The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, long America’s largest aggregator of genealogical records, this year completed its more than three-year-old project to create a searchable digital index of Mexico’s massive 1930 census. It has also made the information available to the Internet genealogy company, Ancestry.com.
The Church first began collecting the Mexican records in the early 1950s, but it wasn’t until 2007 that it began the laborious process of transferring microfilm versions to a searchable online database, or index, at its free research site FamilySearch.org. The original documents are also available. Previously, individuals generally had to go to one of the Church’s FamilySearch centers to view the documents. Through the work of volunteers, the Church completed the online work in May.
Ancestry.com’s user-friendly site put the information out in September in Spanish and English, making the research even easier.
“Knowing family history is an important piece of our identity. Knowing where we came from and the forces that brought us to where we are today — it goes beyond our immediate story,’’ said Eduardo Obregon Pagan, a history professor at Arizona State University who teaches genealogical research methods. He has painstakingly traced his own Puerto Rican and Mexican roots.
He said he eagerly awaited the records, adding that while Latinos have historically had strong family ties, they have mostly relied on oral histories to know their roots. For younger generations who have less access to those connections, the records play an increasingly important role.
Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons, have long prioritized genealogy because they believe even the dead can be baptized and thus put on the path to heaven. And ancestors can’t be baptized if their names aren’t known.
