Danny Giftofireland asked:


1. Genealogy is a research project. Treat it as one. Learn from the mistakes of others. Discuss your objective and targets with others who have researched family tree’s in the country that you want to. Look up online groups. Remember a good game plan will make you a more effective genealogist and give you a more complete family tree.

2. Speak to as many family members as you can. Ask them for the names of family members that they know, any old addresses or any towns that they ever heard of. Record everything, from family jobs to interests and reasons they emigrated. Look through photo albums, all personal and records that can be found in your family homes. Many genealogical searches hinge on a letter found in an attic or an old diary

3. Everything should be backed up by facts, have each lead confirmed before you follow it. Tracing family tree’s can be challenging enough without, chasing a wrong lead.

4. Make a start – write down all the family members, that you know of on a family tree. Write down the place of birth, of each person, their date of Birth etc. Keep it brief though. Further records can be made and kept in a notebook. Make sure that your records and family tree are clearly kept and well organised.

5. Potential sources include: Churches, Cemeteries, the Family history centre of the Church of the Latter day saints. There are public archives and libraries, that are focused in on family history.

6. Family names. You may find that that you come across records that give different spellings for Irish surnames. This is because up to the 1850’s, a majority of Irish people would have spoken Irish rather than English. Official records were recorded in English though, the spelling can vary as many people would not have used their “English” name often, and would often be unsure of the exact version. Remember to be aware that many Irish families would have nicknames, often in Irish, that would have described a family trait, characteristic, or just as a division between several families with the same name, such as the bui’s etc. Also a person, could be called Dan Jack pats, in day to day use, whilst not being their full birth name – Jacky being the father, Patsy, being the grandfather.

7. Birth dates should be give several years leeway both ways. Dates of Birth were often not recorded till years after, the birth and even then were often not remembered correctly.

Useful addresses:

Cork City Ancestral Project- Genealogy research for South Cork

c/o County Library

Farranlea Road

Cork City

Ireland

Mallow heritage center.- Genealogy research for North Cork

27/28 Bank Place Mallow

Co Cork

Ireland

Best of luck with your exciting and challenging exploration of your family tree and history



Gladys

Mark Jordan asked:


Heraldry, as a science, is almost totally ignored by most of our educated classes in the United States.  Many family history researchers dig into heraldry to some extent, but even they are not as versed in it as they should be.  If a genealogist is asked to do some research for a client or friend, many times the question of “Do I have a coat of arms?” will arise.  Family history researchers should learn some background of heraldry in order to tackle such questions.

The Coat-of-Arms business is very popular and there is a lot of interest among family history researchers in knowing various Coats of Arms.  But there is not a lot of information propagated around dealing with the regulations of Coat of Arms.  United States laws do not recognize heraldic emblems and so they are not regulated in the United States, and many have been allowed to do as they please with a traditional family coat-of-arms that they falsely claim.

 

Some authorities might declare that heraldry is an essential aid to the student of medieval history and medieval architecture.  As a science, therefore, it should have a certain place in our systems of education. But beyond this necessity, there is a more urgent reason for a greater familiarity with the subject. Our social relations with Europe are important.  It is well known abroad that we have no titles of nobility in the United States, and there is, consequently, no inducement for any American to claim such a distinction.

But, in all parts of Europe, there is still in existence a system of honorary insignia which is supposed to bestow upon the possessors a certain social position. These decorations are usually coat-of-arms, and the rules regulating their use are defined by well-known authorities.  In fact, arms are the remaining traces of the old social division of gentle and ignoble birth. Every one who uses a coat-of-arms proclaims his involvement among the gentlemen of the land, and is supposed to be able to furnish satisfactory proof of his right to the position. This right may be obtained by grant from the sovereign through the duly constituted officials, a process that is expensive, or it may be acquired by inheritance.  Inherited arms are usually most prized, and their value is estimated by their antiquity.  Theoretically, however, they are all of equal value.

 

Family history researchers should be aware that the use of heraldic emblems as a system cannot be traced much earlier than A. D. 1200.  Probably at that date and for around two centuries following, every knight adopted such a design, always in accordance with a certain design plan, to his choosing.  But soon after A. D. 1400, in England, the right to grant arms was reserved to the Crown, and then a way was adopted to determine or record the names of all persons entitled to a coat-of-arms. 

The College of Heralds was to become the repository of heraldry proof, and with physical

visits to the different counties of England, they were to figure out who were the gentlemen at that time. While doing this, all grants of arms were to be recorded, and any one falsely pretending to arms was to be severely punished.  The plan was successfully carried out in Scotland, but in England it failed.  Many visitations were made, and many coat-of-arms recorded, but the lack of power to enforce the punishment for false arms prevented recording a complete or fully accurate register.  Many people just simply refused to comply.

Even today in England grants are made to families of education and wealth based many times on assumptions, but no arms is recognized by Heralds unless it is recorded in the Herald’s college.  Still, family history researchers may recognize any coat-of-arms in use before the sixteenth century, even if not recorded, but they should be aware of rules of heraldry.

Officially, the right to use a coat-of-arms by inheritance is dependent entirely upon a well documented pedigree which can be researched by a genealogist. A coat-of-arms, whether obtained by grant or officially recognized by the Heralds is actually property, with some value.  It is inherited by the descendants of the first true and verified possessor only. When someone seeks to establish a claim on the grounds of inheritance, they must prove descent precisely as they would in claiming a piece of land.

In the United States there is a common mistake among some novice family history researchers that certain coats-of-arms belong to certain families.  It is supposed that all of the same surname constitute one family, and are hence entitled to the arms. This is simply not true since we know matching surnames does not mean matching origin. It is very important for family history researchers just starting out to be aware of these heraldry issues.



Tonya