El Salvador Resources

El Salvador El Salvador Resources

Introduction
There are many people with ancestors from El Salvador and wish to know more about them. This can be a daunting task, but not impossible. Research in El Salvador is very rewarding. There is much to learn about the research process and the records of El Salvador. You can spend your time learning this info up front before you start, or as you go along.


 * First make sure to learn about the genealogical process. This will help you make progress in your genealogy research.
 * Second, learn key Spanish genealogical words and phrases. This will let you understand the records. It is not necessary that you be fluent in Spanish.
 * And third, a basic knowledge of the history and geography of El Salvador will prove useful. The following are resources you should be aware of to help guide you on your way.

Research Resources

 * If you are brand new to family history research, it would be advisable to start with a free online introductory class from BYU Independent Study. FamilySearch Wiki: Patterned after Wikipedia this online library is community based where everyone can share something to assist in genealogical research. There are many articles on basic genealogical research and several that are specific to research in El Salvador.


 * Brigham Young University research outline for El Salvador available in PDF form is a collection of articles and useful resources for those conducting genealogical research in El Salvador.


 * An excellent book designed for both beginning and intermediate researchers in all Hispanic countries. by George R. Ryskamp (Baltimore: MD, 1997), FHL INTL Book 946 D27r.

Translation
Deciphering the records is crucial to having success in Hispanic research. The following resources will help you to read your document and translate it correctly.


 * The Spanish Genealogical Word List contains many of the most common words you might find in the Spanish records.


 * A dictionary, such as . New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1978. (FHL Book 463.21 C272c 1978) will help you translate the Spanish words into English.


 * Websites like Google Translate are also good sources for translating records from Spanish to English. Please beware that any word for word translation prepared by a computer program is likely to have some errors!

Handwriting
Most of the records in El Salvador are handwritten in Spanish. Reading Spanish handwriting can be a challenge for a beginner but with practice your speed and ability to read the records will improve. The following resources will provide you with instruction and tips to help you read Spanish handwritten records.


 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records is a series of three classes you can view online. In lesson 1 you will learn about the Spanish alphabet. In lesson 2 you learn to recognize names, key words, and dates. In lesson 3 you will explore reading various types of Spanish records.


 * The Script Tutorial website sponsored by the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University contains exercise, samples, abbreviations, and lists of names and surnames to guide you as you learn to read Spanish handwriting.

Need extra help?
If you get stuck and can't read a document or you're not sure where to go next in your research, you can ask for help through these resources.


 * Hispanic Genealogy Research community on Facebook is a page sponsored by FamilySearch and here you may also post a question or upload an image of a document for further assistance. The Hispanic Genealogy Research page is designed especially for those who have Hispanic ancestry but may not be fluent in Spanish. Be sure to click "LIKE" on the page on your first visit so you can receive information and updates from the page in your news feed.


 * Investigación Genealógica en Centroamérica is another FamilySearch research community page on Facebook where you can post questions and upload images of documents. The majority of the posts on this page are in Spanish but you are welcome to post on the page in English. Be sure to click "LIKE" on the page on your first visit so you can receive information and updates from the page in your news feed.


 * See also El Salvador Quick Start Guide