This month we would like to introduce you to Lynn C. Turner, AG,  who specializes in the records of Spain.  Lynn graduated with a BA in Family History and Genealogy from Brigham Young University with an emphasis in Spain and Latin America. He works for FamilySearch International as a Collection Management Record Specialist, defining FamilySearch Indexing projects, online browse collections, and prioritizing the acquisition of new record collections for Hispanic countries.

Lynn received his accreditation in 2006 and recently renewed it through 2021.

Motivation for accreditation

When I went into the field of genealogy I wanted to find a niche that I felt I could fill. When I accredited in 2006 I was the second person ever to accredit in Spanish research. Ten years later we have grown, but we are still small in number. Additionally, I felt that ICAPGen maintained a standard of excellence in the field of genealogy. I wanted to accredit to help me achieve that standard in my career.

Challenging or unique aspects to researching in the records of Spain

I think the most challenging aspect of researching in Spain is records access outside of the country. FamilySearch has not microfilmed and/or digitized very many records from Spain, which can make things challenging. Researching in this country is an awesome experience, just a bit cost prohibitive. One of the unique aspects in researching in Spain is variety of cultures and languages. Most records are in Spanish, but understanding inheritance laws and cultural nuances from region to region can make researching in Spain quite interesting.

Advice for those pursuing accreditation

Just do it – it can seem like an overwhelming process, but it is very rewarding. Once you have accredited make sure you uphold the ethics and standards, we want everyone to accredit that wants to, but we also want people that will uphold our values of genealogical research.

His goals as a genealogist

One goal for me is to grow the genealogy market. The larger the market the more opportunities there will be for professional genealogists. I am motivated by using technology to advance the field of genealogy. Making records available online to facilitate the discovery of people’s ancestors is a passion I have. I am lucky to be able to do that with FamilySearch.

Research projects he is involved with now, or has planned for the future

Outside my work at FamilySearch I do private research for clients whose ancestors are from Spain and/or Latin America. My favorite project is for a client where I have to be creative since all the core records have been destroyed. Whether it’s overcoming record destruction or other brick walls – I love challenging research problems that are difficult to solve.