IGI Searching and Microfishe Tips

["canprin" <canprin@...>]

I love to use the IGI. 

I look for Children by using the Parents' Index.  I will use the 
father's name and his wife's and then switch the order and use the 
mother's name and her husband's.  This can bring good results.  The 
IGI only has two generations but if you can order the film from which 
it was extracted, you can gain more information.

Hopefully you will find a child/or children and by using the date of 
the first born, you can go back a year and try for a marriage date. 

Usually the marriage names are more complete and with these, either 
bride or groom or both, you can try for their birth dates and 
places and their parents' names.  Again try and get the film because 
although the IGI seems to show everyone could be related, they may 
not be!   

When I am searching for a person, I use the IGI and stop as I go 
along to check the films I have on permanent loan.  If I don't have 
the film(s), I can make the decision to order or not.  This is when I 
can also check to see if the film(s) are available by looking at the 
Family History Library Catalogue. 

Lucky for me, I have a microfishe reader and microfishe here at home 
that I can search.  This is a valuable tool that some people 
overlook.  If you are close to a Family History Center, please use 
it. Here is a reason why.

Once when I was researching, I came across the name of a place called 
Nochistlan.  I was born in Canada and so had no idea where in Mexico 
this could be.  It did not seem to be in Jalisco so I started at the 
A's and went clear to the end of the alphabet before I found it was 
Nochistlan, Zacatecas.  

When I am using the microfishe, if it is an unusual name like CURIEL, 
I will start at the beginning with letter A. CURIEL and go through 
until letter Z.CURIEL.  If it is a name like GARCIA and I am pretty 
sure of my area and time frame (or maybe just shopping), I start with 
the Jose (Joseph & Jph.) GARCIAS and go from there through all the 
Maria GARCIAS.  If I find some names which show the possiblity of 
being my GARCIAS, I will go to the beginning of the GARCIA listings 
and check until the end.  If I can't seem to find anything which 
shows promise in the Jose to Maria (of any surname), I quit and go on 
to something else. 

Using the microfishe, is for me, like an onion.  It has many layers 
of information.  I will use it time after time and year after year 
because the more you know about your particular SURNAME, the more you 
will see, which you previously bypassed.

One more thing about using the IGI.  It is only as good as the person 
who extracted it.  Sometimes I find it has mistakes and sometimes I 
correct my own mistakes by using it.  Once I helped someone who was 
looking for the name of Manuel ANGULO.  The IGI said Samuel ANGULO.  
I had the microfilm and in looking at the name, I could see how a 
person unrelated could have thought it was Samuel.  I could not 
remember ever coming across the name of Samuel and so thought this 
was probably an error and that is what it turned out to be.

Anyhow, I know that we are suppose to keep people updated on what we 
are researching so I will repeat that I am doing the areas of 
Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco and some of the other municipios nearby.  
For me, location is the key and if you have any surnames for this 
part of los Altos de Jalisco, just send me an email and I will see 
what I can come up with, for you, whether it is my own surname or not.

I love to see all the emails and wish everyone good luck.  
         Sincerely,
           Patricia Diane Godinez in San Diego

PS  ANGULO is not my surname but certainly one in my area of 
Atotonilco el Alto and a very interesting one to research.