9 million Irish Church, Census, and Gravestone records now online

According to the Legacy Newsletter:

"The Irish Family History Foundation, a network of county-based genealogical research centres on the island of Ireland, is now making their records available via an online research system (ORS). These centres have computerised just under 9 million Irish genealogical records, including church records, census returns and gravestone inscriptions.

At present 16 of the 32 county genealogy centres have their details on-line, with a further 5 centres coming online in the coming months, and the remaining 11 centres hoping to follow suit in the not-too-distant future. The Irish Roots website (http://www.irish-roots.net/) will eventually hold details of all church records, which in some cases go back over 400 years to 1600. The site contains the largest online, searchable collection of Parish records for the island of Ireland. The complete indexes, which list surname, first name, year and county of ALL records is freely searchable. To view a detailed record you can purchase credit online for instant access for a small fee."

To read further please see Legacy Newsletter

A Genealogy Tool – The Graving Kit

The following was published previously in Looking 4 Kin Newsletter by fishing ( a chatter in Looking 4 Kin Genealogy Chat)

A Genealogy Tool – The Graving Kit

I am no longer quite sure how the idea of developing a Graving Kit became a reality. It started off as a bit of a joke, but the idea was based on some previous experiences and the knowledge that on the day that the idea moved past the talking stage into an actual kit, four of us were just starting out to visit several cemeteries.

What is a Graving Kit?

To answer that, think about how many cemeteries you have visited and found the individual sites of your kin to be in a condition less than satisfactory. Even if the cemeteries are regularly tended, individual graves usually need some attention. Why not do a little maintenance while you are there?

There are any number of ways you can develop your kit and any number of items that can be included. Here’s what we did. We made up a list of what we thought should be the basic tools, keeping in mind that the kit needed to be portable and practical and then made our first stop at a Thrift Store. What we couldn’t find there we supplemented by a visit to other stores and from home supplies.

Kit Inventory

Packsack, small, well constructed.
Spray bottle(plastic)
Glass/Tile scraper plus spare blades
Trowel, small, pointed
Knife, 4” blade
Grass trimmer (hand size)
Clippers(twigs and small branches)
Brush ( medium bristles)
Whisk broom
Water container
Bleach (mixed weak)
Chalk (different colors)
Hand cleaner
Rags
Measuring Tape
Sketch Book
Pencils


And of course a camera. If you can you should have both a digital and a conventional camera.

There may be some question as to the last 3 items . In some of the older cemeteries, particularly those which are on private property, some of the family plot lines have deteriorated and some of the information on the stones is hard to read due to deterioration. It is good to try and redefine the boundries, make a rough sketch and write in what information is still legible.

One reminder, be careful while doing your cleanup! Weather and time take their toll on all of these sites, you don’t want to accelerate natures processes.

fishing

Be sure to visit Looking 4 Kin Genealogy Links and Chat.

While there stop into Looking 4 Kin Genealogy Chat.

Acadian Tombstone Photos

Acadian Ancestral Home has amassed thousands of headstone photos and placed them on Acadian Cemeteries / New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Cemeteries web site.

What a wonderful resource for anyone with Acadian Roots.

Be sure to visit Looking 4 Kin Genealogy Links and Chat.

While there stop into Looking 4 Kin Genealogy Chat.