Hi
I am new to the group although I have been doing research for many years. I have been successful with my mothers European ancestry search, but I had no idea how to begin research for my family in Mexico. ( I do not speak Spanish as my father believed we should only speak English)
My grandfather was Salvador Bernal born in Zaceteca Mexico in 1905. His mother (Antonia Cano b1881 in Mexico) brought him and his brother and sister to California, shortly after his birth. His father was Cresencio Bernal and there are many stories about him being a train robber. Antonia Cano's parents were Felipe Cano and Tirburcia Martinez. There is also references to the family having some French heritage through this line.
I do not have any other information on the family. I would appreciate any help as I have no idea where to start looking.
Chris
Welcome to the group Chris
It seems that you have a fair deal of information that simply needs to be verified and then you can begin searching records in Mexico.
My first suggestion would be to try to find the border crossing record for your grandfather (Salvador Bernal) and his mother Antonia Cano. Ancestry.com has a "pay for service" index of most Mexican border crossing records beginning in 1903. There are some members that have a subscription that may be willing to do a look up for you or you can go to a library that subcribes and use it there.
Once you find the border crossing record, if you are lucky it will list the person's place of birth and perhaps even his/her parents names.
Once you have verified the names of Antonia's parents and found the name of the Mexican municipality where she was born, you can begin searching in the LDS's IGI and VRI databases which have pretty good coverage for Mexican parish records. However, knowing where to look is key.
You may have to order some films and look for the marriage/baptism document manually. For the mid, late 1800s the parish records often have indices at the beginning of each book and often baptism records list grandparents' names which allow getting back multiple generations at a time.
http://www.familysearch.org
http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=1082
Also look in the Files section of the site under Reference Materials... there are a couple of guides to doing genealogical research in Mexico. You will have to learn some basic Spanish to read records, but it is not daunting... and a bit of paleography, which becomes more important the further you go back in time as handwriting becomes harder and harder to read.
Mexico
I was born in Mexico and lived there until I was about 10 years old. Later, as an adult, I lived in Mexico from 1970 to 1980 and during this period I lived in Sonora, but my work took me all the way from Tijuana to Mérida, form Mazatlán to Chihuahua, From Mexico City to Guadalajara, Monterrey, and many other places to numerous to mention.
In my constant travels and living in Sonora, I saw a lot of people that looked like they did not have a single drop of Spanish blood. People in Oaxaca, Yaquis in Sonora, and Tarahumara Indians in Chihuahua to name a few. I mention this because you made a blank statement that "everybody in Mexico had Spanish blood and can trace their ancestry back to Spain". There are quite a few areas in Mexico where the Natives never mixed with the Spaniards. I don't have the accurate figures, but I believe the population of Mexico is about 60% Mestizo, 30% Native American (Indian), 7% Caucasion (Spanish), and 3% other races.
John Gonzalez
1gnzlz@verizon.net
Mexico
John,
It is true that our Mexican heritage has too long ignored our many
heritages. While our Mexican nation idealizes our native inheritance, it also ignores
the many that live within the peripherals of the dominant society.
_http://www.un.int/mexico/ind2-98.htm_ (http://www.un.int/mexico/ind2-98.htm)
While it is true that we have inherited the legacy of our conquerors, it is
also true that we are more than "Spanish"...we represent the Diaspora of the
Chinese, African, and Jewish
_http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/ethnic/ethnicindex.html_
(http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/ethnic/ethnicindex.html) as well as countless of others such as Italians, Irish, Arabs, etc.
We are the conquerors, the conquered, and the remaining descendants of those
caught in the Diaspora. Sometimes what happens in genealogy is that we try
to prove or disprove our beliefs....and if we are looking for a direct
lineage to a recorded history.....well, you know the rest.
Esperanza,
**************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with
Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.
(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&NCID=aolfod00030000000002)
Mexico
I have to concur with John on this one.
Lori Maurer
----- Original Message ----
From: John Gonzalez <1gnzlz@verizon.net>
To: general@lists.nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Thursday, June 5, 2008 10:37:54 PM
Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Mexico
Daniel:
I was born in Mexico and lived there until I was about 10 years old. Later, as an adult, I lived in Mexico from 1970 to 1980 and during this period I lived in Sonora, but my work took me all the way from Tijuana to Mérida, form Mazatlán to Chihuahua, From Mexico City to Guadalajara, Monterrey, and many other places to numerous to mention.
In my constant travels and living in Sonora, I saw a lot of people that looked like they did not have a single drop of Spanish blood. People in Oaxaca, Yaquis in Sonora, and Tarahumara Indians in Chihuahua to name a few. I mention this because you made a blank statement that "everybody in Mexico had Spanish blood and can trace their ancestry back to Spain". There are quite a few areas in Mexico where the Natives never mixed with the Spaniards. I don't have the accurate figures, but I believe the population of Mexico is about 60% Mestizo, 30% Native American (Indian), 7% Caucasion (Spanish), and 3% other races.
John Gonzalez
1gnzlz@verizon.net
Mexico
Thank you for the links. I enjoyed reading the articles.
John Gonzalez
==========================================================================================
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008 23:15
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Mexico
> John,
>
> It is true that our Mexican heritage has too long ignored our many ...
Mexico
Thank you for correcting me; you are correct! I think I was trying to say in Los Altos, Im not sure what exactly. I should be more
careful next time! -Daniel
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New researcher in Mexico
Chris, welcome to the Nuestros Ranchos Research group.
You brought back memories for me. My grandparents always told us to speak English, that we were Americans. They never guessed that loosing the language from the old country would one day hinder my search for our ancestors. They came stateside from Jerez Zacatecas in 1916 to escape the revolution when it hit their village.
In doing research I've learned Spanish and even went to Mexico for 30 days in 2003 with a Spanish speaking relative who was also helping me read records in Spanish from the Family History Center. I've learned more than I ever thought I would in 10 years of researching in Mexico through the Familysearch forum. My only advice to you is not to let the lack of speaking Spanish stop you in your search. The language translators online work great too as well as asking the group for help.
When I started doing reseach the stories started coming out. I found my grandfather was a bootlegger and had kidnapped my grandmother for marriage when her boyfriend kidnapped his girlfriend! After so many years it's now a funny story instead of a family secret.
Good luck in your search,
Linda Castanon-Long in Everett Wa.
Chris Goodson wrote:
Hi
I am new to the group although I have been doing research for many years. I have been successful with my mothers European ancestry search, but I had no idea how to begin research for my family in Mexico. ( I do not speak Spanish as my father believed we should only speak English)
My grandfather was Salvador Bernal born in Zaceteca Mexico in 1905. His mother (Antonia Cano b1881 in Mexico) brought him and his brother and sister to California, shortly after his birth. His father was Cresencio Bernal and there are many stories about him being a train robber. Antonia Cano's parents were Felipe Cano and Tirburcia Martinez. There is also references to the family having some French heritage through this line.
I do not have any other information on the family. I would appreciate any help as I have no idea where to start looking.
Chris