8 Tips Puerto Rican Research

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 - Oct 15, 2024

Let's feature Puerto Rican Family Research for Hispanic Heritage Month. In our latest Under the Umbrella genealogy newsletter, we touched on Mexican research. Other Hispanic countires are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,  Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

 

World War II Era 

In 1918, the U.S. A. government began recruiting its new Puerto Rican citizens (as of March 1917) as mainland laborers. The idea was to place workers in New York and other states to assist with the shortage of war time in manufacturing, railroad, agriculture, construction, etc. Initially the goal was to register approximately ten thousand people, but that increased to over seventy-five thousand registered Puerto Ricans agreeing to the .35¢ per hour plus military housing/boarding and transportation via military vessels. Your ancestors may have been one of these registered laborers.

What is Puerto Rican DNA
Take a listen to this podcast highlight on Hittin' the Bricks with Kathleen as she explains in 48 seconds the DNA when conducting Puerto Rican and other Hispanic DNA. and you will learn there's really no DNA that designates Puerto Rican!

Must Use Record Collections

1.  New York National Archives (NARA). The Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives, New York City, is a great place to begin your Puerto Rican ancestor research. 

2.  Newspapers. The New York Puerto Rican newspapers reported news of its community. Although much was in Spanish, these OCR digitized copies are easily available with the New York Public Library database resources, or other comprehensive historical/genealogical libraries that hold newspaper database subscriptions (i.e. Midwest Genealogy Center, MO. -  library card will get you home access).

- La Democracia

- La Correspondencia de Puerto Rico

- El Tiempo y Union Obera

3.  Passenger Lists.
--Puerto Rico, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1901 – 1962, ancestry.com
--National Archives Record Group (RG85) Manifests of Ship Passengers Arriving at San Juan, PR in Transit to Other Destinations, 07/01/1921 – 06/30/1947 (microfilm only)
--RG 85.3.1 Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at San Juan PR 10/7/1901 – 6/30/1948

4.  Military Records. Selective Service System draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 are digitally available on FamilySearch.org or ancestry.com.

5.  Passports. Many Puerto Ricans worked in neighboring countries, (i.e. Dominican Republic).  For easier entry and exist many applied for their U. S. passports. Visit U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 on ancestry.com. For Puerto Rico, this collection holds records from 1907-1925. This is a good place to begin your passport research.

6.  Consular Records. 

Did your ancestor travel overseas for work, missionary work, U.S. government work? Was a child of an American citizen born overseas? This occurred frequently with customary long overseas visits. The Department of State records, various records of death notices of US citizens abroad should be scoured for your elusive ancestor. Don’t dismiss these records as only for those who were naturalized USA citizens and returned to their native land to visit family. Vacationers fell sick, were victims of violence, automobile accidents, or were imprisoned, etc. These records also included deaths that occurred in Canada and the Americas.

7.  Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives NYC, (these records may be transplanted to Pennsylvania 

8. Puerto Rico Civil Registration, familysearch Wiki

Be sure to review our Sept - Oct Under the Umbrella genealogy newsletter.

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September - October 2024 Newsletter

Why Are the September and October Newsletters Combined?

We know that combining the September and October Newsletter is unusual, but hear us out! We are always celebrating our ancestors. Hispanic Heritage Month is honored Sep 15 to Oct 15. It began in 1968 under President Johnson. At the time it was a week-long celebration. However, it was expanded to a month celebration 20 years later in 1988 by President Reagan. So, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! It's a perfect time to uncover your Hispanic family's history and trace your ancestral roots.

 September - October Happenings

Thank You Donors! 

Let's begin with why September is so special. It was birth month! For my birth month, Tracing Ancestors received generous donations from Tracing Ancestors and a3Genealogy followers, listeners to HTB podcast and readers of the Tracing Ancestors Newsletters and a3Genealogy blog posts. Donations received were from $5.00 to $500 dollars and the Board of Tracing Ancestors would like to thank all of our donors. This fundraising campaign kickstarted our 4th quarter financial goals.

Note: if you missed the opportunity to donate, visit tracingancestors.org. All donations are tax deductible (501c3). Visit TracingAncestors.org.

September - October Highlight 

Thank You Civil War Veteran Joseph Chedester

60 Second Soundbite

Many of you may have seen, via social media that I was honored to accept the military flag and dogtags for Civil War Veteran Joseph Chedester. This memorial event, The Final Salute was in late September in Des Moines, Iowa. Be sure to listen to the associated podcast: Honoring Veterans: The Final Salute. 

Prior to going and joining family and representatives for the other nineteen (19) veterans (WWI, WWII) and five of their spouses, I found this article posted by Military OneSource to be helpful: What to Expect During Military Funeral Honors.

September - October: Hispanic Heritage Research 

Here are the 5 tips to uncover your Hispanic heritage.

1. Vital Family Records: Begin by gathering vital records like birth certificates, marriage records, and immigration papers. 

2. Church Records: These may cover baptisms, marriages and deaths. In many Hispanic cultures, Catholic Church records are a goldmine for genealogy. Baptismal, marriage, and burial records often date back centuries. Many can be accessed through church archives or online databases like FamilySearch.org.

3. Immigration and Naturalization Records: These records can reveal when and where your ancestors entered new countries. Ancestry.com and the National Archives are excellent resources for U.S. records, while similar archives exist for countries across Latin America.

4. DNA Testing: Genetic testing through MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA,  and ancestryDNA can provide insight into your ancestral origins and connect you with distant relatives for up to 5 generations.

5. Hispanic Genealogy Groups: Online communities and genealogy groups specifically focused on Hispanic ancestry can offer support, share resources, and help overcome language barriers.

And don't forget to interview the elders in your family for both personal and family stories. Oral histories can provide valuable leads and stories that might not be documented elsewhere. Curious how to talk to family. Listen in to this NY -Puerto Rican Genealogy Case. Plus, there's a review on DNA, too. 

September - October: Research Tip 
 FamilySearchWiki

Have You Used the FamilySearch Wiki?
When in doubt turn to the FamilySearch.org Wiki on all genealogical topics. This resource will give you tips on beginning your research, record types that are available, and it even points you to other research resources.  There are maps, digitized resources, and guidance on best practices. 

You can use it for your Irish, German, Native American, African American research project. ...you get the point. 

Since it is Hispanic Heritage Month, and we have been flooded with relevant genealogical questions. We have been directing family researchers to this FamilySearch site: Hispanic Family History Resources. First of all it in English and Spanish which helps to bridge generations. Here are just a few of the other features we love:

     1) Online Databases that hold additional information

     2) Records organized by country
      3) Country Maps that can assist with not only the regions but parishes.

These types of outlined resources are available, as mentioned, for a plethora of topics. Don't forget this free resource. It's free. All you need is to set up a user login/password, and plunge in. 

Under the Umbrella
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6 Steps Revolutionary War Era Research

Who Were The Parents? 

There’s so much you can do for this era to find parents' names. In genealogy research where each region has records reflecting its community and where each era and generation of records evolve, we are reminded daily that historical record searching is never static. Yet, there are still some basic guidelines to follow. Here is a sample of my strategy for identifying Revolutionary War Era parentage. It’s simple, but these six steps put me back in action when I’m paralyzed with the “Now What?” Syndrome.

1) County Formations of your state. Revolutionary War Era Research is Colonial Research.  To learn more here is a link: Chasing Counties: Use County Formation Maps.

2) Tracing Land Inheritance using Deeds and Probate Records is another way to prove parentage. These records can show when and where the land was probated and to whom. Often the eldest son, if not a minor, inherited the land. However, the land could also be left to the wife. In the interest of minor children, names may be revealed showing kinship. Records can also show the relationship of siblings of other family members. Here is a good case of Researching Revolutionary War Veterans families of Virginia and Kentucky.

3) Territories had their own records prior to the state. This is tip really helps if your ancestor migrated west to a territory.   Be sure to check out State Archives.

4) Church Records. During the Revolutionary War Era churches kept a lot of family records to include children baptism, christening, marriage banns, and licenses. You are doing a disservice if you haven’t researched these genealogical gems.

5) Guardianship Records. Mothers were not usually granted guardianship of their minor children during the Revolutionary War Era, but if they did, it usually was through the court system. 

6) Newspapers 

Don’t forget old newspapers. Have you tried They may not be indexed, but you may get lucky with a local library or State Archive. Some of these repositories (like both the Mo. State Archives and the Kansas Historical Society), may have a surname index in their card catalog. Don’t underestimate the holdings at these repositories. At minimum, old newspapers are often preserved on microfilm at these repositories. What a great way to spend a bad climate day!
We love feedback. Feel free to drop us a note.

Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy

a3Genealogy@gmail.com

August 2024 Newsletter

 We are dedicated to helping the DIY genealogists and family historians. Each of our podcasts have an associated blog post article. Matter of fact, even our YouTube channels have associated podcast episodes. Just subscribe to our one stop Genealogy Reference Guide (linktr.ee/hittinthebricks) for both the podcast and a3genealogy associated articles.

Get Started with This Free ancestryDNA Kit 
We are gifting an ancestryDNA kit for one lucky September "suggestion/feedback" giver. All entries must be submitted by 30 Sep 2024. Free? Yes, the Feedback and Suggestions Campaign

Or You Can Use this Link to Purchase. AncestryDNA $39

The Woman Citizen

The Woman Citizen was one of the most influential of the American women’s suffrage periodical. UC Berkeley Library owns some print copies of both periodicals, and most of the issues of both publications are available online via the HathiTrust.

Underutilized Research Records

 Did You Know....?

There Were Laws Just For Women?

Use these laws to further your family research.

We know our female ancestors are hard to trace. But, on the otherhand, they can be our biggest clue to solving a family brickwall. They may have unexpected document that connects a couple generations.

                     Read
Our Ancestor's Love Cost Them Their Citizenship
5 Tips Using Misogynistic Laws to Solve Brickwalls. 

Where to find posted how-to articles?

We give you choices. We do suggest you bookmark, follow or subscribe to your preferred method.

1) All of our how-to articles since 2008 can be found on our a3Genealogy site.

2) If you are only looking for the longer explanation and cast studies for our podcast, just go to our Hittin' Bricks with Kathleen tab.

3) If you want everything written on a topic, either cleak on the tabs in gray, or there's a search bar in the upper left-hand corner. Just type in your topic or keyword (i.e. Civil War, that we narrow down all the titles that are under Military/NARA).

August Highlights
It was all about your ancestors' athletic dreams - high school to Olympian. We grabbed the popcorn and glued ourselves to the Olympic Games in Paris
26 Jul - 11 Aug 2024. It also raised family questions. Was Grandpa really that good at downhill skiing? Where's the scrapbook that we used to go through at Grannies' house? Were those families stories inflated? How can I research these ancestors? 

Podcast:
Researching Your Athlete: High School to Olympian

Article: Need step by step tips? Here's the accompanying article:              

6 Tips to Tracing Athletic Ancestors 

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6 Tips to Tracing Athletic Ancestors

High School Athletes to Olympian Hopefuls
Our ancestors who trained or were able to compete in the Olympics must be able celebrated. We must be able to trace them. In 1900 and 1904 we know the Modern Games were up and running. It is in the 1900 Paris games that the first modern female athletes were  featured. We know a lot about the Olympics, but I'm always shocked at what we don't know.  In 2022, I followed a young man, Arthur Strom, my client's father. Arthur was a dowhill skier, and well known in Washington, for his skills. He had his goal set on the Olympic tryouts in 1939. Keep in mind though that the Olympics Games were cancelled in Summer Games of 1916 (WWI); Summer and Winter Games of 1940 and Summer Games of 1944 due to  WWII (1939 - 1945).

Even though our Arthur was unable to compete in the Olympics, I learned a lot about the sport, the person, and the perserverance and challenges that comes with that winter Olympics. Plus, the a3Genealogy team was able to create a scrapbook for Arthur and his athleticism.

I say start with the genealogical impact of Olympic athletes. These athletes were someone's ancestors or DNA cousins. So, let's put this all into a historical-genealogical context. How can you learn more? Was your ancestor exposed to competition in their upbringing? What and who inspired them. These are just some of my questionsWe know the ancient Olympic games were part of a religious festival to honor the Greek god Zeus, and originally competitors were limited to freeborn Greek men and boys. That is not the Modern Olympics of today. 

The Folklore 
The family stories always begin the same. Grandpa bragged and repeated the stories told from his grandma, but someone in the early 1900's was in the Olympics. Or, they would have made the Olympics, but WWII clouded their future, like that of Art Strom (above).  The story may differ, but there was always a stumbling block. There's still proof that they did train or tryout for the team. 

Cultural. Was there a cultural emphasis on sports in the community; or maybe a beloved community pasttime of a particual sport encouraged players to be inspired to reach Olympic level? Were there cultural restraints? 

They didn't allow women to compete in the women until 1900. But it wasn't quite that simple: Hélène de Pourtalès of Switzerland who was the first woman to compete at the Olympic Game was a member of the 1 to 2 ton winning sailing team. Oh, and Briton Charlotte Cooper is known for being the first winning women's singles tennis competition. Twenty-two women competed at the 1900 Games -  sailing, golf, tennis, and croquet.

But, in as late as 1950's Carol Durand was not able to participate with the Olympic USA Equestrian Team. Did you know equestrian sports has been part of the Summer Olympics since 1900? This year, 2024, 200 riders, and their partnering four-legger, competed in Paris. In case you missed the USA jumping team got a silver in Paris. Durand, from my hometown of Kanas City, Kansas, made the Olympic team, but it was determined shortly after that it was a men's only team. 

1951, Missouri 

   

Black men could not compete until 1904 St Louis Summer Olympics. That year George Coleman Poage, born 1884 in Missouri, but raised in Wisconsin, and trained an graduated from the University of WI. in 1903. 

Economics. Did economics play a part historically in who could participate? I don't know if  Equestrian ttraining and competitions is the most expensive Olympic sport, but the cost of just the care and movability of a one-ton live competition-partner takes me to want to analyze the financial burden. Sure, I know I'm a bit too familiar with equestrian competition, but I did go to a Missouri women's college, Stephens College, that had the unique major of Equestrian Science. My classmates were forever going to England, or abroad, for competitions. When mentioning this over the Thanksgiving table my Freshman year, my father just looked at me side-eyed, and blurted an emphatic "don't even think about it!." That ended the discussion. 

But for athletes like George Poage, whose father died when he was a young boy, and money was rather strapped, how did they train for the Olympics? Were they sponsored? Poage was indeed sponsored by the Milwaukee Athletic Club. Ath this segregated Olympics event, Poage won bronze in the 200yard and 400 yard hurdles. Although Poage died in 1962, never married, no children, but he did have a sister, and an extended family. So we would do genealogy on the family, as always. 

Genetics. Was their athleticism passed down, maybe, genetically as is tossed around with Danny Bukantz, the fencer.

1938, Knoxville TN 

It is said that Danny passed his powerful, precise fencing skills to son. This story is captured in the book written by his son, Closing the Distance, Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy. A

Speaking of genetics, I recently learned that studies have been conducted on just this topic.Yes, there is actually such thing as Sports Genomics.  One such study supported that high-altitude adaptations is appers to help distance runners. Although simplistic, another study suggests that certain genetic traits, such as fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are advantageous for explosive sports like sprinting and jumping, are more prevalent in people of West African descent. Hmmm... 

Where to Start Research on Your Athlete?
Now we know Art Strom, Carol Durand, George Poage, and Danny Bukantz  did not just wake up one morning and announce they were on the Olympic team. We want to know more- their childhood, their ancestors, their training, their influences, etc..

1. Newspapers. These newspaper articles tell the contemporary news.  Great place to get face images, and team pics.  Also they post scores and placement in races and competitions. Was your ancestor always on the best team, or placing in most races?  
2. State's Athletic Hall of Fame. Lot's was written up on Poage in 1998 when he was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.This is the best place to get team pics.
   
3. School/University Year Books
4. Sports Periodicals and Sports Journals. 
5. Sports Museums
6. State Historical Societies

Research Obstacles

The 1916 World War I Summer Olympic Games were cancelled, as was the 1940 Summer and Winter Games and the 1944 Summer Games. As an Olympian hopeful, Arthur Strom who was training in 1943. was unable to tryout in 1944. But he proudly served his country as a Marine.

Another resource: Tracing College & Professional Athletes

We love feedback.  Feel free to drop us a note. 

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy

a3Genealogy@gmail.com    

5 Tips Using Misogynistic Laws to Solve Brickwalls

Our Ancestors' Love Cost Them Their Citizenship 

Hannah Smith, born in Pennsylvania in 1897, married 20 Mar 1921. On that day she no longer was American. She was British! You'll see below Herbert was a British immigrant. Hannah automatically was stripped the citizenship of her birth county upon marriage. It was the Law.  

Before seeing red over the 1907 Expatriation Act, a law designed just for USA women, jump with joy. This unfair, misogynistic law gives family researchers more document to identify their proper family line. The best way to use this data is for common names: which Herbert and Mary Smith was yours?

What Was The Expatriation Act?

The Act states that an American woman who married an alien would lose her citizenship and take on her husband’s nationality. If her husband's country did not allow wives to gain derivative citizenship, the previously born American citizen would then become stateless.

But, We Love Paperwork

Whereas, the Expatriation Act of 1907 was a head-scratcher, we love the paperwork generated due to Amendments, Repatration, and law mendments. The further we go back in history, the more common the given and suranmes become. How many John Smith's were there anyway.  The only way to pluck your correct one is to be prepared and hope for a woman that married an immigrant between 1907 - 1930.  

Know there's not one Act, there were Amendments, and other Acts to override the original Amendments and Acts.  This means that once your ancestor was in the system, researchers were given a couple of decades of great genealogical paperwork that others may not have. 

Where to Start?

1. You've traced your ancestors (parents, grandparents to grandparents) and extended family. 
2. You pulled census records, vital records, marriage records, dates and locations. You are now ready for the timeframe you are looking for 1907 - 1930 (or before).  Either way it's time to crossfingers and start digging. 

As genealogists, the Expatriation Act of 1907, a law designed just for USA women,  might be the answer to your brickwall. Know that when the law was changed, researchers were given additional document sets to identify their proper family line. Yes, I'm an optimist!

Be patient, just like any other naturalization record research, you may have to research in several relevant courts and maybe even adjacent states. We recently located a 1927 repatriation document for our South Dakota Klein family, in Colorado records.  

 

Take a look at this newspaper article. If your USA born female ancestor married a non-naturalized man, perhaps from Canada, Hungary or any other county, she automatically lost her citizenship.

5 More Opportunities to find a Naturalization Updates?

1.  IF the husband became naturalized the American born wife could apply to regain her citizenship.
2. The wife could repatriate IF the marriage was annulled
3. The wife could repatriate IF divorced from the alien
4. Or IF she became a widow.
5. IF the wife was living abroad, she would have to register within one year through an American consul.

What Was the Impact?

 Oroville Daily Register, 6 Oct 1923, Oroville, CA

This citizenship restriction had major impact on Amerian born citizens:

• Losing their citizenship barred women from certain kinds of employment and made them vulnerable to detention and deportation.
• Some states, mostly western, allowed women to vote before the 19th Amendment. But American born wives of aliens who attempted to register to vote in those states were no longer allowed to vote until the Act was revised by the Cable Act of 1922. 
  The Cable Act.deserves it's own blog. 

But, American Men Didn't Fear

If an immigrant - alien woman married an American man, through the 1855 Act of Congress, these alien wives were granted automatic citizenship. Even through terminiation of their marriage, these women were able to retain their citizenship.

Where to get more information?

• She Was Surprised and Furious”: Expatriation, Suffage, Immagration and the Fragililty of Women's Citizenship, 1907-1940 Felice Batlan*
• Female Ancestor Citizenship Confusion
• Brickwall? Turn to the Law for Hints

We love feedback.  Feel free to drop us a note. 

Kathleen Brandt

a3Genealogy

a3Genealogy@gmail.com    

Chasing Counties:Use County Formation Maps

 

In 2010 I first learned of the magic of using  County Formation Maps. I was so excited then. I still have a special love affair with them now. After 2.5 years of working on the Thompson project, I have finally been able to make sense of the all our notes, thanks to tracing ONE Kentucky patent of 1461 acres across four states and 6 (or 7) counties in KY,  3 generations tied up in the same lawsuit in early Virginia to KY to Indiana; and for the heck of it, throw MO in where they finally settled, I now have the hints and a opened portal to continue my 1700 research. 

The best part of colonial research are the copious mounds of land patents, land deeds, lawsuits over lands, land inheritance, and family fights over land. This year alone, (and it's only July), we have unblocked, the Nichols, the Thompsons, and the Scotts using these early American litigious filled records. The key is to find them. So you must ask yourself: "Has every portal been opened, no matter how small or how far?" 

That's the same question I asked in 2010. The Thompson family is not closed, I still have no idea which Samuel is the correct one, and, the DNA of course wouldn't dare be a Thompson (it's Taylor and Mulligan); but I at least have a USA papertrail that matches the 1920 biographical sketch of who the Thompson man should be. 

The first step of preparing for your research is educating yourself on the region.  When was eachstate/county formed? From which counties or territories were new counties created? And, what was going on politically that may have affected records for your time period? 

County Formation Maps
Do you see it below? The original Thompson 1461 acre land patented in 1791 is the same land of Thompson (deceased) in 1821. Now the heirs were back in court. This court case did not settle until 1840s.  However, it's the county formations that I had to chase. The acres and players in the lawsuit was secondary. 

 

Keep in mind, just because a county changed, or a new one was created, doesn’t mean the records migrated. Some records were passed to the new county's repositories. Others stayed in the old county. Yes, you may have to check all of the counties formed from a starter county.

Chasing Your State and County Records 

Understand that we start with the present and go back with genealogy research. So sure, you can pinpoint your ancestor when they are enumerated in the county and have land in that county. But one of our questions is, but how did they pay for the land? Who paid for it? What does a land trace tell you about When the the land became into your family?  And, Where did the land lie when it was originally acquired in Which county?

You can see above, what the county looked like in 1798. But count the counties just 4 years earlier in 1794.  In 1780 and before the same land was actually in VA. I'm sure the client was exhausted as I weaved through the same 1461 acres across the states and several counties. But what a true way to bridge generations in this case.

Westward Expansion

Like counties, boundaries of states were transformed through history. Kansas gave some of its boundaries to Colorado. Missouri extended its already large state by acquiring the Platte Purchase in 1836; and Virginia split in 1863 creating West Virginia.

The Territories Too

And let’s not forget the western state of Idaho that was treated like an unwanted burden.  First it was part of the Oregon Territory; then divided between the Washington Territory and Oregon Territory.  Then when Oregon became a state, what would become Idaho was attached to Washington. With the discovery of gold, and a extreme political maneuvering, Idaho finally became its own territory in 1863.  Whew, and that was the short version.

The goal here is to verify the surrounding states and counties. So dont forget political reasons that may have influenced the moving of your records.

a3Genealogy

Accurate, Accessible Answers

a3genealogy@gmail.com