Trying to figure out what area of Ireland my family comes from?

Question

I am half Irish from my fathers side with the last name Lyons. I am trying to figure out which part of Ireland my family originates from....can anyone help me?

Answer 1

You should give your great-grandmother a try.  You never know... she might remember.  You could also try her brothers or sisters, if she has any living.  

If that doesn't work out, there are some other ways to find out.  But first, you'll need to find the name of your ancestor who came over from Ireland.  (If you're not sure how to go about that, you can ask here and we'll be glad to help).

Once you know your immigrant ancestor's name, there are several records you can check that may list his home town or county in Ireland:

Order a copy of his death certificate:  death certficates usually list the person's place of birth (if the person who supplied the information knew where he was born.)  It may say simply "Ireland", but it may include a county or even a town.

Order copies of his children's death certificates:  death certificates also have a space to list where the person's parents were born.  That's how I learned that my ancestor was from County Limerick, Ireland... it was written on his daughter's death certficate.  Actually, this daughter wasn't my ancestor... her brother was, but HIS death certificate just said "father born in Ireland."  So I ordered his sister's record, and voila!

Find his obituary in the newspaper:  obituaries will sometimes say where the person was from.  That's where I found that another one of my ancestors was a "native of Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland."

Get a copy of his social security application:  This is another record that asks for place of birth.

Check his tombstone: tombstones will sometimes say where the person was born.

Check his WWI draft registration card:  if he was here during the first world war, and was the right age to be drafted, he'll likely have a card that will list place of birth.

Naturalization records:  If he became a U.S. citizen, you can check his naturalization papers, which should list where he was from in Ireland.

Lots of possibilities!  Yes, it takes a little legwork, but it's pretty fun.  And you'll find out a lot of other interesting things about your family in the process!

Answer 2

When your Irish ancestors arrived and where they settled will greatly affect your ability to find out where they came from. The Ellis Island immigration site has an online database that will provide some information - but will not likely pin down a specific town.

US Census records also include information about birth locality, but usually were answered with the name of the country only - in the case of immigrants.

Some local census takers, for example, the Kansas State census, included additional information such as home towns or counties of origin for immigrants, though not in every case. Living relatives can be a great source of information as well, since there is usually a grain of truth in family folklore.

Answer 3

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx...

This might help