Hi,

I was wondering if Ancestry.com is good for immigrants. My parents' generation was all born in Cuba, and I'm scared that Ancestry.com has just the records for English speaking countries. My last names are also VERY common. This might leave me with way too many Carlos Fernandezs.

Any advice?

It is very hard to find information on families that have migrated from Cuba since Castro. I have found the best way to look for them is under the immigration and travel tab first. Helps if you know where they came into.

Carlos,

All depends when they traveled to the US and if they came into Florida. Lots of information from late 1890s to about 1835 on ship travel to Key West and Tampa from Habana.

It is on Ancestry in the FLORIDA PASSANGER LISTS section of immigration.

Good Luck

Hi there,

Ancestry is not a great way to find info on your Cuban ancestors unless they came to the US country at any point. I have been trying to find info on my ancestors and went to http://www.cubagenweb.org/. They deal specifically with Cuban Geneology. Hope it helps.

Gloria

I have pretty much the same dilemma. My father's family immigrated to the U.S, from Cuba, and my mother and her family came over when she was about 13. I mainly use ancestry as a place to enter my family tree info and upload media. I personally wouldn't use a paid membership until you are able to trace your family out of Cuba. There is a free trial though.

I was blessed that my great-grandparents also moved to the U.S. and brought copies of many of their records. Because of this I was able to trace my great-grandfather's family to Spain and France. My experience so far is that it's easier once you're out of Cuba.

My advice: Interview family members and post queries on message boards. I'm not saying stop trying, but these are great places to start. I was able to connect to someone related to my great-great grandmother through a message board.

The only problem with cubangenweb is if it's not on their online database, they won't research for you unless you are a member. Not living in Miami, that doesn't help.

In response to your statement we would like to explain about the two different Cuba Genealogy websites:

CUBAGENWEB is a website that provides a wealth of resources for those interested in researching their Cuban origins. Its objective is clearly stated on its home page:
"We are not an investigative service - we merely supply information so you can do your own genealogical research. We regret that we cannot answer queries about specific surnames."
Cubagenweb is not a club and has no membership. It is a free-access website dedicated to helping those who seek to research their Cuban ancestry. Many thanks to Ed Elizondo for his countless hours of work on his website.

Cubagenweb.org
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CUBANGENCLUB (Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami) is a club with membership. Its members share the resources they have used in their personal research so others can benefit from their experience in their meetings. Their website and newsletter contain transcriptions of documents from historical archives and churches as well as genealogies, and they are available to anyone who might need them whether they are members or not. Their newsletter can be found in many libraries and universities and soon will be available on their website at no cost. They have many out-of-town members who write for information and then are advised how to best find what they are looking for, but Cubangenclub does not do research for its members.

Cubangenclub.org

A good part of the joy of genealogy is overcoming the challenges of research with the help of kindred spirits!

Cubagenweb and Cubangenclub are the fruits of hardwork by volunteers.

Mariela Fernandez & Lourdes del Pino – directors Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, Fl