Attempting to build my family tree, but have stumbled upon a road block. My great grandfather was David Mickel Fitzgerald born about 1862 in Ireland and relocated to the United States in 1868. He married an American Annie Krause and had 11 children. One of which was John Clearance Fitzgerald.
I believe his father may have been John Fitzgerald Sr. married to Ellen Burke, both of Ireland.
Hi Rhonda
Thank you for your query. To be successful in your research you will have to find a place of origin for your family in Ireland. Because there are so many parishes in the country (c.2,500), knowing the relevant parish makes a big difference when searching for records. Knowing the townland or town and then finding the civil parish is the first step.
Do you know much about your grandfathers emigration? The reason why he left, who he may have travelled with?..etc..Generally more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which city he arrived at (e.g. Liverpool, New York, etc.), this could be a good place to find more information. -And perhaps even find out an exact place of origin.
http://www.ellisisland.org/search/passSearch.asp
Civil registration records are available from the General Register Office (GRO). These start from 1864. You can access the website here: http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm
If you find a place of origin then you will be able to search for any existing church records. Here are some websites that will give you more information on records available etc. that may help you in your future research:
http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introductio…
http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Rhonda, I hope this information is of help to you. Please do not hesitate to contact us again.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support