Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Review: "Genealogy at a Glance: Mexico Genealogy Research," by Debbie Gurtler

 The Genealogical Publishing Company in Baltimore has published another in its series of "Genealogy at a Glance" laminated research guides - this time for Mexico Genealogy Research, by Debbie Gurtler.

This "Genealogy at a Glance" booklet has four laminated pages on one 11" x 17" paper (folded). It is designed to give the user the basic elements of genealogy research in the allotted space. They provide an overview of the facts a researcher needs to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with research in the subject.

The description of the Mexico Genealogy Research  booklet includes:

Mexico obtained its independence from Spain in 1821. Before that date, the area under Spanish rule was huge and included much of the southern United States, from Louisiana to the west coast of California. Therefore, many people in the United States can trace their ancestry back to Mexico. This four-page, laminated guide will give you the solid foundation needed to start tracing your Mexican ancestors.

It begins with a discussion of Hispanic naming traditions and how they offer valuable clues for your family history research. Then, after a brief jurisdictional history of Mexico, the major record sources are described—civil registration records, Catholic parish records, census records, and immigration records. Some useful supplementary record sources, language aides, and a list of online resources are also included.

In other words, Genealogy at a Glance: Mexican Genealogy Research lays out all the basic elements of Mexican family history research in an easy-to-use format, allowing researchers to grasp the fundamentals of Mexican genealogy at a glance.

The booklet has these sections:
  • Contents
  • Quick Facts
  • Naming Patterns
  • Jurisdictional Background
  • Basic Genealogical Sources
  • Civil Registration
  • Catholic Parish Records 
  •  Census Records
  • Immigration 
  • Migration and Emigration
  • Supplementary Record Sources
  • Language Aids
  • Online Resources
This booklet is designed primarily for the person who has little experience and understanding of Mexico Genealogy Research and provides an overview of the basics of finding Mexico genealogy resources.

For someone like me that teaches and talks about genealogy a bit, it is invaluable because I can pull it out and provide some guidance to my student or colleague interested in the subject.

The beauty of these "Genealogy at a Glance" booklets is that they are very light and portable in a briefcase or laptop case. They are fixtures in my research case.


This four-page laminated booklet costs $9.95,  plus postage and handling. You can order it through the Genealogical Store, or use the link for the Mexico Genealogy Research booklet and click on the "Add to Cart" link.  I recommend buying these at seminars and conferences where they are offered in order to avoid the shipping costs.

===========================================

Disclosure: Genealogical.com contacted me recently and asked me to provide a review of this booklet. They mailed me a review copy for my personal use as remuneration for this review.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/11/review-genealogy-at-glance-mexico.html

Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2020.

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

No comments: