40_anno21_num1_0197-0203


40_anno21_num1_0197-0203

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UTILIZATION OF ARCHIVES FOR RESEARCH
Guidelines for those beginning this work
José Regalado Trota*
“The dates given by Don Bosco himself for
the events of his boyhood are often mistaken”
(M. WIRTH, Don Bosco and the Salesians, 1987, 12)
1. Survey the field
Having selected a topic – or at least a general direction – to research on,
one must find out if anything else about it or similar to it has already been
published. This is not only to prevent duplication, but to see if there are new
sources that may be helpful. Besides, there are many angles from which a
topic may be written about, just as there are various methodologies with
which to approach a problem. This phase of the research is generally known
as ‘Survey of Literature’: that is, all published works having some bearing on
your proposed work must be located and examined. Go through the bibliogra-
phies or sources cited in these works – and even the footnotes – and list down
those of interest.
This in itself is already a tall order. Bear in mind that some of the books
or articles you need might be out of print, or published in another language, or
kept in a far away library, or replaced by a microfilm copy due to brittle pages.
And remember, there are such things as ‘bibliographies of bibliographies’.
Of course, being a researcher means that published sources will not suf-
fice. The more exciting search is in the archives, because you will be working
with material that is one-of-a-kind and inaccessible to most people. Find out
which archives are the most likely to carry the type of information that you
need. Again, you must consider that some of these archives may be in another
country; however remember that some archival material you may be needing
may already have been transcribed and published, or quoted extensively in a
journal, minimizing the accessibility gap.
Be open to other sources of research data such as photos, maps, videos,
taped interviews, commemorative medals, and even inscriptions on monu-
ments or bells. Look up eyewitnesses to the story you are writing about, or lo-
* Researcher, writer, and consultant on historic Philippine church art. He is affiliated
with the Permanent Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, of the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

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198 José Regalado Trota
cate their relatives or associates. Remember that they could be in possession
of memorabilia, photo albums, and still more documents that would be in-
valuable to your research. The same could be said of churches, rectories,
schools, and even museums, all highly potential storehouses of data.
If a number of sources or sites seem inaccessible, consider reconfiguring
your topic. Put into the balance the amount of time you have. Prepare your
own preliminary bibliography and list of sources and places to visit. Think
out how you want your output – your story – to be organized. A good survey
should help clarify the boundaries of your research. In fact, don’t be surprised
if your quest will be modified according to what is available and achievable.
Don’t be afraid to be specific; your research could bear a title such as “A brief
history of the Salesian parish of Santa Cruz, Laguna, based on archival
sources in Manila”, or “The early years of the Salesians in such and such a
place”. [illustrations # 1,2,3, 4,5: scenes of Santa Cruz church].
2. Archival work
Archival work is special work. Here time slows down when you are in a
hurry – be prepared that you will not be able to work on the day of your first
appearance at the archive, because your application will have to be scruti-
nized; and time speeds up when you have most need of it – you have two
more pages to go but the archive is closing for the day. Make sure to follow
the rules of the archive you are in; many archives prohibit the use of any
writing instrument except a pencil. Of course, if you are the archivist, or if
you are working in an in-house archive, then conditions will be more advan-
tageous; but chances are you will have to derive data from other archives as
well. [illustration # 6; first page of catalogue in Makati].
In many archives, catalogues do not have exhaustive contents. Therefore
one has to delve through many categories to find correlated items. Not a few
times, the researcher will come across uncatalogued documents or material
which seemingly may not belong to the folder; resist the temptation to re-
arrange the order and call the attention of the archivist first. Some collections
in private hands may be uncatalogued at all, and the researcher will have to
devise a rudimentary classification system in collaboration with the owner of
the papers. Make duplicate copies of the improvised catalogue, one for the
owner and one for yourself. [illustration # 7: handwritten list of materials in
Jagna, Bohol].
Many archives – such as those of parishes in rural areas – are not
equipped to handle reproduction services such as photocopying. Therefore
come prepared to take notes with any number of sharpened pencils and a

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Utilization of archives for research 199
notebook. You may use index cards, but these work best if you have a filing
system for index cards. Another alternative would be to write on loose sheets
of paper, which can be filed later on in folders and filing boxes. Strive to
mark each card or sheet of paper with the following information: name of the
archive from where you obtained the document, a locator number for the doc-
ument, a one- or- two word name for the document itself, and the year of the
document. This is so that if your papers and notes get mixed up – as they tend
to do when you are writing your story – you will not waste much time rear-
ranging them; this will also enable you – and researchers coming after you –
to retrieve the original document quickly. To minimize effort, use abbrevia-
tions for frequently used sources, references, locations, etc.; write a list of
these abbreviations on the first page of your notebook or paste the list on your
wall so you won’t forget their meaning.
For example, AAM, 4A6, Sta Cruz 1956 would mean: the document was ob-
tained from the Archdiocesan Archives of Manila, it was kept on Cabinet 4, shelf
A, box 6; the document refers to the parish of Santa Cruz, and is dated 1956.
In going over a bundle of documents on the same topic, list down each
document according to its location from top to bottom. (For now, do not be
bothered if the documents are not arranged chronologically). Note down the
sender and his address, the addressee and his address, and the date of the doc-
ument. Take note that certain documents will have attachments, with their
own senders, addressees, and dates. Try to make the list as skeletal as pos-
sible, resisting the temptation to detain yourself in reading the contents. When
the list is finished, you will have a better grasp of the series of documents you
are working with, and then you can decide which to read first. As you read,
supply very brief descriptions for each document on the list.
Many of the documents you will handle may be handwritten letters,
technically known as holographs. If they were written in the 19th century or
earlier, than you should take time to figure out the penmanship or even study
a little paleography; look out for abbreviations peculiar to the author’s period
or culture. The Spaniards for example, who were very elaborate in their greet-
ings, used Q.D.G. (Que Dios guarde, may the Lord keep [him or her]), or V.E.
(Vuestra Excelencia, Your Excellency). This would be akin to today’s BTW
(by the way), or FYI (for your information).
Many times, note-taking will have to be supplemented by entire sections
or passages excerpted from a document. The sequence of events, such as in a
narrative, or placement of words such as in a sermon, may necessitate
copying verbatim. This is to provide a clear context, to facilitate under-
standing, of the passage in question; this is especially almost unavoidable
when one is working with a document in a foreign language. In such cases an
invaluable tool would be the laptop computer. This makes handcopying easier

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200 José Regalado Trota
and has the advantage of facilitating the immediate printing of your data. The
laptop is also useful for tabulating data in situ. When typing away, don’t
forget you can use your own abbreviations for often-used words such as ‘d’
for ‘de’, ‘p’ for ‘para’, ‘y’ for ‘iglesia’, or ‘cp’ for ‘cura párroco’.
While on the subject of foreign languages, be careful about taking down
notes in your language what you are reading in a different language. Don’t jump
to translation conclusions just because a foreign word sounds like something
else you know; vicario foráneo does not mean foreign vicar, but vicar forane.
This sort of problem could be avoided by copying passages or texts verbatim.
3. Interfacing sources
When you feel you have gathered enough data, put all your sources and
notes on the table and arrange them according to the pre-conceived outline
mentioned in the beginning. If you don’t have one, then try to classify them
according to themes and see how they can be woven together. You can also
arrange them chronologically, or according to regions, or according to person-
alities or institutions. Be very flexible; allow your data to guide you.
As you classify your notes, you will no doubt have many clusters each
dealing with a specific topic. Examine the components of each cluster,
checking out which are more valid or credible than the others. You are not un-
like a detective unraveling evidence in a crime thriller. You will even find that
there are different versions, such as drafts and translations, of the same docu-
ment or evidence. Discrepancies in these versions may lead to more clues. In
the Philippines, for example, there is always a confusion as to the ‘first
church’ of a community; many take the year of evangelization as the same
one for the construction of the present church. Investigation will reveal that,
among other things, the church building was subject to such factors as
shifting town locations, natural calamities, and the resources of the populace
and parish priest.
Construct a timeline by arranging events chronologically, then fit in wit-
nesses’ testimonies. Look for patterns or recurring conditions in chains of
events. Tabulate series of data in charts, tables or graphs. Such work has al-
ready been done by the former parish priest, a Salesian, of the parish in
Mayapa, Laguna, in the outskirts of Manila. Graphs were maintained on
church attendance, church collections, and partaking of the sacraments, for
example; these were juxtaposed against the parishioners’ cultural and eco-
nomic calendar. Index cards were compiled for each of the children attending
parochial school, with data on the student’s family and spaces for his or her
sacramental life. [illustrations 8, 9, 10: Mayapa graphs and data].

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Utilization of archives for research 201
Match documents with other printed or graphic data. Look out for por-
traits of personalities who played important roles in your subject matter. Pho-
tographs of celebrations of holy mass, inaugurations, sacramental rites,
church construction, calamities, funerals, etc. are always useful and should be
gathered. Artists’ sketches, illustrations, and paintings serve the same pur-
pose. Maps may shed light on territorial boundaries, street or town names,
commercial routes, physical features, and many other aspects. Population sta-
tistics, lists of donors, committee memberships, and even advertisements are
also important sources; many of these can be gleaned from souvenir pro-
grams, missalettes, bulletins, prayerbooks, newspapers, calendars, almanacs,
and yearbooks. Sometimes you may have to locate ordinary-looking papers
like student papers, workshop accounts, or lists of tools which, while not ex-
actly archival material, may be useful in reflecting conditions over a period of
time. Don’t forget that news clippings, mementos, and photos may have been
left inserted in old books, recipe collections, bibles, or novenas. Continue fit-
ting all of these in your timeline. [illustrations # 12 - banner in Don Bosco
Makati, 13 - besamano in Mandaluyong, 14 -400 years of Santa Cruz parish].
Scout for tangible memorabilia to complement your timeline. Were com-
memorative medals cast? What about trophies, badges, watches, caps, pen-
nants, banners, posters, souvenir items, cigars, buttons, ballpens, gifts, plates,
stamps? This is like searching for the ‘murder weapon’. Don’t be surprised
that as you collect material such as these, you are contributing to the forma-
tion of a museum. Slowly, you are recreating the ambience of the periods you
are working on. [illustrations # 15, 16, 17: Santa Cruz photo panels].
Visit the sites of the events chronicled in your timeline. Are the monu-
ments, buildings, playing fields, or churches familiar to the characters in your
timeline still standing? How has the skyline changed? Take photographs of
these places and compare them with earlier photos, paintings or illustrations.
While in the field – including visiting other countries – search for inscriptions
on monuments, obelisks, tombstones, streetsigns, or bells, for further mate-
rial. In the Philippines, an old marker commemorates the spot where the first
mass was said in this country; however a number of scholars doubt this claim
and more research is needed. Of interest to Filipinos in Madras is the stone
crest formerly crowning one of the entrances to the old walled city of Intra-
muros; it ended up in the museum in Fort St George, brought by the British
after they left Manila in 1764, after two years of occupation [illustrations #
18, 19: bells in Manaoag, Pangasinan; 20: 18th century beam in Man-
daluyong; 21, historical marker in Santa Cruz; 22: date inscribed on Sta
Cruz church].
Look for data in other recorded forms such as videos, taped interviews
or television programs, or reel recordings. You may have some difficulty

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202 José Regalado Trota
looking for equipment to play reel recordings or gramophone records. Search
for eyewitnesses or other persons with corroborative material who may still
be alive and available for interviews.
Be on the lookout for intangible heritage: for example, songs, devotions,
jokes, stories, gestures, traditions, ways of doing things and especially tech-
nical skills which attest to Salesian presence in a community.
Interface all of this material in your timeline, and see how each one cor-
roborates, supplements, or negates the other. You will also be in a better posi-
tion to recreate the situations or contexts in which the historic personalities
you are studying found themselves. It will be a very sobering experience.
4. Presentation of data
The timeline as assembled above gives you a grand overview of your re-
search output. Now you have to settle down to figure out how to put it in
writing. How you will develop your story will depend on the objectives of
your research in the first place. Be clear of why you are writing, and let this
guide you in balancing the sections. In our case, I would suggest a guideline
something like, “God’s grace among men through the Salesians”. Remember
that all our research can be worked out in such a way as to further the ‘new
evangelization’ spoken of so many times in the circular letters of the Pontif-
ical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church.
I would assume that most of us would be writing to win more souls.
Today’s reader is pressed for time, and confronted with a multitude of other
matters to read. Therefore he would appreciate texts written in a forthright,
matter-of-fact manner; in simple language, avoiding long sentences, convo-
luted structures, or terms you would have to look up in a dictionary; and in a
friendly, easy style, not overly moralizing or just subtly so. As a lay person, I
look forward to religious books akin to “Computers for dummies” or “Opera
for people who hate operas”. And, I think this is the particular charism of the
Salesians. [illustration # 23: Fr Nesty’s article on the 50 years of San Ilde-
fonso Parish].
Pepper the text with illustrations, textual or graphic, to spice up the
reading. Avoid masses of detailed data; these can be isolated from the main
paragraphs as so-called ‘boxed texts’. They can also be presented at the end
of the work as appendices. For possible inclusion in this section as well
would be transcriptions of documents or their translations, tables, charts, tran-
scripts of interviews, catalogues or inventories, and so forth.
Write so that others may follow your tracks. Acknowledge your sources
of data in the footnotes or an essay; explain your methodology, how you as-

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Utilization of archives for research 203
sembled your work. Always provide a full bibliography, especially if your
topic is relatively unknown or controversial. Separate published from unpub-
lished sources, and list down other sources of data such as memorabilia, inter-
views, etc. Acknowledge the help of other people and institutions. Your opus
should not be so much a show of intellect as a convincing one, replete with
proofs as shown in your sources of data. Hopefully, others will be inspired to
continue in your direction.
5. No work is really finished
The writer must be humble and accept the limits of his research capabili-
ties, sources of data, and theoretical expertise. He must realize that though his
data may be impeccable, yet these could be flawed. As Don Bosco’s biographer,
Morand Wirth, noted, “The dates given by Don Bosco himself for the events of
his boyhood are often mistaken” (Don Bosco and the Salesians, 1987, 12).
Knowing this, future writers should also have the humility to avoid
being overly critical of the works of their predecessors. Our work should
open doors and build bridges; we are just stepping stones.
References
BICOMONG Gregorio E., Jr., SDB. The Arrival of Don Bosco in the Philippines.
Requests made to the Salesians 1891- 1951. Makati City: Don Bosco Press,
Inc., 2001.
CULLINANE Michael, Accounting for souls: ecclesiastical sources for the study of
Philippine demographic history. Chapter 10 of Doeppers, Daniel F., and Xenos,
Peter, eds. Population History. The Demographic Origins of the Modern Philip-
pines. Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1998.
The Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, The Pastoral
Function of Church Archives. Vatican City, 1997.
– The Inventory and Catalogue of the Cultural Heritage of the Church: a Necessary
and Urgent Task. Vatican City, 1999.
WIRTH Morand, Don Bosco and the Salesians. Trans. by David de Burgh, SDB. New
Rochelle, New York: Don Bosco Publications, 1987 (Asian edition, Manila, nd.).