This document is in Adobe® Acrobat® Reader format.
® Adobe & Acrobat are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Corporation
The Local Ireland Local Names site is the best place to post a query about your search. Messages seem to be retained there forever for all newcomers to view.
"The use of modern surnames dated from the early Middle ages. The Irish surname Ledwith, a variant of the more well known Ledwidge, is of two possible origins. In the first place this name may be of toponymic origin, being derived from a particular place near which the original bearer lived or heald land. In this instance, the surname Ledwidge is derived from the English place name Ledwyche which is located in Shropshire.
From Historical Research Center
Ledwith [Ledwich] from Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins
'This family was established in County Meath at least as early as 1279; they are included among the leading gentry at that county in 1329. Later they spread to County Westmeath where Ledwichtown indicates their location. By 1598 they were also found among the genty of County Kilkenny.
Reverend Edward Ledwich (1737-1823), the antiquary, states that they were part of a German family that settled in Cheshire, England, who came to Ireland with deBurgo in 1200, when they obtained land in County Westmeath. The Ledwith Medical School in Dublin is (was) naned after his grandson, Thomas Ledwith (1823-1858). Francis Ledwidge (1891-1917), a poet, came from the same area."
I plan to add hyperlinks to more detailed information about these famous Ledwiths. Contributions are welcome. The following are not so famous or infamous but the best we've found so far:
Research could be continued in two ways. One could run around and gather county and church records while in Ireland on vacation. This is not my idea of a fun time. The best resource hereabouts is the Family History Library (FHL) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) in Salt Lake City. The Mormons have gathered geneological data from all over the world to this research facility. They use the information in their religion. Practicing Mormons are indeed on a 'quest' for their ancestors. You can access information from the Library from your locality through the LDS Family History Centers. This can be a slow process since requests and information have to flow back and forth to Salt Lake City. Years hence we might find the data on the Web throught the Digital Library Technology project of the Family History Information Technology Laboratory of Brigham Young University. Don't hold your breath. It's a big project!
Who might access the Family History Library? Contract researchers in Utah who have area specialization in Ireland can be located on the Web. I have no idea what they might charge. I'd like to think my sister who is a Mormon [ I am not] and lives in Salt Lake would embark on her 'quest' to dig up ancestral history. Alas, she has a large family to tend and has had no time to do research. Kathy isn't formally trained in researching Irish genealogy but she's a smart cookie who learns fast. I would guess we could entice her into going downtown to the FHL to research our roots for the price of a few nights of babysitting. None of this has fit into my budget so far. If you would like to commission a search or partner with others I would be happy see what might be arranged..
I'm open to all ideas and suggestions here. Drop me a note with yours.
Links to Ledwiths [Ledwichs] on the Web
Links from here can be to Web sites (home pages), email 'mailto' addresses, or ftp sites. I can put up photos or short biographical sketches you send me on my site or prepare them for your site. Small clickable images would be nice on this page.. In the interest of minimizing download time, I'll link from here to another page for viewing. To add yours email the information to me. I can read all kinds of attachments. - Don
Best Experienced With
CLick Here to start.
Your Unofficial Family WebMaster
Don Ledwith "LedHead on the Web"
Revised: January 23, 2000.