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,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru
Find Relatives In Mexico

Want to know the Top 3 Keys to Starting Your Mexico Family Genealogy? Go to our Facebook page and click the LIKE button. Then you only have to enter your name and email to get your audio copy of my interview with John Finch, former President of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society. You don't want to miss this information so go to our Facebook page now and get your free audio download.

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.

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,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru
Find Relatives In Mexico

Want to know the Top 3 Keys to Starting Your Mexico Family Genealogy? Go to our Facebook page and click the LIKE button. Then you only have to enter your name and email to get your audio copy of my interview with John Finch, former President of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society. You don't want to miss this information so go to our Facebook page now and get your free audio download.

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.