a result of records not being kept in the first place due to religious persecution, and due to the 1922 destruction of the archive.
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Hello Diana,
It may be of value to move this question to the specialized Irish Genealogy Group shown below. This British Isles Group is certainly relevant, whereas the Irish group may get your question seen by more people with specific knowledge of Irish questions.
It is also valuable if you can give Patrick Mason's FamilySearch ID, or if you have not yet added him to the FamilySearch family tree, that would be a valuable thing to do as it serves as a platform to hold all the records and sources relevant to Patrick and will encourage others to build on the investigative work you have done.
Best regards, John.
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Hello Diana,
If you are still seeking information about your Irish ancestors, FamilySearch has a Research Wiki, which may help you discover more sources:
On the right hand side of this page is Beginning Research, including Guided Research and some Research Strategies. There is a Getting Started section too.
It may help to know that some Catholic records were written in Latin. FamilySearch has a Wiki section on this.
This is another useful resource:
I hope these are useful for you. I am sure that the FamilySearch Community Irish group, as suggested by John, will be able to help you as you progress your research. The specialists are sure to have many more good ideas!
Thank you for participating in your family history research and we wish you joy as you discover your heritage.
Regards,
FamilySearch Support
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Hello Diana,
This may be useful in your Irish research:
Regards,
FamilySearch Support
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Thank you so much for all of your help!!
Diana
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@Hayter David @anthonyphilipclarke1 @dianalinnfields1
Diana recently joined the Ireland group and she asked this question on the British Isles Site and has been given some good information. Can you both take a look at her question and see if there is anything else you could add to help her?
Thanks,
Shannon
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I will have a look Sister Wilcox
Elder Clarke
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