Cuban Genealogy - Tips and Suggestions

This document is still under construction.  I'm posting it tonight so that it can be used before I'm completely finished with it.  More to come! This is for people who are just beginning to create a family tree.  Perhaps it might be a reminder for others who have been doing it for years! We'll start with a couple of basic principles: A - Work from the present backwards , one generation at a time.  Don't try to begin by looking for your great-great-grandfather. B - Document every bit of information as you find it!  Note where the information came from. C - If you have a computer available, use a genealogy data base to keep track of all the information you will be gathering.  It may seem unnecessary when you are dealing with only 20 or so people, but as your research turns up new people, you will soon have so much data that without a program, you will never be able to know who belongs to which family. You can use an online program like Ancestry....

This post is for those who may have friends or family  members who wish to earn a bit of money by visiting churches, cemeteries, and Municipal Registry offices. Tips for doing research in Cuba Discuss with the client exactly what it is he/she wishes you to obtain for them.   Do NOT accept research that says, “Send me everything you can find on the Garcia family!”   Many clients have only a vague notion of what they are hoping to find.   Because they don’t understand the basic principles of genealogy - work from the present, back one step at a time into the past – they think that you will be able to produce a complete 4 generation pedigree for $25!   You need to help educate them and set their expectations.   They are accustomed to the US, where it’s easy and fast to go to a municipal office and obtain a document in minutes.   A client who knows what to expect will be a happy client.  So, help them to understand that:   ...

The largest cemetery  in Cuba is El Cementerio de Cristobal Colón. Zapata & 12th Street, Vedado, la Habana, Cuba. Construction began in 1871 and since that time, over a million people have been buried there. For those who are unfamiliar with Cuban (and European) burial customs, let me just say that they are different.  In the USA, people are buried in a cemetery and (for the most part), their bodies remain there undisturbed.  Europe has much less arable land, so church yard space is designated for short-term burials.  The bodies are laid in the ground or in a tomb, and then, about three years later, the bones are exhumed and placed into an ossuary (a container or in some cases, a dry well). The ground or tomb is then reused for the next burial.  In The Colón Cemetery, even if there is a family tomb, the family must pay a rental fee every year.  If the rental fee is not paid, the bones are exhumed and are placed in a general storage area. The f...

1. Maiden Names : Spanish women (usually) retain their maiden names upon marriage. This custom is a real boon to genealogists, because the woman’s records are (almost always) found under her maiden name, even her death record!  Occasionally, in Spain, when the wife’s family was of higher social status than the husband, he would adopt her surname!  This was especially true if she was the only heir and her father wished to carry on his name. 2. Double Surnames: Spanish custom dictates that people use a double surname.  As an example, my father was Cándido Arango Estrada (or Arango y Estrada - the “y” meaning “and” in Spanish).  This means that his father’s surname was Arango and his mother’s surname was Estrada.  It would be terribly impolite to call him Mr. Estrada. My grandfather was Cándido Arango García. So, the folks who met him for the first time would know that, “Oh, yes!  He’s the son of the Arango boy who married the García girl.”  Anothe...

Hola,  Amigos y Amigas! I have never had a blog before, so this is a new adventure! Although I've been a genealogist for 53 years, during the past year and a half, I have learned a great deal about doing genealogical research (long distance!) in Cuba.  Especially about what NOT to do! My knowledge about Cuban research began with joining the Cuban Genealogy/Genealogía Cubana group at Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/268579533222473/.  The wonderful folks there helped me to find some researchers on the Island, and these in turn, helped me to understand what is and what is not available.  When I began, I didn't think it was possible to obtain ANY information from Cuba, but I've since learned that much is available if you know where and how to ask for it. So, with a push from one of the members, I've started this blog as a place to share some of knowledge I've picked up since January 2018. So to begin: Cuba is not like the US where you can walk into a...