-
Continue reading →: Starting Your Northern Irish Family History Journey: Beginning Tips.Embarking on your family history journey can be both exciting and rewarding—but let’s not sugarcoat it, it can also feel like trying to solve a puzzle where half the pieces are missing, and the other half have been chewed by the dog!
-
Continue reading →: Resisting a Bailiff: One morning, two newspaper reports…When you begin digging into family history, you imagine that old newspapers will give you facts. Dates. Names. Clear answers. What you don’t expect is that they will also give you opinions. Recently I discovered two separate reports of the same court case, (published in previous blog posts ) involving my ancestors,…
-
Continue reading →: Bailiff’s Troubles – An early visit. Alarming the household
Northern Constitution – Saturday 22 April 1882 John Herald, Mary Ann Herald, James Herald, Peggy Herald and Thomas Herald were indicted for having on the 29th July 1881, at Clagan, forcibly rescued a dresser, the goods of one John Herald. The prisoners were also indicted for assaulting Neal Curry, Hugh Toye and John Kennedy. The following jury…
-
Continue reading →: A Warm Reception: The Herald Family, 1881-1882On a July morning in 1881, just after half past five, the quiet of the Herald household was broken by an attempted seizure of goods over a debt of £4 16s — a not insignificant sum, but one that would soon spiral into violence, courtrooms, and prison sentences. John Herald and his…
-
Continue reading →: A WARM RECEPTION – RESISTING A BAILIFF
Coleraine Chronicle – Saturday 22nd April, 1882. I came across this newspaper article and initially found it really amusing. “You’ll never believe what happened to my ancestors…” I told friends gleefully, chuckling through various parts of the re-telling. But really, this is not a funny story. It is a story of life…
-
Continue reading →: Finding JamesWhat My Great-Grandfather Taught Me About Genealogy, Gravestones & the Power of Local Knowledge Gravestones are extraordinary resources for family historians. They hold dates, names, relationships, stories… and sometimes, they hold the breakthroughs we’ve been searching for decades.But when the person you’re looking for has a very common name —…
-
Continue reading →: Nollaig na mBanTwelfth Night, or the 6th of January, used to hold a special place in Irish tradition. Known as Nollaig na mBan or Women’s Christmas, it marks the final day of the Christmas season
Hello,
I’m Rhonda.
As a qualified librarian with 20+ years of family history experience, I’ve decided to share my passion for genealogy and local history here in Ulster Origins. I hope you will find something to interest you. Online workshops coming soon in early 2026!
Ulster Origins 