Genetic research in Spain is feasible?

[Vicmalaga]

So, a little of my history is in my signature. Trying to find a trace of gg-grandparents in Spain, because there is a suspicion that my grandfather's family emigrated to Brazil and changed their names. I've been searching for paperwork for decades, and we can't find anything related to my grandfather's life in Spain. The family doesn't show up in any passengers list at arrival at the port of Rio de Janeiro.

All surnames involved are too common, which doesn't help (Sanchez, Diaz, Gomez, Acceo, or Aceo or Acedo). Only piece of family memories were stories my grandfather used to tell about his childhood. His family worked with bulls in Málaga. He hated it, described how bulls were treated at La Malagueta, and that he would run to Gibralfaro to get away from it and to appreciate the ships crossing the Mediterranean. Maybe the bulls belonged to my bisabuela's family, who didn't approve the marriage with my great-grandfather because he was poor. According to the dates I have, all that happened not long after the inauguration of the Malagueta. Is there a way to get names from those bull families in the late 1800s?

I'm trying to find something, anything, but so far no matches responded positively, no 3C matches, only 4C matches and up. Any tips? Brick wall stories? How to proceed in Spain? Etiquette rules to approach malagueños?

[Shadogowah]

Vic,

I am on holidays with restricted access to internet but I can provide you with a few hints.

My grandfather also comes from a little village in Malaga. Very likely any useful records are not digitalized yet and can only be requested in paper by mail or phone. But you’ll need indeed to know the location, surnames and dates or be lucky and get in touch with a polite and friendly civil servant. In any case it seems you know very little to try to make a formal request for birth certificates or whatever.

On the other hand, the hints pointing to bullfighting perhaps would help you a lot. Stockbreeding for bullfighting is a very traditional activity (nowadays in decline) and as it happens with other traditional organizations like religious brotherhoods or artisan unions, they keep a lot of historical records and traditions. They can be thought as the equivalent to football clubs in the past and the different ranches even have a complex and developed heraldry.

I would recommend you indeed to try to follow that bullfighting thread.

This link is to contact the bullring La Malagueta. Perhaps they can point you to someone or somewhere who can provide you with more hints.

http://torosmalaga.es/contacto/

Here they give you a bit of history about all the bullrings that existed in the city, for some they mention the ranch that provided the bulls:

http://torosmalaga.es/historia-la-plaza/

The bullring also has a museum.

But one of the oldest and most traditional bullrings of Spain is also in Malaga province but not in Malaga city but in Ronda. Perhaps it is also worth it to try to contact them to get a better idea of the big picture of the activity by the years you are interested in:

http://www.rmcr.org





And this is a short list of some of the current bullfighting ranches in Malaga with the names of the owners. Perhaps one rings a bell:

http://www.cetnotorolidia.es/opencms...ia%2Fmalaga%2F

[Shadogowah]

As soon as I have time, I’ll create a thread with steps and advice on how to proceed with genealogical research in Spain. I’ll try to translate all I have read and learnt from Spanish sources so far.

[Vicmalaga]

Fantastic! Thank you so much! I'll start with that, and hopefully will have some information to advance a search in Spain. I am really looking forward to that. There are some other hints into my grandfather's history, so I will see if they fall together with whatever I can find right now.

[Vicmalaga]

As soon as I have time, I’ll create a thread with steps and advice on how to proceed with genealogical research in Spain. I’ll try to translate all I have read and learnt from Spanish sources so far.

It will be of immense value. I thank you in advance and am sure it will help many others in this forum.

[griegoteo]

Check the Malaga records on Family Search. If Family Search's records for Spain are anywhere close to their records for Mexico, then you're in for a treat.

[Vicmalaga]

I always try. Not much success yet.

[Judith]

Hi Vic, I have 1000 matches on 23&me and less than half replied to messages, but 15000 on Ancestry and all have replied. But what really matters is 150 are closer than 4th cousins.
I am in the UK so many of the distant matches are USA early colonial and hence of limited help.
So try Ancestry too. Good luck! Judith

[Vicmalaga]

Hi Vic, I have 1000 matches on 23&me and less than half replied to messages, but 15000 on Ancestry and all have replied. But what really matters is 150 are closer than 4th cousins.
I am in the UK so many of the distant matches are USA early colonial and hence of limited help.
So try Ancestry too. Good luck! Judith

I have 1000 matches on 23andMe, but only 68 on Ancestry. I'm trying to upload my data to FtDNA, but there is something wrong with Ancestry file and I couldn't do it yet. I'm hoping to find someway, or I'll have to pay for another company. So far, only matches to my Portuguese side responded.

[Shadogowah]

Hello Vic,

The municipal files for the Malaga province are available in FamilySearch although they are not indexed. I have just sent you a PM about it. I think you could find something there with a bit of patience and good eyes.