Occupation Records
Researching your relation’s job can reveal details such as their birthplace
If your ancestor described himself as a pensioner at any point then it is likely that he served in the armed forces or the police. His military service record should state his parish of birth in Ireland. Police, Naval and coastguard service records may also include similar information. Sailors and seamen appear on shipping agreements and crew lists, which usually record their birthplace.
Masters’ and mates’ certificates for merchant seamen after 1850 will also state a place of birth in
Ireland. Military, maritime and some police service records can be found at findmypast.co.uk and ancestry.co.uk. Other police and maritime records are at the National
Archives, or county record offices and archives.
Did your forebear move with their community?
Have a look at the demographics of the local community where your ancestor settled. Outside of large urban centres, if your Irish forebear settled in a small town, are there other Irish families who settled in the same area? Were they all employed in the same trade or industry? Emigration from Ireland, particularly in pre-famine times (prior to 1845), was often ‘chain migration’, in which members of the same family, community or congregation followed each other to the same location
overseas, perhaps where they knew they were guaranteed work. For example, clusters of fishing families on the English south coast with Irish origins often came from Wexford and Waterford. There was also a concentration of families from the Greyabbey area of Co. Down found in Maryport, Cumberland. If you can identify other families who might have come from the same place in Ireland, then you have a better chance of the birthplace of at least one of them appearing in English or Scottish records.
will reveal Determining your relation’s religion should search. which type of parish records you the A marriage certificate should indicate they married, denomination of the church where children should and baptismal records for their possibility that do the same. Don’t rule out the married. your ancestor converted when they