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Irish Records at Ancestry.com

© Leona MacDonald

Ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com

Should you sign up for the Ancestry site? How much useful information do they have for the Irish researcher? This is what I was wondering. So I signed up.

The Preferred Plan costs $59.95. You get 12-month access to over 600 million names and 2500 databases. As well as a reference library and Generations Easy Family Tree software.

I've found the site to be quite useful in preparing for a visit to the LDS library. I can spend a few moments ordering films and then proceed to their nifty computers. Saves a lot of time. Also there are a lot of databases you can download for free. I've found one of my husbands lines there as well as one of his long lost cousins. The site is fairly easy to use and you can pay with your MasterCard or visa on site.

Aside from the usual American Databases on Ancestry.com you can find all sorts of interesting databases that are Irish specific. Here are a few that I found interesting:

• Pennsylvania Irish Quaker Immigrants and Pennsylvania Irish Quaker Immigrants,1682-1750. This is a richly detailed database. If you have people that would be from Pennsylvania it's a must for you to join this site. Here's a sample of what you will find on it: http://suite101.com/topic_page.cfm/6114/...
  
  
• Scots-Irish Database A large informative overview of events in history that pertain to all Scots-Irish. It is taken from the book bye Charles A. Hanna titled The Scotch-Irish: The Scot in North Britain, North Ireland, and North America Vol.1 New York, NY: G. P. Putnam, 1902. This is a free database! Check it out now http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/i...
  
  
• Irish Flax Growers List, 1796 Full report on this database is here http://suite101.com/article.cfm/irish_ge...
  
  
• Belfast News Letter (N. Ireland), Obituaries, 1999 Is collection of obituaries and other entries from the Belfast News Letter in 1999. There is normally a lot of biographical information about the people listed. 300 records and 1000 names.
  
  
• Irish Times (Dublin), Obituaries, 1999 This database contains 82,800 records and about 10,000 names for the year 1999. A lot of biographical content.
  
  
• Chicago Irish Families, 1875-1925 This is a collection of records about the Irish Families who settled in Chicago between 1875 and 1925 with over 5000 entries taken from many sources. Very detailed.
  
  
• Ireland Householder's Index, Antrim County This database is the Index of Surnames of Householders in Griffith's Primary Valuation and the Tithe Applotment Books, commonly called the Householders Index. Right now it's just Antrim County but it will be expanded. Top notch stuff. You can read more on this database at this URL http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/i...