I am looking for help finding more information on my Great Great Grandparents Michael Dolan and Anna (Lavin) Dolan. Michael was born in 1822, I do not have any siblings names or parents names. Michael came to American in 1849. Anna is possibly from county of Claire. She came to American in 1847. I would like know more about my families Irish roots. Please help!
Hi,
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information without a more specific place of origin. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.
Do you have any documentation pertaining to the family that mentions any place names in Roscommon or Clare at all? This can include wills, marriage/death records,census records, letters, diary entries etc.
There are some places where you can search online, however it may be difficult to discern whether the results are relevant to your family or not without more information:
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.
I did a quick search for Michael Dolan at Roots already. No results came back for 1822, however one came back for 1823. You need to register with the site and buy credits to view the record.
Action
Cost
Source
Surname
First Name
Year
County
25 credits
Church Baptism
Dolan
Michael
1823
Co. Roscommon
Have you tried looking into the Michael's 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/
It may be an idea to contact Roscommon Heritage and Genealogical Centre for some assistance, however a fee may apply. Here is their email: info@roscommonroots.com
If Anna is possibly from Clare I suggest that you check the Clare County Library Local Genealogy section. They have an excellent collection of county resources including some birth and emigration records under the ?Donated Material? section:
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm
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
Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/index.htm
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/roscommon/index.html
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/clare/index.html
From Ireland: http://www.from-ireland.net/
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
His headstone says 1822. I have his naturalization papers and they don't really tell me anything. I believe he left Ireland via England. I just don't have much info to go on as most of Dolan kin are long dead.