Scotch-Irish-L Archives

Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2001-01 > 0979401984


From: <>
Subject: [Scotch-Irish] List Admin is lurking!!
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 08:06:24 -0800


Hi folks, I'm still kinda here, but will be back Sunday. Tonight am flying from Hartford, Conn to Southern California. I found a house and lost it in half a day because someone else beat me to it. Oh well.

In any case the discussions on US migrations are wonderful and very appropo. I guess no one ever reads the Welcome message (of this or any other rootsweb list <grin>). It says the USA stuff is welcome. I can't cover all that space myself, so the space gets dominated by my interests unless you chime in!

My ancestors didn't move, much. We came in through Lancaster CO and Philly and moved west to Western PA after the Revolution. Except for one line that settled briefly in South Carolina and moved to Western PA about 1805 due to the split on the Reformed Presbyterian church between pro and anti slave folk.

WOuld it help to appoint "discussion moderators" who would help keep threads going on migration or specific areas???

On the Germans. Though the received myth is that they didn't intermarry, my experience is that they did. Probably more so on the frontiers where there were no churches to encourage segregation by language and tradition than in more settled areas where you could avoid the other guys by sticking with your own. The whole idea of a frontier is an area where all kinds of people who are rather unsettled come and mix together creatively. I know mine intermarried with the Germans a generation after they began major battles in court over land. The land records and very useful for us.

For the person starting out asking about the first name patterns. There wasn't any law requiring that you name children a certain way. Some did and some didn't follow convention. In any case it's not sufficient evidence. What you need to do is dive in to records that will have the kind of proof and evidence you need. As well as more clues.

Rather than relying on others to find things for you, others who may not be too thorough because they are busy, why not learn to find out the answers to your questions yourself? Go to the source. So, go to www.familysearch.org . CLick on I think it is the first tab on the right (you want the library catalog). When you get to the correct place (feel completely empowered to click and poke as if you were once again 2 years old and not constrained by many years of being told to "not touch". Touching is how you learn on the INternet), you'll find a screen that has some searches. Select Place Search. Enter Belfast. Voila. The answer to your question. Also search Ireland, Antrim, Down, and anything else you can think of. Then go to the surname search and search your surnames. Maybe a document in PRONI has been filmed by LDS on your very family.

ALso pick up a book or so on Irish research or take a class. It is differnt. There is a lot to learn. If you don't learn it, you will not make progress. However it is fun to learn. Did I say there are rarely fast and easy answers. You need to dig long and hard to progress with early Irish research.

You can find your way to much on line info at www.genuki.org.uk . This is the hub of British and Irish genealogy.

However most of us start Irish research too soon when we have insufficient clues to make much progress. To maximize your chances of success, collect more clues. That means doing more research in the new land they went to. Collateral lines, for instance. All of that is
at www.rootsweb.com (their courses) and the immigration courses that
are free and at http://genealogy.com/university.htm. Lots of suggestions on where to look. You can do both at the same time (Irish and USA research).

What should we rename the Welcome messages to get them read?
Free Sex ??
Complete List of all your Ancestors? (That'll get some attention).
I know, how about "What your son is doing RIGHT NOW"??!!

Or "From the IRS"??

Best of luck,

Linda Merle

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