Photos of the Past: Basque Heritage Project; Leandro Arechederra Fernandez de Maruri

Hey Everyone!

Today, I wanted to share with you a photo of my great-great grandfather Leandro Arechederra Fernandez Maruri taken circa 21 May 1906 at his wake in Magdalena, Sonora Mexico. We believe the other people are in the photo are neighbors but it is a shame though that nobody thought to include his two year old son Leandro Mendoza Arechederra in the photo! It is really amazing to see how much detail of the room is included in the photo. My great-great grandfather also looks so young in the photo. He was only 49 years old when he died.

The Power of Family Search

Hey Everyone,

Today, I will be discussing the wonderful site known as Family Search! Family Search is a great free way to investigate your family history. Family Search is a free website run by the LDS Church. They provide both indexed and scanned documents from both Civil and Church Registries. Family Search provides the ability to search by Name, Location, Event, and Date. If the name you are researching is not indexed then you can try searching the scanned documents sections. However, you will need to know an approximate date and place to search. In the scanned documents section is where I found my great-great grandfather Leandro Arechederra Fernandez Maruri's death certificate. Also remember in Family Search names may be spelled incorrectly.

I have personally found this site very useful in investigating my ancestors. I have found my great-great grandfather Leandro Arechederra Fernandez Maruri's Death Certificate and his nephew Modesto Arechederra Rebollar in the Mexico 1930 Census!

By finding my great-great grandfather's death certificate I was able to find out when my great-great grandfather was born, when and where he died and most importantly his maternal surname. I was then able to find him and his family using the website Dokuklik!

I was also able to find my great-great grandfather's nephew and family in the 1930 Mexico Census. It placed their residence in the exact same town that my great-great grandfather lived in when he was alive in Magdalena, Sonora Mexico.

Leandro Arechederra Fernandez Maruri's Death Certificate 1906

                                 Modesto Arechederra Rebollar Family Mexico 1930 Census