Discover
your
family
story.
Love What I Do
Mark brings his passion for research to each and every project that he works on, from the identification of a single historic document (such as a birth certificate or a military record) to the creation of a complete family tree.
His specialties are in Latin American, Basque and Spanish genealogy, but he has also worked on genealogical projects for families in the United States shedding light on their linkages to the Old World and early arrivals to the Americas.
Family History
I am a descendent from prestigious families from the Basque region of Spain on my mother’s side and from simple workers in the Navarre and Aragon regions in Spain. On my mother’s side, I am a descendent of Alfonso II, King of Aragon, and through him, to much of the European royalty throughout the 900s, 1000s and 1100s as well as to Diego Lopez de Haro V, the founder of Bilbao, Spain.
My mother’s ancestors migrated from the Basque region to Latin America, and to Bolivia before its independence from Spain in the in 1825. Her ancestors came from great wealth and high status.
My father’s family, with the exception of a few notables (like the painter Francisco Goya) came from humble beginnings. They were hard working laborers, farmers and sheep herders and mostly from small towns in the Aragon and Navarre provinces of Spain.
Sponsored by the Catholic religious teaching congregation La Salle in Spain, my father moved from Aragon to Bolivia to be a professor. He met my mother and together immigrated to California in 1956 and I was born shortly thereafter.
My interest in genealogy started back in the 2000’s when my uncle was making remarkable progress on his family tree and making the discoveries listed above in the first paragraph.
Text from “Las Biendanzas e Fortunas”, book written in 1471 by my ancestor Lope Garcia de Salazar, consisting of lineage from around one hundred families in Vizcaya, Spain.
Coat of arms (shield) that corresponds to the crest that is found in the main Gumucio house (mother’s maiden name).
Andra Mari in Galdacano, Spain. Church my family helped build.
Lope Garcia de Salazar’s family tree going back to the late 1200s.
Children of Jose Gabriel de Gumucio, first ancestor born in Bolivia.
Diego Lopez de Haro V, founder of Bilbao and my ancestor.
What People Are Saying
Mark’s “Ancestors of Diego Lopez V de Haro – Lord of Vizcaya” is a genealogic masterpiece the likes of which I have not found in any library or archive. I am fortunate to have a copy of in my library. The printed opus is contained in four three-inch ring binders!
In the ten years that took me to chronicle my family’s genealogy, I benefited from Mark’s counsel and advice and clear thinking. His dedication to ensure that facts, names, places and dates were completely accurate made it possible for me to write a book about my family’s thousand-year old history that will stand the test of time.
Mark is the right person to help you search for his ancestors, learn where you came from and leave a legacy for your grandchildren.
Marcelo G.
Mark did an amazing job on our family history project!
He worked tirelessly and found an incredible amount of history that we didn’t know existed. Our family history was never known to us. Now we have a thorough organized report going back 30 generations into the 1300s.
This is a family keepsake for our
daughters to cherish for years to come!
Kelly Family
My Story
Mark has been involved with Genealogical research for more than 12 years with a focus on American (Latin and US), Spanish research.
Mark is a 19th generation Spaniard with deep roots in both the Northern and Central provinces of Spain. He has lived and traveled extensively throughout all of Spain and brings his knowledge of history and geography to every project he works on.
Mark brings his passion for research to each and every project that he works on, from the identification of a single historic document (such as a birth certificate or a military record) to the creation of a complete family tree.
His specialties are in Latin American, Basque and Spanish, English and Western European genealogy and helping individuals in the Americas trace their ancestry back to Spain. He has also worked on genealogical projects for families in the United States shedding light on their linkages to the Old World and early arrivals to the Americas.
He is a member of: Association of Professional Genealogists,
Genealogical Society of Hispanic America and National Genealogical Society.
Contact me.
Let’s discuss how I may be able to assist you in unlocking your family ancestry.
Please feel free to fill out the form on the right, or you can e-mail me directly at unlockingyourancestry@gmail.com.