Once you know a likely county or region, your family-history search becomes much more focused.
Use this checklist to move from a broad family story to a specific place.
Step 1: Identify the county
Ask:
- Which county is named in family stories?
- Does a death certificate, obituary, census, or gravestone mention a county?
- Does a passenger list or naturalization record mention a birthplace?
Step 2: Narrow to parish, townland, village, or burgh
In Ireland, county alone is often not enough
- parish
- townland
- nearby village
- registration district
In Scotland, try to identify:
- parish
- burgh
- county
- nearby town or district
Step 3: Match the place to the right records
Ireland
civil records → census → parish registers → land records → local archives
Scotland
statutory records → census → church registers → valuation rolls → wills → local archives
Step 4: Look for nearby heritage clues
Places can connect your family to:
- castles
- churches
- graveyards
- ports
- old estates
- market towns
- clan or local-history sites
Step 5: Link place to site content
- Top 20 Castles in Ireland for Genealogy Travelers
- Top 20 Castles in Scotland for Genealogy Travelers
- Castles category archive
Step 6: Move to the country guide
Continue Exploring
- Back to Start Your Irish and Scottish Roots Journey
- Use the Starter Checklist
- Explore Free Resources
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