Frequently Asked Questions

This list is provided mostly for the benefit of non-AOL members who would like to participate in our group's activities in some capacity. It is also provided as a catch-all answers depot for beginning Hispanic genealogists in general. As such, it may be updated with new information from time to time, so set your bookmarks and come back every so often. Insofar as this site is concerned, the term "Hispanic" refers to any group whose dominant culture and language are Spanish or Portuguese or based largely thereon.

Table Of Contents

1. Who are you guys?
2. What is a SIG/DIH?
3. What exactly goes on during one of your meetings?
4. Do I have to have an AOL account to join your group?
5. What will I gain if I do join your group?
6. How do I get to one of your online meetings?
7. How do I add my surnames to the AOL Hispanic Genealogy Newsletter Surname List?
8. What's the best way to begin researching my Hispanic family tree?

1. Who are you guys?

Our group is a loose association of mostly America OnLine ^TM (AOL) genealogists who enjoy using the amazing world of cyberspace to do their own research and to help others in theirs. Most international commercial Internet servers like CompuServe and Prodigy provide forums for various interest groups and AOL is no different. The AOL Genealogy Forum (keyword: roots) is one of the largest (Overall membership presently exceeds 20,000) and most active online forums; and our Hispanic group operates chiefly under its auspices, although we also maintain close ties to the CIS Latin American/Hispanic Genealogy Group, among others. We've been a presence in the Forum since the end of 1995, and we heartily welcome any and all comers to this common field. See Question #4 for more information on how to join the fun. This web site is our official Internet home page and one of the principal means by which we extend our resources to those who do not otherwise have access to them. Welcome!

2. What is a SIG/DIH?

The AOL Genealogy Forum (keyword: roots) uses five chat rooms for online research sessions: Ancestral Digs (AD), Golden Gates (GG), Family Treehouse (FT), Family Reunions (FR), and For Starters (FS). There are two basic kinds of meetings: SIG's (Special Interest Groups) and DIH's (Drop-In Hours). Each session is dedicated to a particular kind of genealogy, such as Hispanic, and most last for about an hour. Some are two hours long. The only difference between a SIG and a DIH is that SIG's are almost always hosted by at least two Genealogy Forum Staffers (GFS's for short) who specialize in that SIG's research topic; DIH's are usually unhosted, although there are exceptions. On occasion, a DIH may be test-hosted by a GFS to determine the activity level therein and to see if a particular DIH warrants upgrading to SIG status. Click here to see a schedule of the Hispanic-related meetings in the AOL Genealogy Forum.

3. What exactly goes on during one of your meetings?

Our meetings typically consist of at least two staff members and many other attendees getting together at the designated time and place (see our meetings schedule for details) to share surnames and related data, news, and offer advice to those who need it. The meetings are recorded and made available afterwards from the Forum's Meeting Logs Since 1/96 file library for those who could not attend. They can download the logs and review them later using a word processor for relevant information, such as bingos (surname matches). The logs (and hopefully many other files) may soon also be available from this web site's file library (under construction). Our Surname Database (published here and distributed to the entire Newsletter E-mail list on a quarterly basis) incorporates the surnames from these meeting logs into an interactive file which is organized by submitter. Click here to see how you can add your surnames to this list even though you may not be able to attend our meetings.

4. Do I have to have an AOL account to join your group?

No, not really. There are many people operating chiefly on other networks who regularly correspond via E-mail with us, including some from the Hispanic Genealogy Society of New York, the Society for Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research, and other genealogy societies. We're not a formal organization, so memberships are perpetual and free. To join, all you really need to do is click here to send Mike Rosado a note telling him you'd like to be added to either our Hispanic, Caribbean, and/or Central/South American e-mail lists. It's that easy. Enrollment in any of the aforementioned means you will receive our biannual AOL Hispanic Genealogy Newsletter and, if requested, lecture logs or other files from our library (under construction). By the way, it would help if you also told him a little about what kind of Hispanic genealogy research you're into and what you'd like to see added to the resources at this site. We're always looking to improve it. After you're done with that, click here to see about adding your data to our Surname Database.

5. What will I gain if I do join your group?

If you join, you will be included in our e-mail lists, these being the Hispanic, Caribbean, Central/South American, and Newsletter e-mail lists. They are an excellent means of making contact with others who are researching the same surnames in the same places you are. Enrollment in any of them means you will occassionally receive Genealogy Forum/Hispanic news and, if requested, meeting logs and/or any other file(s) from our library (under construction). If you choose to submit them, your surnames and their related data will be included in the AOL Hispanic Genealogy Group's Surname Database, which is updated and distributed every calendar quarter along with the Newsletter to all of our subscribers. Click here to see about submitting your data for our Surname Database. You will also be notified each time this site is updated, so set your bookmarks.

6. How do I get to one of your online meetings?

Our meetings are held in the AOL Genealogy Forum's (keyword: roots) conference rooms. As such, it is not possible to attend our meetings unless you have an AOL account yourself or can sign on as a guest using someone else's AOL account. Assuming you meet either of these prerequisites, sitting in on one of our rap sessions is easy. Here's what you do:

1. First click here to check our schedule of Hispanic meetings. Print it out and keep it handy.

2. Sign on to AOL a few minutes before the meeting begins.
   

3. When the AOL main menu appears, hold down [Ctrl] and press [K]. Type roots and press [Enter].
   

4. When the Genealogy Forum's menu appears, click "Chat Areas" and double-click on the name of the room you'd like to enter. See you there!

7. How do I add my surnames to the AOL Hispanic Genealogy Newsletter Surname List?

Since the surname list is a compilation of all the queries our attendees have presented during the online meetings, the most obvious way to get yours onto the list is to visit one of our meetings as described above in Question #6 and share your information there. In an effort to make this valuable resource available to non-AOL genealogists, we have placed the list as it stands to date on a separate page at this web site. You can check it out now by clicking here. We invite you to follow the instructions at the top of that document and let us help you by adding your data to our list. If you do, your surnames and related information will be passed along to the rest of our subscribers when we distribute the next AOL Hispanic Genealogy Newsletter, to which the current surname list is always attached as an addendum.

8. What's the best way to begin researching my Hispanic family tree?

This, of course, is probably the most often-asked question in our meetings. As it's also one of the most general, we cannot provide specific answers to it here without compromising their relevance. We therefore present a general reply which can be applied to anyone beginning Hispanic genealogy research. Specific problems are best addressed as they arise.

The three basic steps to conducting genealogical research are preparation, recording and organization, and evaluation.

• To prepare properly, you need to learn to use a pedigree chart, a family group sheet, and a research log. The pedigree chart is a three- to five-generation overview of a particular ancestry. Family group sheets show specific data on the members of an immediate family. The research log is simply a list of things to do regarding a particular lineage, person or family. Your local Family History Center (FHC) should have blank copies of each which you can use in your work. Check the Yellow Pages under "CHURCHES - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - Family History Center" for the nearest office. You should also ask the FHC Director or research assistant for a copy of the FHL Latin America Research Outline (pub. #34075, $0.75, 34pp) as it will prove invaluable to you later. If they don't have it, you can purchase one from the Salt Lake Distribution Center. Always take all the relevant documentation with you to your local FHC, library, archive, courthouse, etc. The last thing you want to be in the middle of a research project is unduly shorthanded.

• Recording and organization means finding a way to keep your data organized as you accumulate it. Most people use large binders (one for each surname they're researching) to collect related paperwork. Divide each folder into sections, one for each family that has that surname. Each family's section should start with a group sheet, followed by pedigrees, notes, and research logs for individual members. Your family should always be the primary line of offense when it comes to collecting family history. To that end, starting with yourself, write down everything of genealogical value about your lineage in the appropriate chart, group sheet, and/or research log(s). Do the same for the rest of your immediate family and continue in that vein, interviewing all the extant family members in your tree, beginning usually with the eldest ones as they are likeliest to expire before you can get to them. Remember to provide them with clues to their own history as this technique often jogs the memory. Ask about family bibles, photo albums, old letters, diaries, migration patterns, etc., as these can yield valuable clues for further research. Then explore the use of primary (made at the time of the event), secondary (made after the time of the event), and tertiary (reference lists) sources such as vital records, censuses, directories, newspapers, court and tax records, military records, etc., to the same end. Your local FHC has other research outlines on how to do all of the above. DON'T FORGET TO ALSO REFER TO THE DOCUMENTATION (IF ANY) WHERE THE INFORMATION CAME FROM. You or someone else may have to backtrack later.

• Evaluation is the most complex step because it involves reviewing all the relevant data you've accumulated and developing a supplementary plan of action.

  1. First transfer the information from the research logs to the appropriate places in the family group sheets and pedigree charts. Then look for holes, empty places in the charts. These indicate information yet to be obtained, and that's where you need to focus your attention next. How you fill in those blanks depends on several things: what data is missing, whether or not you have any supporting information elsewhere, the approximate time and place where the missing event occurred, etc.

  2. The more current the absent data, the likelier it is that one of your relatives knows the answer or can at least direct you elsewhere. You should consider asking them more specific questions.

  3. The older the event, the more important official repositories like vital records offices, courthouses, state and federal archives, etc., become. Again, your local FHC (one of the best resources and a must-use for any level of genealogy) has research outlines and numerous other resources to that end. For instance, if the information you need comes from Mexico, the FHC should be your first stop because they have already microfilmed most of Mexico's extant records. These films can be ordered from the Distribution Center in Salt Lake City, UT, through the FHC office nearest you for a nominal fee.

  4. If you find it necessary to search external (outside the U.S.) sources for information, it is likely that you'll need the name of the parish where and the approximate year when the event occurred. As such facts may be difficult to trace, you should try consulting civil censuses, tax records and/or city directories, depending on what's available in that area and time period.

  In short, evaluation means finding out what information you need and determining how best to go about getting it. After you've done this, go back to step one (preparation) and repeat the process until you've "exhausted" all your resources.

Click here to read another article on getting started in Hispanic genealogy.

P.S.: In case you're wondering why we didn't mention using a computer for genealogical purposes, it's because first of all, not everyone has one or knows how to use it effectively, although if you're reading this, you obviously do. Second, 90% of real genealogical research is not done with a computer but rather with a pencil, some paper, a microfilm/microfiche reader, and lots of patience. Computers do offer genealogists several advantages, though. They are excellent tools for organizing your database, writing letters and e-mails to other researchers, and (as in this case) advertising your genealogy electronically. They have quickly become the principal medium of many researchers and we hope that this trend continues to the point of making vital records and such readily available online. Happy hunting! :-)

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