Find Family in Mexico

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Family Genealogy Search Begins with a Name

Everything has a starting point. Your Mexico family genealogy search starts with the name of the person you want to find. The other vital piece of information you must have is the state in Mexico where this person lives or lived. These are the two building blocks of information from which to start your search. So let's look at the structure of the name.

Recently Chantelle posted on Facebook asking for help to find her son's biological grandparents in Mexico. She wrote that she only had the city and the one apellido. If you are unfamiliar with Spanish, apellido is the term for last name, commonly referred to as a surname in genealogy.

Now when I say that your starting point is a name, I'm always referring to a complete name that includes both the father and mother's last names. You should read my blog #3 Want to find family in Mexico? What you need to get started because it covers the structure of Spanish names in greater detail.

Let's say that you have only one surname and it's Hernandez, one of the top 10 most popular names in Mexico, then more information would be needed to have any real hope of finding this person. In the case of Chantelle, the surname of her son's grandparents is Gaimes. She also let us know that the grandparents are reported to be living in San Luis Potosi. Gaimes is not a very popular name so a search was done to see if there were indications of any records with this name in San Luis Potosi.

Unfortunately, no evidence was found that there are records for someone in San Luis Potosi having the surname Gaimes. The genealogy search was extended to several cities beyond San Luis Potosi. Nothing. At this point, the surname Gaimes is now suspect. I like the principal of Occam's Razor when it comes to a family genealogy search in Mexico. Simply stated, "when you have two competing theories making exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better." In this case, which is the more likely, that all of the Gaimes family left San Luis Potosi or that Gaimes may be a misspelling?

When no records are identified, it often indicates that there is a misspelling of the surname. An expert in Onomastics, the study of proper names, was brought in to review the surname Gaimes. After an exhaustive search, no record could be found of Gaimes as a Hispanic surname. This search included surname origins from Spain and most of Latin America. The closest surname spelling was Gamez that shows up in many Spanish countries.

Of course, not everyone who lives in Mexico has ancestry in Mexico so it's quite possible that Gaimes is a legitimate surname from non-Hispanic origins. However, with no indication of the existence of current records with this surname, the probability is that Gaimes is a misspelling. The good news is that Chantelle now knows this and she can talk with relatives to see if Gamez is perhaps the correct surname.

Doing your family genealogy search should be fun and can be very rewarding and at times exciting. Keep in mind, though, that you may hit a wall with the information you have. If so, then it's time to step back and seek out help from experts who specializes in Mexico family genealogy. Chantelle was smart because she got help and advice from an expert in Onomastics to review her information and point her, hopefully, in the right direction.

Saludos,

Richard

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru
Find Relatives In Mexico

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Friday, May 6, 2011

Mexico Family Genealogy Resources: If You Offer It, They May Come

I received an interesting email from a genealogical society. I had posted some tips on their Facebook page. The woman explained that they don't have much need for Hispanic genealogy information. The writer commented that in 20 years they had never had anyone ask for such information. That got me reflecting on comments I've heard over the years from genealogists.

I remember an email from a woman living in Los Angeles who wanted to start her Mexico family genealogy. Her challenge was that the places she had visited had little or no reference materials to help her. She was shocked and frustrated that in a city with so many Hispanics that she could not find the help she wanted. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common complaint.

On the other hand, I had a genealogy society in Southern California ask me to recommend Hispanic genealogy resources. Someone had come in looking to do Mexico family genealogy, and the members realized that they didn't have much in the way of reference materials. I applaud this society for reaching out and wanting to be better prepared for the next person.

If libraries and genealogy societies in heavily populated Hispanic areas don't have resources available to help someone with their Hispanic family genealogy, should they expect Hispanics to show up? Maybe this is a chicken and egg situation. Do people show up because there are resources or should societies wait until they get a request?

Back to the email I got. The woman from the genealogy society mentioned that there is a significant Puerto Rican population nearby. We recently helped a woman of Puerto Rican descent locate relatives living in Mexico. Over the years, many people who were originally born outside of Mexico (think Russia) have come to us for help to locate family members in Mexico. We've helped people from as far away as Australia! The bottom line is that we're a mobile society. Anyone who is originally from outside of Mexico could still have Mexican ancestors that they want to find.

Adding that 1 out of 6 people in the U.S. are Hispanic and two-thirds are of Mexican origin, the interest in Mexico family genealogy can only increase. Maybe a good starting point for genealogy societies is to offer occasional advice about Hispanic genealogy. It doesn't have to cost. Tips can be made in a newsletter, blog or Facebook page. If genealogy societies want new, younger members, they need look no further than at Hispanic communities that are starving for genealogical help and resources. It may simply be a matter of letting Hispanics know that they are welcome.

Saludos,

Monday, May 2, 2011

Success with Mexico Family Genealogy Search Could Depend on One Piece of Information

Sometimes little things happen in life that can help you be better at work, at home and even with your Mexico family genealogy research. I had one of those "Ah ha" moments this last weekend.

My headset died on me last week. I tend to sleep with my headset so I didn't want something bulky. I had bought a simple model from Radio Shack that goes behind you head and doesn't have moving part. I had only one complaint - because the headset is a one-size-fits-all, I couldn't make it fit more tightly. So it would slip down. I would sometimes put on a cap to hold the headset in place.

You're probably thinking, "Well, why didn't you get another headset?" The simple answer is that it wasn't enough of a bother to motivate me to buy another one until mine died last week. When that happened, I went online checking brands to find a better headset. Problem is that no head/ear bud set seemed as durable as the Radio Shack model so I found myself back there shopping for a replacement.

The only model that I liked was again the same headset I had previously. Since I had already owned a set, I was about to leave, but the salesperson asked if he could help. Fortunately, I took him up on his offer and that's where things changed. I asked if I could try on the headset since this model seemed like it might fit tighter than my last one. The guy opened the package and I popped them on.

Immediately he comments, "Actually, these are make so the headset fits over your ears to stay in place." OMG! I had been putting them on UPSIDE DOWN (not over my ears) so that's why my headset kept slipping off. Now that I know how to properly put on the headset, they fit fine. Problem solved.

That's when I realized that some people doing family genealogy encounter the problem of not knowing that they are doing something incorrectly. You may start off with good advice either from an article, book or blog. But somewhere along the way, you may get off course. You may think you're taking the right steps but become frustrated when your family genealogy search seems to hit a wall.

The solution is to get help from someone who's been down the road before. Take your information and have someone look it over. Visit your Family History Center or Genealogy Society. Pay for a professional service such as our Profile Builder so an expert can review your data.

It only takes one error to slow down or stop your progress. You could have the right information, but you may be doing something incorrectly just as I had a headset that would have fit perfectly IF I'd known that I was putting it on improperly. There's lots of help out there so you can have fun and success with your Mexico family genealogy. You may just need to check in once in a while with an expert to be sure you're on course and not missing that one piece of information that's stopping you from having success.

Saludos,

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Doing Mexico Genealogy Research Online? Information Can Be Limited

Today Tina posted this comment on our Facebook wall:

"Working on a new family for a friend that is Mendoza, Morales and Miranda. Learning alot, learning there is not much "online" for Mexico research compared to others, which is sad."

One of the challenges with doing Mexico family genealogy research is that the majority of documents are sitting in boxes either at government offices or worse in warehouses. Now it's true that new documents are coming online each month, but again, that is still a small amount (perhaps 20%) of the documents that could be available and aren't.

Be sure to take advantage of your local Genealogy Society and Family History Center. They have access to resources and information in other formats such as microfiche. And if your Genealogy Society is lacking in materials to help you do Mexico family genealogy research, have them email us. We can recommend key resources they should have on hand. You can also visit our Resources page.

The Internet is an incredible tool. It's fast and free, but it has its limits so be flexible and look for additional resources as you do your family genealogy research.

Saludos,

Friday, April 22, 2011

Latino genealogy: Advice from leading experts

If you want to jump start your Mexico family genealogy, this is the podcast for you. It was my privilege to be a guest on the show. On this podcast by Geneabloggers, you'll hear about doing family genealogy in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain.

Listen to internet radio with GeneaBloggers on Blog Talk Radio

Listen in as I and three other experts on Latino genealogy share insights into how to start your family genealogy search, identify important documents and much more.

Saludos,

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Mexico Genealogy Search On Hold? Maybe It's Time for a Paid Service

I just read a blog post by Thomas MacEntee where he touches on the topic of doing genealogy using only free information versus the value of paying for certain services. I agree with the author that genealogy is one endeavor where the average participant seems to feel that everything should be free of charge. I'm certain this belief is supported in part because of the enormous amount of free articles, tips and advice available on the Internet.

I have and continue to offer free advice to help people start their Mexico family genealogy search through this blog, Facebook and several articles. But there may come a point where your success could depend on a paid service to move you forward especially if you need to find immediate family members living in Mexico.

Recently a woman came to my company for help. She was looking for her sister that she hadn't seen for more than 17 years. She knew the Mexico state where she thought her sister might be living. She just wasn't sure of the exact city so we did a search of the entire state. This isn't a free service. We're talking about covering hundreds of cities and thousands and thousands of records.

Using the woman's information, we located an uncle she was unaware of. The woman talked with her uncle and received some surprising news. Her sister was living in a different state! That explained why we didn't find her sister. And there's even more good news. She also found her birth mother.

If this woman hadn't come to us so we could access resources not available to the public and definitely not free, she most likely would never have found her sister using her limited information.

There are many free, quality information sources you can use as you start your Mexico family genealogy search. Blogs and articles can be very helpful. Your local Genealogical Society and Family History Center can also help you. You may be fortunate as many are to find living relatives without having to pay for access to documents, information or services. Learning about your Mexico family history should be fun and doesn't always have to cost you except for your time and perseverance.

However, if you aren't making progress and truly want to find someone, you have to be open to the option that you may need a professional service to help you get past a sticking point. Otherwise, you might end up as some people do who spend years only accessing free information and not making the progress they want. And there's nothing fun about that.

Saludos,

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Ready to Quit Your Mexico Genealogy Search? Get an Expert Opinion First

The other day a man wrote that he has been trying to find his birth father for more than six years. He had had no success in his search and felt that he didn't have enough information. He was ready to quit looking for his birth father.

Fortunately, before giving up the man had called and talked with me. After a brief conversation, he revealed that he had his parents' marriage certificate from Mexico, but he didn't think it was very helpful. I explained how valuable this marriage certificate was to his search efforts.

Often people who are not trained in using documents underestimate their genealogical value. Another challenge is that even if they can appreciate the information contained in a legal document, they may not have access to databases so they can actually do a search.

People will sometimes give up looking for family in Mexico because they've spent several weeks, if not months, searching online. They feel that the Internet is THE source to find someone. The truth is that there's still a significant amount of documents and personal information that isn't accessible online. The Internet is a great resource, but it's only one resource especially when it comes to doing a family genealogy search for living relatives in Mexico.

People can mistakenly feel that they have exhausted all possibilities and give up. In the hands of an expert, a few pieces of information can be all that is needed to locate a person in Mexico.

If you have started your family genealogy search and feel that you can't go further or that you don't have enough information to ever find this person, take your information to an expert. Let them review your information. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that you have enough information so that your relative can be found. Then you can have the joy of learning more about your family and continuing with your Mexico family genealogy search.

Saludos,

Richard

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru
Find Relatives In Mexico

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PS. If you have any comments that you feel will help, leave them here as well as on our Facebook page. Together we can help each other to connect to our ancestors, know our family and have a better sense of where we come from.

PPS. If you like this blog, click the LIKE button above and share it with your friends. The more you share with us, the better we can help you find family in Mexico and get you started on your Mexico genealogy search.