I am trying to trace the origin of my great-grandparents who emigrated from Waterford to New Zealand in the 1860s or 1870's. I don't know the name of my great-grandmother but my great-grandfather's name was John Barry and I know he was a trained nurseryman from Waterford. I would love to trace their parish and their family origins. If anyone has any information on them I would love to hear from you?
Alastair Riddell
Hi
Thank you for your message.
Do you know much about their emigration? The dates, the reason why they left, who they might 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 they arrived at, this could be a good place to find more information -and perhaps even find out an exact place of origin. There are lots of books and documents available about the Irish emigration to NZ. There is a website you could look at: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/irish/2 for information about the Irish in New Zealand.
Some additional sites which might be of use to you include:
British parliamentary papers on Ireland can be found at: http://eppi.dippam.ac.uk/documents/9824/eppi_pages/215093
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/
Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. 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