The Genealogist

Top 5 Tips For Successful Mexico Genealogy Research

By Richard Villasana

Genealogy is the study or investigation of ancestry and family histories.1 Mexico Genealogy is simply the search and research to find members of your family who were or still are living in Mexico. For many people genealogy research begins with a very basic desire: to find a parent or living relative.

Don\’t let the term genealogy scare you off. Even if you are just looking for a friend, romantic partner or former classmate, you still must have this information. Otherwise, your chances of finding that particular person are virtually impossible.

Below are the essential 5 pieces of information you need as you begin your research to find a living relative in Mexico.

1. Have the person\’s full name
One of the challenges with identifying someone in the U.S. is not having the mother\’s maiden name of the person you are seeking. Fortunately in Mexico, each individual has two last names: the Father\’s surname followed by the Mother\’s surname. If you were searching for Juan Carlos Cortez Aristegui, the break down of the name would be:
Juan Carlos (first name(s) \”apellido\”)
Cortez (father\’s last name \”nombre\”)
Aristegui (mother\’s maiden name \”nombre\”)

There are no middle names in Spanish. Juan Carlos is the person\’s first name. So to best ensure the person you find is the correct one, you need a complete name.

2. Know the state
Knowing the state where your relative is living is critical information to your search. Mexico has thirty-one states and a federal district (distrito federal), Mexico City. This district is similar to Washington D.C. Even if you know the city where you believe your relative is living, this may not be enough. In Mexico some city names are so common, the same name can be found in several different states. You may have to conduct intensive research if you do not know the state where your relative lives.

3. Check the telephone number
You may have a telephone number for a relative in Mexico but now find the number no longer works. The most likely reason is the number has an incorrect area code, called LADA in Mexico. In 2001 there were sweeping changes to the area codes throughout Mexico. So you may have a good phone number. You may just need to update the area code.

If after you have confirmed the correct area code and the number still does not work, then you may need expert assistance to help you with your research.

4. Have a list of other living relatives
People move. Your relative may no longer be living in the same city or state. If this is the case, then you will need to find other relatives. Dr. George Ryskamp in his book, \”Finding Your Hispanic Roots\”, comments that sometimes a distant relative may be able to provide you with the information you need.

Even though this may seem to be indirect, Dr. Ryskamp points out that family members from indirect lineage can be an incredible source of family information.2 You want a resource that will allow you to easily search for all the variations of a person\’s name so you can find them. Otherwise, you may never be able to find the person you are looking for.

5. Understand Spanish
A final challenge is that some people do not read or speak Spanish. Much of the available family information will be in Spanish. If you don\’t speak Spanish, you can always take a course or two at your local community college. However, most people who are looking for a relative want to find them now, not a year from now. You may need a resource organized in a recognizable and easy to understand format that you can use without knowing Spanish.

Finding a family member can be an incredible and emotionally fulfilling experience. Follow the steps above and you will be well on your way to meeting your relative or friend in the not too distant future.

Footnotes:
1. The American Heritage? Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
2. George R. Ryskamp, PhD, Finding Your Hispanic Roots, page 16

About The Author

The author, Richard Villasana, has helped people from around the world locate family and friends living in Mexico. Don\’t miss your opportunity to find that special person today! Contact him at Mexico Phone Books or at 619.886.4760.

Give the Gift of Genealogy – Five Gifts that Reflect the Family Tree

What to give the person who has everything….hmmmm, how about the gift of heritage? Researching your family tree has become very popular, raising interest in many people as to where their ancestors came from, how they got here, and what they were doing. With that in mind, here are a few gift ideas that will help a person along the way in reflecting a family tree.

1) Family tree research software. In the old days hundreds of hours of research in the library, cross checking and cross referencing, would be required to do what simple, inexpensive software can help you do these days. Anyone involved in genealogy will appreciate a good family tree research program. Most programs are user friendly and intuitive.

2) A coat of arms. If your family is in any of the lines that offer a crest, or heraldry, then a reproduction to hang on your wall will make a great addition to family room décor. There are a great many reputable companies that specialize in reproducing coats of arms. If your family has one, then it will be appreciated for years to come.

3) A family history. Many times genealogy researchers compile family histories telling the story of a particular family from their first trip from the old country to the new world. If a history of your family has been compiled, it may be available for purchase and will be an heirloom the whole family will enjoy reading.

4) A history of surnames. Where did your name come from? How about your wife’s name? What is your mother’s maiden name? A history of surnames provides fascinating reading.

5) A collection of old photographs. If you are an active family tree researcher you are probably also a collector of old photos, and may have many that could duplicated, or even scanned and put into electronic form. Giving a person a collection of old photos of family members, with captions identifying the family members is sure to be appreciated and really won’t cost you very much to put together. You just need to scan the photos, add identification captions, print them out on nice glossy paper, and insert them in a low cost photo album. This will be a conversation starter for years and something that will probably be passed down among the generations.

All of these will make great gifts for anyone interested in genealogy. Other possible gifts would include a family bible, to be used to keep your own records for the future; a subscription to a good genealogy magazine that would provide hours of fun filled reading every month for a year; tuition for classes in history or research at the local university or community college to help a genealogist enhance knowledge and skills; or how about taking that old photo of your great grandmother and having it reproduced into a large enough to hang portrait?

Genealogy used to be thought of as a stuffy hobby for people who liked to hang out in dusty libraries and back rooms, but these days it is a hobby the whole family can enjoy. One great thing about genealogy study is that it can help your children get an appreciation of history. If you’ve traced your own family history for instance back to the Oklahoma land rush, then watching a movie about the Oklahoma Sooners will be fun for the whole family. If you know you had ancestors in the Civil War, then watching North and South, or any movie that covers the time period will be appreciated and bring history to life. If you have a relative who was living in New York during the 1890’s then a movie covering that time period would be interesting. If you know what your own ancestors were doing during a particular time period, you have a good understanding of what you might have been doing yourself during that period had you been alive. Passing this love of history, and imaginative way of looking at things on to your children will serve them well in years to come and allow them to get a head start on many of their classes. Giving the gift of genealogy will help them, and provide you will a sense of well being and enjoyment. Enjoy.

Effect of Birth Order on Children

By Barney Garcia

Older sister, younger brother, or middle child are more than just labels that people have in a family; psychologist say that birth order has an effect on all aspects of a child?s personality.

First Born: First born children are born as natural leaders. They also tend to be perfectionists, reliable and conscientious people. First born children do not react well to surprises and can be aggressive, however are often people pleasers. Children who are first born have a strong need for approval by others. Examples of first born children include Oprah Winfrey, Peter Jennings, Rush Limbaugh and over half of all U.S.A presidents.

Only Child: Only children are similar to first born children. The characteristics in an only child however are typically three fold. They are even bigger perfectionists, are more responsible and tend to get along better with older people than individuals there own age. Examples of only children are Robin Williams, Natalie Portman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra and Lauren Bacall.

Middle Child: The middle child is often the most difficult to stereotype. They are almost always guaranteed to be the opposite of their older sibling, but this can manifest in a variety of ways. Middle children typically feel as though their older sibling stole the spotlight from them, while their younger siblings could get away with murder. They tend to be secretive, more withdrawn and not prone to talk about their emotions. Since middle children feel as though they were overlook by their family they grow stronger connections with peers and are excellent people readers and peacemakers.

Last Born: The children who are born last tend to be outgoing, social butterflies. They are also the most financially unstable of all the other siblings since their primary interest is in having a good time. The youngest children of the family are often very charming, but can also be manipulative and spoiled. Examples of some babies of the family are Billy Crystal, Goldie Hawn, Drew Carey, Jim Carey and Steve Martin.

While these are typically characteristics of birth order, there are some exceptions such as a larger space between the children may allow for some crossing over of characteristics or if the first born is a girl and the next child is a boy he will have some first sibling characteristics since he was the first male child in the family. Deaths, adoptions and blended families can also have an effect on these characteristics.

About The Author

Author Barney Garcia is a proud contributing author and enjoys writing about many different topics. Please visit my web sites @ home security systems and troubled teens