County of Arrival - Church Records Certain denominations kept better records than others. Roman Catholic and Lutheran are the most noted examples of excellent record keeping. You are most likely to encounter your ancestor's county of origin in Ireland in marriage or death records, depending on the denomination. Here's an example: The Roman Catholic Church requires that all its members complete the appropriate sacraments prior to marriage in the church i.e., baptism & confirmation. When an immigrant (or anyone for that matter) wanted to marry in a Catholic Church, they have to provide the church with proof of (at least) being baptized. This is even true today. Many times, the immigrant would give the name and location of his/her church in Ireland. Now, whether or not the church in the US would record this information was up to the parish. In many cases, they did. The Quakers (Society of Friends) sometimes recorded the origins of newcomers in their monthly meeting records, as did other denominations. In one instance in my own research, I discovered a county of origin for an ancestor in the sexton's records of an Episcopal church! Church records (or parish rolls) are also a good way to track when your ancestors entered and left a certain area. For example, the census may tell you your ancestors arrived in 1890. However, they may appear in the church records in 1885! When contacting any church, it's a good idea to specifically ask if they have information pertaining to your ancestor's country of origin. I had contacted a church in Philadelphia regarding baptismal information on my grandfather. They were kind enough to send me baptismal info on the entire family AND the baptismal info on the parents in Ireland - church name, town and county! I couldn't believe it! If you never ask, you may never know. But remember, the churches were *not* required to record this information. Take care, Tracy