by John P. Schmal
Several million Americans have ancestors from the states of Jalisco, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes. This is not surprising when we consider that large numbers of Mexican immigrants from these states were moving to the United States during the first three decades of the Twentieth Century. Oral interviews and statistical data had indicated that these three states were among the five central Mexican states that fed large numbers of railroad workers to help build, maintain and expand the railroad industry in the United States. And, more often than not, the railroad workers would bring their families to join them after spending some time in the U.S.
Immigrants arriving in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s also came from Zacatecas and Jalisco. And, in recent decades, immigrants from these states continued to arrive in the U.S. For many sons of Zacatecas, Jalisco and Aguascalientes, there is a sense of pride in having ancestors from these lands. Jalisco, in particular, has been an important cultural center for several centuries and is easily one of the most famous Mexican states.
But Jalisco, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas are a good distance from most parts of the United States. The City of Zacatecas is about 1,229 miles (1,978 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles, California, and the cities of Aguascalientes and Guadalajara are even farther away. As a result, anyone who would like to research their family history might expect to spend many weeks and dollars in the pursuit of his or her roots, traveling to various towns to visit local churches or municipios.
A Local Resource
What many people do not know is that there is a local resource that is available to Americans in any part of the country. The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City Utah) holds copies of many of the church and civil records for all three states. And, in addition to holding these records, the Library has developed important databases that assist genealogists in tracing their Mexican roots.
Many years ago, Mormon missionaries visited many of the churches and municipio registries and asked for permission to make copies of their records. The churches and municipios allowed their records to be copied and made available to a wide audience through the library. And these records are available to people of any religion at any Family History Center in the country (or the world)
Family History Centers
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library. There are over 4,500 centers in 88 countries and approximately 1,800 in the United States. Each FHC is a free resource available to any patron who has an interest in pursuing his or her roots. From these centers, patrons can order a roll of microfilm for $6.05. This roll of film will arrive at the library and be available for analysis and copying for one month. A patron also has the option of requesting the film to be made part of the center’s permanent collection for an additional fee.
Zacatecas
The FHC owns 4,149 rolls of microfilm for the State of Zacatecas. Zacatecas is the eighth largest state of Mexico and is divided into 57 municipios. The Library actually has the civil registration for nearly all of Zacatecas’ municipios. Furthermore, the FHL has parish registries for 84 of Zacatecas’ parishes.
In all, eleven towns in the State of Zacatecas have church records going back to the 1600s, while another sixteen churches have records reaching back into the 1700s. For the most part, the baptism and marriage records of the Zacatecas churches in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century are remarkably detailed. With some exceptions, starting around 1800, the baptism records listed the child’s parents, as well as their abuelos paternos and abuelos maternos. Civil registration officially began in 1859, and beginning around 1885, most Zacatecas municipio records are very detailed.
Aguascalientes
I have been researching the records of Aguascalientes for almost two decades. I have found that the records of La Ciudad, as well as those of outlying areas like Calvillo, can be filled with an extraordinary amount of detail. The church records in La Ciudad de Aguascalientes begin in 1616 and continue up to the present. In all, the Library owns 631 rolls of microfilm for the two Catholic churches in the capital city. In addition, the Library also owns another 460 rolls for the civil records spanning from 1859 to 1961.
The one major drawback to research in La Ciudad is that it has been a large population center since the 1700s. As a result, there are a lot of baptisms and marriages to look at. The good news, however, is that many records from Aguascalientes are contained in the Library’s online databases which serve as excellent aides in genealogical research (the International Genealogical Index).
In all, the FHL owns 2,219 rolls of microfilm for Aguascalientes.
Jalisco
Jalisco is slightly larger than Zacatecas but, through time, has been inhabited by many more people (because of a more favorable climate). For the state of Jalisco alone, the Family History Library owns 19,597 rolls of microfilm, covering roughly 200 cities, municipios and villas. The Family History Library has the civil registration for most of the 124 municipios in Jalisco.
The Library also owns copies of the parish records for 180 parishes located in every part of the State. Of the Jalisco churches, 46 have registers going back to the 1600s and another 37 have records stretching back to the 1700s. Like Zacatecas, Jalisco’s church records become very detailed around 1800. And, some parishes started using indexes around 1850, a practice that enhances the researcher’s abilities.
Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico and – some say – the cultural center of Mexico, was originally founded in 1542 and became a point of attraction for migrants in the early 1600s as the city became the economic powerhouse of colonial Mexico. Although some records for Guadalajara are available from the earliest days of its founding, the first church records commence in 1599. Today, the FHL owns an impressive 3,400 rolls of microfilm from 14 Guadalajara churches and the municipio’s registry archives.
The Family History Library Catalog
Anyone who is interested in checking for the availability of records from any given location in Jalisco, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes can begin their search from this website:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp
As an example, to search for the records available for Nochistlan, Zacatecas, one would enter “Nochistlan” in the “place” field and “Zacatecas” in the “part of” field. You will then receive two options:
México, Zacatecas, Nochistlán
México, Zacatecas, Nochistlán de Mejia
Sometimes the name of the municipio and the city will be different. Once you have resolved those issues, you can complete your search, looking for church, civil or census records. To see what years the individual microfilms contain, you will need to press “View Film Notes.”
The International Genealogical Index
Some of the records contained on the FHL’s microfilms have been summarized in short extracts that are contained in several databases. You can enter your own searches at this link:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp
For Jalisco researchers, the best bet many be to go to the “International Genealogical Index” link (the fourth option), where you can search on individual states. It takes time to become skilled in the use of this database, but over time, it can be a valuable resource for any researcher.
Source: http://www.somosprimos.com/schmal/MexicoResearchStoryAugust.doc
Web site to visit: http://www.somosprimos.com
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