The Family History Guide is a leading site for family history learning, research, and activities … but it gets even better when you combine it with Google Gemini.

We’ve added buttons on The Family History Guide home page

to launch Gemini for your AI searches. And here’s the secret sauce: when you begin or end a Gemini prompt with “using the Family History Guide” the results are amazing!

For example, here’s a Gemini prompt to illustrate: “Using The Family History Guide, how can I do research in Spain?” What you get back is a detailed learning plan that walks you through Goals in The Family History Guide and explains key research concepts. Here’s a portion of an actual prompt answer from Gemini on the Spain question …

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To do genealogy research for Spain using The Family History Guide (thefhguide.com), navigate to Countries → Spain (or Project 9: Spain). The guide organizes Spain’s research process into sequential Goals, each breaking down specific steps, resources, and learning activities.

Below is the step-by-step workflow structured according to The Family History Guide’s methodology for Spain:

Step 1: Learn the Research Basics & Spanish Language Skills (Goal 1)
Before diving into records, complete the foundational choices in Goal 1:

Understand Spanish Naming Customs: Learn how the double-surname system works (paternal surname + maternal surname). This is essential for tracing maternal lines correctly.

Language & Handwriting (Paleography): Practice reading older handwritten Spanish records. The guide links to word lists (Spanish and Catalan), alphabet tutorials, and the BYU Spanish Script Tutorial to help transcribe old documents.

Emigration & Origin: Use the emigration section and the PARES (Portal de Archivos Españoles) Migratory Movements database to trace ancestors who moved to the Americas.

Step 2: Search Civil Registration Records (Goal 4)
Civil registration in Spain officially began nationwide around 1871 (with some municipal records going back to 1837).

What’s Included: Birth (nacimientos), marriage (matrimonios), and death (defunciones) certificates maintained by local civil registries (Registro Civil).

Accessing Records: Use online databases linked in the guide (such as FamilySearch or Ministerio de Justicia portal) or request certificates directly from local municipal archives in Spain.

Step 3: Search Catholic Church & Cemetery Records (Goal 3)
For research prior to 1871, church records are the primary record type. Spanish Catholic parish registers often date back to the 1500s (Council of Trent era) or earlier.

What’s Included: Baptisms (bautismos), marriages (matrimonios), and burials (entierros). Spanish baptismal entries are exceptionally detailed, frequently listing both parents and all four grandparents.

Accessing Records: The guide directs you to digitized collections on FamilySearch, parish archives, and Diocesan Archives (Archivos Diocesanos).

(Also included in the answer is info for additional record types, research in communities, and a quick summary of the learning plan.)

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Tips

Next to the Gemini AI button is a button labeled “(Tips)”. Here’s what you’ll see:

Item 2 explains that you can edit your prompts in Gemini to easily include “Using The Family History Guide” at the beginning. Item 3 has a link to a page full of sample Gemini prompts you can use. And Item 5 is a reminder that the Guided Learning and I Have a Question videos are alos great resources for finding the answers you need.

We hope you enjoy the integrated Google Gemini prompts with The Family History Guide. The Gemini links are available on the home page and in the top header area of other pages in The Family History Guide.