Genealogy Chat

Hi Everyone, Haven't been on the site for ages what a difference there is!!!!!.I've realised why my Harding ancestors are so very elusive not only are they military but also they were all Roman Catholic too.....which means if I'm right the registers are almost impossible to access?.Does anyone know of any sites that might help me to trace any details??. It's good to be back..hope all your tree hunting is going well....... Elaine

Hallo Elaine. I have Mark Herber's book "Ancestral Trails" on my lap - he has several pages about Catholic records, which I can't face typing out, but if you are wanting info on registers then Catholics sometimes had children baptised/got married/buried in Anglican churches and might appear in the register with "papist" or "recusant" beside their name. If they didn't attend Catholic church, or the priest refused to admit them, they might be served by an itinerant priest, which makes records hard to find. Between 1754 and 1837 most Catholics married in Anglican churches to ensure the marriage was legally valid. After Catholic relief acts 1778 and 1791 it was OK to worship in Catholic chapels. There's a Catholic Record Society and a Catholic Family History Society which might be able to help you. Some Catholic registers have also been deposited in record offices. Your local library will have a copy/can get a copy of Ancestral Trails - info is on pp246-251. nell

Hallo Elaine There is a Catholic Record Society which might be of use: http://www*.catholic-history*.org*.uk/crs/ Remove * first. Mark Herber's book "Ancestral Trails" available in bookshops and libraries has pp246-251 info on Catholic ancestors. Type "catholic register" or similar into a search engine to find more. nell

I am not too sure about the mainland, but here in Northern Ireland (and the Republic) attitudes differ between parishes, although there are a number held in Public/General Record Offices on both side of the border It can vary from there being no problem, sometimes with a small donation to the church to virtually impossible. In some cases the priest may ask if there is a family connection or reason. If there isn't - goodbye. In others, it may require the permission of the Bishop of the Diocese, with or without proving a family connection. And, as I stated, in some cases, there is near enough no chance, although there are ways and means. Theresa (from Cork) may be able to shed more light on the matter. Paul

Hi Nell,Thank you very much for all your help,I will order a copy of the book immediately.Your help is much appreciated,Elaine

Hi Paul, Thanks very much I am now forewarned and forearmed to try all my wiles and methods of persuadance,by hook or by crook I shall uncover more of my roots.....Thanks again. Elaine

Elaine, I have some Catholic ancestors and have had to go to the priests to get the information I needed.Some have a set fee they charge for looking and translating from Latin into English,recently one charged £3 for each name they looked up.Others will do it for nothing.Some of the Catholic registers are in the local record office.I tried for 10 years to get one priest to look for i nformation for me,he always refused.Eventually the records he had were put into the record office. Good luck. Wendy