Hi, everyone. I have been working on my family tree for a little over two years and have just now start tracing my Irish ancestry, but I am at a total loss. Actually, I don't even know how to begin. My great grandmother was Alice Keating, b.1874 in Ireland. She and her mother, Alice Keating, b. 1838 immigrated to the United States in 1890. The mother, Alice Keating (1838) settled in Swampscott, Essex, Massachusetts. I have found her listed as a boarder in the 1900 census. She is residing with Chester Dargin and Mary A b. 1864 in Ireland. Mary came to the US in 1884. I am assuming that Mary A. may be another daughter of Alice. My great grandmother married Charles List and settled in New Jersey.

I don't know where to begin to look in Ireland. I have read that different names are more prominent in different areas of Ireland, but am unsure where the Keating name comes from. Can anyone help me narrow down the field and can anyone offer some good Irish websites? Thanking you in advance for your assistance.

Hi Mary,

The Keatings arrived in Co. Wexford Ireland in 1169 with the Norman Invasion. There were 5 different landings between 1169 and 1170. There were 5 main branches of the family. One of the main reasons for the spread of Keating's in Ireland was Robert De Keating and his 5 sons

They held lands in Wexford, Cork, Tipperary. Limerick and Kerry.

I suggest you research the emigration ship's lists, there may also be a record in Ellis Island of their arrival, a little easier as you may have had 3 Keating's travelling together.

I have research for South Kerry, plenty of Mary's but no Alice. I would also check the death certificates and see what information they give you. You have to follow the paper trail. Once you can find the county and parish it will be a lot easier to further your research.

Start Stateside and work back.

Brendan

Thank you, Brendan, for responding to me. I did find two Alice Keatings, one born 1873 and the other 1838, who arrived in Boston in 1890, the same year the 1900 census says that my great grandmother arrived. The ages fit so it is possible that they are the right Keatings. I will check out the Keatings in those counties that you gave me. Thank you so much. At least I now know where to begin.

I fried my computer and wit it my Keating research.
Is there info on your Keating line that you could send.?
Thanks Jack
jkeating2@comcast.net

Hi Mary,

I did a little bit of work on your Alice, due to new technology, I can work out more accurately birth records.

We know that Alice stated that she was born May 1873, there is a birth record for 1873 in Ireland which does not have a corresponding death record, presumably the person emigrated. this Alice was the only one in 1973.

In May 1871 there is another record that does not have a death record the parents were William Keating and Alice Sheehan again the only one that year not to have a death record. I wonder may Alice have lied about her age?

The good news is that both records are for the same townland in Ireland

CLOGHEEN, CO TIPPERARY


You can order her birth cert at:

www.groireland.ie

1871 Registration district Clogheen Volume 9 page 754
1873 Registration district Clogheen Volume 14 page 646

Other children of Alice & William

KEATING, Bridget Bir 1865 Irel Tipp
Fa: William Keating
Mo: Alice Sheehan
KEATING, Mary Bir 1867 Irel Tipp
Fa: William Keating
Mo: Alice Sheehan
KEATING, Daniel Bir 1869 Irel Tipp
Fa: William Keating
Mo: Alice Sheehan
KEATING, Alice Bir 1871 Irel Tipp
Fa: William Keating
Mo: Alice Sheehan
KEATING, Ellen Bir 1873 Irel Tipp
Fa: William Keating
Mo: Alice Sheehan

Brendan

Hi Mary,

One other possibility:

KEATING, Alice Birth
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 7 Aug 1869 Birthplace: 676, Caher, Tipp, Ire
Recorded in: Tipperary, Ireland
Collection: Civil Registration
Father: Edmond KEATING
Mother: Alice DANIELL
Source: FHL Film 101193 Dates: 1869 - 1870

Only problem, they did not have a daughter Mary

Just checked the census:

1900 says born May 1873 born Ireland, emigrated 1890

1910 says she was born about 1870 born England, emigrated 1878

1930 says born about 1871 born Ireland emigrated 1889

Brendan

Thank you. Yes, it is possible there is a discrepancy in her age. The census lists several ages, but all state that she immigrated to the US in about 1890. It also said that she came from the Irish Free State. I don't know much about Ireland, so would that include Tipperary? It is a shame that I had never been allowed to meet my father's family as perhaps then a lot would have been cleared up. Again thank you for taking the time to help me. Alice and her husband had a son, William. I did find two Alice Keatings who arrived in Massachusetts in 1890. However, my Alice married by 1894 in New Jersey. It's a possibility that that is the two Alices that you found.

It is possible that the Alice the immigrated to Massachusetts is not my ancestor so there may not be a daughter, Mary, in the family.

Hi Mary,

The Irish Free State came into being 1922, Tipp is part of it, it only affected the 1930 census. Mary the daughter of William & Alice also emigrated as did Alice the daughter of Edmond & Alice.

There were quite strict naming practices in those days. From what I can work our Edmond & Alice only had one child.

Brendan

Hi Mary,

There are no complete civil birth records in Ireland online or elsewhere. Civil registration of births started in Ireland in 1864 and there was very little compliance with the laws of civil registration until early in the Twentieth Century. Hence there's no way from this side of the pond in Ireland to find your Alice without you first searching her civil and church records in the US and her children's and finding out:
a) her date of birth'
b) her parents names
c) her birthplace which would be the town/townland, civil parish and county. There's a list of those at the Ireland Townland Database http://www.seanruad.com and select any county of interest.

Once you have that information from their US records you can then find out what records survive for that birth location in Ireland.

Prior to civil registration or in tandem with it for those whose births weren't registered in the civil registration records, are church parish records. Those records have widely varying dates depending on the location, again the town/townland, civil parish and county of birth. Some church parish records don't begin until the very late 1800s pthers varying years before that.

For example, here are the Roman Catholic church parish records for County Tipperary which is divided into North Tipperary and South Tipperary, click on each parish on the maps to see the years covered in the records:

North Tipperary:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/ti...

South Tipperary:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/ti...

There are 26 counties in what became the Irish Free State which is now the Republic of Ireland. Those counties are:

County Province
Carlow Leinster
Cavan Ulster
Clare Munster
Cork Munster
Donegal Ulster
Dublin Leinster
Galway Connacht
Kerry Munster
Kildare Leinster
Kilkenny Leinster
Laois Leinster
Leitrim Connacht
Limerick Munster
Longford Leinster
Louth Leinster
Mayo Connacht
Meath Leinster
Monaghan Ulster
Offaly Leinster
Roscommon Connacht
Sligo Connacht
Tipperary Munster
Waterford Munster
Westmeath Leinster
Wexford Leinster
Wicklow Leinster

For both your emigrants then you need to search their civil and church records in the US to find the detail you need before you can look for records for that birth location in Ireland.

Regards.

Eilis O'Hara