Page 26 - O Mahony Society Newsletter December 2024_Neat

Excerpted verbatim from The O Mahony Journal, Vol. 14, 1990
(Ed. Note: Links to noted resources have been added in footnotes not contemporaneously available to the author.)

HOW TO TRACE YOUR ANCESTORS IN COUNTY CORK
Nora M. Hickey
[Ed. Note: former O Mahony Society Taoiseach, now deceased]

One major problem with tracing roots is that it is not
an exact science. Yes, one can compile a check list of
sources to be researched, such as parish registers, Griffith’s
Valuation, etc., but how one actually begins depends very
much on where one starts. Here I offer a few rules for your
guidance so that you may track down that oh-so-elusive
Irish ancestor from county Cork.

Rule 1: Always Begin Your Seach [sic] In The Country of
Emigration/Residence.
Eileen Mahoney McConnell’s article (The O Mahony
Journal, vol 12, Summer 1982, pp. 53-56) is an excellent
account of the various areas of research that should be
undertaken in the USA. I cannot endorse enough the message that all genealogical investigation
begins at home. Look at all family papers, wills, death certificates, photographs and all possible
documentation. At the same time, talk to all members of previous generations. Ask them about
the information in the documents you have collected, particularly if some of this information is
contradictory. Remember that even people in the same family will not know the same information
about previous generations. A gap of a few years in age can make quite a difference is [sic] memory.
Perhaps only the older members will have first hand memories of their grandparents. Perhaps the
daughter[s] were the only recipients of family oral tradition from their mothers. It is surprising what will
emerge from the collective memories of the older generation, especially if prompted by photographs.
Once you have assembled all possible family information from your relatives, it is time to begin work
in the various archives to fill in the gaps.

A checklist of these might be:
Emigration/Shipping Lists Church Registers
Census Records [Baptisms & Marriages]
Army/Naval Archives Legal: Births Marriages & Deaths
Conveyances Headstone Inscriptions
Wills Newspapers: obituaries, funerals
Naturalisation Papers Directories

Some of these records may be useful; some may be most unhelpful but all should be investigated
for that key item which will unlock the answers. One family search was successful with the only clue
a County Cork townland name on a family headstone.

Rule 2: Keep An Open Mind About Your Data

If you have found a large amount of family information, it is likely that you will have some
contradictory and confusing data. Following a family through all the census forms from 1850 to
1900 will show what I mean by discrepancies. It seems that, for example, ages were given to suit

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