Happy New Year! It is that time of the year where I get to set up new genealogical goals for the new year. Last year, I had good success with completing a lot of the resolutions I had set out for 2025. I am hoping I have similar luck and perseverance to complete my goals. Below are the ten goals I want to complete this new year.
Genealogical Resolutions
for 2026!
1. Turn in level 1 for ICAPGEN
Last year I began working on the level 1 project for the ICAPGEN AG (accredited genealogist) – the four generation project. I am up to the third generation of this project and would need to finish that up before moving onto generation four. I will also need to finish up some final things such as adding images, creating a pedigree, compiling all the documents, etc. I am hopeful that I will be able to turn this part in this year and then get the ball rolling on the rest of this process.
2. Complete one element for the BCG portfolio
There are seven elements one needs to have prepared for the BCG portfolio, these include:
- Application
- Genealogist’s Code
- Development Activities
- Document Work
- Research Report
- Case Study
- Kinship-Determination Project
Before, you needed to turn in all seven elements at once in order to have your portfolio assessed. Now, the process has been divided into two parts with part I requiring you to complete elements 1, 2, 3, and 4, while part II includes elements 5, 6, and 7.
Part I therefore includes: Application Form (part I), Genealogist’s Code of Ethics, Development Activities, Document Work, and the Kinship-Determination Project.
Part II includes: Application form (part II), updated genealogist’s code of ethics, research report, and the case study.
Therefore, my goal is to complete at least one element in part I. I won’t count the application itself, so I would like to focus on the development activities (think genealogical résumé) and the Kinship-Determination Project. Both I have begun to a certain extent so being able to finish either one would be great!
3. Create a new presentation
In my time as a genealogist who presents, I have mostly presented on how to get started with your Hispanic/Latino genealogy at public libraries and genealogical societies. Therefore, I want to expand my presentation skills a bit more and start to create case study presentations, based mainly off of my research that I can present to genealogical societies and conferences.
I am currently a part of a leadership academy with the National Genealogical Society and so I hope to be able to create a presentation as my capstone that I can use. By making and presenting these case-study style presentations, I would be preparing myself to hopefully present in bigger conferences one day.
4. Present at a conference
Goal 3 leads nicely into Goal 4 – I ultimately want to present at a conference! This is a big goal, but I think it is a doable one (whether or not it happens this year). There are a few conferences I have my eyes on that I would like to present at, so I staying aware of calls for presentations and working on making my presentations as interesting and relatable as possible.
I think one of the hardest parts of this goal is making my presentations and material “relevant” for other researchers, enough that it would get chosen to be presented. At my first in-person conference last year, I noticed that there was a lack of diversity in presentations and so I wonder how that plays out with getting chosen when presenting about Puerto Rican, French Caribbean, or Spanish ancestors. This is not to say that my work is not just as complex, tough, or does not meet the Genealogical Proof Standards. If not, there are not that many genealogists that are Hispanic/Latino that are presenting at these sorts of conferences.
Nonetheless, I am putting out good feelers out there!
5. Map out the enslaved families of "La Trainelle" and "Le Terrier"
At a presentation at the NGS conferences last year, one presenter mentioned how he traced various enslaved families on the plantation his own family was enslaved on to better understand the family dynamics between the enslaved individuals and to locate his ancestors who he connected with via DNA descendants. After seeing this, a light bulb went off in my head – I could do the same thing! I have already begun to put some work into this goal, but ideally by the end of 2026, I would have finished tracing the other enslaved individuals who were tied to the plantations of La Trainelle and Le Terrier. My ancestors worked on the latter, but it seems that some of the enslaved people from La Trainelle were brought to Le Terrier and so I want to trace them as well. This will hopefully also help to paint a better picture of who was enslaved at the same time as Eglantine and who could potentially be a father to Julienne Malvina and her sister Pauline.
6. Plan a trip for France in 2027
This goal will be contingent on the outcome of the memorial to the enslaved planned to be opened in Paris, France in 2027. I would love to be able to visit this park and find my ancestors’ names in order to pay my respects to them; however, I know that sometimes these things get delayed (as it already has been), so it is possible that this might not happen for 2027. However, do I want to keep track of the developments and see what is possible in the future.
7. Create a timeline of important Puerto Rican events
I noticed that many times when I write about Puerto Rican genealogy, I do not always include relevant Puerto Rican history. This is something I want to change! What hurricanes, political/ cultural/ social events and movements occurred in Puerto Rico’s history that may have impacted the lives of our ancestors? I have mentioned a few that are likely more commonly known (Spanish-American War, Foraker Act, Jones-Shafroth Act, etc.); however, what about more locally known events that are engrained in the Puerto Rican psyche and history? For example: El Grito de Lares
I am not sure how exactly I want to go about this (whether a simple list, an image timeline, etc.) but I do want to start incorporating more local history in the genealogical work that I do.
8. Locate Gustave Jean-Charles's probanza de soltería
This has been something that I have been trying to get my hands on for some time now! Gustave Jean-Charles married Julienne Malvina Lautin in 1869 in Vieques, Puerto Rico and since he was a foreigner, he would have likely needed a probanza de soltería (proof of bachelorhood). This record would have allowed him to marry in Puerto Rico, showing that he was not previously married elsewhere (he was, but he wife was already deceased) and that he was baptized and therefore able to marry in the Catholic church. This record could potentially include more information about Gustave and Julienne that has not be seen or found anywhere else. This is why it is important to review all documents when researching as you never know what you will find. This document is only held in Puerto Rico and so I will need to do some more digging about how to get a hold of it.
9. Research Blas Orozco and Hermenegilda Santana - Write a case study
One of the biggest mysteries on my family tree has been the origins of my Orozco branch from Las Piedras, Puerto Rico. My 3rd great-grandfather, Benito Orozco, was born out of wedlock in 1852 and so far the family lore is that his father’s surname was Santana. There is nothing else so far in the records for us to continue researching either his paternal line or his maternal line. However, in 1883, when Benito baptized his son Antonio, his son’s godparents were listed as Blas Orozco and Hermenegilda Santana – these are the only individuals so far with an overlap in surnames that are of interest to me. Therefore, I want to study them and see what I can learn; however, I want to write up my research as a report. I want to practice more of my writing skills on my own family and so I want to use this mystery as an opportunity to practice my analysis and writing skills in Puerto Rican genealogy. Though I do this for a living now (I am a professional genealogist), I do not get a chance to write about my own family in this manner and so I want to test drive it with Blas and Hermenegilda. Hopefully, I can break down a brick wall by coming at this problem from a more serious angle.
10. Use AI in Genealogy
Lastly, I want to work on better understanding AI and it’s use in genealogy. Things are progressing fast in the world of AI and I do not want to get left too far behind. For example, one way is that you can store your notes in a Google Notebook LM and then use that to ask questions about your sources, facts, etc. which will churn out source cited answers based on what you have placed in that notebook. That way you do not have to go around digging for the answer – it’s like having your own personal assistant! There are ton of other features and prompts as well that can be used to help in your research. I have not really worked much with AI, besides asking simpler questions to ChatGPT, and so I want to better understand how it can be useful for genealogists in our line of work – really as a tool for organization and analysis and not content production. Therefore, I am leaving this goal fairly open to see what will happen throughout the year.
I am excited to get started on these goals and I hope to complete as many of them as possible!