Texas, Gonzalez de la Garza Genealogy Collection - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The genealogical card file of approximately 270,000 cards compiled by Rudolfo Gonzalez de la Garza collected genealogical data on thousands of families of Southern Texas and Northern Mexico. The collection includes information from the 1800s and 1900s. The card file is an index of families by surname, and was created to provide a rapid access to the information. The records are in Spanish and the cards contain numerous abbreviations. The card file is in the Laredo Public Library.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Genealogy card
 * Names
 * Birth, marriage, or death dates
 * Relationships

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person and or birthdate
 * The names of family members

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Name Range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses were usually family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Texas.
 * Texas Guided Research
 * Texas Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.