My journey into genealogy began when I was 13 years old. I was assigned a school project to compile a four-generation family tree. After interviewing my immigrant grandparents, I became interested in learning more about my family history beyond what their memories provided. I still hold that graded paper chart in my personal archives. It wasn't until many years later that I began to practice genealogy as a hobby. After a full decade of research experience with Mexican records, I created, edited and maintained a blog titled Guadalajara Dispensas, where I published a collection of thousands of extractions from Catholic Church marriage dispensations--canonical records that are rich in genealogical information. As a result of my publishing, I have been a featured speaker at the Nueva Galicia Genealogical Society annual conference. I hold a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University.
I crossed over to the Research space after a long career as an independent special events producer. From planning to venue logistics, staging, catering, and trade show booth management, I am well-versed in all aspects of conference planning and execution. I welcome the opportunity to support any genealogy-related special event, meeting, or conference.
I am a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the National Genealogical Society.
I take on client research projects and compile comprehensive reports that include a summary of findings, research notes with details of the documentary evidence, complete source citations, unsuccessful searches, recommendations for further research and electronic images of all evidence and documents found. I adhere to the Association of Professional Genealogists Code of Ethics and Professional Practices.
There is nothing like DNA evidence to answer your genealogical questions. With multiple options for testing and analysis, the scientific data and jargon can become complicated and overwhelming. I help to analyze and interpret DNA test results, and also identify what is relevant to your specific genealogical question. This is a powerful option in cases of unknown parentage, adoption, or otherwise separated parents and offspring. I apply the Genetic Genealogy Standards, crafted by a consortium of scientists and genetic genealogists.
I am bilingual in English and Spanish. I produce transcription and translation products. My skills extend to paleography in genealogical records from the 16th to the 20th centuries, in Colonial Latin America and Spain.
I hold a Certificate in Genealogical Research Studies from Boston University. I have twenty plus years of research experience in Spanish language records from Colonial Mexico and Spain. My geographical specialties are the modern-day Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Nayarit and Zacatecas, conjointly known as Nueva Galicia during the Spanish Colonial period.
In the field of genealogy, we often find things we are not looking for. A hint or hunch leads to a trail of evidence that helps us reconstruct lives from the past. Many times, the evidence conflicts with narratives that were passed down from generation to generation. This may be such a case...
Joseph Rodriguez hit a brick wall when the paper trail came to a halt. In researching his Rodriguez direct male-line from Monterrey [Nuevo Leon, Mexico], Joseph was stalled at his fifth great-grandfather named Pedro Jose Rodriguez. He paired traditional genealogical research with Y-chromosome testing which revealed that his closest Y-DNA matches have the surname Cavazos. Read along and take a journey to Colonial Monterrey and learn how this story unfolds directly from records and DNA...
Below are examples of my genealogical research and writing work. Links will open in PDF format.