Surname Best

Hello to all. I've recently discovered that my Greatx4 Grandmother Annis Best hails from Ireland. That's the good news. Other than that knowing that her father Charles Best born 1786/7, also hails from Ireland I have yet to discover additional information. I have documentation showing Annis marrying Francis Rhodes (born 1813) in Ohio in 1832 and names and years of birth of my Aunts and Uncles born in the U.S. of this marriage, but I am unable to find information as to the birth place or birth year of Annis Best (Rhodes). A 1850 US Census Record shows Aunt Ann Rhodes being born in Ireland in 1834 (1st or 2nd sibling). Any words of advice to help in my quest is greatly appreciated. Also, does the first name Annis translate to Nancy?

Hi Valerie,

How exciting to hear of your Irish ancestry!

Family history research can certainly be tricky at times, especially with gaps in the paper trail and oral history.

I've an interesting bit of information though, regarding your Annis/Nancy question.  Etymology tells us Nancy was previously a medieval diminutive of Annis, though since the 18th century it has been a diminutive of Anne!

There is a previous community post on Helpful Research Tips that has some excellent information on places to check for records. Current records for the Republic of Ireland have been kept at the General Register Office of Ireland (GRO), to this day. For Northern Ireland, people born or lived in Northern Ireland after 1921, then their records would be with General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI).

We wish you all the best with your search and hopefully, some of our community members may also be able to help you.

Best wishes