| Challenge #2. The second greatest challenge that | | | | how did you and my father meet?" or "What did he |
| people experience in starting their Mexico family | | | | she like to do during the weekends?" Engaging the |
| genealogy is just not having enough information or not | | | | people that you talk to in your family and circle of |
| knowing where to get started gathering information. | | | | friends in stories is a great way to jog their memory. |
| This article will give you the fundamentals you will need | | | | Sometimes with story telling they remember something |
| to gather genealogy information to finding someone in | | | | they may have otherwise forgotten. |
| Mexico and get your family genealogy research | | | | Story telling is an incredible tool to get people to tell you |
| moving forward. | | | | the information you want. It will also give you an idea |
| You have probably spent several hours doing family | | | | of who this person was and what they were doing |
| genealogy research. You may have tried several | | | | and may lead you to other ideas. |
| ways to identify the genealogy information you need | | | | Here is a key. Talk to every relative you have. There |
| to find an individual in Mexico, from visiting free | | | | is always one relative in every family who knows a |
| genealogy web sites to speaking to friends and | | | | little bit about everyone. And it does not matter if they |
| relatives. You may have been searching the Internet | | | | are your third cousin or they are four times removed. |
| for hours and hours. You may have talked to family or | | | | They could be an ex-husband, an ex-uncle. It does not |
| friends of the person you are searching for, but you | | | | matter. You would be amazed at how much |
| just have not gotten the information you need and are | | | | information other people in the family have about your |
| not able to find this person living in Mexico. | | | | side of the family. You may think that your immediate |
| Let's start with the fundamentals of what genealogy | | | | family should know everything about the family, but |
| information you should be searching for. | | | | that is not always true. I urge you to go talk to every |
| Your first goal should be to have the complete name | | | | possible relative. |
| of the person you are looking for. Let's use the name | | | | Maybe they talked to someone from another group, |
| Juan Carlos Garcia Gonzalez as an example. | | | | such as a priest or teacher. Go after as many leads |
| If you have a friend who has a name like Juan Carlos, | | | | as you can. You should plan to interview several |
| that is his name. In English we might separate out two | | | | people to get all the facts. |
| names. Someone named Billy Bob may also be called | | | | The second key piece of information that you need to |
| Bob or Billy. However, in Mexico Juan Carlos is this | | | | have is the city and the state of where they are or |
| person's name. It's not correct to call him Juan or to | | | | where they were living. |
| him Carlos. His name is Juan Carlos. Be aware of this | | | | Finding out where they did live can be helpful if you do |
| because having the complete and full name is very | | | | not know where they are living right now. If someone |
| important in your search and will help you to more | | | | has lived in Guadalajara and they came to the United |
| quickly locate this person. | | | | States for, say, ten years, there is a very good |
| The complete name is not only their first name(s) but | | | | possibility they may be going back to Guadalajara at |
| also both of their last names. In Spanish a person has | | | | some point. Also finding where they did live is very |
| two last names. The first last name in Spanish is the | | | | helpful because their family and friends may still be |
| name of the father (for example: Garcia). Gonzalez is | | | | there. This is especially true for someone who wants |
| the second last name and this is the equivalent of our | | | | to find a birth father or birth mother still living in Mexico. |
| mother's maiden name. By putting the two together, | | | | Why do you need to know the city and state? If you |
| you have a complete name. Doing Mexico family | | | | tried to go to an Internet search engine site, maybe |
| genealogy is often easier because the Spanish style | | | | one that specialized in genealogy research and put in |
| of two last names minimizes the chance of | | | | only a person's name without the city and state you |
| accidentally researching someone else's family lineage. | | | | are not going to get any information. Why? Even in the |
| You can also discover this information by talking to | | | | United States you have to tell the site where this |
| every relative this person has. Ask questions such as | | | | person is living. If you do not have that basic |
| where did this person come from. Ask how they | | | | information, you are not going to get an answer. It is |
| came to be in the United States. Ask where they | | | | virtually impossible to locate a person if you do not |
| went to school or where they vacationed as they | | | | have the city and the state where they are living. |
| were growing up. Different questions can help trigger | | | | These two key pieces of information will go far in |
| memories and details that will help you find the | | | | helping with your search and Mexico family genealogy |
| information and the person you are looking for. | | | | research. In the next article, we will organize all the |
| A great way to get family genealogy information is to | | | | information you have collected. |
| get a person to tell you stories using questions like, "So | | | | |