RESOURCE: "The Search for Missing Friends" - An essential resource for Irish-American Research volumes covering the years circa 1831-1905. Eight volumes recently published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA, individually indexed by surname and by place-name. Thousands of 19th-century Irish immigrants advertised for missing relatives in the "Boston Pilot." About 85 precent of the Irish and North American place origins of both seeker and sought are identified. Each volume of "Missing Friends" is alphabetically indexed by names and towns and an overall eight-volume index was to be prepared at some future time. Editors include Ruth-Ann HARRIS, Donald M. JACOBS, and B. Emer O'KEEFFE. Volume 1, 1831-1850 covers beginning of famine decade; Volumes 2 & 3 conclude the famine decade; Volume 4. continues Irish immigration to the eve of the Civil War; Volume 5, 1860-1865 includes ads of Civil War soldiers, immigrants, seekers, and the 100-page introduction is an account of Irish participation in the war, both Union and Confederate; Volume 6, 1866-1870; Volume 7, 1871-1876, Irish begin to establish themselves in post-ACW industrial boom, female immigrants from Ireland outnumber males. Volume 8, 1877-1910, serious post-boom recession in America, during which Irish immigration declined significantly. Per article by Ron WILD in the Jan-Feb 2000 issue of "Family History" magazine, published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, newspaper classifieds are a valuable research tool. The decades of 1840-1860 were turbulent ones for Ireland and saw two million Irish emigrants leave for England, NZ, Australia, Canada and the U.S. The departure from Ireland was not always orderly. Families and friends were separated both from the point of view of those leaving for a new country and by those who stayed behind being dislocated from ancestral towns to places in Ireland where life could at least be sustained. The natural result was that immigrants lost touch with family and friends. This, combined with lost and destroyed Irish record difficulties, makes any new record source welcomed. A brief search by the author of newspaper archives for NY, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal, Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington, London, Liverpool and Birmingham for the same period of time has indicated that newspaper classifieds for lost Irish emigrants also exist in these cities. Although these listings are not as well organized as those that appeared in the "Boston Pilot," an opportunity exists for genealogy and FH societies to follow the example of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and extract classifieds from local newspapers. Classifieds represent an extraordinary Irish resource that could go a long way for making up for destroyed Irish records, including those lost in the 1922 fire at the Dublin Public Records Office. In the "Boston Pilot" the columns had the bold type heading INFORMATION WANTED and then continued in the following manner, as in these three examples: 13 April 1872 OF JAMES O'CONNELL, son of Denis and Mary O'CONNELL, of the townland of Ballyconlon, parish of Killanerin, county Wexford, who came to this country about 22 years ago; he wrote from Jerseyville, Jersey County, Illinois, about three years ago; since then he has not been heard from. If this should meet the eye, or anyone knowing his whereabouts, they will convey a favor on his anxious sister, Mary SWEENEY (maiden name Mary O'CONNELL) by communicating with same. Please address Bernard SWEENEY, Albion, Erie County, Pa. 21 December 1872 OF DENIS KIELY, son of Denis and Elizabeth KIELY, Castletownroche, county Cork, he worked for the Suffolk Company, 10 Eastern Avenue, Boston, Mass., about three years ago; supposed to be now in the vicinity of New York. Should this meet his eye he will hear of his sister Katie, by addressing a letter to Katie KIELY, 41 Fair Street, Newburyport, Mass., or to his uncle Bartholomew HORRIGAN, West Newbury, Massachusetts. 22 November 1873 OF MARY COULTER, who left the city of Montreal, about 19 years ago, for the New England States; father's name was Samuel COULTER, and mother's maiden name was Mary McCLORAIN; also, of her two uncles, William and Alexander COULTER; when last heard from were in Ellicotte's Mills, Md., and are supposed to be there still. Her brother John COULTER, care of Gray Brothers, Syracuse, N. Y. or Ontario St., Rochester, N.Y. dead or alive, will receive information of her. 3 April 1875 OF JOHN LOYDEN, Conemara, parish of Ross, county Galway, aged about 50 years; about 45 years ago he went on board of a man-of-war, twenty-three years ago he wrote a letter home to his brother, Michael LOYDEN, who had left there: at that time he was in Archiel, England: his father's name was Michael LOYDEN, and his mother's name was Bridget WALSH, both of the same parish and county; about a year ago his brother was told by a man that a man of that name kept a hotel in Liverpool, and described about his age and size and complexion, and said the same man spent most of his time at sea. Information of him will be received by his brother, Michael LOYDEN, Victory Mills, Saratoga county N.Y. or by P. O'REGAN.