Explore Irish genealogy and the Irish history of Chicago
Learn more about how people trace their Irish history and how Irish people have made...
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[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER 1: Now I'm with Terri O'Connell, who is a genealogist here at the Irish American Heritage Center. So Terri, what exactly is a genealogist, and what do you do here?
TERRI O'CONNELL: So a genealogist is one who studies your family history. I teach workshops. I host research nights. And I offer consultations for those that want to come in and find more information in regards to their Irish ancestors.
SPEAKER 1: And can you tell us a little bit about, maybe, your family history? Have you lived in Chicago your whole life?
TERRI O'CONNELL: I was born and raised in Chicago, and my family actually came to Chicago in the 1920s. They came from New York, but we've been in the States since just after the famine in the 1860s.
SPEAKER 1: And how were you able to trace that back?
TERRI O'CONNELL: So there are a lot of websites out there that house a lot of these records, such as ancestry.com, and that's where I found a lot of my records. My grandfather was the one who came to Chicago. He was born in New Hampshire, but following his family here in Chicago takes you back, and each one of those records takes you back another generation.
SPEAKER 1: Can you speak on any traditions or celebrations that happen here in Chicago that celebrate Irish heritage?
TERRI O'CONNELL: St. Patrick's Day. We dye our river green. We have a parade-- we have two parades. We have the North Side parade. We have the South Side parade. And then the Northwest side. So we have three parades, actually. We have a big fest that weekend here at the Center, and we're open for consultations that day. People are coming in, and they want to know more about their family.
SPEAKER 1: When people come in here, and if they know very little about their history, and then after spending some time with you and the classes, what do you think they take from it?
TERRI O'CONNELL: That's a large question. So everybody takes away something different. And I think doing your genealogy, you learn not only about the people in the past going back early 1900s, late 1800s. You also learn about yourself. You learn about your immediate family. You learn about your parents-- things you didn't know. And it makes your family make sense. Doing the genealogy-- it's bringing all these families back together.
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