Searching for ancestors of Michael Cummins

Hi Leslie 

Thank you for your query. You will need to find out the  place name of the parish or townland your family came from to search for any existing records. Did your family emigrate to Canada?Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.

Do you know much about their emigration? The dates, the reason why they left, who they may have travelled with?..etc..Generally more information was given at the port of arrival rather than the port of departure. If you knew which city they arrived at (e.g. Liverpool, New York, etc.), this could be a good place to find more information. -And perhaps even find out an exact place of origin.  http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/index-e.html

You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp  or the later Griffith's Valuation (1848-64) http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/     or the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) https://familysearch.org/        
The Tithe Applotment List might be of use to you, or at least interesting for you. These lists constitute the only nationwide survey for the period, and are valuable because the heaviest burden of the tithes to the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, fell on the poorest, for whom few other records survive. The information in the Tithes is quite basic, typically consisting of townland name, landholder's name, area of land and tithes payable.

Here are some more general genealogy websites that may assist you in your research:

http://ifhf.rootsireland.ie/?gclid=CNno8ZeUwLUCFcgc4Qod_goADw
http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/
http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introductio…

I hope this information is of some help to Leslie. Do not hesitate to contact us again.

Kind regards,                    

Genealogy Support