Researching Irish Family Histories

Remembering those who made us who we are!

Introduction

We don't, as a group, conduct family history research, nor do we offer a research facility for others.

However, some of our members do have an interest in such research, and have taken the time to compile a few suggestions to assist those interested in doing such research.

Recording Tools

  • Camera - any camera will do, including cell-phones, but specialised equipment will give better results
    • Stills - if you're copying hard-copy prints make sure they are flat (not curled) and in good light but not direct sunlight. If you're photographing people, be careful about the light so they can seen, and they're against a plain, uncluttered background
    • Video - be careful about the light so they can seen, and they're against a plain, uncluttered background
    • Tripod - valuable; allows you to concentrate on the subject, and to minimise camera-shaking, especially for extended interviews, or close-ups when copying documents or photos
  • Scanner
    • Printer - most domestic printers have a built-in flatbed scanner. Need to be able to scan to an image format (.jpg .png .gif), or .PDF, or to scan a document and save as text (.txt or .rtf)
    • Hand-held - low-cost, hand-held document scanners are helpful if you're travelling to visit interview subjects
    • Phones - Android phones can accommodate an app from the App Store to allow the phon's camera to act as document scanner. iPhones have a built-in scan function in the native Apple Notes app
  • Audio Recorder
    • Specialist Recorder - talk to your local library; they may have equipment available to borrowers. Alternatively, National Library in Wellington can offer advice (& possibly training)
    • Phone - modern smart-phones have a built-in Voice Recorder, or will allow one to be downloaded and installed.

Database Applications

(NB: costs are as at April 2023)

Storage

It is important that artefacts (documents, photos, etc) are kept in materials that protect them from environmental degradation. Generally this means acid-free packaging.

Suppliers:

Digitise documents & images (photos & pictures)

  • PDFs
  • Highest practical image resolution [300dpi]
    • .JPG = common format
    • .TIFF = high-res format
  • Convert documents to text using OCR (Optical Character Recognition
  • Convert audio files to text using Speech to Text

Update digital media

  • Newer Formats - e.g MP4 and .MKV
  • Various media
    • DVD - now obsolete, and many devices can no longer play them, so existing disks need to be replaced with some other device such as an external drive
    • USB drive - if only thumbnail size, use for transfers, rather than long-term storage as they are easily misplaced/lost
    • Local hard-drive - USB-connected?
    • Online storage. Cloud-based option is current preferred option

Back-up - to off-site or online?

  • External drive stored elsewhere
    • Copy all relevant files periodically
    • store 'off-site', perhaps in a drawer of your desk at work, or the home of one of your children as backup protection.
    • Online cloud-based storage
      • likely to involve a cost
      • Ensure there is a ‘recovery’ option for your files in case of local loss/corruption of data
      • iCloud? BackBlaze.com?

Data Sources: New Zealand

  • Births, Death, Marriages - historical; rules governing access periods
  • Archives NZ - very useful; shipping lists, colonial correspondence, Wills, Divorce papers, military personnel files, etc
  • PapersPast (archive) - exhaustive archive of published newspapers, journals, magazines, etc. Both reproduced images of articles and rendered text versions (which may need significant editing)
  • Digital NZ - an aggregator site for digital 'documents' held by other sites/organisations; a 'one-stop shop'
  • Nga Taonga Sound & Vision - specialises in visual & audio media
  • Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa - particularly useful for images
  • Specialist Libraries – eg. Hocken or Hocken catalogue search or Hocken's extensive photo collection
  • Public Libraries – see Council websites
  • Cemetery searchable databases – see Council websites
  • NZ Online Cenotaph - Remembering New Zealand's War dead
  • National Library holds full electoral records for New Zealand back to the earliest election. Useful for tracking individuals and families. Hard copy at the Library only.
  • National Library holds copies of a series of 32 books published by Geography Publications which consist of "Indisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County".

Data Sources: International

Data Sources: Ireland

Other Help

The standard published books are:

  • James Ryan's Irish Records: Sources for Family and Local History (2nd ed Ancestry.com, 1997)
  • John Grenham's Tracing Your Irish Ancestors (4th ed. Gill, 2012)