Dora Smith wrote: > I suggest the Y-Irl list at Yahoogroups; this list isn't very active, > and frankly, the Irish groups at Rootsweb aren't generally all that > helpful. > > You may be able to locate the child's birth here: > http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#c=1408347;p=collectionDetails;t=searchable%20for%20births%20&%20marriages That is for births from 1864 onwards. Mary's family were already in New Jersey by 1856. (Earlier births are computed from age at death in Ireland.) > You have to create a shortcut, and click on it over again every time you > search, or you'll get results for the entire planet. For some years > you may be able to get films of the birth record from LDS; for most > years you can get only a film of the index, giving you info you already > have. > > If you go here you can order a copy of the birth record. > http://www.groireland.ie/ Tehre's a fax form you can use for fastest > results, and I got the record I requested pretty quickly, in two or > three weeks or something. > > I suggest you also look for the parents' marriage, and get that record. This is Mary's problem. She doesn't know where. And the above site is for after the period she is interested in. > Either the child's birth record or the parents' marriage record may > provide more info, such as the names of parents, the occupation of the > groom. As well as where they married. > > What was their name, and what religious denomination were they? > > And do you know what his occupation was? > > What resources did they bring with them, and were they working or middle > class, even middle class and not very successful? > > Always get all the records on both husband and wife. All immigration > records, all records assocaited with their deaths, and any documentation > that was filled out for any reason, such as draft registration, maybe if > they went back to Ireland for any reason and had to fill out forms for > that. You never know what's going to drop clues. And in many > locations, the death certificates would name their parents. > > At Ancestry.com you can search for the ship's record; those records > expand constantly. This can be useful. The New York Times archives can be of use to some people. People appeared in the news for all sorts of reasons and sometimes, their birthplaces in the home country are given. The advanced search gives an option to search the NYT from as far back as 1851, the year many Irish emigrated to the US. If you put the chosen name "Patrick Murphy" in quotes, for example, it helps to whittle down the numbers. http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?srchst=nyt&&srcht=a&srchr=n