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Blog Entries: 1 to 25 of 2051
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First Medal of Honor recipient
Here in Richmond (VA) for a family gathering, we found time  to visit the American Civil War Museum, an amazing collection of artifacts and stories!
I was struck by a display about an "Irish-born physician (who) organized the first field hospital at the Battle of Shiloh," Dr. Bernard John Dowling Irwin. At right is a photo taken at the exhibit. My curiosity led me to dig a little further into his history.
Born in County Roscommon in 1830, Bernard J. D. Irwin immigrated to the U.S. as a child with his parents. After graduating from medical college, he became an assistant surgeon with the U.S. Army in 1856 and served commendably through the Civil War and beyond.
A significant fact was not evident in the museum's display. Dr. Irwin is credited as the first recipient of the Medal of Honor:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Assistant Surgeon Bernard John Dowling Irwin, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on February 13 & 14, 1861, while serving with 7th U.S. Infantry, in action at Apache Pass, Arizona Territory. Assistant Surgeon Irwin voluntarily took command of troops and attacked and defeated hostile Indians he met on the way. Surgeon Irwin volunteered to go to the rescue of Second Lieutenant George N. Bascom, 7th Infantry, who with 60 men was trapped by Chiricahua Apaches under Cochise. Irwin and 14 men, not having horses began the 100-mile march riding mules. After fighting and capturing Indians, recovering stolen horses and cattle, he reached Bascom's column and help break his siege.
Though his Army Medal of Honor was not presented until 1894, Dr. Irwin's leadership on February 13-14, 1861--a year before the MOH was created--was the first Medal of Honor action in history.
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10 Million Names Project
American Ancestors and the Daughters of the American Revolution have collaborated on the 10 Million Names Project and will continue to provide more free resources for researchers, historians and anyone interested in learning more.
DAR's Patriots of Color database is now accessible with other sources for researching African-American genealogy on the 10 Million Names website. This is an "important step toward providing a full, transparent and free repository of information about the estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America (specifically, the territory that would become the United States) before 1865. The goal of the 10 Million Names initiative is to recover their names and as much contextual detail as possible."
The full text of DAR's press release can be read here. |
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Oct 12 is IGSI Irish Saturday
Visit the Hoffman Research Library at the MN Genealogy Center  this Saturday, Oct. 12! IGSI volunteers will be available to help you start your research or talk through that problem ancestor. Located at 1385 Mendota Heights Road, the library is usually open 10 AM – 4 PM on Saturdays.
Three patron workstations in the library are now configured with John Grenham’s Irish Ancestors access for your research. While our 1-year IGSI trial ended on Feb. 5, 2024, we have extended our subscription for another year!
You can also access FindMyPast, Ancestry.com, Fold 3 and Newspapers.com within the library using the library's subscription. These subscriptions are available from library workstations and your own device.
We will be selling Discovery Maps of Ireland (Republic of Ireland) on Irish Saturdays for $5.00. Because we don't have the ability to process credit card orders, the sale will require cash (exact change is appreciated) or check. These lovely maps may not be the latest edition, but they're great for looking at details about your ancestor's home area.
Admittance to the MGS library is FREE to IGSI members. ($10 fee for non-members)
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Identifying the Tuam babies
The October 2024 issue of The Septs has been published!
Rounding out the "Hidden Children" theme is an article written by Maurice Gleeson about the babies and toddlers buried at the site of the former mother-and-baby home in Tuam, County Galway. Dr. Gleeson, an internationally known genetic genealogist, provides an update about how DNA is being used to identify them.
Make sure your IGSI membership is up to date so you don’t miss out! |
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Orphan Train riders
Intrigued about Orphan Trains and wish you knew more?
Watch for the upcoming October issue of The Septs as Clark Kidder continues teaching us about orphan trains and explains how and where to research potential riders. Mr. Kidder will also cover the stories of two very successful orphan train riders and of his own grandmother! Stay tuned!
Unless you're an IGSI member, you won't see this or other "Hidden Children" articles in The Septs.
Click on Join (tab at left).
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SCAN. RECORD. WRITE.
To celebrate Family History Month, the National Genealogical Society (NGS) has generously shared resources to help us explore, preserve, and share our family history.
There's no time like NOW!
The links below will lead you to downloadable PDFs and easy steps for beginning or restarting your family history projects:
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Kilkenny Connection
On 20 Sept 2024, we shared the latest Irish Genealogy Matters newsletter and highlighted new records available at that time on RootsIreland.ie. However we missed something! An eagle-eyed reader pointed out an article of particular interest (especially to Minnesotans) on page 3 of the IGM newsletter. We'll reprint the story here:
KILKENNY LINKS WITH MINNESOTA
Mayor of Kilkenny, Councillor Andrew McGuinness with Eoin Hennessy who are both visiting Kilkenny, Minnesota to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on 15 September. In recent years this has been held mid-way through the year from St Patrick’s Day, due to usually intrusive snowfalls there during the month of March. They visited Kilkenny Archaeological Society library to discuss the many links being forged between societies here in Kilkenny and yonder in Kilkenny MN. Kilkenny has been twinned with Kilkenny, Minnesota, since March 2013 and their Mayor visits our parade each year on 17 March. Kilkenny, Minnesota was found by Kilkennymen; amongst them was Dennis Doyle, born in Cuffesgrange and who arrived there in 1851 (and) who championed the development and was granted a Post Office that was named Kilkenny on 25 July 1857. Many Kilkenny folk settled there in the early years both from Cuffesgrange and Paulstown parishes, including an ancestor of Professor John Portmann, who is the first person to be granted Irish citizenship as a result of DNA analysis. His is another story.
Coincidentally, our 25 July 2024 blog reported on Professor Portmann's DNA test leading to Irish citizenship. Click here (then scroll down) to re-read that posting and find links to the full story.
Note: You can always find old blog postings by going to the shaded box at the top of the page. Sort by Category or Timeframe (if relatively recent) -- or query with a key word by Blog Title or Title and Text (dropdown option). That's how I found the earlier posting, by looking for the word 'Portmann' in text. You'd also find that posting by searching Category/DNA.
Thanks to Kim for telling us about the Kilkenny article in the IGM newsletter. |
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New Kerry records at RootsIreland.ie
The Irish Family History Foundation has announced the addition to their database of 13,049 Roman Catholic baptismal records from the parish of Castlegregory, Co. Kerry, dating form 1828-1899.
For an up-to-date list of sources for Kerry and to search these records, go to kerry.rootsireland.ie and login or subscribe as required.
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October is National Family History Month
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society is celebrating National Family History Month with NYG&B Week, October 7-11, 2024.
NYB&G has announced a full week of free programming, and you can participate in as many events as you'd like. Whether you're just getting started on your family history journey or are a more seasoned researcher, take a look at their interactive events and digitization opportunities, offered both in person and online.
Learn more and register here. |
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What is your "Brick Wall"?
There’s still time to join IGSI in-person or virtually for the webinar this Saturday…
Our September and October webinars will include a live audience at the Minnesota Genealogy Center (MGC) in Mendota Heights. Linger after the presentation for networking over lunch. You can BYO food or order a lunch when you register. The Minnesota Genealogy Center is located in Mendota Heights near the MSP airport and Mall of America.
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Saturday, September 28 at 10:30 am Central
What is Your “Brick Wall”? A panel discussion
presented by Tom Rice, CG and Kathy Lund
A hybrid event with a live audience at the MGC
$15 for IGSI members; $20 for non-members
Ugh!!! You may have reached a point in your research that you can’t seem to get beyond. This can be so frustrating! Let experts Tom Rice and Kathy Lund help you move forward with new strategies and tactics. Examples galore will inspire you to break down those walls in your family tree.
Don’t miss this! It’s just what you need as we head inside from all our summer activities.
Can’t attend on September 28? Register anyway and get a free link to the recording and handout.
The member Discount Code was sent by email and is also posted on the member-only webpage (link).
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Irish children on Orphan Trains
Want to learn more about Orphan Trains and the Irish children who rode them?
Be sure to check out the October issue of The Septs. Jill Morelli explains how they began and tells the stories of three riders transported to Iowa and the lives they created there.
Click on Join (tab at left) to start receiving your copies of IGSI's quarterly journal.
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October 2024 podcast
In the October edition (Episode 4 of Season 3) of our  podcast, “This month at the IGSI,” genealogist Dave Miller introduces the October 19 hybrid webinar, Genealogy Detective Skills: Following Clues from the Census, featuring genealogist Jay Fonkert. Jay will help you understand the value of census records in your research and will also help you make sense of pre-1850 census records.
The event will be held at the Minnesota Genealogy Society at 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Suite 100, in Mendota Heights. Tours of the Research Library and Irish Collection will be offered during the lunch and social time following the program. Registration for the live event is limited to 40 people; there is no limit to the number of virtual attendees.
The Discount Code will be sent to members via email and is posted on IGSI’s member-only webpage (link). You can reach the IGSI Education team at Education@IrishGenealogical.org
While we talk about Irish festivals that occur here in North America, we seldom talk about festivals that occur in Ireland. In this podcast, Dave highlights several interesting and fun Irish Halloween festivals that occur near the end of October. He talks with an expert on Irish culture who says Irish folklore suggests Halloween can be traced to the ancient Celtic tradition of Samhain. Learn how you can enjoy these festivals if you plan to visit Ireland this fall. You won’t want to miss this!
The podcast will also include the latest Irish History Minute. In this month’s segment, Janelle Asselin discusses Irish women whose lives were changed due to criminal transportation.
You can visit IGSI's YouTube channel at any time by clicking on the Our podcasts tab at left.
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Free sample of THE SEPTS
The January 2017 issue of The Septs is available to download for free. (The theme was DNA.)
Click here to see a live version of the screenshot below.
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Irish Genealogy Matters, Sept 2024
If you're not already on the mailing list for Irish Genealogy Matters, here's the link to the latest newsletter produced by the Irish Family History Foundation.
Included is the following report on new records uploaded to the Roots Ireland database:
Since our last newsletter we have uploaded the following records to our database at www.rootsireland.ie:
• 12,500 Armagh graveyard, baptismal and burial records;
• 15,500 census substitute records for Monaghan;
• 13,000 baptismal and marriage records from North Mayo.
This means that so far in 2024, we have uploaded just over 124,000 records from Kerry, Monaghan, Armagh, Mayo and Tipperary! We have many more records coming for the Roots Ireland database later this year, so keep an eye out for our updates! |
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1843 Virginia will
When a friend started researching her family history, she was surprised and happy to discover an ancestral line in Ireland. Her tree shows her 7X great-grandfather as Walter Poere (Power/Powers), born ca 1760 in Curraghmore, County Waterford. He emigrated to America where he married and raised a family in Maryland.
According to the Curraghmore website, “Curraghmore House in Waterford is the historic home of the 9th Marquis of Waterford. His ancestors (the de la Poers) came to Ireland from Normandy after a 100-year stopover in Wales around 1170...”
I know nothing about British peerage so this was new territory for me. For the most part, my Irish research has dealt with famine and coffin ships. Exploring her family tree was fun until I came upon an Ancestry probate record that stopped me cold.
Surprised by what I saw, it took extra time to comprehend this probate file was for a man named Power who died in Virginia, not Maryland. He appears unrelated to my friend’s Power/Powers ancestors. This 1843 will goes on for four hand-written pages, with 23 specific bequests. Here are points 1-6:
- 1st I direct my Executor hereafter named to pay all my just debts with as little delay as practicable and to effect this object my executors are directed to sell such of my stock or implements as will not be wanted on the farm and if a sale of any of my slaves should be necessary, I wish my woman Coeley (wife of Deed) and her children (except the boy William) first sold with her children as I do not wish them separated.
- 2nd I give and bequeath unto my son F. W. Power my bay mare purchased of W. Mallicote, also my Boy William, son of Coeley, to him and his heirs forever. Also, if my said son wishes, that he take my single gig and put his in place of mine.
- 3rd I give and bequeath unto my son Robert H. Power my riding horse “Harrison” and my negro Boy “Edmund” to him and his heirs forever.
- 4thly I give and bequeath unto my daughter Lucy Frances Power my negro Girl “Jane” to her and her heirs forever.
- 5thly I give and bequeath unto my daughter Mary E. Power a female servant to be selected by herself from among my negroes to her and her heirs forever.
- 6thly I give and bequeath to my daughter Laura Brown Power my negro Girl “Betsy” (daughter of Mason) to her and her heirs forever.
We look to wills for a record of family relationships. Sometimes we find other tragic history. |
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October Septs -- coming soon
Have you been impatiently awaiting the next issue  of The Septs? If so, join us in October for articles on the theme of “hidden children.”
First, we pick up where we left off with Patti Salvaggio’s continued case study of Thomas Conboy and his descendants, learning about the benefits of dog licenses along the way. Don’t miss it!
One of the benefits of IGSI membership is a subscription to our quarterly journal, The Septs. Electronic members receive a PDF by email while General members get their printed copies via US mail. Pictured at right is the cover of the April 2024 issue with its "Connacht Province" theme.
Don't delay! Click on the Join tab (at upper left) to ensure timely delivery of your copy of the Oct 2024 publication, whichever way you prefer.
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Upcoming IGSI webinars and events
Within driving distance of the Twin Cities? Why not join us and see our library in person?
Our September and October webinars will include a live audience at the Minnesota Genealogy Center in Mendota Heights. Linger after the presentation for networking over lunch. You can BYO food or order lunch when you register. The Minnesota Genealogy Center is located in Mendota Heights near the MSP airport and Mall of America map
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Saturday, September 28 at 10:30 am Central
What is Your “Brick Wall”? A panel discussion
presented by Tom Rice, CG and Kathy Lund
a hybrid event with a live audience in Mendota Heights, Minnesota
$15 for IGSI members; $20 for non-members
Ugh!!! You may have reached a point in your research that you can’t seem to get beyond. This can be so frustrating! Let experts Tom Rice and Kathy Lund help you move forward with new strategies and tactics. Examples galore will inspire you to break down those walls in your family tree. Don’t miss this! It’s just what you need as we head inside from all our summer activities. Can’t attend on September 28? Register anyway and get a free link to the recording and handout.
The member Discount Code is posted on the member-only webpage (link).
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Thursday, October 10 – join our virtual social gaggle
Come one, come all – no need to be a member, or to register. Just drop in!
6:30 – 8:00 pm Central on Zoom
Sometimes the best tips and strategies come from a family historian sitting next to you! Perhaps another IGSI friend finally figured out how to a thing you’re struggling with… or never thought of. Learn, share, and be inspired by each other! Bring your successes, challenges, questions, and interesting stories to our IGSI Social Gaggle!
We’ll start out with a quick intro, then a round or introductions, followed by a brief discussion of a Visit to the Cemetery. Following that segment, we’ll open the “floor” to share or query the “brain trust” in this session. Join our virtual coffee klatch of genealogists, professional and aspiring. Feel free to share this event with your friends.
Join the gathering on Zoom
Meeting ID: 840 2700 5364
Passcode: 185342
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Saturday, October 19 – at 10:30 am Central
Genealogy Detective Skills: Following Clues from the Census
presented by J. H. (“Jay”) Fonkert, CG
a hybrid event with a live audience in Mendota Heights, Minnesota
$15 for IGSI members; $20 for non-members
Census records are the bread and butter of genealogical research. A census enumeration anchors your ancestors in a time and place, but also offers clues to family migrations and family dynamics. You might just reveal blended families, clues to migration routes, and relatives “in the hood.” Expect census errors and double enumerations. Wonder how to make sense of pre-1850 tick marks? Let’s discuss.
You can enjoy this presentation at the live event in Minnesota or as part of our virtual audience. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and discussion until the scheduled end time, when the broadcast and recording will stop. Attendees at the live event can linger for social time after the program, and have the option of ordering a box lunch in advance. Can’t attend the live broadcast? Register anyway and get a free link to the recording and handout.
The member Discount Code is posted on the member-only webpage (link).
Research can never be considered closed and must always
be reconsidered should new evidence be found.
Donn Devine, cited on page 94 by ES Mills & RB Lennon,
Tips & Quips for the Family Historian, 2017, Genealogical Publishing Co.
Education Team: Trish Little-Taylor & Walt Rothwell
Irish Genealogical Society International
1385 Mendota Heights Road Suite 100
Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120 • USA
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Early migrations in & out of New England
American Ancestors is offering a FREE online lecture this  Thursday, September 12, 3:00-4:00 pm (ET).
"Early Migrations Into and Out of New England"
presented by David Allen Lambert:
New England has long been a common stop and destination along popular migration routes throughout history. As a result, many of us with early roots in the United States have New England ancestors! In this online lecture, Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert will discuss common 17th, 18th, and 19th-century migration patterns into and out of the region, key record sets for tracing these migrations, and more.
Learn more and register here. |
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MesAieux.com acquired by MyHeritage
Did your Irish ancestors settle (even temporarily) in Quebec?
If so, you will be interested to learn MyHeritage has acquired MesAieux.com, a family history service specializing in French Canadian genealogy. Here's a tidbit about them from the MyHeritage press release:
MesAieux.com (also known as YourFolks.com in English) is a Quebec-based family business founded 20 years ago to make genealogy simple and reliable. Its initial mission was to build a reliable database with exclusive services to help people with ancestors from Quebec find them rapidly. MesAieux.com is a leader in Canadian genealogy, serving more than 1,000,000 members...Its database covers Quebec as well as other places where French-Canadians have migrated and includes Canadian birth, marriage and death records, as well as obituaries and censuses...
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Join the SOCIAL GAGGLE tonight!
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Cemetery maintenance
This is the fourth summer my DAR chapter has volunteered to clean gravestones at area cemeteries. By maintaining the gravesites of our country's veterans, we're fulfilling two DAR goals: promoting patriotism and preserving history. We're making it possible for future generations to read the headstones while tracing their ancestry or paying their respects.
Each of the four cemeteries where we've worked has provided a different challenge. This summer, at Union Cemetery in Orono, the biggest problem was encroaching sod. We found grass and weeds were growing over the flat grave markers, and the majority of the veterans' memorials were that type: flat markers about 24" long and 12" wide made of either bronze or granite. For more recent burials, the markers have been installed with a concrete base to create a boundary, which is helpful in keeping grass at bay.
Finding the marker in the first place was not always easy. We suspect some headstones have been completely overtaken by vegetation. Sometimes only a few letters could be read on the partially-buried and discolored stone. Definitely a big job to edge the marker by cautiously cutting or digging around the gravestone!
The next step was particularly rewarding. Using soft-bristled brushes, water and a product called D/2 Biological Solution, we carefully scrubbed away mold, algae, lichens and other growth that had stained the marker over the years.
To record our progress, we took a few "Before" and "After" photos. Below are headstone photos for Charles A. Grave, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, which show the improvement that's possible. We'll post updated photos on Findagrave as we complete this year's project.
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New Armagh records at RootsIreland.ie
The Irish Family History Foundation has announced the addition of almost 12,500 new Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland and Presbyterian graveyard, baptismal and burial records to its County Armagh database.
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New Monaghan records at RootsIreland.ie
The Irish Family History Foundation shared this announcement:
New Monaghan Records Added!
We are delighted to announce the addition to the Roots Ireland database of almost 15,500 census substitute records for County Monaghan! These records are as follows:
- Grand Jury Bills County Monaghan Assizes, 1794-1831 (13002 records)
- Newspaper Reports Monaghan Assizes, 1794-1831 (1843 records)
- Aghabog Church of Ireland Survey, 1824 (144 records)
- Subscribers Poor Man's Dinner Monaghan, 1853 (133 records)
- Bragan Boys National School Register, 1884-1919 (360 records)
For an up to date list of sources for Monaghan and to search these records, go to monaghan.rootsireland.ie and login or subscribe as required. |
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What are the odds?
The August 20th blog posting described a discovery made while my friend M.J. and I were trying to confirm the name of her maternal grandfather (i.e., her mother's biological father). My tale was simply a coincidental side story. This posting is about a closer analysis of the DNA.
My initial purpose in building an Ancestry family tree was to explain relationships, and I was able to identify and place 13 individuals who were M.J.’s close DNA matches. The results pointed to a man we’re calling “Grandpa X.” A summary (with names sanitized) is shown in these tables:
Lois Abromitis Mackin—who regularly writes a DNA column for IGSI’s journal, The Septs—gave valuable advice and nudged me toward a DNApainter tool called “What are the odds?” (WATO).
WATO computes the probability of where an individual might fit into a known family tree by using the amount of DNA shared. Here’s what one needs to get started:
- An account at DNApainter.com (basic version is free)
- Autosomal DNA test results
- A target DNA match
- A research question or hypothesis
I could have manually entered the summary information from my tables into WATO. However since I’d already created an Ancestry tree, I uploaded the gedcom file. Then I entered the shared centimorgans for the 13 matches.
Again, because I want to maintain the privacy of everyone involved, I’m not sharing the actual WATO tree image here. Suffice to give you the conclusion: “Grandpa X” is 61 times more likely to be M.J.’s grandfather than any other individual on the WATO tree.
P.S. Are you interested in reading Lois Mackin's previously-published DNA articles? If you're currently an IGSI member, you can review "Contents" of past issues of The Septs and download the PDF for easy reading. Start by logging in as a member and clicking on The Septs (Journal) at left.
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IGSI's September 2024 podcast available
In the September edition of the “This month at the IGSI” podcast (episode 3 of season 3), genealogist Dave Miller begins by talking about the September hybrid webinar.
Our popular brick wall panel discussion, titled "What is your brick wall?" and led by genealogists Tom Rice and Kathy Lund, is scheduled for September 28. If you are in or around Minnesota, please consider attending in person. The live event will be held at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Suite 100, in Mendota Heights.
Register for the webinar using the link at: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/your-brick-wall. Registration for in-person attendance is limited to 40 people; there is no limit to the number of virtual attendees. Tours of the Research Library and Irish Collection will be offered after the program, during the lunch and social time.
In the podcast, we also feature the latest Irish History Minute. In this segment, Janelle discusses Irish women whose lives were changed due to criminal transportation. These stories and previous podcast episodes are available on the IGSI YouTube channel, through our website irishgenealogical.org, or by clicking on the Our podcasts tab at left.
You can reach the IGSI Education team at Education@IrishGenealogical.org. |
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