The Huntsville Library Newsletter that I received today had some good websites suggested.  I went to them and did a search for AUSTIN and found quite a few. Since a nomination of a possible site of the 2011 International Austin Convention is in Ireland, some of you may want to work on your Austin ancestors possible Irish link. I hope we get to go to Northern Ireland to Belfast for research, as well as Dublin. it has my vote. My husband's Austin heritage is probably before 1800 in Ireland or GB or Scotland, so that, Austin would not be on the Griffith Valuation.  I looked at it anyway.  The date is after 1850. this website is great:   www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index. I did a search for AUSTIN and it returned 637 hits.  For example in the county of Antrim (northern Ireland) there were 7.  Don't be surprised that the search shows other surnames.  That just means the land was actually owned by someone else. The Leasee, was a AUSTIN.  The included Google maps of Ireland are so great.  They even show the street and village name and address where the taxable land was located. In the case of John Austin, he had a house and yard in a village that he leased, not a large farm. ------------ Another great website similar to our Ancestry.com for UK research is: www.findmypast.co.uk/home.jsp The great thing is that you do not have to pay to do a search. If you look at a marriage record from a church parish and the search finds a person of interest, you are only required to pay a one time fee for that record result if you want to see the exact document. Happy AUSTIN hunting!    I hope I get to see you in Ireland next year.