- You must determine the County or Parish from US records before you can cross the sea to search in the old country
- Gravestones are a great source for finding Irish origins
I don't do a lot of Irish research so this was a thought that I tucked into the back of my mind. I relegated it to the spot "stuff you might find in Boston."
Well, on New Year's Day I found myself in need of some fresh air and exercise. I ended up in the local Catholic cemetery for a stroll. This is a place I usually never go unless I am looking for someone specific. This cemetery was begun in the late 19th century and is "too new" compared to most of the historic cemeteries that I visit.
In the late 1800s many Irish immigrants settled in my town after finding jobs in the local shoe and boot industry. Discovering gravestones for the Irish was no surprise. But finding their place of origin on their gravestones really caught me off guard. This far out from Boston, how could it be? I learned a thing or two on New Year's Day.
I can't say that I will find my way in to "modern" cemeteries very often in the future but if I do I will be on the lookout for the gravestones of the Irish immigrants. What a treasure finding the location of their birthplaces in Ireland!
Here are some of the stones that I found.
THOMAS MALOY
BORN IN GALWAY IRELAND
1823
DIED IN MILIS, MASS.
1908
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
[Ann Keaney]
native of the Parish of
Cloonclare, Co. Leitrim, Ireland
died Feb. 14, 1864
aged 73 yrs.
Erected by her son James Keaney
SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF
JAMES JORDAN,
BORN NEAR CLA[R? or d?]MORIS, PARISH OF
KILLCOLEMAN, CO. MAYO, IRE.
JUNE 26, 1823
DIED MAR. 15, 1887
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.
MARJORIE,
WIFE OF JAMES JORDAN
BORN IN CO. DONEGAL IRE., 1822
DIED JULY 17, 1903
MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE
