Introduction

Life after emigration is best attested to through the words of those who experienced its upheaval. The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick selected twenty four manuscript collections from their holdings and an additional four groups of related records which exemplify the experience of Irish immigrants and their descendants and highlight the effects of immigration. These records, largely consisting of letters and now available for online viewing, reflect the important role of the Irish diaspora in shaping the development of the province.

These collections have been digitized in entirety and selectively transcribed. Finding aids for each body of records provide access to the entire digitized collection and to corresponding transcripts. Content selected for transcription from these collections represents some of the Archives most acute documentary insight into Irish immigration. Due to the particular relevance of the transcribed material these items have also been made available through full text search and indexed by subject, and place. The transcribed content provides particularly poignant points of access, providing glimpses into themes surrounding Irish immigration and the development of immigration policies in New Brunswick. They also provide points of access to the broader collections they belong to, highlighting how the collection speaks to immigration and narrowing a users search through the sometimes voluminous content. Not only do the complete digitized collections provide important context for these transcripts, they also stand on their own as important testaments to the lives of those involved in the development of New Brunswick.