How I Found My Ancestral Farm in Woodfield Townland

Finding Woodfield involved a bit of detective work. Old land valuation records gave me my first introduction to my great-great-grandfather Walter Duffy, born in 1817. I found him on old valuation records recording his cottage built in 1780. Subsequent census returns and parish records kept the thread going, showing Walter’s children and grandchildren living on the farm well into the 20th century.

From there, it became a matter of matching plot numbers from 19th century maps on to google earth satellite images. I compared boundaries and lined up the odd‑shaped fields that haven’t changed much in over a hundred years. Eventually, on Google Earth satellite images, one 20‑acre holding stood out. The shape fit. The location fit. Everything lined up perfectly.

I was thrilled and began planning my first trip to the farm by the spring of 2024.

In the next post, we can check out some of the photos from when I trespassed and first set foot on their ground. It was amazing. Stay tuned. Thanks for visiting! And REMEMBER, please contact me in private via email here to share your story. Or just a memory! Is there some ancestor you would like to track down? What do you hope to find? And for a more interactive platform, I created a company page on LinkedIn with the same posts, and there you can leave short stories and comments! Here is the link there… Best wishes, John

(5) THE SKYLINE LAKE CIRCLE OF ANCESTRAL STORIES AND IRISH REMEMBRANCE: Overview | LinkedIn