Have you inherited an obituary or another type of biographical sketch of a Mexican ancestor or relative? Would you like to learn how to dig deeper into that record to discover more about that individual and his/her family?
Join me at the 28th Annual Genealogical Society of Hispanic America Conference!
About the Conference
The Genealogical Society of Hispanic America (GSHA) hosts an annual conference each August, in rotating cities, usually in the Southwest states. This year’s conference will be held August 18th – 20th in Ontario, California.
This year’s theme is “Ancient Trails to Super Highways…Discover Your Roots.”
We have all arrived where we are via an ancient land or sea trail. These trails may have been Indigenous trade routes; pioneer settlement routes from Mexico, Canada, and Asia; or sea routes from Europe and Africa. The super highways of today―the internet, air travel and recent DNA discoveries―continue to assist us in uncovering our common roots which connect our past to our future.
The conference program focuses heavily on the colonial Spanish, pre-statehood California, and pre-statehood New Mexico eras. My session is one of only two that focus on more contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American ancestry.
NOTE: I recently joined GSHA’s conference and national teams, and have expressed my concern that our conferences need to be more inclusive of U.S. Hispanics in general. Not all U.S. Hispanics have early California/New Mexico or colonial-era Mexican roots (Hispanics have roots from all Spanish-speaking countries). And many of us with Mexican ancestry have ancestors who came over in just the last century. I would like to see future GSHA conferences meet the broader needs of Hispanic family history researchers. I joined the conference committee too late to have an impact on this year’s program, but the program coordinators have put together a fabulous lineup.
This year’s program is excellent, so go register today!
About My Class
The Suspect Centenarian: Using a Common Source to Connect to Mexican Origins
The 1963 obituary for Mexican-immigrant Aurelia Compean reads, Matriarch Dies at 105; 21 Children. Extended family members knew little about their family history when the clipping surfaced in 2003, other than knowing they fled Mexico during the Revolution and came from San Luis Potosí. At first glance, this treasured obituary lacks concrete genealogical information. But its rich clues, combined with research in mostly online sources, revealed a couple of centuries of family history. Colleen’s presentation will demonstrate how to dissect an obituary to investigate each clue, the types of records and strategies used, and an analysis of the evidence discovered.
- Date & Time: Sunday, August 20, 2017 (2:30pm – 3:30pm)
- Target Audience: All levels.
I hope to see you in Ontario in August! Please come up and say hi!
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Dear Colleen, I attended your presentation at Laguna Niguel spring of 2016 and loved it! I just finished reading all your blogs on your research on your family. Wonderful work and so intensive! I can state that yours is the first site where you show step by step how you do your research. Thank you. I am working on my family visiting the state of Guanajuato and using FamilySearch as well. It was an eye-opener to hear about the One Name research. Perhaps I will try it on my Lazaro or Gaona line. I also appreciated the clear explanation of your DNA results. You explain everything very clearly. I hope to see you again in Ontario this summer at the conference..