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. 

All Souls Day

In America we celebrate Halloween, 31 Oct. It is celebrated the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day . "All Hallows Eve" or Halloween is of  Christian origin. As in Christmas Eve, it was traditional to celebrate the eve of a holiday. This would be the eve of all Hallows' Day, also called All Saints' Day (1 Nov).. 

In many Latin countries, ancestors celebrated All Soul's Day, to remember the ancestors.  This holiday is not restricted for the Catholic church, as many other Christians oberseve the holiday. It's a celebration that genealogists dream of: family, cemeteries, family tradiditions, and the ancestors! 

This holiday is filled with traditions:

• Mexico, many create private altars for their ancestors. The alters are decorated with photographs, flowers, candy skulls, and candles. 
• Guatemala, people fly kites. There's even a festival, Barriletes Gigantes Festival, or Giant Kites Festival. These kites may be up to 65 feet across! Just write a note to your ancestor and tie it to the kite’s tail. It is said your ancestor can read iit n heaven.
• Peru, families share a sweat bread called loaf of t’anta wawa with a friend or relative. T’anta wawa is baked into the shape of a doll or small child.

As mentioned, others celebrated Allhallowtide  - the 3 days of 31 Oct - 2 Nov. 

Did you ancestor celebrate any of these Allhallowtide?

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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Kathleen Brandt & The Board of Tracing Ancestors