Hi,
Thank you very much for your message. I hope that someone recognises this family and is able to help you narrow down parish of origin. Once you have this further avenues of research will open up to you.
Do you have any documentation pertaining to the family that mentions any place names in Antrim and Down at all? This can include wills, marriage/death records,census records, letters, diary entries etc.
Have you tried looking into his emigration? Sometimes more infomation can be found at the port of arrival rather than that of departure. You may be lucky and find a place name here. For information on US immigration records check http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/
There are some places where you can search online, however these websites do not have complete collections:
www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some church records for Ireland.
www.rootsireland.ie have a large collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.
Do you know Michael and Ellen?s fathers? names? If you do, you could try searching for them in Griffith?s Valuation. This is a property valuation survey carried out 1848-64. It doesn?t give any genealogical information but can sometimes be used to tie a person to a specific place.
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Some other websites that you may find useful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
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
Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/index.html
North Antrim Genealogy Links: http://www.northantrim.com/northantrimgenealogy.htm
Ireland Gen Projects: http://www.igp-web.com/
Irish Genealogy Tool-kit: http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/index.html
Remember to post any new information that you find here. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
