Stephen, Could you help me? I am looking for my great grandfather and do not know where to start. His name was Doctor John M. McInerny and he lived on Park Ave. in New York City. He had a brother whose name was William McInerny and he was from Worchester Mass. John died on August 2 1928. He had a daughter Virginia Leigh McInerny who was born on July 11 1908. Any help that you can give me in tracking down what part of Ireland they are from and tracing the rest of the family would be greatful.
Regards
Hugh Hornsby

Hugh:

The first thing you need to do is find Dr. McInerney's death certificate and marriage certificate. They should tell you his mother and father's names. You cannot find anything in Ireland unless you have those names, especially the mother's maiden name. If he was born in County Clare, your parents can take that information to the Clare Heritage Centre in Corofin, County Clare. They will research the family for you. Since he was born fairly recently (1880), you should be able to find a good deal of information, and maybe even connect with current family members in Ireland. Since he lived much of his life in 20th century New York, was a medical doctor and lived on Park Avenue, you should find plenty of information on him without a lot of effort. Minnesota has a history center that provides tons of genealogical information. I bet New York does too. The easiest way to start is to go to Ancestry.com's home page and enter is name. Narrow your search to the state of New York and you'll be surprised how much will come up. My ancestors were illerate farmers from Corbally townland, County Clare, near Kilkee. They left around 1849. Few records survive in Ireland from that era. Your ancestor shouldn't present too many problems. Hope this helps.

Stephen McInerny