McAvoy, Murphy and Horgan

Hi Diane,

Thank you for your message.

One of the main pieces of information that you need when researching your family history in Ireland is a location. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.

Do you have any documentation that mentions any placenames-townlands/parishes/villages or towns? Even unofficial documentation such as diaries, letters can sometimes hold this vital piece of information!

It may also be worth your while looking into their emigration as sometimes new information, including place of origin, can be found here. For immigration information in the US check the National Archives at the following address:

http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/

You could try looking for them in the Tithe Applotment Books also. These are land records compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland. Although they do not contain any genealogical information, they can sometimes be used to tie a person to a specific place. You can search these here:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

Another good website is https://familysearch.org/  This is a huge database of genealogical records compiled by the Church of the Latter Day Saints. If you can find some record of the family in this it will probably give you a parish name.

Some other websites which you may find useful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm

Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/down/index.html

Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/

Genealogy Toolkit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/index.html

You could also try contacting the Ulster Historical Foundation for assistance-a fee may apply. Here are their contact details:

Ulster Historical Foundation,

49 Malone Road,

Belfast BT9 6RY

Northern Ireland.

Phone: +44 28 9066 1988   Email: enquiry@uhf.org.uk

I hope that this is helpful.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support