Early Interest

My interest in researching my family history was kindled when I was about 10 and was looking through family photos and noted that a maternal aunt had immigrated to the USA in the 1920s. Very little was mentioned to me about her and I was intrigued about what kind of life she led. Nothing further happened until I retired in 2004 and I decided I would research my paternal side based on the extensive research of a cousin during the pre-internet days. Having developed the tree to a level I was satisfied with I decided to focus on my more challenging maternal side and was able to follow leads originating from correspondence between USA cousins and those in Ireland. Serendipity played a large part in successfully identifying cousins in various US states and my wife and I have had the pleasure of meeting many when visiting the US as well as when they visited Ireland. My Irish cousins had a very difficult start in the US and they must have questioned whether they had made the right decision when leaving Ireland. One family tragedy was mentioned in the Boston Globe which warranted several interesting visits to the historic Boston Library to find out the details.

The richly rewarding and emotional experience of meeting so many US descendants has meant that they have been able to make a connection with the townland where their ancestors in Ireland lived. Several have been able to visit the family home in rural Ireland where my mother and her 8 siblings were raised and many friendships both sides of the pond have resulted.

I intend to continue with my research on my tree and others as more information becomes available on the internet including DNA matches.