RE : using records for priests and nuns, If you have a Irish born person enter the Convent or Seminary here in the US and you can prove they are family their personal information can be a gold mind....My 2 g-gaunts did that and when I was able to prove they were family the information I got in their personal info papers from the Convent got me back to Mylerstown Co Kildare and from there to Parish records and more info on the family ...without their information we never would have been able to get the family back to Ireland ..know there were 9 children in the family, know their parents names ...know there were 6 children in the family that emigrated to the US by 1884 for sure .... So don't over look those stories about past family members being in the Religious orders....it took me 2 yrs to get the info to prove to the nuns at the Convent where they were nuns at that they WERE my g-g-grandfathers sisters befor they would release the info....it was a long sometimes brick wall getting it but well worth it for all that their personal information provided...that info also gave a 'person' to a name and date ....I may know little about my gg-grandfather but I sure know what kind of people his sisters were warm, funny ,teasing, full of faith ,one was a wiz with mending shoes, one had a hard time obeying Mother Superior all the time ...one dedicated her time to nursing the sick ...and one was there when the other one died...that info is priceless.. SO if you have mention of a religious please follow that story through..you never be sorry for all the problems you encounter proving them to be family to get the info...my 2 yr quest was well worth it SLC