Tracing Your Mayo Ancestors is the forth book we have reviewed in the Tracing Your [Irish] Ancestors series from FlyLeaf Press out of Ireland. The entire series was created to help researcher both at home [Ireland] and abroad trace their family tree on a county by county basis. Essentially, each book in the series provides a listing of record and document resources within the given county. Each county has its own rich history, with a variety of key settlers, like the Normans, the Vikings, and other groups establishing the first communities and towns. With so many Irish descendents living outside the country, having a county by county resource could prove the very thing needed for finding one’s family in Ireland.

Mayo county sits on the northwest coast and is the second largest county in Ireland. The entire county’s population is around 124,000, down over 215,000 since 1841. Its heritage is a mixture of native Gaelic, Norman, and immigrant Gaelic from Northern Ireland; plus, the normal mixture, if in small numbers, of other ethnic groups from other places.

According to the author, “Mayo, like many other western Irish counties does not have a rich store of records. Therefore it is important that the full range of sources available are used effectively. These sources vary widely in their genealogical content…” This book lists available records of genealogical interest, with details about each source, their location, and reference.

Family Roots Publishing is proud to bring Flyleaf Press books to a North American audience. In addition to Tracing Your Mayo Ancestors, Family Roots Publishing carries eight other titles, including other volumes in the Tracing Your [Irish County] Ancestors series. Here is a list of the Tracing Your [Irish] Ancestors already reviewed on this blog:

 

Table of Contents

Abbreviations

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. How to Use This Book

Chapter 3. Administrative Divisions

Chapter 4. Civil Registration

Chapter 5. Census and Census Substitutes

Chapter 6. Church Records

Chapter 7. Wills, Administration and Marriage Licenses

Chapter 8. Land Records

Chapter 9. Commercial and Social Directions

Chapter 10. Newspapers

Chapter 11. Gravestone Inscriptions

Chapter 12. Surnames, Family Names and Histories

Chapter 13. Mayo in 1789

Chapter 14. Further Reading

Chapter 15. Library, Archives and Society Addresses

Index

 

Order Tracing Your Mayo Ancestors from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: FLP017; Price: $18.95.