Ask the Genie

If he doesn't know the answer ....

He'll be happy to make something up!

Only kidding mis amigos! But, hopefully, this will become a most magical place. Many of us have questions related to genealogy that we haven't asked because we did not know exactly 'who' to ask. Well this is the place! Ask them here ... and between the Genie y todos sus Cyberprimos - we'll get an answer.

This page was last updated February 21, 2000

Primera pregunta... is from Tomás from el Norte. He asks the genie...

Hey Genie what do I do if I can't read Spanish? I understand very little either but is there a way to get records that are translated? All the microfilm is useless to me. What can I do?

El Genie says: Gracias por su pregunta. Primero quiero dice que el Español no es muy dificil aprender. OOPS! Let me rephrase that. I'm a Genie not a magician. If you can't read Spanish your going to have problems with any microfilm of Mexican records. I think your options are limited. You can start by learning to read Spanish - it's not that hard. In the meantime you can stick with the internet sites (like this one) that can serve as go betweens. Any Cyberprimos who have other bright ideas on how to help Tomás feel free to e-mail my master.

Segunda pregunta... is from Gerardo from Tejas. He asks the genie...

Hey Mr. Genie I know I would like some church records from Matamoros. However, there are several churches there. Is there a central location where those records are kept? The time period I need is around 1900. Thanks.

El Genie says: Gracias por su pregunta. I assume you have checked out the Family History Center in your town. (And that YOU can read Spanish).All the church records for Matamoros should be available to you there. Otherwise you will have to determine what Diocese Matamoros pertained to at that time. Then you could look for the records through the FHC. I hope this helps. If any of our Cyberprimos have anything to add please send my master a note. (He's really nice guy but not very bright).

This Question comes from Mercedes - The cyberqueen of New Mexico.

Hey there handsome Genie. Do you know what the abreviation "C." stands for. I've come across this in some microfilms and I can't figure what name it could stand for. It often appears as the first initial in someones name. For example, I know "J." is used as shorthand for "Jose". If you could help me I would forever be indebted.

REALLY? replies our Genie - (with a devilish grin on his green face). The "C." merely stands for "Ciudadano". If you were looking at a Russian microfilm I would've told you it stood for Comrade. (That's a joke). However, it does seem to serve the same purpose. You'll find it used quite often. On occasion you will find it written out, "Ciudano Fulano de Tal ...", for example. Now will you take me home with you? My master is a nice guy but you're much prettier than he is!

OK now Victor in Chicago asks this most interesting pregunta.

Hey Genie can you settle something I was wondering about? People that I know tell me that the Spanish were extremely cruel and evil conquerers. Is it true that one custom that they forced on the poor masses was this. When one of the peons was married his new bride had to spend the wedding night with the patron? Have you ever heard of this?

Hmmmm ... replies our red faced Genie. Well that might make a good story plot for an English porno flick but I doubt that it has any basis in fact. Of course the way it was told the beautiful bride (a Demi Moore look alike) is forced in to the bedroom of the evil master (insert Danny DeVito look alike). Yeah, right! Sounds like a chapter out of good old American history and too real to make light of here.

Hey la reina de Nuevo Mexico, Mercedes M. has a second question for her favorite Genie.

Hey you gorgeous hunk of green masculinity: Deseo saber si se puede encontrar en algún archivo información sobre el gran numero de haciendas y ranchos que se encontraban en los estados norteños de Mexico. En particular me gustaría saber bajo cual jurisdicción caían y donde se encontraban en relación de pueblos o ciudades cercanas. Muchas gracias de antemano.

With a puffed out chest and flexing his large biceps Genie replies. Are you flirting with me my little Spanish Chic-a-Dee? How about instead of me answering you here - I drop over and explain it to you? No you say? Well how about I send you some books that may contain your answer. So it shall be done!

Well now it looks like a friend (I don't know where he lives) has some input for us about a topic dear to heart of us men. Namely - THE WEDDING NIGHT ritual !

"Hey Genie - regarding the request from Victor in Chicago, he may have been on to something. I don't know if the Spanish were into that sort of thing, but the French and English sure were. This medieval practice was called the "right of the first night," or "prime nactum", (or something like that). This practice was originally done in order for the master of an estate to save any impure maiden from embarrassment on her wedding night. The reasoning was that if she was not a virgin on her wedding day, then only the lord of the manor would know for sure. Naturally, in the interest of harmony on the manor, the Lord would never reveal such information. This would save the bride's family any embarrassment and shame to her new husband".

As your Genie I know nothing about such silly notions as being impure or "virgin". My master, on the otherhand, has mixed feelings. He thinks the English and French landlords were pretty smart guys and came up with a good way to make sure that they got into every female. However, I think that our Spanish ancestors were smarter than that. Our rule probably read like this: "The above rules only applies if the bride is less than sixty years old, has most of her teeth and weighs less than 400 lbs. If she does not meet these strict standards she is considered to be above reproach and you may go at it. Good luck!!"

Well here is an interesting question from a real land lover from norte del border.

Hey El Genie! I have been told to own land in Mexico you had to be a citizen of Mexico. Would this have been true in the 1870's? My grandmother was born in Tampico in the 1870's and her father was said to be a Dan Davis and her mother was Martha Huffman Davis both from the U.S.A.. It has also been said he owned much land in and around Tampico. Can you help me on this.
Thanks, bill Wallace

Oh no ... Mr. Bill! As a man of clay you are truly one with the land. However a question such as yours requires a sharp mind and great insight. I couldn't locate either so I contacted a lawyer for help. So in answer to your pregunta - I must qualify everything you are about to read. As best as I or my master understand it, you are quite right that one must be a citizen of Mexico to own land there today. This was imposed many, many years ago (who knows when?) in reaction to large numbers of foreigners buying up vast land areas of Mexico. Perhaps Dan Davis was one of those foreigners. Perhaps lawyers in the 1870's considered your ancestors a threat and passsed the legislation to put a halt to it. Perhaps.

Your Genie must also add that what is legal is often far from the reality. I have it from reliable sources that even today a non-citizen can buy land and will generally have no problem. The problems will generally arise if one becomes involved in the political arena or becomes involved in causes that cause the authorities problems. So all in all I would say that as a green good lookin' Genie that it is quite possible that your ancestors could have own land in Mexico.
Of course if there are any lawyers out there that would like to add some insight to this please .... DON'T... I hate lawyers and I forbid them on this site!

Well it is my honor to add the following comments from Col. (Ret) Ernest A. Montemayor in response to previous questions. Although he doesn't mention it I (as your all knowing Genie) know that he is also the Director, of the Hispanic American Genealogy Association. COOL!!

Hey Genie... Congratulations on your query page - its neat!! To QUESION ONE. I would venture that it will take a long time to learn Spanish from scratch. Perhaps to give him a "jumpstart" on research he could prepare a "cue card" with the Spanish word equivalents for birth, baptism, marriage,and death,plus the days of the week and months of the year followed by the word equivalents for son, daughter, father, mother and paternal and maternal grandparents. I did this while researching french records and I was amazed how well it worked. To QUESTION TWO. Matamoros has a cathedral - I would search there but I would also search the civil records. The Registro Civil in Mexico began about 1861 and I prefer them to church records - they are more detailed and they often contain ages and professions of the parents and many times list the grandparents. Sincerely, Colonel E. A. Montemayor, USAF-Ret.

Well there you are. Words of wisdom from someone who knows. Let it never be said that your Genie does not have connections to people in the know.

Well here is a timely question from a regular visitor in San Francisco!

Hey Genie... I just wanted to let you know that I think it's a great move on your masters part to hook up with GenConnect. I haven't checked out your new query page yet but I've visited other sites that use it and it is a very good system. Way to go! Tony G. in 'Frisco.

Well thank you so much for all the kind words. You are right it is a good move. It took me quite a while to convince my (no too bright) Master to make the jump. It will be even better when he moves over all the queries that are up on the old page. Well as he likes to mumble every once in a while ... "All in good time my little pretty... all in good time."

It's about time for another comment from one our loyal readers. This is one is from Penny Mae B. near the metropolis of Indianapolis.

Hey Genie...I was wondering whatever happened to the "Surname page"? Also, as a fellow Hoosier I was wondering if there is any way to contact your master so that I may ask him some questions in a more private, or less public manner. What I mean is can I talk with him in person or on the phone? Perhaps this sounds a little strange but I swear I only want to talk about his genealogy.

Hmmmm?! I must say that ,as your green genie, that this is the first time I am at a loss for words. To your first question, let me say that my silly master, in his confused state of mind, inadvertantly left the surname page off his site. He thinks he may put it back soon or when he gets around to it. As to your other (and more interesting question) my master will consider your request however, I doubt that he will ever contact you. As he explained to me, "The last time I talked genealogy with a girl from downstate Indiana she asked me, 'Hoosier daddy?', and laughed out loud at me!" So I think he has had enough of the redneck, green tooth humor for now. (Mi tinks he is a litto too sensitive!

Now here is one to ponder from a new reader, Jose A. in Las Vegas.

Hey Genie...I think your site is really nice. It really is helpfull ... really. However, I would like to add my two cents worth if I may. Why are all the new questions on this page added to the bottom of the list instead of the top of the page. That way one reads the newer questions first and the older ones last. What do you think?

Well Mr. Smarty Pants my master doesn't think too much of it. With bulging eyes and drooling spit he calmly explain to me that perhaps you as a newbie person didn't get the concept. He patiently explained that he did this intentionally so that readers would get used to good researching techniques. These techniques will come in handy later as you research obscure documents. At that time you will appreciate the skills learned here. Skills like scolling for hours only to learn that Tio Juan's father was the very last name on a 10,000 page manifest. No, Mr. Smarty Pants this is no fly by night operation! Things are well planned and thought out and furthermore .....
(Well, my masters initials aren't BS for nothing!)

Here is an important observation from a smart woman, Irma Cantu. She knows what she is talking about.

I just discovered your page, and the question that prompts this response is ancient history, but surely the question from a non-Spanish reader about reading Mexican parish records remains relevant to others. Whether or not a new researcher reads Spanish, the LDS Records Extraction Manual available for only $5 (plus $2.50 for shipping) from SHHAR (P. O. Box 49), Midway City, CA 92655-0490) is invaluable. Since the format of the records was mandated by the Council of Trent, there was what amounted to almost a template for them, and that format is spelled out, in English, in that Manual. There's an excellent glossary, lots of information about ethnic designations, names, etc., a tutorial on reading the old handwriting and abbreviations --126 pages packed with information that will help ANY new researcher of Spanish/Mexican records. I guarantee that it's the best 5 bucks you'll ever spend on genealogy!

Words of wisdom - no doubt! My master has spent hundreds of dollars on all kinds of books and journals. He has spent more than five dollars just on the postage for one book! So for less than the price of another book of stamps I will order the manual for him. (I'll tell him it is a rare find and cost several hundred dollars - just to make him feel important in genealogy circles!)