About Tom Kemp

Thomas Jay Kemp is the Director of Genealogy Products at GenealogyBank. Tom Kemp is an internationally known librarian and archivist – he is the author of over 35 genealogy books and hundreds of articles about genealogy and family history. He previously served as the Chair of the National Council of Library & Information Associations (Washington, DC) and as Library Director of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. An active genealogist, he has been working on his own family history for 47 years. With the rapidly growing online archives at GenealogyBank – it is a great day for genealogy!

Family Tree Have Branches in Oklahoma? Search OK Newspapers Now

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Tom Kemp

Genealogists often find that they have cousins in all 50 U.S. states because our relatives, over the centuries, picked up and moved to greener pastures.

To meet the needs of genealogists, GenealogyBank.com offers a strong collection of recent and historical newspapers from all 50 states—including 55 newspapers from Oklahoma to help you research your ancestry from the “Sooner State.”

Migrant family in Oklahoma, 1936

Photo: Family on the Move in Oklahoma, 1936. Credit: Library of Congress, cph 3c30176 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c30176

You can search for your ancestors in our Oklahoma newspaper archives here:

Search Oklahoma Newspaper Archives (1871 – 1923)

Search Oklahoma Recent Obituaries (1982 – Current)

Here is the complete list of the newspapers currently in our OK newspaper archives. Each title is an active link taking you to that newspaper’s search form where you can enter more information such as ancestor surname, date ranges, and more to narrow your genealogy search.

City	Newspaper	Date Range	Collection
Ada	Ada Evening News	10/29/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Altus	Altus Times	1/14/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Alva	Alva Review-Courier	9/5/2000 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Antlers	Antlers American	10/14/2010 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Ardmore	Daily Ardmoreite	12/1/2004 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Bartlesville	Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise	10/18/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Bethany	Bethany Tribune	12/7/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Chickasha	Express Star	3/31/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Claremore	Claremore Daily Progress	7/3/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Duncan	Duncan Banner	4/26/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Durant	Durant Daily Democrat	5/29/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Edmond	Edmond Sun	10/24/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Enid	Enid News and Eagle	8/1/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Fairland	American	10/4/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Frederick	Frederick Press-Leader	12/3/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Grove	Grove Sun	2/25/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Guymon	Guymon Daily Herald	5/30/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Hobart	Hobart Daily Republican	1/4/1907 – 6/30/1920	Newspaper Archives
Hobart	Hobart Democrat	1/10/1908 – 7/1/1909	Newspaper Archives
Hobart	Hobart Weekly Chief	7/2/1908 – 12/31/1908	Newspaper Archives
Langston	Langston City Herald	11/14/1891 – 3/30/1893	Newspaper Archives
Lawton	Lawton Constitution	10/1/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
McAlester	McAlester News-Capital & Democrat	12/4/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Miami	Miami District Daily News	8/19/1917 – 1/31/1923	Newspaper Archives
Miami	Miami News-Record	12/3/1999 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Miami	Miami Record-Herald	7/28/1899 – 10/9/1903	Newspaper Archives
Miami	Miami Weekly Herald	9/23/1899 – 11/20/1903	Newspaper Archives
Midwest City	Midwest City Sun	7/10/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Moore	American	1/3/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Muskogee	Indian Journal	7/6/1895 – 7/6/1895	Newspaper Archives
Muskogee	Muskogee Daily Phoenix and Times-Democrat	2/18/2004 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Norman	Norman Transcript	9/19/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Nowata	Nowata Star	10/3/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Oklahoma City	Daily Oklahoman	1/25/1898 – 12/31/1913	Newspaper Archives
Oklahoma City	Guide	10/6/1898 – 8/1/1903	Newspaper Archives
Oklahoma City	Oklahoman	11/1/1982 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Pauls Valley	Pauls Valley Daily Democrat	9/8/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Pawhuska	Pawhuska Journal-Capital	10/17/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Perry	Perry Daily Journal	12/4/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Perry	Perry Journal	10/3/1901 – 9/1/1904	Newspaper Archives
Perry	Perry Republican	1/1/1914 – 12/28/1922	Newspaper Archives
Poteau	Poteau Daily News & Sun	7/29/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Pryor	Daily Times	12/26/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Shawnee	Shawnee News-Star	10/2/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Stillwater	Stillwater News Press	9/11/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Tahlequah	Cherokee Advocate	4/29/1871 – 7/3/1897	Newspaper Archives
Tahlequah	Tahlequah Daily Press	12/29/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Tulsa	Native American Times	10/27/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Tulsa	Tulsa World	1/1/1911 – 12/31/1922	Newspaper Archives
Tulsa	Tulsa World	1/1/1989 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Tuttle	Tuttle Times	3/29/2006 – 1/27/2010	Recent Obituaries
Vinita	Vinita Daily Journal	11/10/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Waurika	Waurika News Democrat	2/11/2010 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Weatherford	Weatherford Daily News	11/27/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Woodward	Woodward News	4/26/2010 – Current	Recent Obituaries

Augusta, Georgia, Newspapers Now Online: Coverage from 1700s Forward

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Tom Kemp

GenealogyBank has newspapers from Augusta, Georgia, online from 1792 to today. Wow—that’s a lot of newspapers recording the history of the Garden City in the heart of Dixie.

Illustration: Augusta city seal and logo. Credit: Wikipedia.

You can learn so much more than just the basic facts about your family tree when you research your genealogy in these historical and recent Augusta newspapers. Discover your Southern ancestors’ marriage announcements, obituaries, and personal stories—everything that tells us the fabric of their lives.

Dig into our online archives and discover your GA ancestry now!

Newspaper	Date Range	Collection
Augusta Chronicle	1/7/1792 – 11/30/2003	Newspaper Archives
Augusta Chronicle	1/1/1994 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Augusta Herald	7/17/1799 – 12/28/1815	Newspaper Archives
Augusta Union	1/27/1900 – 1/27/1900	Newspaper Archives
Colored American	12/30/1865 – 1/13/1866	Newspaper Archives
Daily Constitutionalist	3/19/1833 – 12/31/1869	Newspaper Archives
Loyal Georgian	1/20/1866 – 2/15/1868	Newspaper Archives
Southern Centinel	11/28/1793 – 5/31/1798	Newspaper Archives

Irish American Passenger Lists in Old Newspapers

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Tom Kemp

I love it that the Irish Nation newspaper routinely published lists of all arriving passengers from Ireland. These lists gave the names of the passengers, where they were from in Ireland, and where their destination was in the United States.

This is an excellent resource to find what often can be a very difficult piece of Irish genealogy information: where in the Old Country your Irish immigrants came from.

In this example the newspaper published the lists of passengers from 11 ships that arrived that week.

Arrivals from Ireland, Irish Nation newspaper article 29 April 1882

Irish Nation (New York, New York), 29 April 1882, page 7

There is no other source for this information. These are the only passenger lists that include the names, home towns and destinations for arriving immigrants.

It is an essential tool for Irish American genealogists.

38 Nebraska Newspapers Now Online in Our Archives

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Tom Kemp

Searching for your ancestors in Nebraska? GenealogyBank has 38 Nebraska newspapers online in its newspaper archives, to help you research your family history in the “Cornhusker State.”

photo of 19th century Nebraska homesteaders

Photo credit: Wikipedia. Hey, is that Uncle Willie on the left?

Use these two links to search for your ancestors in all of our Nebraska newspaper archives, or click on an individual title in the below table to use that newspaper’s individual search form:

Search Nebraska Newspaper Archives (1868 – 1983)

Search Nebraska Recent Obituaries (1996 – Current)

City	Newspaper	Date Range	Collection
Ashland	Ashland Gazette	2/3/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Beatrice	Beatrice Daily Sun	6/10/2002 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Bellevue	Bellevue Leader	2/27/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Broken Bow	Custer County Chief	10/4/2010 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Chadron	Chadron Record	4/12/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Columbus	Columbus Telegram	9/19/1999 – Current	Recent Obituaries
David City	David City Banner-Press	9/13/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Fremont	Fremont Tribune	8/16/2000 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Gering	Gering Courier	11/6/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Grand Island	Grand Island Independent	9/14/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Gretna	Gretna Breeze	2/23/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Hemingford	Hemingford Ledger	11/7/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Kearney	Kearney Hub	5/30/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Lexington	Lexington Clipper-Herald	6/23/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Lincoln	Lincoln Journal Star	6/1/1996 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Lincoln	Lincoln Journal Star: Web Edition Articles	11/4/2003 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Nebraska City	Daily Nebraska Press	8/6/1868 – 12/28/1876	Newspaper Archives
Nebraska City	Nebraska City News-Press	2/9/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
North Platte	North Platte Telegraph	5/3/2004 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Omaha	Afro-American Sentinel	2/22/1896 – 3/25/1899	Newspaper Archives
Omaha	Danske Pioneer	10/17/1895 – 10/10/1901	Newspaper Archives
Omaha	Enterprise	8/10/1895 – 7/3/1897	Newspaper Archives
Omaha	Omaha Herald	10/30/1878 – 6/30/1889	Newspaper Archives
Omaha	Omaha Morning Bee-News	9/9/1935 – 9/9/1935	Newspaper Archives
Omaha	Omaha Star	1/7/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Omaha	Omaha World Herald	8/24/1885 – 12/31/1983	Newspaper Archives
Omaha	Omaha World-Herald	1/10/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Omaha	Progress	3/22/1890 – 3/7/1891	Newspaper Archives
Papillion	Papillion Times	1/27/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Papillion	Suburban Newspapers	6/29/2005 – 1/29/2009	Recent Obituaries
Plattsmouth	Plattsmouth Journal	5/2/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Ralston	Ralston Recorder	5/6/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Schuyler	Schuyler Sun	10/20/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Scottsbluff	Star-Herald	4/20/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Syracuse	Syracuse Journal-Democrat	3/6/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Wahoo	Wahoo Newspaper	2/1/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Waverly	Waverly News	4/21/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
York	York News-Times	3/8/2000 – Current	Recent Obituaries

What Counties & Towns in Ireland Did Our Ancestors Come From?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Tom Kemp

Genealogists know the frustration of tracking down your Irish immigrant ancestor’s birth, marriage or death certificate, hoping that it will be the document that finally tells you where in Ireland your family came from—only to be disappointed once again.

Irish American death certificates

So many census registrars simply wrote “Ireland” on the form, giving no additional clues about the town or county. This practice can present a challenge to those of us seeking to locate the towns or counties in Ireland where our Irish immigrant ancestors came from.

You can see this problem in the 1892 New York state census, which is online. Here is a typical entry, for the Scully family. The census tells us that the family members were born in “Ireland” and now live in Albany, New York.

1892 New York Census: Scully

Credit: “New York, State Census, 1892,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X366-VPR. Accessed 21 Mar 2013, Kate Scully, 1892.

How are we going to find out exactly where in Ireland the Irish family members were born? Irish American Newspapers!

It has been my experience that Irish American newspapers are the genealogist’s most reliable source for finding information about our Irish ancestors’ birthplaces. Will every Irish obituary or marriage record give these details? No—but many of these old Irish American newspaper records do.

Let’s turn to historical Irish American newspapers to try and find the birth place of the first Scully member listed in the NY census.

Searching GenealogyBank for references to Catherine Scully of Albany, I found her obituary published in the Irish World News (New York City, New York), 2 December 1893, page 5.

Catherine Scully obituary, Irish World News newspaper article 2 December 1893

Irish World News (New York City, New York), 2 December 1893, page 5

Bingo. This old newspaper obituary tells us that she was born in Ballingarry, which is in County Tipperary, Ireland.

And there are more genealogical clues…It tells us that:

She died 3 November 1893 at her home in Albany, New York
She was a widow—her husband was Andrew Scully
Her maiden name was Hayde
She was a Catholic, and was buried at St. Agnes’ Cemetery
Her four surviving children were: Ellen, John, Lawrence and Patrick
She was a member of the Ladies’ Catholic Benevolent Association, Branch 25

Now that we know she was born in Ballingarry, County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1846, we can look for images of the Irish town from 150 years ago.

The search for images of Ballingarry was easy: Wikipedia has an engraving of a street scene from the town in 1848.

What a treasure to have an image of this Irish town from the time when she was born!

Illustration: Ballingarry in 1848. Credit: Wikipedia.

Hey—could that be her on the right side of this image standing with her father?

Every genealogist wants to know exactly where in Ireland—or any country—their family came from.

Newspapers are a great resource for finding those family facts. Dig into GenealogyBank’s newspaper archives online and find the details and stories of your ancestors’ lives.

Irish Trivia Quiz – Test Your Ireland IQ

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Tom Kemp

What do you know about your ancestors from Éire? Are you as cute as the fox of Ballybotherem? Put your Irish ancestry prowess to the test. Take this Irish trivia quiz and provide answers to these 10 questions about Irish family history, counties in Ireland and other fun facts about the Old Country now!

Irish Trivia & Family History Quiz

Irish Heritage & Family History Quiz

Click Start below to begin.

Start

How to Find Georgia Marriage Records

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Tom Kemp

It is easy to find copies of your Georgia ancestors’ marriage certificates and records using two basic online genealogy tools: GenealogyBank.com and FamilySearch.org. If your ancestors lived in Georgia, let’s see how we can find information about them.

Marriage certificate for Walter B. Dense and Mamie T. Thornton found using FamilySearch’s Georgia marriage records. Credit: FamilySearch.

FamilySearch.org has put Georgia marriage records from 1785 to 1950 online.

You may search for these old marriage records online here: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1927197

A typical search will produce a marriage certificate like this one for Walter B. Dense and Mamie T. Thornton.

Marriage certificate for Walter B. Dense and Mamie T. Thornton. Credit: FamilySearch.

Image Credit: “Georgia, County Marriages, 1785-1950,” index and images, FamilySearch: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KXVC-7NK Accessed 19 March 2013, Walter B. Dense and Mamie T. Thornton, 1879.

This historical marriage certificate tells us that they were married by the Rev. Walker Lewis on 10 September 1879 in Bibb County, Georgia.

Marriage certificates can be brief and to the point. As genealogists we are thrilled to have them and to look at them—but we want to know more about the couple and their wedding.

Newspapers can give us even more details on the lives of our ancestors.

Let’s start searching the marriage records that were published in Georgia newspapers.

Let’s strategize this search.

In this case the groom’s surname, Dense, is a common word—but the surname itself is not very common. The word “dense” could possibly appear in a marriage announcement, but it is not likely to come up except as a surname.

By searching on the “Georgia Marriage Records” page in GenealogyBank I can focus my search results to bring up just marriage announcements that were printed in Georgia newspapers.

GenealogyBank search page for Georgia Marriage Records & Engagement Announcements

Search Georgia marriage records at GenealogyBank here: http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/newspapers/explore/USA/Georgia/?type=marriage_engagement

GenealogyBank search box and search results page for Dense wedding

That worked: their wedding announcement was the first of ten search results.

Marriage in First Street Methodist Church, Macon Daily Telegraph newspaper article 16 September 1879

Macon Daily Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), 16 September 1879, page 4

The historical newspaper article is giving us a lot more detail about the wedding then the basic facts recorded on the marriage certificate—so many details that we can almost picture the wedding in our minds.

Marriage in First Street Methodist Church, Macon Daily Telegraph newspaper article 16 September 1879, page 4

Macon Daily Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), 16 September 1879, page 4

For example, we learn that the couple was married at the First Methodist Church in Macon, Georgia.
The church, “crowded to its utmost capacity,” was “tastefully decorated with evergreens” at half past eight in the evening when the wedding began.
The old newspaper article named the members of the wedding party and chief guests.
The Rev. Walker Lewis performed the wedding ceremony “in a clear and distinct manner.”
At the end of the ceremony “Professor Coley played the wedding march.”

Think about it—the details, the setting…picture the wedding scene in your mind.

The end of the old newspaper marriage announcement gives us even more details about the family and their occupations, and describes the reception and supper that followed at the bride’s father’s (Reuben Thornton) home on Second Street.

Macon Daily Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), 16 September 1879, page 4

Details about special life events like this are only found in historical newspapers.

These are two great genealogy resources for finding your Georgia marriage records: the certificates on FamilySearch, and the newspaper marriage announcements in GenealogyBank with the details about the couple and the wedding.

Oh, the newspaper editor added one more comment about this wedding.

Macon Daily Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), 16 September 1879, page 4

The editor had described the packed church and the beautiful wedding and added “At the close Professor Coley played the wedding march, and the dense audience dispersed.”

It’s great to not only learn about the details of our ancestors’ lives and weddings— it’s also fun to see the wry humor of the times.

It’s a great day for genealogy!

List of 50+ Mississippi Newspapers Online

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Tom Kemp

Mississippi is in the heart of the Old South. Today there are three million Mississippians living in the Magnolia State—and millions more have lived in the Delta area since its first settlement over 300 years ago.

With more than 50 Mississippi newspapers currently online and growing, GenealogyBank’s historical archives are your starting place for researching your family tree—dating back to the American Colonial period up to modern times—in this old Southern state.

Photo: Meridian, Mississippi. Credit: Wikipedia.

Here is the list of the Mississippi newspapers currently available in our online archives:

City	Title	Date Range*	Collection
Biloxi	Biloxi Herald	1/14/1888 – 11/26/1898	Newspaper Archives
Biloxi	Daily Herald	3/31/1888 – 12/31/1909	Newspaper Archives
Biloxi	Sun Herald	2/12/1994 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Brandon	Free State	1/20/1900 – 1/20/1900	Newspaper Archives
Clarksdale	Clarksdale Press Register	4/20/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Cleveland	Bolivar Commercial	10/2/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Columbia	Columbian-Progress	11/3/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Columbus	Columbus Packet	12/12/2010 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Columbus	Commercial Dispatch	5/7/2002 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Corinth	Daily Corinthian	6/12/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Eupora	Webster Progress-Times	3/25/2003 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Forest	Scott County Times	8/5/2003 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Gautier	Mississippi Press	8/15/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Gautier	Mississippi Press, The: Web Edition Articles	10/18/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Greenville	Delta Democrat Times	1/8/2002 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Greenwood	Greenwood Commonwealth	5/29/2000 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Gulfport	Daily Herald	1/1/1910 – 12/30/1922	Newspaper Archives
Hattiesburg	Lamar Times	4/21/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Hattiesburg	Petal News	4/21/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Indianola	Indianola Enterprise-Tocsin	9/16/2010 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Jackson	Clarion	1/6/1886 – 1/11/1888	Newspaper Archives
Jackson	Clarion Ledger	1/19/1888 – 3/6/1890	Newspaper Archives
Jackson	Jackson Advocate	2/23/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Jackson	Mississippi Free Press	12/16/1961 – 8/1/1964	Newspaper Archives
Jackson	Mississippi Link	2/17/2011 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Jackson	Mississippi Weekly	5/18/1935 – 5/18/1935	Newspaper Archives
Jackson	Northside Sun	7/1/2007 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Kosciusko	Star Herald	1/7/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Laurel	Laurel Leader-Call	5/2/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Louisville	Choctaw Plaindealer	11/10/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Louisville	Winston County Journal	3/25/2003 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Magee	Magee Courier, The & Simpson County News	1/3/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
McComb	Enterprise-Journal	12/24/1999 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Meridian	Meridian Star	2/17/2006 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Mound Bayou	Mound Bayou News-Digest	5/13/1950 – 5/13/1950	Newspaper Archives
Natchez	Ariel	7/20/1825 – 7/19/1828	Newspaper Archives
Natchez	Mississippi Free Trader	11/20/1844 – 3/28/1854	Newspaper Archives
Natchez	Mississippi State Gazette	3/6/1818 – 5/14/1825	Newspaper Archives
Natchez	Southern Clarion	5/13/1831 – 11/18/1831	Newspaper Archives
Natchez	Southern Galaxy	5/22/1828 – 3/18/1830	Newspaper Archives
Natchez	Statesman and Gazette	5/18/1825 – 10/24/1832	Newspaper Archives
New Albany	New Albany Gazette	11/20/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Olive Branch	DeSoto Times-Tribune	3/25/2005 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Oxford	Oxford Eagle	2/9/2012 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Picayune	Picayune Item	2/5/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Starkville	Starkville Daily News	3/9/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Vicksburg	Daily Commercial	3/21/1877 – 12/28/1882	Newspaper Archives
Vicksburg	Golden Rule	1/27/1900 – 1/27/1900	Newspaper Archives
Vicksburg	Light	1/18/1900 – 1/18/1900	Newspaper Archives
West Point	Daily Times Leader	3/27/2008 – Current	Recent Obituaries
Winona	Winona Times & Conservative	4/2/2009 – Current	Recent Obituaries

6 More Newspapers Being Added to Recent Obituaries Collection

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Tom Kemp

Here’s a look ahead at six of the new newspapers we are adding to our “Recent Obituaries” online collection in April. This is just a snapshot of the millions of obituary records that we add every month to GenealogyBank to help you find your ancestors and trace your family tree.

GenealogyBank’s “Recent Newspaper Obituaries” search box

These recent obituaries are from five states and the District of Columbia: California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, and Haymarket, D.C.

You can view our entire Recent Obituaries archives online: http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/obituaries/

Pasadena-San Gabriel Valley News Journal (Pasadena, CA)

Obituaries: 02/25/2009 – Current

Asian Fortune (Haymarket, DC)

Obituaries: 06/01/2000 – Current

Miami Herald, The: Blogs (Miami, FL)

Obituaries: 03/10/2008 – Current

Metro Times (Detroit, MI)

Obituaries: 08/04/1999 – Current

Horse News (Flemington, NJ)

Obituaries: 06/30/1994 – Current
Note: missing 2/2003-12/2003

Powhatan Today (Powhatan, VA)

Obituaries: 04/02/2008 – Current

Irish American Genealogy & Family History Facts Infographic

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Tom Kemp

Irish American Genealogy & Family History Facts Infographic

In celebration of Irish Heritage Month, here are some interesting facts about Irish ancestry in America.

Irish American Population Statistics

There are 34.5 million people who claim Irish ancestry in America

Approximately 11% of the total United States population is Irish American

There are over 7 times more people of Irish descent in the United States than the entire population of Ireland

History of Irish Immigration to America

There were 2 major waves of Irish immigration to America.

The first immigration period was in the Colonial era of the 18th century. These people set sail from the northern provinces of Ireland looking for new lives as American pioneers. The migration consisted of approximately 250,000 Scots-Irish who were predominately Protestant. The major ports of entry for these incoming Irish immigrants were in New York and Philadelphia.

The second wave of immigration was between 1846 and 1900. During this period approximately 2,873,000 people fled to America from the southern provinces of Ireland. This was primarily due to the Great Irish Potato Famine, which caused poverty and starvation throughout Ireland. These new arrivals were predominately of Catholic denomination. The major American ports of entry were in New York and Boston. The Irish also arrived on trains and ships from Canada, which was then called British North America.

Origins of the Saying “Luck of the Irish”

During the 1848-1855 California Gold Rush many Irish immigrants headed out West to mine silver & gold. Many Americans said the immigrants’ mining success was due to luck, not skill—hence the saying “Luck of the Irish.”

Common Irish Surnames

Here is a list of the top 10 most common Irish last names and their meanings:

Murphy – Sea Battlers
Kelly – Bright-headed Ones
O’Sullivan – Hawkeyed Ones
Walsh – Welshmen
O’Brien – Noblemen
Byrne – Ravens
Ryan – Little Kings
O’Connor – Patrons of Warriors
O’Neill - From a Champion, Niall of the Nine Hostages
O’Reilly – Outgoing People, Descendants of Reilly

Percentage of Irish Americans by State

The Northeastern United States has the highest concentration of Irish Americans. The following 9 states all have more than 15% Irish ancestry in their total populations. The states are listed in descending order from highest to lowest total Irish population percentages. Massachusetts has the highest percentage in the United States with 22.5% of its residents claiming Irish ancestry.

Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Delaware
Connecticut
Vermont
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Maine

The following 9 U.S. states also have high Irish American populations of 12-14%. Montana has the highest in this range with 14.8% of its population claiming Irish ancestry.

Montana
Iowa
Nebraska
Wyoming
New York
Missouri
Ohio
Colorado
Illinois

11% to 11.9% of the residents in the following 7 states claim Irish ancestry.

Oregon
Maryland
Kansas
Washington
Minnesota
Nevada
West Virginia

The remaining states have less than 11% Irish ancestry in their total populations.

Famous Americans Who Are a Wee Bit Irish

From presidents to outlaws, there have been many famous Irish Americans throughout U.S. history. Here are a few of them:

John F. Kennedy a.k.a. JFK: 35th President of the United States
Henry Ford: Founder of Ford Motor Company
Barack Obama: 44th President of the United States
William Henry McCarty Jr. a.k.a. Billy the Kid: Outlaw
Judy Garland: Actress & Singer
Bill O’Reilly: TV Host & Political Commentator
Conan O’Brien: TV Host & Comedian
Grace Kelly: Actress & Princess of Monaco
Walter Elias Disney a.k.a. Walt Disney: Film Producer & Co-founder of the Walt Disney Company
Danica Patrick: NASCAR Driver
Eddie Murphy: Actor & Comedian
Mel Gibson: Actor & Film Producer

Top Irish Genealogy Records

The top genealogy records to trace your Irish roots are:

Did You Know?

Civil registration in Ireland didn’t begin until 1864, although some non-Catholic marriages were recorded as early as 1845. Fortunately for genealogists, Irish American newspapers routinely published the news of Irish births, marriages and deaths for more than half a century before Ireland started recording them.

Got a little Irish in you? Discover your Irish American ancestry at http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ethnic/irish_american/

Follow GenealogyBank on social media with hashtag #IrishHeritage for more Irish American genealogy facts throughout Irish Heritage Month.

Sources:

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/famous-irish-americans

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb13-ff03.html

http://www.edwardtodonnell.com/

http://www.energyofanation.org/waves_of_irish_immigration.html

http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/The-10-most-popular-Irish-last-names-2-133737553.html?page=3

http://names.mongabay.com/ancestry/st-Irish.html

http://www.udel.edu/soe/deal/IrishImmigrationFacts.html

http://www.wikipedia.org/