Research Your Family

Your family history deserves records, names and places. Begin with the closest known generation and work backward. A surname list cannot do that work for you.

Step 1: Record what is known. Write down full names, approximate dates, towns and relationships. Keep family memories in a separate field from records. A memory can guide a search even when its details are uncertain.

Step 2: Find the connecting documents. Birth, marriage, death, parish, civil, notarial, migration and court records can connect people across generations. Save the archive, collection, reference number, page and access date. A cropped screenshot without a citation is hard to check later.

Step 3: Test identity. Two people with the same name are not necessarily the same person. Compare spouse, parents, occupation, place and dates. When a link is uncertain, keep both candidates rather than silently choosing the one that fits the desired story.

Step 4: Read coercive records in context. An accusation is not automatically a true description of a person's practice. A confession made under pressure requires special care. Record who spoke, who wrote the record and why it was produced.

Step 5: Explore the official archives. Use Spain's PARES, Mexico's Archivo General de la Nación and Portugal's Torre do Tombo where relevant. Other family paths require other national and local archives. Search the actual places and name variants in your family, not only the term Marrano.

Step 6: Build a modest conclusion. A proven converso ancestor supports that family connection. It does not identify all that person's beliefs or establish descent from an ancient sect. Extend the conclusion only when the documents extend the chain.

Private research worksheet: Person → event → document → archive reference → relationship shown → alternative identity → next record needed. Notes remain private unless you choose to share them. Do not upload information about living relatives without considering their privacy.

Conclusion: Family memory gives you a reason to begin. Records help you determine what happened. A careful discovery is worth more than a dramatic claim that cannot be checked.

Archive links: PARES, Mexican AGN repository and Torre do Tombo search.