Finding out what it means to be Boricua through a genetic & genealogical journey through my family history
Growing up in New York City, I was fairly removed from my Rivera side of the family. I knew the name of my grandfather, Felipe Rivera Ortiz, but that was about it. I had no real idea who his siblings were (I did know there was a brother who had lived in New York), but …
Investigating Issues of Fertility: Rivera-Ortiz Women of the 20th Century Read More »
The time has finally arrived – April 1st, 2022; the release of the 1950 Census! If this is the first time that you hear about this release, it has been a long time coming. Literally 72 years! The census records recorded every ten years are stored away until the names written on them can be …
When it comes to learning about our ancestors, we usually want to learn pretty much everything about them – no detail seems too small. How tall were they? What color eyes did they have? Where did they live and where did they work? And of course, who were their parents and where were they from? …
In honor of Black History Month and my 4th great-grandmother’s birthday in February, I wanted to dedicate this post to the ongoing research of Julienne Malvina Lautin, my enslaved Martinican ancestor who moved to Puerto Rico. There are many times in genealogy when you think you know well enough the life of an ancestor. Given …
Beginning your genealogy journey can be a bit overwhelming. Where do I start? Which branch should I research? I am stuck on an ancestor or have come across a brick wall, help!! These are many of the experiences beginner genealogists experience during their first years researching their tree in hopes of learning more about themselves. …
Getting (More) Serious About Genealogy: 5 Beginner Tips Read More »
Back in 2019, I read an interesting book that combined genealogy and non-fiction story telling. The book is called: The Man Who Stole Himself:The Slave Odyssey of Hans Jonathan. The book was written by Icelandic professor of anthropology, Gísli Pálsson, and documents the journey of a former Caribbean slave from St. Croix to Denmark and finally to …
The Caribbean, Western Africa, and Iceland: An Unlikely Trio Read More »
Growing up I always knew I had ties to the town of Lares, Puerto Rico and the connection came via the paternal side of the family. My great-grandmother was born and raised in Lares, and just before she passed I got the chance to meet her in the early 1990s. I don’t remember much about …
Just like that it is time to set goals for the new year! If you’d like to read my goals from 2021 and what I was able to accomplish – click here! My Genealogical Resolutions seem to date back to at least 2013, which means I have been doing this for at least 8 years …
Well jeez – if I thought 2020 was the blink of an eye then 2021 was the second blink! This year definitely flew by as well as we continue to grapple with the pandemic. Now, with the Omicron variant making its way through the United States, things seem almost to be heading backwards as the …
Reflecting on my Genealogical Resolutions of 2021 Read More »
When I started researching my family, I was quick to figure out that various sides of my family were just…stuck. Not having access to the church records online meant that I could not research them easily like how I could with other towns such as Adjuntas, Toa Alta, Yabucoa, etc. My great-grandfather, Narciso Sánchez Meléndez, …