October 4, 2023
Introduction: In this article – to help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month – Gena Philibert-Ortega gives tips for researching Hispanic ancestors in Spanish-language newspapers. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
Twentieth-century newspaper social columns are a boon for genealogists. Social columns list activities, events, and organizations that our ancestors took part in. In addition, they include vital record events documenting births, marriages, and deaths.
In this article, to help celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), we’ll look at how social pages in Spanish-language newspapers can help you learn more about your Hispanic ancestors. (Note: even if you don’t speak Spanish yet have Hispanic ancestors, you can still find important family history information in Spanish-language newspapers; see links at the end of this article to find out how.)
Spanish-language newspapers in the United States were printed for the Spanish-speaking population that existed in that town or city, as well as for the larger Spanish-speaking community outside of local boundaries. Finding personal information such as an ancestor’s name is more likely to occur when the newspaper was intended for a local community.
Knowing more about how a newspaper titles columns and various sections of the paper can help when you are searching for a specific type of article, especially when you are glancing through your results list or need to do a keyword search rather than just a personal name search.
In short, learning more about a newspaper’s social column can assist you in finding information about your ancestor. It’s true for English-language newspapers, and it’s true for Spanish-language newspapers as well.
Reading the Social Page of the Heraldo de Mexico
GenealogyBank has a large selection of Spanish-language newspapers that were printed across the United States, spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. Click here to see our Hispanic American Newspaper Archives.
For this example, I’m using the Heraldo de Mexico newspaper from Los Angeles, California. According to the Library of Congress, this newspaper began in 1915 and ceased publication in 1952.*
Let’s take a look at the 6 February 1927 issue. The social page can be found with the heading “De Nuestra Vida Social” which translates to “Of Our Social Life.”
Let’s start with the headings at the top, reading from left to right. English translation is in parentheses:
- Santoral (Saints)
- La Sociedad en Mexico (Society in Mexico)
- Teatros (Theaters)
- Necesario en el hogar (Necessary at Home)
- Por las Sociedades y Clubs (For Societies and Clubs)
- Matrimonios (Weddings)
Other headings on the page:
- Por el Registro Civil (By the Civil Registry)
- Fiestas y Recepciones (Parties and Receptions)
- Diplomáticas (Diplomatic)
- El Buzon del Dia (Day Mailbox)
- Notas Religiosas (Religious Notes)
- Defunciones (Deaths)
- Nacimentos y Bautizos (Births and Baptisms)
- Viajeros (Travelers)
- Congratulaciones (Congratulations)
- Cambios de Domicilio (Address Changes)
Scanning the newspaper, you can see that this social page includes genealogically relevant information (names and dates). This page includes births, marriages, and deaths in the columns:
- Matrimonios (Weddings)
- Por el Registro Civil (By the Civil Registry)
- Defunciones (Deaths)
- Nacimentos y Bautizos (Births and Baptisms)
Reading the society page can also be helpful in learning more about an ancestor’s FAN Club or activities. The column Por las Sociedades y Clubs (For Societies and Clubs) includes local groups. While names are often not printed in these types of newspaper articles (or only select names, like officers), if your ancestor was a member of a group listed, you can document some of the activities they took part in.
Finding Spanish-language Newspapers on GenealogyBank
There is a simple way to find Spanish-language newspapers on GenealogyBank – just click on this link: Hispanic American Newspaper Archives.
Or, if you’re on GenealogyBank’s homepage, just scroll to the bottom where you can access a number of links, including “Hispanic Ancestry” under the “Cultural Collections” grouping.
Learn More about Your Ancestors This Hispanic Heritage Month
If you have Hispanic roots, don’t forget to search the Spanish-language newspapers on GenealogyBank for mentions of your ancestors and information about their communities.
* “About El Heraldo de México. [volume] (Los Angeles, Calif.) 1915-1952,” Chronicling America (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045223/: accessed 19 September 2023).
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Note on the header image: Naval Medical Center Portsmouth hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, 23 September 2020. Credit: Dylan M. Kinee; U.S. Navy; Wikimedia Commons.
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