January 17, 2015 NMGS Program: Henrietta M. Christmas - "History of Chimayo Through Genealogy"

January 2015

Please note that this presentation is at Botts Hall in the Special  Collections Library in Albuquerque. 

Botts Hall

Special Collections Library
423 Central Avenue Northeast
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
(Located at Edith and Central)

(Click here to view map.)

Saturday, January 17, 2015
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

The New Mexico Genealogical Society

Presents

Henrietta Martinez Christmas

The History of Chimayo Through Genealogy

Henrietta M. Christmas is a well-known and respected author, lecturer, and full-time genealogist. She lectures regularly on topics related to New Mexico Genealogy. A native New Mexican who descends from eleven soldiers who came with Oñate in 1598; she currently resides in Corrales.

Henrietta is the 2015-2016 NMGS President

This program is free and open to the public.

Important Program Change - November 15, 2014 NMGS Program!

November 2014

The Genealogy Center
On the Second Level of
the Albuquerque Main Library
501 Copper Street SW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(on the northwest corner of 5th and Copper)

(Click here to view map.)

Saturday, November 15, 2014
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

The New Mexico Genealogical Society

Presents

Robert Martinez, Assistant State Historian

"Casta Families New Spain to New Mexico"

This presentation will trace certain families that made their way north from places such as Mexico City and Guanajuato to New Mexico in the 17th and 18th centuries. These families eventually married into many New Mexican Hispano families, including the Tafoya, Martin Serrano, and Saes clans.

Robert Martinez is the assistant state historian of the state of New Mexico. Robert has an M.A. in Latin American history, and has worked as a research historian for the Sephardic Legacy Project and the Vargas Project. He has written numerous articles on New Mexico history, culture and also performs traditional Hispanic music with his family).

This program is free and open to the public.

Questions? Call (505) 796-0376 or email info@nmgs.org.

November 2014 NMGS Program - David Garcia - Northern New Mexico

November 2014

The Genealogy Center
On the Second Level of
the Albuquerque Main Library
501 Copper Street SW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(on the northwest corner of 5th and Copper)

(Click here to view map.)

Saturday, November 15, 2014
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

The New Mexico Genealogical Society

Presents

David Garcia

"Resolanas as a
Political Action Metaphor
in Northern New Mexico"

This presentation will address the historical and political context of the print and self-publishing culture produced by The Academia de la Nueva Raza, a local think tank in Embudo, NM, during the civil rights movement. Notable to this discussion is this group’s method of production and circulation of print materials through a politically engaged process known as Resolana. Also discussed will be the group’s efforts to document the subjected knowledge or "oro del barrio" of local communities through the production of popular educational materials such as political pamphlets, notebooks, and oral vignettes entitled Entre Verde Y Seco.

David F. Garcia, ABD is a Visiting Professor in Southwest Studies at Colorado College. He is a cultural anthropologist from San Antonio del Guache in Rio Arriba County. He is currently working on a doctoral dissertation at the University of Texas at Austin, looking at the significance of public spheres.

ELECTIONS: We will also be having elections for following board positions: President (2 year term), Vice-President (1 year term) and Secretary (2 year term).

This program is free and open to the public.

Questions? Call (505) 796-0376 or email info@nmgs.org.

Finding Your Roots - New Mexico Style

What do genetics tell us about New Mexico ancestors? On tonight's KNME-TV "New Mexico in Focus" episode, New Mexico genealogists Henrietta Martinez Christmas, Angel Cervantes and Ruth Randall talked about genetic and traditional genealogy. Angel and Henrietta talk about the racial mix of New Mexican ancestors. Ruth Randall talks about African-American ancestry. There is even a discussion on Billy the Kid and Christopher Columbus DNA. Interested? Check out the link below:

Finding Your Roots - Web Extra

Online Genealogical Resources on the LoboVault website

Searching through the LoboVault website, I discovered a few online theses, disertations and other material that is of interest to New Mexico genealogists. Here are links to these online PDF files:

* The History of the Sevilleta Land Grant and in the First Person: Oral Histories from La Joya de Sevilleta "The Jewel of the Sevilleta  

"The oral histories that are the centerpiece of this thesis present the history of La Joya in the 1930s, together with an overview of the history of the Sevilleta. Most significantly, they support the conviction that oral history is invaluable in acquiring a more informed historical record of the past than is offered in our official written archives alone."

 * The Genealogy of a Text and Text of Genealogy: Rafael Chacon's "Memorias"

"A discussion of the Rafael Sotero Chacon ''MEMORIAS. '"

* New Mexico roots ltd : a demographic perspective from genealogical, historical and geographic data found in the diligencias matrimoniales or pre-nuptial investigations (1678-1869) of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe : multiple data extracted and here edited in a uniform presentation by years and family surnames

"Diligencias matrimoniales or pre-nuptial investigations (1678-1869) of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Volumes are arranged in alphabetical order by surname. Names contained within each volume are indicated."

* The Lives and Works of Five Hispanic New Mexican Women Writers, 1878 - 1991

"This working paper recognizes the contributions of five New Mexican women writers, who in the early 1900s, sought to reaffirm their Hispanic roots through literature."

* Ranching in Northeastern New Mexico

"Historians have studied ranching extensively in Texas, Wyoming, and Montana. There are many monographs published on ranches, ranchers, and cowboys. Colfax and Union counties have an extensive number of ranches. These ranches are from as small as ten acres to as large as 590,000 acres. These ranches in their own right deserve to be studied, especially since they were a part of at least two legitimate land grants: Maxwell Land Grant and Pablo Montoya Land Grant. In addition, some of these ranches exist because of the railroad, which runs through both counties. This thesis examines a few of the many ranches in this area. It also includes a brief history of the Santa Fe Trail Dry Cimarron Cutoff area."

* And Gladly Did We Teach: Oral Interviews With Pioneer Nuevo Mexicana Rural Teachers

No description available.

*  A Guide to the Bancroft Library Collections Pertaining to New Mexico and New Spain (Mexico) on Microfilm at the Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

* Other Center for Southwest Research Reference Tools.

* Finding Aid for Material from the Archivo General de la Nación, Mexico, dealing with New Mexico history and the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

* Guide to the Microfilm Collection in the Spanish Colonial Research Center, National Park Service
 
There may be more genealogical material on the LoboVault than is mentioned here. To search for yourself, visit the LoboVault website.

Southern New Mexico Burial Records online - Late 18th, 19th Century, and early 20th Century

Years ago, Oswald & Mary Ann Baca compiled a series of three research monographs on burial records in the Rio Abajo (Southern New Mexico.) Their research was about the "prevalence of infectious disease in predominately Hispanic populations, using infant mortality data" and to also to "reveal the extent of hostility between the Indians and the colonists". The first volume begins in the late 1700s and the last volume ends in the early 1900s.

They transcribed burial records from the communities of Tome, San Fernando, Los Enlames, Valencia, Peralta, Casa Colorada, Manzano, El Cerro, La Constancia, etc.These records come are from the Church of Immaculate Conception in Tome, and can be found on various microfilms.

In addition to being a good resource for historical and medical research, it is also an excellent resource for genealogists. Thousands of people are listed in these monographs. Dates of burial, ages of the deceased, the names of the deceased parents or spouses, and often causes of death are all transcribed. Spanish terms used in the transcriptions are defined in the glossaries of these books. The books are in a searchable PDF format which means that you are seeing the original transcriptions - as the transcribers intended - and are able to search for specific names and terms.

As always, we always suggest that you look at the original images on microfilm for confirmation. Transcribers can make mistakes. However, if you do not have access to this microfilm, this is a good place to look. Also, if you intend to look at the microfilm later, you can save a lot of time by searching these transcriptions first.

These monographs can be found in the Lobo Vault, an online repository compiled by the University of New Mexico.

To view the documents, click on these links:

•  A Compilation of Burial Records of the Central New Mexico Villages of Tome, San Fernando, Los Enlames, Valencia, Peralta, Casa Colorada, & Manzano - Vol I
by Oswald G. Baca and Mary Ann Baca.

•  A Compilation of Burial Records of The Central New Mexico Villages of Tome, Valencia, Peralta, El Cerro, San Fernando, Los Enlames, La Constancia and Casa Colorada - Vol II
by Oswald G. Baca and Mary Ann Baca.

•  Burial Records From New Mexico's Rio Abajo: Tome and Associated Villages – Vol III
by Oswald G. Baca and Mary Ann Baca.

NMGS wishes to thank Manny Olona for pointing these out for us.

1885 New Mexico Territorial Census now online for free!

The 1885 New Mexico Territorial Census in now online for free at FamilySearch.org. This is not only the indexes, but the images of the actual census! Previously, you could only find these records on microfilm or on Ancestry.com.

Here is the link to the 1885 Census.

The 1885 Census is important because most of the 1890 U.S. Census was destroyed. There is no other U.S. Census record between 1880 and 1900 other than the 1890 Civil War Veterans and Widow's Census.

A blank form that you can use to transcribe the 1885 New Mexico census can be found at this link. 

Free Internet Genealogy

Free Internet Genealogy

By Robert J. C. Baca

Volunteer contributed sites (transcriptions, inquiries, etc.)

• USGenWeb Project– http://www.usgenweb.com/
• Rootsweb - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
• Genealogy Trails - http://genealogytrails.com/

Databases

• FamilySearch – http://www.familysearch.org/
• World Connect – http://wc.rootsweb.com/
• The Great New Mexico Pedigree Database Project – http://hgrc-nm.org/gnmpd_portal.html
• Albuquerque Journal Obituaries - http://obits.abqjournal.com/
• Newspaper Abstracts - http://tinyurl.com/r3yhlb
• Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records - http://www.deathindexes.com/
• Chronicling America (old newspaper images) - http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Bulletin Boards

• Rootsweb Bulletin Boards - http://boards.rootsweb.com/
• CousinConnect - http://cousinconnect.com/
• GenForum - http://genforum.genealogy.com/
• GenCircles - http://www.gencircles.com/

Regional Genealogy Societies

• New Mexico Genealogical Society – http://www.nmgs.org/
• Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico - http://www.hgrc-nm.org/
• Genealogical Society of Hispanic America - http://www.gsha.net/
• Albuquerque Genealogy Society - http://www.abqgen.swnet.com/
• Lew Wallace Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nmsodar/nmso/lewwallace/index.html
• Olibama Lopez Tushar Hispanic Legacy Research Center - http://hispaniclegacy.org/

Libraries and Online Archives

• Family History Centers - https://familysearch.org/locations/centerlocator?cid=hp2-1047
• Library of Congress - http://abclibrary.org/genealogy
• National Archives and Records Administration - http://www.archives.gov/
• Albuquerque Genealogy Center - http://abclibrary.org/genealogy
• Center for Southwest Research - http://elibrary.unm.edu/cswr/index.php
• New Mexico State Records Center and Archives - http://www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/
• National Hispanic Cultural Center Library - http://tinyurl.com/ox87nz
• Menaul School Historical Library of the Southwest  - http://www.menaulschool.com/connect/historical_library/
• Spanish Colonial Research Center - http://www.nps.gov/history/spca
• Rocky Mountain Online Archive - http://rmoa.unm.edu/
• New Mexico's Digital Collections - http://econtent.unm.edu/

Help Sites

• About.com – Genealogy - http://genealogy.about.com/
• Help for Genealogy Researchers - http://usgenweb.org/research/index.shtml

Blogging

• Blogger – http://www.blogger.com/
• WordPress - http://wordpress.com/
• Genealogy Blog Finder - http://blogfinder.genealogue.com/
• New Mexico Genealogical Society Blog – http://nmgsblog.blogspot.com/

Social Networking

• Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/
• Twitter – http://twitter.com/

Google Books

• Google Books - http://tinyurl.com/reknf
• The Leading Facts of New Mexican History - http://tinyurl.com/ppb3d3
• History of New Mexico - http://tinyurl.com/p6dgos
• New Mexico Historical Review, Volume 1 (1926)- http://tinyurl.com/o8mgzo

Genealogy Directories, Lists and Links

• Cyndi's List - http://www.cyndislist.com/
• Genealogy Directory - http://www.gendir.com/
• New Mexico County Genealogy Links (NMGS) - http://tinyurl.com/nmcounty

Cemeteries and Tombstones

• Find a Grave - http://www.findagrave.com/
• The Political Graveyard - http://politicalgraveyard.com/
• Internment Net - http://www.interment.net/

Genealogy Projects and Research

• Locating Catholic Church Records in New Mexico - http://tinyurl.com/nmchurch
• The New Mexico Death Index Project - http://tinyurl.com/o3fyqb

Freebies

• Free Interactive Pedigree Chart - http://tinyurl.com/onywlb
• Free Genealogy Charts - http://tinyurl.com/y5p3qc

October 18, 2014 NMGS Program "Spanish Colonial Lives"

October 18, 2014, 10:30 AM, second level (Genealogy Center) of the Albuquerque Main Library

The New Mexico Genealogical Society presents

Linda Tigges

"Spanish Colonial Lives in the Early and Mid 18th Century ... Stories from the Spanish Archives of New Mexico"

Click on the photo below for more information.

State Records Center and Archives Program, Thursday, October 2, 2014

Thursday, October 2, 2014
Starting at 2 PM


The Commission of Public Records/ State Records Center and Archives presents
"Lore of the Archives: Documenting New Mexico's Folk Traditions"

The Screen
Santa Fe University of Art and Design
1600 St. Michael's Drive
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Click on the pictures below to read the press release.

October 2, 2014 State Archives program - press release page 1

Press release page 2

Genealogy Resources in New Mexico - 4th Edition

Our newest book is Genealogy Resources in New Mexico - 4th Edition, by by Karen Stein Daniel, C.G<sup>SM


NMGS Press  Item #E5, 2014, 250 pages.
Non-members $25.00, NMGS Members $20.00




 Click on this link to order the book.</sup>
   

This is a revised edition to the well-thumbed earlier issues of Genealogical Resources in New Mexico, initially by Dr. Robert E. Esterly, and the 2nd and 3rd editions by Certified Genealogist Karen S. Daniel. Due to the great interest that genealogy has generated in the ensuing years, this new publication contains updated websites and repositories.

The state of New Mexico offers an unparalleled abundance of resource material covering its long and interesting history and ethnic diversity. Resources in genealogy have developed at such a fast pace both within the state and nationally, it has become imperative to provide researchers with this updated and revised publication. It includes:

The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)

A five step process for verification of evidence, established to guide serious researchers in writing and assembling a family history. This chapter is online.

Dates in New Mexico History.

Genealogical milestones in New Mexico history.

Repositories

• Churches and their Records (more than nine denominations within NM)
• County Information
• Funeral Homes and Mortuary Records
• Libraries and Archive Information
• Academic Libraries
• Family History Centers
• Public Libraries and Archives
• Out-of-State
• Museums

Record Groups and Collections

• Vital Record Information (This chapter is online. Click here to read it.)
• Census Records and Census Substitutes
• Land Records
• Locating Catholic Church Records (an online resource)
• Map, Atlas, and Other Geographic Resources
• Military and War Era Records
• Native American Sources
• Newspapers
• Online Archive of New Mexico (OANM) and Other Manuscript Collections
• School, Orphanage, Adoption and Hospital Records

Societies

• Genealogical, Historical, and Lineage Societies
• Fraternal and Ethnic Organizations

A Selected and Annotated Bibliography

True to the author's training in genealogical documentation, the sources are extensively researched and clearly presented, and is so packed with information that serious researchers will find daily uses for the book.

 

Colorado Resources for New Mexican Genealogists

Many people who live in Colorado have New Mexican roots. Below are some links to site that might help Colorado based researchers.

* Denver Public Library Genealogy Portal. Access Ancestry.com (library use only), Heritage Quest,  America's Obituaries and Death Notices and other databases by using your Denver Public Library card.There are also beginner and research guides, bibliographies, and useful links.

* Online Colorado Death Records and Indexes. Obituaries, cemeteries, wills and probate records, etc.

* Colorado Genealogy Society. Classes, programs, newsletter, etc.

* Internet Resources for Colorado Research.

* Colorado Society of Hispanic Genealogy.

* Genealogy Society of Hispanic America

* Olibama Lopez Tushar Hispanic Legacy Research Center.

* Cyndi's List - Colorado

A few helpful tips for the beginner genealogist

Here are a few helpful tips for the person wanting to begin researching their family tree:

1.) Write down everything you know about your family. Names, places and dates are important. Estimate dates if you don't know them. If you don't know the person's full name, write down their first names or even nicknames. This may be of importance later. Include information about cousins, aunts and uncles and other family members that are closely related to you. Put this information on forms and/or in a database. Here is a link to free forms that you may print out and use. Here is a list of free genealogy database software that you can download on to your computer. Whatever database you use, make sure that it is GEDCOM based. If it is GEDCOM based, you can transfer data from one type of software to another.

2.) Look for documents you can use - photos, birth certificates, newspaper clippings (especially obituaries), letters, etc. Keep them safe. Make copies of them.

3.) Interview older living relatives. Ask them specific questions about specific family members, dates, places, events, and relationships. Ask follow up questions. Record this information either in writing, or, better yet, on video or audio. If you do record it on video or audio, you may also write it down, too, as video and audio is not always permanent.

4.) Write down where you get your sources. If you interview a relative, write down their name, and when and where you talked to them. If it is a document, write down what the document is (including page numbers, publication information if necessary, etc.) and where you got it. For how to cite sources, click here.
 
5.) Then begin doing other research - visit libraries, courthouses, collect documents from other family members, etc. Work at your own pace - don't let anyone push you.Where should you look? Here are a few resources:

* FamilySearch.org

* Family History Centers.

* Albuquerque Genealogy Center

* New Mexico Genealogical Society

* Hispanic Genealogical Research Center

* New Mexico Genealogical Society Facebook Page (you must have a Facebook account to join.)

7.) And lastly, publish! After you collect information, make sure to publish it somewhere. Whether it is a blog, a handout you give to family members, or a book - publish your information. Share it with the world, or at least with your family.

I hope this helps!

- Robert Baca
President, New Mexico Genealogical Society