Exploring the origins and fate of 15 Irish families who lived in three villages in Dalmellington parish in Ayrshire in 1871, this study by Joan Riddell aimed to shed light on the usefulness of Scottish Records in origins research.
Data drawn from censuses, vital and parish records and other sources supported origins research and construction of family trees and timelines. Data gathered were analysed for origins, outcomes, common characteristics and resonance with themes. Genealogical research revealed county-level origins for 29 out of 30 individuals, parishes for 27, and townlands for 25.
Irish immigrants came mostly from Ulster, 60% from County Down. Within this county, a strong connection was identified between the three villages and a group of townlands in Upper Ards, involving a third of the cohort. Mapping origins at townland level, alongside genealogical research, proved effective in revealing localised migration chains.
Origin-based channels which initially brought workers to Dalmellington were either supplanted or enhanced by new connections formed on arrival, evidenced in marriages and mining-related circuits.
For some, Dalmellington, or Scotland, was the destination. For others, it was temporary, evidenced in the significant presence of lodgers. For four families, Dalmellington was a stepping stone, and emigration to New World destinations was the ultimate ambition. Little upward mobility was experienced by those who settled in Scotland, with more evidence of social and economic advancement seen among those who emigrated.
Detail in Scottish records strongly enhanced the potential to identify Irish origins, in the majority of cases to parish, nearest town or village. Birth records were particularly useful in providing a critical entry point to Irish Records. Irish sources, civil marriage records in particular, identified townlands.