David Rencher’s 2014 Course

David Rencher’s 2014 Course
Researching Your Irish Ancestors
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Time Period: 1600 – 1930
Prerequisites:  Especially helpful if at least a county of origin is known.
Course Description:
This course is designed to help the student of Irish genealogical research, whether beginning or advanced. Strategies for establishing a sound beginning and building on that foundation using proven research techniques will be coupled with an understanding of what record sources are available online, on microfilm and in Ireland. Individual half-hour consultations are provided with the course coordinator to assist each participant with ways to extend their research.
Course Topics:
Mining the Destination Data (Rencher) – This session introduces the techniques and analysis needed to exhaust all of the possibilities in the records where your Irish ancestors eventually settled. Even if you have researched for years, there may still be valuable nuggets of information that may be gleaned from the available data.
Irish Emigration and Immigration (Rencher) – There are a number of Irish emigration and immigration records available on both sides of the Atlantic. This session will illuminate the various record types and illustrate them with numerous examples.
Researching Presbyterian Records (Rencher) – Those researching their Scots-Irish ancestors will want to gain a full understanding of the records that are available for research and how to access them for success.
Researching Catholic Records (Rencher) – Researching Catholic ancestors can be challenging due to record availability and access, but there are a number of avenues for your research to take to have a successful and fruitful search.
Researching Church of Ireland Records (Rencher) – As the State Church in Ireland, all researchers need to understand the available records of the Church of Ireland to exhaust the possibilities, whether your ancestors are Presbyterian, Catholic or members of the Established Church.
Understanding Irish Census and Census Substitutes (Rencher) – There are numerous records in Ireland that can compensate for the large volume of Irish census records that were destroyed in the 19th century, and in 1922 with the destruction of the Public Record Office, Dublin. This session takes a detailed look at what records are available.
Evaluating and Analyzing Census Substitutes (Rencher) – This session will build on the previous presentation by taking samples of the census substitute fragments and using in-class hands-on examples to illustrate how the pieces can be reconstructed to illuminate the family structure.
Acquiring a Sense of Place: Going Home to Ireland (Richard Sayre, CG, CGL) – There is a need to look at the place where your ancestor lived in its entirety to fully understand the picture and implications of Irish life. This session will use a case study to illustrate what can be done with the maps and history of an Irish place.
Methodology for Reconstructing Irish Record Fragments (Thomas W.  Jones, CG, CGL) – Surviving Irish records, especially before the mid-nineteenth century, often do not specify relationships. With persistence, organization, extensive research, and systematic analysis, however, evidence–especially indirect evidence–in such records can be used to reconstruct a lineage.
The Four Courts of Equity in Ireland (Rencher) – Learn about the structure and records of the legal system in Ireland. The Four Courts governed Irish life and many of your ancestor’s paths crossed over or through the Inns of Court and their numerous records.
Ecclesiastical Law and the Family Historian (Rencher) – This session will provide an understanding of the transition in governance in Ireland from a country governed by ecclesiastical authority to civil authority and the significant impact on the records.
Introduction to Irish Law Libraries and their Records (Rencher) – This presentation provides a parallel view to conduct research in the Irish Nominate books using a similar strategy and methodology to researching in the U.S. equivalent, the Case Reporters.
Irish Estate Records: 16th to 19th Centuries (Rencher) – Ireland’s estate records provide the single best source for extending Irish pedigrees prior to the available church records. However, they are often an overlooked and underutilized source. This session illustrates how to best use these extraordinary records.
Planning to Visit Ireland (Rencher) – This session concludes the course with a strategy for getting the most out of your “trip of a lifetime” by clearly setting the expectations of what you can achieve on your research trip. Ready, set, go!