Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

IRISH RESEARCH BEGINS IN AMERICA

 When conducting research on Irish or European families prior to civil registration it is necessary to know the parish where the individuals lived. Knowing the county or larger jurisdictions is of little or no help. Civil registration in the British Isles began in the 1840's. In other areas of Europe, civil registration began anywhere from the early 1800's to the late 1800's.

Prior to civil registration the parish church maintained vital records.

 To find the location where an Irish or foreign born ancestor lived, one must first conduct American research. The most common records to search for place of origin records in America are naturalization records, cemetery and burial records, immigration and passenger records, military records and church and civil vital records.

 Naturalization records may contain the date and place of birth, occupation, place of residence and the name of the ship and date of arrival in the United States. Naturalization records usually do not give a precise place of origin, such as the parish.

 Cemetery and burial records consist of tombstone and sexton records. There is no standardized format for a tombstone or cemetery record. It is possible one or both may have the actual place of origin in Ireland or Europe.

 Immigration and passenger records begin in the 1820's and usually list only the country of origin. Seldom do they list the parish.

 Military records may specify the place or origin of a soldier, usually however, they only list country of origin. Military records sometimes contain naturalization records or other information concerning the naturalization.

 Church and civil vital records, such as birth, baptismal, marriage, death, obituaries and burial records are usually the best source for place of origin. They sometimes list a person's place of birth and the names of their parents.

ADVANCED GENEALOGICAL CLASSES

 Mic Barnette has begun offering advanced classes in genealogical research through Leisure Learning. Classes will be taught at Leisure Learning's 2990 Richmond Avenue Campus at the rate of about one class per month.

 The newest class, Census Records for Historians and Genealogists, will be held on Tuesday April 4 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The class will use case studies to demonstrate how to find information hidden between the lines of censuses. It will also discuss the types, locations and contents of censuses. It will include Population schedules 1790-1930, the Soundex and Non- population schedules, including slave and agricultural schedules.

 For more information and to register, contact Leisure Learning at 713-529-4414

CROOM ADDRESSES HGF

 Emily Croom, author of two highly respected genealogical how-to books,  will be the featured speaker at the Houston Genealogical Forum's April Meeting. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday April 1 at the Bayland Park Community Center 6400 Bissonett near Hillcroft. Her topic will be "Strategies For More Successful Research-Scaling the Brick Wall". For more information contact the Genealine at 713-827-4440.

CYNDI HOWELS ADDRESSES HUMBLE

 Internet guru Cyndi Howels will be the featured speaker at the Humble Area Genealogical Society's Spring Seminar. The seminar will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday April 8 at the Fine Arts Theatre of Kingwood College in Kingwood.

 Howels is the owner and webmaster of Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet and the author of two books about the internet. Her website is one of the most popular and most used websites on the Internet.

 For more information contact Bernie Balser at bbalser@aol.com or call 281-360-7041.

DALLAS SPRING LECTURE

The Dallas Genealogical Society will hold the final lecture in their Spring Lecture Series on Saturday April 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featured will be  computer columnist and author,  Jim Slade and computer consultant, lecturer  and author, John Wylie.

 For more information contact the DGS voice mail at 214-670-7932 or visit the DGS website at http://www.dallasgenealogy.org.

NEWS FROM THE BOOK SHELF

 The Genealogical Publishing Company, 1001 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 has published two books important to Irish researchers. First, INDEXES TO IRISH WILLS was edited by W.P.W. Phillimore and Gertrude Thrift in the early 1900's. It is available for $53.50.  The second book is an updated second edition of John Grenham's TRACING YOUR IRISH ANCESTORS. It is available for $23.45, postpaid.

 Wills are one of the most important records available to researchers in Ireland. The INDEXES TO IRISH WILLS indexes Wills throughout Ireland dating from the 1500's to the mid 1800's.

 Grenham's guide explains what records are available to help researchers discover their Irish ancestors. It will help the researcher locate records in repositories in Ireland and on microfilm through the Mormon Church's Family History Centers located worldwide. There are several Family History Centers in the Houston area._