SNIPPET: The secret to genealogy is to concentrate on research in the KNOWN places the individuals lived and work backwards in time. This important step cannot be skipped, as you just can't assume that someone with the same name in records is one of "yours." Serendipity: My research includes Ireland and England. I found people who actually knew my families or recognized that their ancestors had been neighbors, when I began including known addresses in my posts. One English gentleman recognized an address and contacted me. It seems he had an early 1930's photo of my paternal English grandmother with his family that was taken when he was just a young boy. My grandmother had returned to England from America to visit some relatives, and both families lived in the same neighborhood. Turns out that I had in my possession an old photo of his father and my paternal uncle in their WW-I uniforms! On another occasion, I left a detailed e-mail inquiry at a boy's school in England where I thought some relations may have attended. To my amazement, I received a trans-Atlantic call from a retired English teacher-historian-author-photographer with a wonderful accent who knew my relatives very well! He sent me a copy of his published town history; enclosed inside was an old wedding photo of my father's eldest brother that included several other family members. It meant so much to me! In reference to Ireland - a good clue can be an unusual first or middle name, which might be mother's maiden ("nee") surname found among the well-educated individuals in older records. Unusual given names can be good clues as names were passed down from generation to generation. Catholic records reveal only about a hundred given names that are used over and over again. Old church records have been microfilmed and available at LDS (Mormon) FHCs and the "sponsors" and "witnesses" appear to be family members as they have the same surnames. Names are often in Latin, but identifiable. Some of these original church record books have been filmed and can be viewed at local LDS (Mormon) Family History Centers. I was able to request a copy of a Carrick-on-Shannon district microfilm that contained a legible St. Patrick's Chapel, Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim church book. To request the film and view it only cost me less than three dollars, and the helpful church volunteers were able to make photocopies of the microfilmed pages in the book I was interested in to take back home. Not referring to names found in old records here, but in rural communities, some Catholic Irish were known by their middle name or identified by a nickname or handle that signified who their father was or even what occupation the family was known for. Did they emigrate to America? Contact the county historical society in the USA county in which your family resided for some time, ask for their help in finding documents on your particular families such as wills. I have had great success with this. Circa 1900 marriage applications provide, in some instances, information on the PARENTS of the bride and groom. This seems to depend on what county you are researching in. Land records often gave last place lived. Other documents might include court records of property disputes, naturalization, cemetery records, b/m/d abstracts, newspaper clippings, census extracts, etc. Almost every document they come up with will provide you with new information. County historical societies have ready access to old maps with settlers' names, books and publications of their own and others. Periodicals published by USA county historical societies have every-name indices in their winter issues which they can quickly refer to. (Check and see if your local genealogy library has some of these issues.) An initial investment in this way may very well give you a solid underpinning for your own research. Census and cemetery records are valuable for discovering related family members. Check and see who "the neighbors" are on USA census records. Individuals often married neighbors and/or moved from state to state with other relatives. Widows, spinsters, elderly and/or infirmed relatives, related children, often ended up living in their grown children's homes or right next door. Family members were often buried in the same cemetery. Some old USA rural route directories have been scanned to the Internet including http://www.distantcousin.com/ Have you tried sending away for microfilmed old USA newspapers to look for death notices? If a definite date is known, request the newspapers for the two days following the death via your reference librarian and the free interlibrary loan program. The librarian has references to tell her which microfilmed newspapers to request for a particular location and time period. Death notices may further provide details on a location in Ireland and give names and locations of related living relatives you may not be aware of. Check carefully, as death notices and obituaries may appear on separate pages! It is possible that a death notice appeared in a newspaper where they formerly lived, as well. Your reference librarian can also help you obtain old USA county history books in addition to those found on the shelves. To my amazement, I found two page on my Indiana kin in an old county history book. They were early settlers, belonged to church and community groups (agriculture, political, educational, fraternal, women's organizations, and some served in the American Civil War as 100-day volunteers. Another resource: While I only had a general idea of where and when a death had occured, in some cases, I also found many of my American relations listed on local genealogy library microfilmed death indices. The films are organized by state and approximate 10-year increments, names are alphabetical and soundexed. (Check and see what years they cover, but I recall finding several of my deceased aunts and uncles on these microfilms.) Data given includes name of deceased, place of death (may have to rewind film to beginning for location code), age at death, name of a living spouse, and the number of the death certificate. With the latter, I was able to contact state and county archival libraries and request photocopies of old death certificates. I think that I only paid a quarter a copy. Contact living relatives to find out what they know about the family history. Ask for their help. Perhaps there are clues in the old photo albums. There may be an important notation on the back of an old picture - or, in the case of a formal photograph, the studio's name and location. Leave a detailed query on a Rootsweb Message Board, particularly, a surname board. Go back and correct, if necessary, a former note, adding any new information. U. S. Federal Census data in book form can be found in genealogy libraries on the Reference shelves, divided by state and census year. Data extends back to the time of the Revolutionary War and forward (depending on a particular state) to as late as 1900. Have you checked the more recent U. S. Federal Censuses? Even if parents are deceased, their children may have given the enumerator a particular county or province in Ireland when asked for place of birth of each parent. It does appear in some instances (1920?), that census enumerators recorded more specifics such as a particular county, "No. Ireland" or "Free State" (Republic) for place of birth. While it may not be correct, it could actually help to confirm family lore passed down through generations. Many USA Federal Censuses give date of immigration and/or years in country, whether naturalized ("na"), date of naturalization, whether still an "alien," or "pa," indicating that first papers towards citizenship were completed. The latest American census available for research is 1930. Branches of the National Archives are a good resource. One might even consider a subscription to the Ancestry.com website. They seem to now offer subscriptions of varying length and expense. Last, but not least, you might want to search your surname and area of interest at E-Bay, from time to time, as many military medals, old letters, postcards and stamps come up for sale. You never know what you might find. As an example, a WW-I silver British War Medal (Liverpool Regiment) for a Cpl. W. LILLIOTT with military card (#20399) is presently advertised today as a "quick buy," and I would think that a family member researcher would be thrilled to obtain same. J. Jean