Mona Magno-Veluz is a history buff, genealogist, and national president of the Autism Society Philippines. She spoke as a virtual keynote at RootsTech 2023. Mona explored how her personal ancestry led to a mission of educating a new generation on the power of cultural heritage and history. How did it all begin for this engaging speaker?
A Biography of Names
Mona came from a middle-class Filipino family. Both her parents grew up in the Phillipines and eventually immigrated to Manila, the capital of the Phillipines. She remarked that "there's one thing that was strange to me: that we never really knew our family, our extended family."
Despite not knowing extended family very well, Mona's father found connection by finding significance in personal and family names. For example, his name was Carlos Magno—Magno meaning great in Latin, and Carlos Magno sounding like Charlemagne, a powerful historical figure. Mona's sister was named Excelsis, meaning greatest, thus Excelsis Magno meaning greatest of the greats.
Mona's own name has a variety of significant meanings. Mona meaning cute in Spanish, Magno meaning great in Latin, and Veluz meaning see the light or is enlightened in Spanish.
Starting a Family History Journey
During family reunions, Mona would often head to where the eldest people gathered because of the amazing stories they shared. She learned all the stories they had to tell. One Christmas, Mona decided the best gift she could give to her family would be the stories she had gathered. Mona wanted her family to know their history. This was her first step towards a lifetime of involvement with genealogy.
Mona visited the family history center in White Plains, a neighborhood in Quezon City, Philippines. On her first visit, Mona found the volunteer at the center to be so helpful. However, she wondered. "What's the catch? I'm not from the Church. Why is she doing this for me?" Mona later realized that the volunteer was simply fulfilling their calling. She was not alone in her desire to learn about ancestors, and Mona soon learned the basics, from loading a microfilm reader to searching cities and towns filled with information.
Mona's adventures in genealogy blessed her with compassion for her ancestors. She was always discovering new things. For example, Mona found out that her father and grandfather were members of the Philippine Independent Church (Iglesia Filipina Independiente) and not Catholic. While this was a surprise, it was one of many discoveries that gave Mona clues for new areas to research.
Helping the Next Generation
"This journey has given me purpose," Mona reflected. She realized that there are many young Filipinos who want to know more about their families. "Wouldn’t it be great if we can help them and inspire them if everything's in one place? And they can get those early successes so that they continue researching?"
FamilySearch.org has grown since Mona began her search at the family history center in Quezon City. From her early beginnings as a volunteer indexer manually typing names, Mona is amazed how records are no longer stacks of paper and microfilm in the dark corners of a building. Those records are now digitized and accessible to the public.
"It is important for me that it is not just our generation that has access to information and access to these stories. I want my children to have the same thing. I want my children to have more insight."
Mona believes that as we continue to do family history and make more records accessible, more people will be able to "find their identity, find their home, and to a certain degree, find themselves."
Help with Filipino Genealogy
At this year's RootsTech, Mona also presented a session on “The Importance of the Records Community in Filipino Genealogical Research” with information on available and digital Filipino records. Watch this free class on the RootsTech site.
Watch Other RootsTech 2023 Keynotes
What Is RootsTech?
RootsTech is a place to learn, be inspired, and make connections through family history. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by other leading genealogy organizations, we have hundreds of expert classes, tips and tricks videos, and inspiring stories that can help you experience family history like never before. Visit our on-demand learning library, or make plans to join us for our next virtual or in-person conference event.
