I'm looking for any information about Alexander McGladrey (McGladdrey), 1797-1851, his wife, (Mary) Ann Cunningham, 1799-1834, and their son Samuel, 1819-1899. They supposedly left County Antrim for Canada in 1822. I live in Montreal, and Alexander is my great-great-great-grandfather.
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your message.
Given the dates of birth and emigration it may be difficult to find information as there are not that many records available pre-1820.
Catholic records for Larne parish do not begin until 1821, you can see this here:
Church of Ireland records generally tend to have an earlier start date, however many records were lost in the fire in the Public Records office in 1922. Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
Some websites that you may find helpful are:
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm
The Library & Archives of Canada - http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/antrim/index.html
You could also try contacting the Ulster Historical Foundation for assistance, however a fee may apply. Here is their email: enquiry@uhf.org.uk
I hope that this is helpful. Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support