If memory serves me well, this is probably one of the later times I have written this post. Usually by the end of the year I have already reflected on my goals and totally ready to move onto the new resolutions for the new year. However, this year came with some new challenges and opportunities like living and traveling abroad which meant me adjusting myself to different expectations.
Nonetheless, 2023 is here and with it come new genealogical resolutions! Without further ado, here are my ten genealogical resolutions for the New Year!
Also, feel free to check out my reflection for my genealogical resolutions of 2022, if you haven’t already!
Genealogical Resolutions for 2023!
1. Begin working on my BCG Portfolio
I think there is no better time than now to actually beginning working on my portfolio than this year. With my current job in France I have a bit more free time than usual to actually dedicate some hours to research and writing for each of the different elements I need to complete and include in my portfolio. Really, it comes down to preparing myself mentally and getting into the right headspace to do what I need to do in order to be confident. Here’s to “going on the clock” on my journey to becoming a professional genealogist!
2. Diving deeper into research in GuadelOupe
In the previous years, I have been slowly learning more about the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique and what life would have been like for my ancestors. Since I learned about Eglantine Lautin first, I delved more into researching Martinique, their records, and life there. This year I want to focus more on the Guadeloupean side of things. Can I complete more research and learn about Chaleau Jean Charles and Marie Lucie – my 5th great-grandparents? What would their lives have been like, specifically living in Terre-de-Bas and what would their lives have been like as enslaved and later freed individuals on this island? I want to also try and read historical fiction books based in Guadeloupe (hopefully in French!) to learn more about this island and time period as well.
3. Visit and Research in Mallorca
I am rolling this resolution over from last year and crossing my fingers that I can actually complete it! Since I am living in Europe, I am hoping that it will be a bit easier to complete. I have a bunch of dates and names I would love to attach records to and this research currently can only be completed in Palma, Mallorca so I am hoping to spend some time there finding these records.
4. Document the Correa in Salinas/surrounding areas
My Correa line has been such a mysterious line and for so long I knew nothing about it. Finally, the door to this line has begun to crack but at the same time there is still a lot to learn. They say all roads lead to Rome and similarly they say all Correa lead back to Arecibo and Antonio de los Reyes Correa but this seems to be far from the truth. Also the Y-DNA study via ftDNA done on my grandfather’s haplogroup seems to show that this line is not as genetically commonly found either on the island of Puerto Rico or in the world as well. I want to try and compile information for the Correa in Salinas and then the surrounding areas like Coamo, Juana Díaz, etc. to see if there are any correlating facts and details I can weave into the story of my own line and see where the lines begin to diverge. I imagine this is quite a monumental task given that we are talking about various towns and years here. But given that the surname does not seem to be as common as say Rivera or González, I am hoping that the task will not be too overbearing.
5. Spend more time researching Yauco church records
Some time ago, I researched the Yauco records with intensity once I discovered that some of my ancestors in Lares had actually come from said town. But with that intensity also came an eagerness to quickly glance for only the exact names I knew in my tree. This likely (more like definitely) means that I jumped over important names of people such as siblings, uncles and/or aunts from my family. So this year, I would like to go back and search (slowly this time) for my ancestors and their extended family in Yauco. Luckily the records are mostly available on FamilySearch which means that I would be able to search an extensive amount of years from the comfort of my own room. One research goal I’d like to continue for example is tracing my father’s maternal haplogroup further currently tied to the surname “del Espíritu Santo” and seeing if I can further extend this line.
6. Learn more about Eglantine's social life
I have been fortunate to learn a lot about Eglantine via research and help from people like David and Mickaël, both French researchers. The next step for me would be to learn more about Eglantine’s “social” life – for example, using the FAN (Friends, Associates, Neighbors) method to discover more about who Eglantine would have spent time with, especially since her daughter Julienne Malvina left to Saint-Pierre and then Puerto Rico. I know Eglantine likely spent time with others who were enslaved with her on the Lapierre/Garnier-Laroche plantation but who would she have kept contact with them after emancipation? Also, likely one of the men on the plantation would have been the father to at least three of her children – by using the FAN method, is it possible to discover or narrow down who he could have been?
7. Visit the archives in Aix-en-Provence
Similarly, this is a “take the opportunity since I am living in the actual country opportunity”. Mickaël Mange completed research at the ANOM (Archives Nationales d’Outre Mer) in Aix-en-Provence for me but we are sure that not everything was discovered in those two visits. Therefore, I would like to visit the archives in Aix-en-Provence and see what I can find during my visit. So far thanks to an online database with notarial information for Martinique, I have been able to identity some notary records for the extended Lapierre/Laroche-Garnier family that I would like to see firsthand which might be able to give me a bit more information as to when/how long the family was involved in the slave trade. This will also hopefully help me contextualize Eglantine’s life a bit more as well (related to the resolution #6!)
8. Add another member to the "Correa" and/or "Avilés" Y-DNA
This resolution I have had in my mind for some time now and I hope that I can find some extended family members that are interested in helping me out. Both of these lines have interesting origins, the Correa lines isn’t genetically very common while the Avilés seems very genetically common, the originally surname should have been “Magraner” from Mallorca and that has not been easy to connect or find so far. My goal would be that by adding new members (and hopefully with higher analysis such as the ‘Big Y’) I will be able to learn a bit more about each line’s history as well as hoping that by adding another member I can add more finer details to both of these lines as well.
9. Continue to update/upgrade my website
Back in 2020 when I transferred everything over and created the website, it definitely took a lot of YouTube videos, taking notes, and trials & errors to get the page to where I wanted it to be. However, three years later, I find that there are some things here and there that I want to fix or just make better overall. So my resolution is that hopefully this year I can take time to tweak my webpage here and there to get it exactly where I want it to be. I imagine it will take more videos and there will be a steep learning curve but I always like to learn new things so I am excited with the prospect of getting this done.
10. Begin thinking of genealogy as a business
This last resolution is something I have had in my head for some time now. With taking genealogy classes, giving some chats, and talking to others – I have seen there is a genuine need for professional Puerto Rican genealogists out there. With the experience and education I have I think this is something feasible for me to jump into; it would be taking my hobby and turning it into a profession. I know it is possible but honestly it would take me putting all my ducks in a row and then going for it. Whether that is full-time or part-time, creating my own business/LLC… I am not 100% sure just yet. But I do know it is something I am very interested in for the near future!