The San Diego Hispanic Saturday group met at the Family History Library in Mission Valley. The meeting traditionally starts with a round table introductions, with each person updated their genealogy research status. Fourteen gave their in-depth research.
In attendance was Carlos Yturralde, one of two “Ask an Expert” in helping solve the attendees questions; the other was Ceasar Castro. The following three questions were answered.
1.) Lois Farnsworth Rattray was trying to nail down the link between Juan Bautista Smith and Thomas Smith and firm up dates. – Ceasar Castro addressed the first question. Juan Bautista Smith was the son of Thomas Smith. Thomas Smith jump ship in Baja California in 1808 and settled in Baja California. He married Maria Meza.
2.) David Delgadillo wondered if civil marriage is not enough for the Catholic Church; that a Civil marriage equals a natural child. – Carlos Yturralde answered the second. A child christened in the Catholic Church whose parent have not been married in the Church is concerned a natural child, rather than a legitimate child.
3.) Michaela Burris stated that her brick wall was Esparza, Juan Antonio b about 1775, San Jual el Mezquital, probably Nuevo Leon. I am not sure that "San Jual el Mezquital" is in Nuevo Leon or Zacatecas or somewhere else. Carlos answered that in doing family history research it important to know where our ancestors are from or where they lived, for there is where we will find records. To help locate a place the best tool is a website called “pueblosamerica.com.” Once the place is located then we can find the parish, which would have the birth, marriage and death records as well as other information. Secondly we would locate the historical archive that would have the colonial civil records. A search for San Juan el Mezquital we found there were two locations one in Nuevo Leon and the other in Durango.
2.) David Delgadillo wondered if civil marriage is not enough for the Catholic Church; that a Civil marriage equals a natural child. – Carlos Yturralde answered the second. A child christened in the Catholic Church whose parent have not been married in the Church is concerned a natural child, rather than a legitimate child.
3.) Michaela Burris stated that her brick wall was Esparza, Juan Antonio b about 1775, San Jual el Mezquital, probably Nuevo Leon. I am not sure that "San Jual el Mezquital" is in Nuevo Leon or Zacatecas or somewhere else. Carlos answered that in doing family history research it important to know where our ancestors are from or where they lived, for there is where we will find records. To help locate a place the best tool is a website called “pueblosamerica.com.” Once the place is located then we can find the parish, which would have the birth, marriage and death records as well as other information. Secondly we would locate the historical archive that would have the colonial civil records. A search for San Juan el Mezquital we found there were two locations one in Nuevo Leon and the other in Durango.
