The following teaser ia from a CNNWire article that was posted at 12newsnow.com January 9, 2011:
(CNN) — For professional genealogists — and amateurs like actor Edward James Olmos — an extraordinary moment is unfolding for the nation’s Latino community, thanks to the digital age.
It’s the revelation of the 1930 Mexican census, which was distributed free online this year.Decades ago, such data might not have been as meaningful. But the United States’ own recent census now shows that Latinos are the nation’s No. 2 group in 2010. With 50.5 million Hispanics now in the United States, the 1930 Mexican census offers a glimpse into the heritage and history of an emerging cornerstone community — especially because 31.8 million Americans are of Mexican descent.
“All of the information that we’re getting from the census is really extraordinary because it’s leading us into different realms of understanding of what was happening at the time to our family,” Olmos said. “It’s been quite an experience to go in there, and it’s been very educational.”
The 1930 Mexican census — with its handwritten entries on large sheets of rowed and columned paper — is now an online database accessible for free at ancestry.com/mexico.
The online materials show nearly 13 million census documents, which offers information such as head of household; age; civil or church marriages or living together in “free union”; ability to read and write; occupation; place of birth; language spoken, including any indigenous languages; physical or mental defects; and religion.
The 1930 Mexican census is regarded as the earliest, most thorough accounting of that country’s population. It counted 90% of the people living there, although the residents of Mexico City aren’t included because of records are missing, said George Ryskamp, associate professor of history at Brigham Young University, who has researched, taught and lectured on genealogy in Latin America and Spain.
