I've just joined the list and I've never researched in Ireland before.  I was given a lead on one of my lines from Donegal which I've included along with some additional info I have on the line.   Could someone please give me guidance on how to validate this information.  I'm not from the area and not sure what to do. I do not know what cemetery this is referring to and would very much like to determine the location if at all possible. The following was recently found by a cousin among papers of their grandmother. "The tombstone in Co. Donegal reads:         M. Stevenson - April 14, 1833         John Stevenson - Martha Allen         Lelerkenny in Co. Donegal         "Here lyeth the body of John Stevenson of Lelerkenny          who died on the 15th of July 17, '27 in the 82nd year          of his age"   The tombstone also included a crest." I could find no "Lelerkenny" so I believe it should be Letterkenny, Donegal, which is NW of Raphoe, where we have been told the Stevensons lived. John Stevenson was my 4th great grandfather. His son John Stevenson, Jr. was married to Martha Allen who died giving birth to a daughter in 1833. In 1834 John Stevenson remarried Nancy Eaton in Ireland and by 1846 he was in Meigs Co., Ohio where he died in 1851. John Stevenson, Sr. was married to Elizabeth Baldwin. Their children (all born Ireland) were: William born 1792, Elizabeth 1794, Jane 1796, Isabel 1799, John 1802, Mary Ann 1805. I would like to determine the parents John Stevenson Sr., his wife Elizabeth Baldwin, and Nancy Eaton's. Plus confirm the above information on this line. Thank you for any help, guidance or directions on how to proceed. Connie

Dear Connie The available records you could consult are 1. Tithe Applotment 1834 for Letterkenney, County Donegal available at the URL http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~donegal/lettertithe.htm where a James Stevenson is mentioned. 2. Grifiths Valuation searchable on-line at the URL http://www.irishorigins.com/ 3. Church records are useful before Civil Records began (in 1864), but you need to know the religion of the persons involved 4. Subsequent to 1864, Civil Records of BMD are available and would be useful to access data on relatives left behind in Ireland. 5. The 1901 Census could track those records further. 6. The Library in Letterkenny may have records of local graveyards - URL http://www.donegallibrary.ie/ 7 The Donegal Ancestry Centre will have a lot of this data searchable in a computerised form URL http://indigo.ie/~donances/new_web/ 8. Read Liam's Genealogy Primer (sent to you directly) Liam "A bird in the bush is worth two in the Cat" ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2003 2:09 PM Subject: [DONEGAL] Research Guidence needed on Stevenson Family