Welcome to the Rivera Family page at Surname Finder, a service of Genealogy Today. Our editors have compiled this checklist of genealogical resources, combining links to commercial databases along with user-contributed information and web sites for the Rivera surname. As additional sources for vital records, original documents, vintage photographs and surname-based DNA projects are discovered, this page is updated to offer the best list for researching Rivera ancestry. Share this page on Twitter!
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The Rivera Family Tree
It is quite possible that someone else has already performed work on a Rivera family tree, so be sure to examine some of the sources listed below carefully. Have you struck a Rivera brick wall? Read "Searching For A Needle In An Ancestral Haystack" for some helpful advice.
Best Tree Collections for Discovering Rivera Ancestors
Rivera Genealogy
Many things can go wrong when a record collection is indexed. If you're having diffculty finding Rivera ancestors in a particular database at one site, try finding it on another and compare the results. If you want to know Was my Rivera ancestor was married more than once?, then read this frequently asked question.
Top Five Genealogy Databases to Search for Rivera
Historical newspapers give us the ability to discover ancestral history through eyewitness accounts.
There are currently matching Rivera records at Ancestry.com!
Start exploring this online Rivera family history resource today.
Death Records
Military Records
Origins of the Rivera Surname
While some countries have limited historical records for last name assignments, you are most likely to only find general guidance on the origin and meaning of the Rivera surname. Were you aware that Rivera is considered a very common surname, which offers its own set of challenges? The article "Researching Common Names" may be helpful for your research. Keep in mind that it was not unusual for a last name to be altered as an ancestor entered a new country.
Rivera DNA Projects
Don't believe the hype! When DNA testing was first made available for genealogical purposes, some companies boasted how it could solve all your Rivera family tree mysteries. DNA testing can be a useful tool, when applied properly to a given research issue. If you're not sure how DNA testing could aid your Rivera research, read "Utilizing DNA in Family History Research".
Rivera Family History
Every family has a different history, and every document you discover about your Rivera ancestors will help paint a picture that can be shared with your relatives. Our team of seasoned experts are here to help you learn about different aspects of genealogy. Reading "Using Social History To Fill In The Gaps In Family Histories" may help you think of some different tactics to compiling your Rivera family history.
Photo Collections
Networking with Rivera Researchers
When you've come up against a brick wall in your genealogy research, posting a message board query can help; one of the biggest benefits is that message board queries are accessed through search engines, which means even someone not specifically engaged in genealogy but interested in your subject may find your query and bring valuable new information to the table -- it happens! The article "Are Your Queries Getting Results?" provides some valuable tips for posting successful Rivera queries.
You may also want to consider posting a query to the Community Message Boards at Genealogy Today to get assistance from other researchers on your most elusive Rivera ancestors.
Rivera Achievements & Celebrities
Did you know that Rivera was the 61st most popular surname in the 1990 census of the United States?
Web Sites & Blogs with Rivera Research
If you are having difficulty locating records for the last name of Rivera, contact the folks at ProGenealogists for a free research estimate. You may also find it helpful to read, "When, Why and How to Hire a Professional Genealogist."
RootsWeb search of US Naturalization Records
RootsWeb search of Obituary Daily Times
RootsWeb search of Social Security Death Index
To recommend your web site/blog for inclusion on this page, please submit a link to the user-contributed directory at Genealogy Today. Your web page may appear once its content has been reviewed by our editors.
Upcoming Rivera Family Reunions
Notifying everyone in advance to bring old photos and documents can bring big rewards, making a special place at the reunion (maybe even a special Rivera booth) where people can come at their leisure to sit, look and chat; in addition to information and clues that might be written on the back of a photo, every photograph has a story and serves as an excellent stimulus to recall -- people might comment not only on the people in the photo, but also on what's in the background, or they might have information around where the photo was taken or the event -- just be sure to have someone there to capture new information. The article "Family Reunions Don't Always Turn Out as one has Pictured" may provide you with tips for hosting a successful Rivera reunion.
See Also
Surname Finder, The Rivera Genealogy and Family Tree Page [on-line resource], New Providence, NJ, USA: Genealogy Today LLC, 2023.
