The May 2014 meeting of the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Genealogical Society was a very informative and interesting one. The presenter for this month was non other than Gene Fernandez. His passion for history and the preservation of History is evident. Gene’s presentation was very informative and it was also fun to hear it since he is an excellent presenter.
I got to record the audio of the presentation and it is 59 minutes long. I have not had the chance but I will eventually ask Gene for his permission to share it as a podcast. That way you at least get to hear it also. Until then here are the main points that Gene talked about.
He spoke about the Yolanda Gonzalez Papers, the Indexing of the Sacred Heart Church Sacramental Archives, and a Consolidated movement by local Members in the fields of History and Genealogy to create a centralized Library.
The Yolanda Gonzalez Papers
Mr. Fernandez stated that his historical organization is in the process of inquiring the Yolanda Gonzalez papers. He described its contents and described the vast amount of books and how they are of interest not only to genealogist but also historians. He also described how this collection will be preserved and made available to the public. He also informed the attendees of the proposed location for this collection once the inquiring process is concluded and that it will probably be available to the public in as little as six months.
Indexing of the Sacred Heart Church Sacramental Archives
Mr. Fernandez advised of the intent to approach the bishop for permission to index all the sacramental records of the Church of Sacred Heart of Brownsville, Texas. He stated that these records go back as far as 1852 and that in their current state it is impossible to search them. He states that indexing them will benefit genealogists, historians, and also the church. He proposed of forming a coalition of organizations to approach the bishop with a proposal.
Creating a Centralized Library
He also mentioned that he wishes to create a centralized library or mainly a website with an index of all the materials that are available int he RGV so that all organizations will know exactly were any given research material is located on. He also mentioned that this will help us all find new resources and know exactly what is available out there for us to explore.
The above three points were the main focus of Mr. Fernadez’s presentation.
Award Presented to Gene Fernandez
Before i forget sorry for the late posting but I have been under the weather lately.
that would be great to hear
Lou, as a matter of fact I got to record the audio of the presentation and will be releasing it on the next podcast this coming Monday. Make sure and check it out 🙂