I Am Speaking on Mexican Genealogy & Facebook for Genealogy in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday, April 21st

I am quite excited to speak at the St. Joseph County Public Library (SJCPL) in South Bend, Indiana in a couple of weeks. This is a fabulous public library system, featuring a thought-provoking program series. My husband grew up in South Bend, and my father-in-law used to be a professor at Notre Dame, so I am delighted to visit this place so critical to my own family’s history.

SJCPL’s Program Series

The thought-provoking series that I refer to is SJCPL’s current One Book, One Michiana program. One Book, One Michiana is an annual program series by SJCPL, focusing on a particular book. This year’s book is The Distance Between Us: A Memoir, by Reyna Grande.

In this personal account, Reyna Grande tells an immigration story from a perspective often not shared in books, articles, or interviews…that of the children frequently left behind in Mexico by parents who come to the U.S. seeking a better life, a better life for those very children.

Reyna Grande vividly brings to life her tumultuous early years in this “compelling . . . unvarnished, resonant” (BookPage) story of a childhood spent torn between two parents and two countries. As her parents make the dangerous trek across the Mexican border to “El Otro Lado” (The Other Side) in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are forced into the already overburdened household of their stern grandmother. When their mother at last returns, Reyna prepares for her own journey to “El Otro Lado” to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years, her long-absent father.¹

I just bought the Kindle version of this book to read before my April 21st talks.

Not familiar with the term Michiana? This Southern California girl had to look it up, much to the horror of my Michiana-raised husband, who asked me why I didn’t just ask him. “Michiana is a region in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan centered on the city of South Bend, Indiana.”²

My Talks at SJCPL

“Facebook for Genealogy”

Facebook is the largest social networking site in the world. Launched in 2004, it became available to the general public (ages 13 an over) in 2006. 79% of all U.S. adults who engage in online activities use Facebook (Pew Research Center). This reach in terms of geography, demographics, and usage makes it a powerhouse tool for genealogists. And it is free! Learn more about how individuals, societies, and professionals can get the most out of Facebook. The practical everyday uses cases presented will benefit those who are skeptical of Facebook, those still figuring their way around using it, and those with years of experience.

Class Logistics

Date & Time: Saturday, April 21, 2018 (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)

Location: St. Joseph County Public Library (SJCPL)
Main Library, 304 S Main Street South Bend, IN

“An Introduction to Researching Your Mexican Ancestors”

This introductory lecture covers key U.S. records and strategies for identifying when and where your Mexican ancestors immigrated, and for identifying their hometown in Mexico. It will also provide an overview of the main Mexican record types available online for tracing those family lines further back in Mexico.

This class is ideal for anyone new to researching their Mexican lines, as well as those still relatively new to genealogy in general.

Class Logistics

• Date & Time: Saturday, April 21, 2018 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
• Location: St. Joseph County Public Library (SJCPL)
  Western Branch, 611 Lombardy Dr. South Bend, IN

If you attend, please come up and introduce yourself!

Sources Cited