Jayne McGarvey Genealogy

Home
United Kingdom
Newtownards
Jayne McGarvey Genealogy

Jayne McGarvey provides a professional genealogy service for people with ancestors from Northern Ire

Genealogy in Northern Ireland

Maybe you are considering exploring your Northern Irish roots for the first time, or want to investigate your family history further but don’t have the time to look. Or you’re just not in the right location to pursue your genealogy project or search a particular set of Records, Will or Graveyard. Perhaps you have lost a family member in a census or can’t find that elusive wedding. Knowing about our ancestors can provide a sense of identity in a changing world, and many of us yearn to know more about the people who made us who we are. Yet all too often we know precious little beyond our own grandparents. What part of the country were your ancestors from and what was their place in society? Irish genealogy has somewhat of a reputation for being a disappointing and frustrating pastime for amateur family historians. Countless stories have emerged of people hitting dead ends and the dreaded brick wall, or you will have been told that all the records were lost in the 1922 Four Courts fire in Dublin and indeed many records, but not all, were lost. Each family has its own story just waiting to be uncovered, and it’s a real privilege to help someone find out about their past. If you are ready to embark on your voyage of discovery then contact me today, and take your first step towards knowing your ancestors. My Services

Initial Ancestral Research Assessment

An Initial Ancestral Research Assessment explores the feasibility of archival research by identifying sources of potential relevance for your family history in Northern Ireland. It is often a good idea to commission only a couple of hours to begin with. This will facilitate some work to be done and for a research plan to be drawn up based on results, the information you have and the survival of NI genealogy records which appear relevant. This can also be a useful starting point if you wish to undertake some or all of your own research. An initial research assessment costs £30 and on average takes 3–4 weeks to complete. Detailed Research Packages

A Detailed Research Package can be tailored to suit your individual requirements, whether you wish to build up an individual profile of an ancestor or search a particular family line (which can include extended family members if you wish) or search an individual set of records. This may include archives held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), The General Registration Office, (GRONI) or it may be more locally at churches, graveyards, libraries, newspaper offices etc. This can be useful for clients who wish to carry out the majority of their own research but for time/geographical reasons are unable to search an individual set of parish records or visit a particular grave yard. A Detailed Research Package costs £35.00 per 2 hour block commissioned and includes travel to Central Belfast Archives. Travel to other non-centrally held repositories or areas can be quoted for upon request. Please note that postage charges and fees imposed by registry offices / archives for certificates and photocopying will be added to these time charges. These will be agreed with the client before research commences. Photography

If feasible would you like photographs of homesteads, townlands, churches, schools, headstones? (These can be priced individually or as a package dependent on distance, and can be provided as hard copy and/or digital image)

Please email me for a quotation

Document Retrieval

Know what you want, and where it is, just want a copy by email or post

Please email me for a quotation

29/10/2025

Irish genealogy can sometimes feel like navigating a minefield — with missing records, faded parish registers, and family names that repeat through generations. Progress isn’t always easy or straightforward, but every small discovery brings you closer to understanding your story. Remember to give yourself credit for trying, even if you don’t always succeed at every step.

27/10/2025

22/10/2025

Autumn is the perfect time to visit those old Irish churchyards. The fading light catches the weathered inscriptions differently, and sometimes you can finally read a date that's been hiding all summer. The fallen leaves reveal stones you'd never noticed before, waiting patiently to tell their stories.

If you've been putting off that cemetery visit, now's your chance. Wrap up warm, bring your camera, and see what your ancestors have been waiting to share with you.

21/10/2025

Think the Genealogy Proof Standard is just extra work? It's actually your best defence against spending three months researching the wrong Patrick Murphy.

Yes, there are five steps. Yes, you have to cite everything. And yes, you'll occasionally discover that cherished family story about Great-Great-Granny being a cousin of Michael Collins is... creative fiction.

But consider the alternative: building an entire family tree on a hunch, only to realise you've been following someone else's ancestors for the past year. GPS might feel like eating your vegetables, but it beats having to demolish your entire tree and start over because you skipped the "exhaustive search" bit and grabbed the first Bridget O'Brien you found.

Your future self will thank you. Probably whilst muttering about how tedious it all is, but grateful nonetheless.

20/10/2025

15/10/2025

Every photograph tells a tale — if we take the time to listen.

As we trace our Irish roots, it's often the faded, timeworn images that offer the most profound connection to our past. Each face, each backdrop, each quiet detail carries echoes of lives once lived.

What stories are hidden in your family albums?

Let the search begin.

14/10/2025

Remember These?

Did you have one of these old rotary phones at home?

Home telephones began appearing in Ireland in the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until after 1921 that they became more common in both the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. As usage spread, so too did the publication of telephone directories, listing residential and business subscribers across the island.

For those researching family history, these directories are a valuable yet often overlooked resource. Whether you're tracing ancestors in Dublin or Belfast, Cork or Derry, post-1921 telephone books can help you:

Confirm addresses and occupations

Identify businesses run by family members

Trace the movements of relatives over time

Discover previously unknown branches of your family

Telephone directories were published regularly and are available in archives and libraries. If your ancestors were among the early adopters of the telephone, you might just find their name in print.

Have you ever come across a family listing in an old Irish or Northern Irish phone book?

13/10/2025

Don't overlook newspapers from your relatives' lifetime when researching family history. Whilst we often focus on birth, marriage and death records, local newspapers can reveal so much more about how our ancestors actually lived.

A simple mention in a news article can transform a name and date into a real person. You might discover your grandmother sang at a church social, your grandfather played for the local GAA club, or an aunt attended a community meeting. These small notices paint a picture of their daily lives and the community they were part of.

For those researching Irish families, provincial newspapers are treasure troves. From the 1960s onwards, especially, local papers documented everything from school prize-givings to parish events, business openings to emigration farewell parties. The British Newspaper Archive and Irish Newspaper Archives hold thousands of digitised pages waiting to be explored.

Even if you've already traced your family tree back several generations, it's worth searching newspapers for relatives you actually knew. You might be surprised at what you find about your parents' or grandparents' generation - stories they never thought to mention, or details you were too young to remember.

These articles give context that census records and certificates cannot provide. They show us not just when our relatives lived, but how they lived.

12/10/2025

Genealogy is like gardening; you will always find another place to dig.

09/10/2025

Time spent on research is never truly lost—unless you forget to back it up. Those transcribed census records, parish register notes, and carefully constructed family trees deserve protection. Whether it's cloud storage, an external hard drive, or good old-fashioned paper copies, make sure your Irish ancestry discoveries are safe. The hours you've invested in tracking down your Murphy, O'Brien, or Kelly ancestors are too precious to risk losing to a computer crash or corrupted file. Back up your research today—your future self will thank you.

08/10/2025

From tracing family roots to planting new ones!

What started as an Irish genealogy tour through County Down became one of the most unforgettable moments of their lives. Amidst the stunning autumn colours of Mount Stewart Gardens, he got down on one knee – and thanks to some careful coordination, our photographer was there to capture every magical second.

She said YES! 💍🍂

Sometimes the best chapters of our family stories are the ones we're writing right now. Congratulations to this beautiful couple, and thank you for letting us be part of your journey – past, present, and future.

Address

39 Ballyknockan Road, Ballygowan
Newtownards
BT236NR

Telephone

+442897528750

Website

http://www.jaynemcgarvey.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jayne McGarvey Genealogy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Jayne McGarvey Genealogy:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Newtownards?

Genealogy in Northern Ireland & Ireland

Maybe you are considering exploring your Irish roots for the first time, or want to investigate your family history further but don’t have the time to look or you would like some help to decide which record collections may be of the most help towards your research goal. You may not in the right location to pursue your genealogy project or search a particular set of Records, Will or Graveyard. Perhaps you have lost a family member in a census or can’t find that elusive wedding. Knowing about our ancestors can provide a sense of identity in a changing world, and many of us yearn to know more about the people who made us who we are. Yet all too often we know precious little beyond our own grandparents. What part of the country were your ancestors from and what was their place in society? Irish genealogy has somewhat of a reputation for being a disappointing and frustrating pastime for amateur family historians. Countless stories have emerged of people hitting dead ends and the dreaded brick wall, or you will have been told that all the records were lost in the 1922 Four Courts fire in Dublin and indeed many records, but not all, were lost. Each family has its own story just waiting to be uncovered, and it’s a real privilege to help someone find out about their past. If you are ready to embark on your voyage of discovery then contact me today, and take your first step towards knowing your ancestors. My Services Initial Ancestral Research Assessment An Initial Ancestral Research Assessment explores the feasibility of archival research by identifying sources of potential relevance for your family history in Northern Ireland. It is often a good idea to commission only a couple of hours to begin with. This will facilitate some work to be done and for a research plan to be drawn up based on results, the information you have and the survival of NI genealogy records which appear relevant. This can also be a useful starting point if you wish to undertake some or all of your own research. An initial two-hour research assessment costs £30 and on average takes 3–4 weeks to complete. Detailed Research Packages A Detailed Research Package can be tailored to suit your individual requirements, whether you wish to build up an individual profile of an ancestor or search a particular family line (which can include extended family members if you wish) or search an individual set of records. This may include archives held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), The General Registration Office, (GRONI), The National Archives Ireland (NAI), The National Library of Ireland (NLI), the General Registrar Office of Ireland (GRO) or it may be more locally at churches, graveyards, libraries, newspaper offices etc. This can be useful for clients who wish to carry out the majority of their own research but for time/geographical reasons are unable to search an individual set of parish records or visit a particular grave yard. A Detailed Research Package costs £56.00 per 2 hour block commissioned and includes travel to Central Belfast Archives. Travel to other non-centrally held repositories or areas can be quoted for upon request. Please note that postage charges and fees imposed by registry offices / archives for certificates and photocopying will be added to these time charges. These will be agreed with the client before research commences.

Consultancy Services

Whether you are a seasoned researcher or just beginning, Genealogy can be a fascinating pursuit and many of my clients enjoy being involved in the research themselves. If you would like help to begin or continue your research I can offer one to one classes, either in person or by distance, help you review the information you already have, solve problems with your family tree or assist you put together you own research proposal. Depending on your expertise this can be tailored to suit your needs and access to records.

Please email me for a price at info@jaynemcgarvey.com Photography If feasible would you like photographs of homesteads, townlands, churches, schools, headstones? (These can be priced individually or as a package dependent on distance, and can be provided as hard copy and/or digital image) Please email me for a quotation Document Retrieval Know what you want, and where it is, just want a copy by email or post Prices for document retrieval begin at £10.00 stg for Documents available in the greater Belfast area. Please drop me an email for more details.