By Kimberly Brown, Family Historian
Having just returned from a genealogy internship in Spain, I’d like to share some of my experiences with you and show you how to do genealogy research in the land of Cervantes and Velazquez.
You’ve probably already realized that persistence really pays off when you’re doing genealogy work. This is especially true in Spain. Archive schedules are, at best, difficult to work around; parish priests are sometimes unwilling to let you access their books; and copies of records are difficult to obtain. But the work can still be successful and rewarding if you have the persistence to see it through.
Like all government offices and agencies in Spain, most archives are only open from 9:00 to 2:00 every day. Some have even shorter hours; some are only open one day a week. For that reason, carefully coordinate your schedule to take advantage of all the time that the archive is open. You can’t afford to waste a single moment of archive time. One archive that I researched in was only open from 9:00 to 12:45 every day, so I made sure that I was at the front door waiting for the archive to open at 8:50 each morning. You should also prepare ahead of time pedigree charts, family group sheets, and lists of who to search for.
Parish records are the backbone of Spanish research. When all the parish books have been centralized in the diocesan archive, accessing them is simple. But often the books are still kept locally at the parish. This means that you have to travel to each small-town parish and then get permission from the parish priest to search the books. In some areas, the diocese is understaffed and one priest services multiple parishes. If that is the case, you’ll have to first track down the parish priest and find out what town he’s in, then talk him into letting you search the parish books.
Some priests are accustomed to genealogy researchers; others are fiercely protective of the parish books and don’t trust visitors to search them. If the priest seems reluctant to let you search the books, try to establish a good relationship with him: offer to make a donation to the church, name-drop any contacts you have in the town, or explain why it is important that you search the books (either to look for your own ancestors, or to help a friend).
You may run into similar problems at the civil register. The personnel may allow you to search only the index, or they may insist upon searching the books for you. When this happens, be patient. When you find the ancestors you’re looking for in the index, show them the entries so that they’ll realize that you know what you’re doing. If they’re searching the records for you, offer to save them time by searching the books yourself. In one registro civil I worked in, the registrar wanted to search for each name for me rather than allow me to use the books. But once she permitted me to search one book, and saw that I was finding names just as quickly as she could, she turned me loose and granted me access to all the books.
Once you find the records you’re searching for, obtaining copies can be tricky. Archive policies are often outdated and don’t allow for digital photography; your cheapest option is usually to order photocopies. Beware, though: just because you order copies doesn’t mean that your order is guaranteed. As one Spanish friend explained to me, “This is Spain. You have to be determinada to get things done.” And she was right. Sometimes a small gift of candies to the archive personnel does the trick; other times, following up your order with a second visit or reminder phone call shows the archivist that you’re serious about your order.
Most Spanish genealogy research is conducted in small towns, and the people are usually helpful and friendly; you just have to be persistent to get what you want. A little determination is all it takes.