Jan, I would suggest you simply google "Ballyfin Ireland Laois" to find information about Ballyfin. Here are a couple of sites I have found--there are scads more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballyfin http://www.slievebloom.ie/history/ballyfin_history.html http://www.irishmidlandsancestry.com/content/laois/community/ballyfin_house.htm And I would like to correct an impression I seem to have left earlier--the C of I Ballyfin register starts in 1822, not 1800. BUT, folks who attended Ballyfin church and lived in the area can often be found in the registers for Maryborough and Mountrath (Clonenagh and Clonagheen parish). At various times the Ballyfin Church has been part of one or the other of these parishes. The Maryborough register has baptisms back to 1793 (and the lovely man who entered those earliest records actually provided the mother's maiden name, providing me with the birth name of my ggg grandmother); the Mountrath register goes back to 1749. These registers are held at the RCBL, the Church of Ireland Archives and Library, in Dublin, and are available to the public. You could probably hire a researcher who would look for records for you. See: http://www.progenealogists.com/ireland/churchireland.asp You say your family moved to England in the 1860s. If so they probably are listed in the Griffiths Valuation, which was taken in 1850 in the Ballyfin/Maryborough area. You can search those records by name or place. The search page for family names is: http://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie/gv4/gv_family_search_form.php Sharon Haggerty ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jan Vernon" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 4:55 PM Subject: [LAOIS] Book suggestions - Ballyfin >I was wondering if anyone is able to suggest a book I could read about > Ballyfin Village and surrounding area. My family lived in Ballyfin before > they moved to Yorkshire, England in the 1860s. > > I have found that it really helps to read a book about the area to get a > feel for the life they lived and any suggestions of a suitable book would > be > helpful. > > Regards, > > Jan Vernon