Originally published in 1996, the book “Desperate Haven” is the definitive study to date of the Great Famine and its effects on the towns and villages of West Waterford. This long out-of-print and much sought-after volume was the product of more than five years of research by Dungarvan Museum…

This very interesting post from Claire Fullerton inspired me to write this one.

In the last 5 years or so my Dad has done a ton of work on genealogy. He has done both his side and my Mom's side. It's been…

Robert Morrison (1782-1863) was born in County Antrim of unknown parents and plied a linen weaver's trade until he emigrated to the United States in 1801. He married and was a pioneer in Adams County, Ohio, a captain in the War of 1812 commanding a company of dragoons, a state…

George Arthur French was born at Roscommon, Ireland in 1841. He was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and commissioned in the Royal Artillery in 1860. 

In 1871, at the request of the Canadian government, he was sent…

We use lots of maps in tracing the paths of our ancestors. Mapmakers will often place a tiny piece of incorrect information in their maps to prevent illegal reproduction of their work. Called a "copyright trap," the fake text might be a bogus street name or even the…

Book review

"The Longing," by Kimberly Mae

Friesen Press, 2015

Reading this warm-hearted book was a precise reminder to me of the full range of…

You probably know the wild west part, some fact and some fiction, depending upon which movie you watch. 

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (1853 –  1921) was a figure of the American "old west" known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler,…

This interesting and uncommon name is of Old French origin.  It was introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and derives from the Old French "avril(l)."  The month of April, ultimately from the Latin "aprilis", a derivative of "aperire", to open, has reference to…

If you live in the southern part of the United States, you know they are still not over the war. Which war? The one where the south lost!  So thought I would stir the pot a little.

A large part of the 34th Mississippi Infantry was captured on the 24th of November, 1863 at…

When European settlement of North America started pushing inland from the coast, transportation problems repeatedly occurred. The biggest problem was the Appalachian Mountains, 400 miles from the coast.  This made it difficult to transport goods as well as…

Thomas Fitzsimons was born at Ballikilty, County Wexford, Ireland in October of 1741 to Anthony Fitzsymons in the mid-1750s.  We know his mother's name was Jane, but we do not have a record of her maiden surname.  Fitzsimons immigrated to Philadelphia where his father…

Wild West Irish Tours on Irish radio, TV and newspapers!

Michael Regan-Waugh on Irish TV

We are grateful to IrishTV.ie, Clare FM radio, The Clare Champion, and  Raidio Corca Baiscinn –…

Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry, the word, in its most general sense, encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of…

What’s hard about doing your family tree is finding some branches you’d rather break off, and one that comes to mind is a Kentuckian, a Gregory, whose 19 slaves were identified only by gender and age in the 1850 census, as if they were machine parts rather than human beings. That’s…

Mac, Gaelic for "son", is the most common element of Scottish and Irish surnames. In both countries, Mc is always an abbreviation of Mac.…

A.D. 2014 has been a magnificent year for The Wild Geese Irish Social Network.  As this year draws to a close, we thought it would be interesting to compile the most popular articles and videos from the community.  Depending on how new you are to The Wild Geese…

Na Mná / The Women

Ó am go ham, feicimid sna hAnnála tagairt do mhná céile agus d'iníonacha na cléire oidhreachtúla, mar sna samplaí thíos.

From time to…

Are you planning a trip to Ireland, and do you hope to carry out some family history research during your visit?  If you happen to have an Irish born ancestor who emigrated to the United States, and are planning a visit to Ireland in the near future and hope to do some family…

What is the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? Graveyards are in the "yards" of churches.  The use of tombstones may go back to the belief that ghosts could be weighed down. 

The difference between Union and…

As mentioned in Part 1, our ecclesiastical families married and had children.…