I'm trying to find family of mine in Ireland. How do I go about finding & contacting them?

Question

My grandmother's parents came from County Cork and their names were Elizabeth and Patrick Hunt. After they left Ireland they came to the United States and lived in New York where my great-grandfather was murdered a few years later. I would appreciate any help.

Answer 1

Hey Heather,

Try the Ireland White Pages online for their last name Hunt. If you know GMothers maiden name, you can look for that too. If you can trace back a few generations, then you might move forward down your line of cousins.

Here are some phone sites, and some genealogy sites.

Answer 2

Try to narrow it down -- does ANYONE in the family know a town name? (There are a lot of Patricks in County Cork.) Elizabeth's family name? Either of their father's names? Did they actually come from County Cork or was that their place of departure? Is Hunt the original last name or is it an anglicization?

You should be able to find microfiched information on the murder. If it was only a few years after he got to the U.S., it could well tell you something about his place of birth and/or residence in Ireland. Get onto the internet genealogy boards and see if you can get some help in locating where those records will be.

If you can't get much information out of your own family, you might still be able to find distant cousins, some of whom might know more. Start close and work your way out and back.

With the information you've got, it's a needle in a haystack. A lot of U.S. Americans show up in Ireland with about that much and high expectations. Fill in the blanks and you've got a chance. Best of luck.

Answer 3

find a local paper and write a letter to the letter to the editors page and hope they print it.

pay for an add in the small adds of a local paper giving a contact email.

find some web forum that is about the area that local people might read.

you'll need to find out what part of cork they lived in be aware your new cousins might not want to meet this american so make it plain that you would like to meet if it is ok with them. really you are just looking for information.

if you go on one of those forums do not expect to be treated with any respect peoples republicofcork is a political satire so expect the worst

you might be better off looking through myspace and bebo for people from that part of the country.

or if you had a phone directory from that part of the country.