Mexican-American Genealogical Research: Following the Paper Trail to Mexico

Heritage Books Inc.. New. 2002. Paperback. 148 pages. Mexican-American genealogical research has long been an under-appreciated pastime, practiced by a select few. However, Mexican-American Genealogical Research: Following the Paper Trail to Mexico brings a new resource into the public eye and provides the everyday American with suggestions for locating Mexican ancestors. The most important piece of information for the Mexican-American genealogist to obtain is the name of the place from which his or her Mexican ancestors came. In this respect, the search for Mexican roots is exactly the same as that of every other ethnic group that came to America. If you cannot locate your ancestral town, it will be very difficult for you to get past the border to learn more about your ancestors. Donna Morales and John Schmal have collaborated in the presentation of this resource guide, which illustrates many documents from the family of Ms. Morales, both in Mexico and the United States. The utilization of information from birth and death certificates, newspaper obituaries, naturalization records, alien registration forms, and funeral records are discussed. All of these have the potential of helping the reader to determine the place of origin of his or her Mexican ancestor. The authors also illustrate church and civil records from Mexico and show the reader the amazing amount of detail that the researcher will find in such records. The search for Indian roots in Mexico is also discussed in some detail. And, in the last chapter, the authors present an outline to help the reader get started and to organize his or her data. .