From:http://www.hispanicgenealogy.com/gettingstarted.htm
by Al Sosa
Phase III : Start Your Background Research
It makes sense that if you are going to research your
ancestors in say, Mexico or Puerto Rico, that you know
something about Mexico or Puerto Rico. Knowing the
local history of where your ancestors were, will not
only enrich your research, but will speed it up as
well. If you know your local history you will know
where NOT to look for your ancestors. You will also
end up with some excellent background material when
writing your family history. In our section on
Compuserve, we have a series of files called the
"Quick History Series". These files give a quick
historical summary of many Hispanic countries. We will
make some of these files available here on a rotating
basis. In the meantime, a good encyclopedia will
provide similar material. Probably the most important
reason for knowing your local history, is that it will
help you understand WHY your ancestors behaved as they
did. While you are conducting a background search,
start to get organized. Get a file cabinet and set it
up with divisions for the proper forms. You will need
pedigree charts, correspondance logs , family group
sheets, a biography file, a research log plus any
orher files you deem necessary.
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