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Books for Researchers of Hispanic Families in New Mexico
A MUST-HAVE FOR RESEARCHERS!
Finding Your Hispanic Roots, by George R. Ryskamp, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Maryland, 1997. This comprehensive guide has everything: what records to search; where to find them; how to organize your research; even how to read old fashioned Spanish handwriting and abbreviations. It discusses records from Spain, Latin America, and Southwestern states.
RECOMMENDED FOR: EVERYONE!
New Mexico Geography from a Historical Perspective
Historical Atlas of New Mexico, by Warren A. Beck and Ynez D. Haas, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1969.
Place Names of New Mexico, by Robert Julyan, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1998, or see NMG's Town Locator
New Mexico in Maps, Jerry L. Williams (ed.), University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, (out of print).
New Mexico Place Names, A Geographical Dictionary, T. M. Pearce (ed.), University of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, (possibly out of print).
RECOMMENDED FOR: Everyone. At some point, you’ll want to buy at least one of these books if they’re not readily available at your local library. They can save you a lot of time in locating exactly where your family lived at a certain time, or where they might have come from/gone to.
New Mexico History from a Genealogical Perspective
Origins of New Mexico Families (abbreviated ONMF), by Fray Angélico Chávez, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1992 (most recent printing). Organized by periods in New Mexico history, and then by surname, ONMF gives brief histories and genealogies of families which arrived in New Mexico between 1598 and 1821. Fray Chávez, considered one of the most important of New Mexico historians, used wills, church records, and legal documents to construct these histories.
RECOMMENDED FOR: those whose research has gotten back to the early 1800’s.
The Spanish Recolonization of New Mexico, an Account of the Families Recruited at Mexico City in 1693, by José Antonio Esquibel and John B. Colligan, Hispanic Genealogy Research Center of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1999. Set up much like ONMF, this book contains histories and pedigrees of the first Hispanic families to settle in New Mexico after the Pueblo Revolt. Written by two well-respected and prolific New Mexico historians.
RECOMMENDED FOR: those whose families were part of this era in New Mexico history.
Miscellaneous
Dictionary of New Mexico and Southern Colorado Spanish, by Rubén Cobos, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1983.
RECOMMENDED FOR: those translating Spanish-language documents for their research.
Spanish and Mexican Records of the American Southwest, by Henry Putney Beers, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona, 1979 (out of print). A scholarly book—not easy reading but full of information. It discusses the history, archiving, and contents of Colonial government and civil records for the states of New Mexico, Texas, California, and Arizona.
RECOMMENDED FOR: those who have access to the archives of these southwestern states.
Transcribed and Translated Vital Records
and Primary Source InformationNew Mexico Roots, Ltd, by Fray Angélico Chávez. A whopping eleven volumes of Diligencia Matrimoniales (pre-marital investigations) for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe covering the years 1678-1869, all translated into English, typed, and cross referenced. Although not for sale, copies can be found in several New Mexico Libraries and on microfiche at Family History Centers. See http://pages.prodigy.net/bluemountain1/nmroots.htm for a well-written explanation of what you’ll find in New Mexico Roots, where to find it, and information about some important follow-up works.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Everyone. You’ll go back to this resource time and again!
Besides New Mexico Roots, Ltd, there are dozens of books containing Catholic Church Sacramental Records (baptisms, marriages, burials), census records (Spanish, Mexican, and U.S.), tombstone transcriptions, etc. I’ve searched for used copies of these kinds of books (they’re kind of pricey new, especially if you’re not even sure you’ll find your family in them), but I can’t find them anywhere! Researchers must really hang on to them. At any rate, always be sure to check local public libraries and Family History Centers (heck, I found some at the DAR Library!) to see if these resources are on the shelves. You might be pleasantly surprised!
TO FIND OUT WHAT’S AVAILABLE . . .
1) check out these web sites:
New Mexico Genealogical Society, publications page http://www.nmgs.org/books.htm
Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico, publications page --currently offine
write to the historical societies of counties where your ancestors came from and ask for a list of their publications. To find the addresses of the historical societies, follow the county links on the NMG.org home page, and then click on "Resources;" 3) if you can’t find transcribed sacramental records for the place and time your ancestors lived in New Mexico, visit the New Mexico Genealogical Society page entitled "Locating Catholic Church Records in New Mexico." Read through the introduction, and then follow through the links to figure out how to find your ancestors’ sacramental records. You will wind up on a page listing all of the Catholic Parishes in New Mexico whose records are available on microfilm either through the Archdiocese of Santa Fe or the Family History Library and its Centers. The address is http://www.nmgs.org/Chrchs-intro.htm
