Researching William Irwin
Research the background of William Irwin using the links below. We hope you find this information useful!
![]() | Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 2519 people with the Irwin surname? In that year Irwin was ranked number 1548 for popularity in the UK. |

The name William means "resolute guardian" and is of German origin.
Records of William Irwin on Ancestry
Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out the detail of William Irwin in your family tree. With over 30 billion records and 100 million family trees to search, Ancestry is one of the key websites to visit to help you trace your family tree back in time. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.
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Ancestry.com Global records search results for William Irwin. |
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Ancestry.com US records search results for William Irwin. |
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Ancestry.co.uk UK records search results for William Irwin. |
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Ancestry.ca Canadian records search results for William Irwin. |
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Ancestry.com.au Australian records search results for William Irwin. |
DNA
Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. A DNA test can sometimes help to make a link to a particular family name if you find you share common DNA with people who have the same or similar surnames as each other. If you are lucky then you may get a match within a few generations and discover some Irwin ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!
Have you reached a brick wall in your Irwin Tree?
Birth, Death and Marriage Records for William Irwin and the Irwin Family History
Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Irwin Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Irwin family tree.
Investigate Parish Records for William Irwin at Find My Past.
Look at for the UK registered births, marriages and deaths of William Irwin using the FreeBMD database.
Investigate Genealogy Bank for William Irwin records.
Investigate MyHeritage for William Irwin information.
Investigate the LDS Database for records about William Irwin.
Research the Irwin surname using fold3 Military Archives and view images of original Irwin Military records.
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 7223 people with the Irwin surname in the UK? Irwin is now ranked number 827 for popularity in the UK. |
Irwin Family Tree Databases
Another way to build your tree quickly is to use the research other people have already done. This can help to confirm or refute your own deductions - however, be wary of taking this data at face value as other researchers may not have been as meticulous as you. Always try to back up deductions with some definitive sources rather than relying too heavily on others.
Search the WikiTree database for user contributed records for William Irwin.
Study MyTrees for information on the Irwin family and people looking to contact living Irwin relations.
Study One Great Family for Irwin records submitted by people who are already researching the Irwin Family Tree.
Find William Irwin from Ireland on findmypast.ie
Irwin Forums
There are a number of forums which are dedicated to rearching particular surnames. These can be good places to share your findings and also to tap into the knowledge that others may already have. These can sometimes be a good way of finding living relations as these tend not to show up on the other sources of information for privacy reasons.
Research the Irwin surname using Genealogy.com forums .
![]() | Did you know that there are currently 39497 people with the Irwin surname in the USA? Irwin is ranked number 144 for popularity in the USA. |
Miscellaneous Irwin Databases
Investigate the Ellis Island Database for information on William Irwin. This database contains over 25 million immigration records detailing passengers arriving in the United States of America.
Some Famous People called William Irwin
William Irwin (California politician)
William Irwin (1827 – March 15, 1886) was an American politician from the Democratic Party who served as the 13th governor of California between 1875 and 1880. He previously served as acting lieutenant governor for nine months in 1875.
Born in Butler County, Ohio, Irwin graduated in 1848 from Marietta College in Marietta, where he later became an instructor. After moving to California, Irwin worked in various private industries and was eventually elected to the California State Assembly as one of two members representing Siskiyou County. He became the editor of a newspaper and then was elected to the California State Senate. He served as president pro tempore of the Senate and as such, became acting lieutenant governor in 1875 when Lieutenant Governor Romualdo Pacheco became governor. Irwin was elected governor in his own right that same year. He died in 1886 in San Francisco, California and was interred in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery in Sacramento, California.






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