For most family history researchers, parish registers provide the earliest direct source of family information. Unlike many other records, parish registers provide evidence of direct links between one generation and the next (via baptismal registers) and one family and another (via marriage registers). They are also, for the majority of Irish people who lived during the 18th and 19th centuries, the only record of their existence.
The National Library of Ireland (NLI) microfilmed registers from most Catholic parishes in Ireland and Northern Ireland during the 1950s and 1960s. Digital images from these microfilms are now freely available on their website.
Tom will be guilding us through this treasure trove of information. Don't miss this one!
Tom Rice, CG is a professional genealogy writer, lecturer and researcher. He is a past officer and director of IGSI and past director of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. He is managing editor of The Septs and is a genealogy desk volunteer at the Minnesota Historical Society Library.
NOTE: This was originally scheduled as an in-person class. Due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemice, this class now is offered as a webinar. You can access the class via any internet enabled device.
The Connemaras: Despair in the Heartland (Webinars)
7:00 pm to 8:15 pm
In the comfort and safety of your own home
The Connemaras: Despair in the Heartland
Thursday, June 25, 2020 - 7:00 - 8:15 pm
Instructor: Jane Kennedy, M.A.
FREE!!!
When 24 families left Connemara, near Galway, in 1880 to flee the ravages of famine, they knew little about their final destination in the upper Midwest. They arrived with gaunt faces and few items of clothing, hoping for a much-improved life. But controversy tormented them in Graceville, MN and their misery continued untl they settled in St. Paul. Theirs is an immigrant story that speaks of hardship, determination and hope. This fascinating story and Jane's experience finding the information is bound to help you with researching your Irish ancestors, no matter where in Ireland they hailed from.
Jane Kennedy, M.A., a proud Tike descendant, lives in St. Paul, MN. She obtained Irish citizenship in 2016 (dual citizenship) following two visits to her grandfather's homeland in the Belmullet Peninsula, Co. Mayo.
Minnesota Genealogy Center 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights, MN 55120
FamilySearch: In-Depth
Saturday, September 12, 2020 - 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Instructor: Tom Rice, CG
$15.00 IGSI members/$20.00 non-members
FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world - and it's over 4+ billion records are available to you for free! Now if you could only find 'your' people among those billions. But have no fear, Tom Rice will be here to help you navigate among the FamilyWearch website. You NEED to attend this clss whether you are a beginner or experienced researcher. You are sure to find tips and techniques to help full in the branches on your tree.
Tom Rice, CG is a professional genealogy writer, lecturer and researcher. He is a past officer and director of IGSI and past director of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. He is managing editor of The Septs and is a genealogy desk volunteer at the Minnesota Historical Society Library.
To insure space, pre-registration is requested. However, walk-ins are welcome. You can register in the IGSI Store on this website.
Saturday, September 19
How to Get Ready to Search Irish Records (Classes)
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Minnesota Genealogy Center 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights, MN 55120
How to Get Ready to Search Irish Records
Instructor: Kevin Cassidy
Saturday, April 25, 2020 - 10:30 AM - Noon
$15.00 IGSI members $20.00 non-members
My purpose in giving this talk is to help those interested in their Irish roots with the research process. Specifically, I want to encourage you to begin or continue your quest to find three crucial pieces of information: the name of your Irish immigrant ancestor, his/her parents' names and his/her Irish place of origin.
This presentation details what researchers must do before they can expect to have success in Irish records. It can not be stressed enough that researchers must turn every stone in their North American records set to discover three things: the names of their Irish immigrants, the names of the immigrants' parents and their place of origin in Ireland. It is extremely difficult if not impossible to have success in Irish records without these facts. The talk takes researchers from starting with what they know to interviewing relations and then researching records. Strategies and records sets are discussed at length to develop a full set of immigrant relatives to look for answers to parents' names and places of origin in Ireland. The program is an hour-long Keynote presentation with slides that depict examples of records that researchers will find necessary in their pursuit of their Irish roots. Questions are encouraged at the end of the presentation to further discussion and provide guidance for future research. Records to be discussed will include: Death certificate, Obituary, Cemetery, Probate, Funeral Home, Marriage(s), Censuses, Naturalization, Passenger lists, Passport applications, Religious Order Biographies, Newspaper clippings, Military Enlistment, Military Pension, Church records, County Histories and Bank records.
Kevin Cassidy is an avid researcher and lecturer on genealogy topics. He has searched his own family tree back to the 8 Irish townlands of origin for his great-grandparents since 1994. Kevin has also had several pieces published in newsletters and genealogy magazines including Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today. His talks are research and strategy centered. Each family tree is unique to itself and he encourages researchers with a plethora of examples and research approaches that will advance their own research goals. He has spoken across the United States and in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Canada through July 2020. He has history and law degrees and a diploma in family history.
This class is intended for the general and intermediate level researcher.
To insure space, pre-registration is requested. However, walk-ins are welcome. You can register in the IGSI Store on this website.
Saturday, October 17
"Tracing Your Irish Ancestors": Come Along with Tom and Mary on a Journey with John Grenham (Classes)
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Minnesota Genealogy Center 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights, MN 55120
"Tracing Your Irish Ancestors" - Come Along with Tom and Mary on a Journey with John Grenham
Saturday, October 17, 2020 - 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Instructor: Tom Rice, CG and Mary Wickersham
$15.00 IGSI members/$20.00 non-members
John Grenham's "Tracing Your Irish Ancestors" is often called the 'bible' for anyone researching their Irish roots. Now in its 5th edition (published by Gill Books in April 2019), it is available through local bookstores and on Amazon.
Per Amazon, "The fifth edition of "Tracing Your Irish Ancestors" retains its familiar three-part structure, combining a detailed guide for beginners with thorough descriptions of all the useful sources and county-by-county reference lists. Additionally, all the changes that have been brought about by modern technology - internet records and DNA testing, which make research your family background easier than ever - are explained in this indispensable guide." If your schedule permits, youNEED to attend this class!
Mary Wickersham and Tom Rice will lead us through this amazing resource that "can be used by the absolute beginner, the keen amateur and even the more experienced genealogist" (The Irish Times).
Tom Rice, CG is a professional genealogy writer, lecturer and researcher. He is a past officer and director of IGSI and past director of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. He is managing editor of The Septs and is a genealogy desk volunteer at the Minnesota Historical Society Library.
Mary Wickersham is a longtime member of the Irish Genealogical Society International and the Minnesota Genealogical Society, and a part director for both societies. She has over 12 years' experience as a professional genealogist and lecturer. Her background is in software and websites.
To insure space, pre-registration is requested. However, walk-ins are welcome. You can register in the IGSI Store on this website.
Saturday, November 14
Finding Your Overseas Irish Ancestors: A Case Study (Classes)
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Minnesota Genealogy Center 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights, MN 55120
Finding Your Overseas Irish Ancestors: A Case Study
Saturday, November 14, 2020 - 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Instructor: Lois Abromitis Mackin, PhD
$15.00 IGSI members/$20.00 non-members
Most of our ancestors came here from overseas and often we don't know their place of origin. This talk, featuring a Wisconsin Irishman, shows how to find his/her Irish place of origin using the American records he/she and their family left behind.
Lois Abromitis Mackin, PhD is a professional genealogist focusing on American and English research. Lois writes for several publications, including The Septs, and teaches about genealogical records and methods, including DNA. In her spare time, she volunteers for several genealogical and lineage societies. She is a past president of the Northland chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and a past officer and education chair of the Minnesota Genealogical Society.
To insure space, pre-registration is requested. However, walk-ins are welcome. You can register in the IGSI Store on this website.
