The Baca / Douglas Genealogy and Family History Blog

July 18, 2009 NMGS Program

2009-07-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

Saturday, July 18, 2009, 10:30 AM
Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque NM
(NW Corner of Edith and Central)

The New Mexico Genealogical Society presents
Angel R. Cervantes

Who will discuss the

New Mexico DNA Project:
The Franks’ Connection to New Mexican Families

In Part II of an ongoing series, Mr. Cervantes will explore the connection between certain New Mexican families and the Franks of Western Europe. Cervantes will show a short film that will trace the history of the Franks, a Germanic people that conquered France in the 5th Century. He will then discuss which families show the markers that are most identified with this tribe.

The program will begin promptly at 10:30 AM, so please do not be late.

For more information about the New Mexico DNA Project, visit their website online at: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/NewMexicoDNA/default.aspx

This program is free and open to the public.

For more information about our programs, please visit the New Mexico Genealogical Society website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm

A bunch of photos of my parent's wedding

2009-07-03T08:09:00.008-06:00

My aunt Judy gave me a copy of my parent's wedding film on DVD. I decided to do some screen shots of the video and I post them on Facebook. Here is the link to those photos.

I decided to post the screen shots rather than the video itself because it allows for us to look at photos of individuals. I do not know who many of the people pictured in the photos are, or sometimes if I just made a guess. If you know who any of the individuals are, please send me an e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com describing the photo and explaining who they are.

I hope you enjoy these photos.

Link.

Snapshot of Socorro: September and October 1883

2009-06-29T20:16:00.003-06:00

I love looking at old newspapers. This link shows page 12 of the September 1883 and page 1 of the Bullion, a local newspaper.

Socorro had become a boom town during the 1880s. Prospectors were opening up new mines throughout the area.. Billings Smelter was built in Park City, at the base of Socorro Peak, or the "M" Mountain as we Socorrians call it. This lead to an influx of people from all over the country, as well as the world. However, before long many of the mines dried up and many of the prospectors left.

The Bullion was published to capitalize on this boom. It informed the populous about new mine prospects and the state of current mines. It also included local, state, national and world news.

The pages that are displayed on this link show advertisements of the local businesses. These include John Eastwood who dealt and manufactured jewelry; Juan Jose Baca who had dry goods, boots, shoes, notions, groceries and liquors; fancy groceries from F.P. Shaw on the Plaza; Asche and Hilton Boot and Shoe Store; and many others. There were attorneys in Socorro, too. These included W. E. Kelly, N. B. Cartmell, Albert Hagan, and many more.

There is an advertisement for the Convent of Mt. Carmel. Tuition and board was $20.00 a month, $200.00 a year. They offered a full academic curriculum, with "particular attention given to ... Painting, Drawing, Fancy Needle Work, Embroidery and ... Vocal and Instrumental Music."

If you needed to go somewhere, there was a posting of time tables for the A.T. and S.F. railroad lines. If you just arrived, there were accommodations at the Sturgis House on Fischer Street.

And let's not forget the mining industry. Some merchants advertised that they sold mining supplies including the Blanchard and Co. and the aforementioned F.P. Shaw. Andy Naw was "prepared to make and repair wagons and mining tools" and also did general blacksmithing. Assayer and metallurgist T. E. Simmons plied his trade. The Ozark & Socorro Mining Company advertized also advertised in the paper. And let's not forget the aforementioned Gustav Billing Smelting Works.

You will need Adobe Acrobat to read the link. If you don't have it, click on this link. I will post more pages in future articles.

More on Miguel Vega y Coca

2009-06-21T23:31:00.002-06:00

In a previous post, I noted that I am a descendant of Miguel Jose Laso Vega y Coca. Since that I posted that yesterday, I have received a few Emails requesting that I show how I am related to this founder of the Las Golondrinas Ranch.

* This link shows how I am descended from Miguel through my mother.

* This link shows how I am descended from Miguel through my father.

By the way, I'm descended from Miguel at least four times.

It really was a family reunion!

2009-06-20T20:08:00.003-06:00

Today I went to El Rancho de Las Golondrinas for a family reunion. I went there as a representative of the New Mexico Genealogical Society. It was not until I was there that I found out that it was truely a family reunion: I am the 7th great-grandson of Miguel Jose Laso Vega y Coca, the founder of the ranch!

I found a few very distant cousins out there, including one woman who turned up being my 6th cousins, twice removed. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have set up some charts showing my descendancy. The good thing is that they will probably have another reunion next year.

For more information about Miguel Vega y Coca, read the article from David Pikes' Roadside History of New Mexico.

Nancy's Grandmother Viola Fern (Poole) Dunn

2009-06-02T07:40:00.002-06:00

Below is a photo of my wife's maternal grandmother, Viola Fern (Poole) Dunn. She was born on 8 February 1909 in Redmon, Illinois, and died 10 October 1972 in Paris, Illinois. She appears to be in her twenties in this photo.

I can see a definate resemblence between Nancy and her grandmother.

Nancy's mother lent it to us to scan.

Viola Fern (Poole) Dunn

Descendants of Callentano and Maria Ines (Candelaria) Abeyta

2009-05-31T20:41:00.004-06:00

Callentano Abeyta and Maria Ines Candelaria are my 4th great-grandparents. Their son Jose Albino Abeyta, and his wife Maria Miguela Sanchez were the parents of Manuela Abeyta who married Jose Casmiro Montoya (see my previous post.)

Today I decided to try to find a few more descendants of Callentano and Ines (Candelaria) Abeyta. I was successful in finding one more generation through their daughter Maria Encarnacion Abeyta who married Jose Tomas Gallegos. You can find the PDF file showing a descendant register report at this link.

In addition to baptismal records, I also found two United States Census records that show Jose Tomas Gallego(s) and his family in Paraje de Fra Cristobal, a stop-over point (or more likely a village during that time) about 35 miles south of Socorro.

The 1860 Census is in two parts here and here; while the 1870 Census is here.

References:

Tomas Gallego family, 1860 New Mexico Census, Socorro County, Post office: Fra Cristobal, pp. 44-45, dwelling # 445, family # 400, HeritageQuestonline, <http://heritagequestonline.com/>, accessed 31 May 2009.

Tomas Gallego family, 1870 U. S. census, population schedule schedule, Socorro, New Mexico, Post Office: Socorro, p. 5, dwelling # 45, family # 44, accessed 31 May 2009.; digital image, HeritageQuest (http://heritagequestonline.com).

Met another cousin - Montoya family

2009-05-31T17:22:00.005-06:00

I was researching at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library yesterday, when I bumped into a distant cousin of mine who I had not met before. She happened to be talking about her uncle Casey Luna, the former New Mexico Lieutenant Governor and car dealership owner. I mentioned that I was related to him also, and in comparing our genealogies we discovered that we are long-lost 3rd cousins.

My third cousin and I are related to each other through our 2nd great-grandparents Jose Casmiro Montoya and Manuela Abeyta. Casmiro and Manuela were married on 8 January 1875 in the San Miguel Mission in Socorro, New Mexico. They had at least four children: Sofia, Amadeo, Jose Liberado and Andrea. My cousin is descended from Sofia Montoya who married Amadeo Luna. I am descended from Andrea Montoya who married Ignacio Torres.

I've sent my cousin an e-mail with certain genealogical charts, photos and other information. I'm hoping that she sends me information back since I know little about this family.

Genetic disease found in descendants of NM settlers

2009-05-31T11:25:00.005-06:00

In the Albuquerque Journal today, there is an article titled "Genetic Curse: Deadly brain disease may be traced back to early N.M. settlers". It is estimated that 10,000 New Mexicans - who are descended from a certain old New Mexican family - carry the gene that causes cerebral cavenous malformation, or CCM. The disease can potentially cause brain damage in carriers. New Mexico has the largest concentration of cases in the world.

Certain carriers have researched their genealogy and have discovered common ancestors: Antonio Baca and Monica Duran y Chaves, who were married in Albuquerque in 1726. Personally, this couple are my 6th great-grandparents on my father's side.

To read more about this disease, click on this link. If you do not have a subscription to the Albuquerque Journal, click on "Trial Premium Pass". This will direct you to an advertisement that you will have to watch before you are able to access the article.

Articles found in the El Defensor Chieftain

2009-05-28T06:48:00.005-06:00

I was a little bored, so I decided to search through Socorro's local newspaper El Defensor Chieftain for articles relating to New mexico history and genealogy. This is what I found:

* "1940 Socorro - The Business District" by Paul Harden. The is a description of many of the businesses in the area. Howevever, I noticed at least one mistake. It mentions that the Baca Haberdashery was owned by Robert Baca, assumedly my paternal grandfather. Actually, the Haberdashery was owned by my maternal grandfather Santiago Baca.

* "Socorro goes to the movies" by Paul Harden. A history of the Socorro movie theaters.

* "San Antonio School celebrates 80 years:A look at Socorro County rural schools" by Paul Harden

* "Mission Churches" Part I and Part II by Paul Harden. A history of Socorro area churches.

* "The Biggest Killer in the Southwest: Smallpox" by Paul Harden.

* "Character (and characters) have been part of Socorro's mystery and charm" by Valarie Kimble

* "Poet chronicled state history" by Marc Simmons. An article about Captain Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá's epic poem.

* "New Mexico family name boasts a glorious history" by Marc Simmons.

* "History travels the El Camino Real" by Marc Simmons

* "Miera and Pacheco was indeed a versitile fellow" by Marc Simmons

* "Rebel artillery fought hard in New Mexico battle" by Marc Simmons

* "Horses for Spanish soldiers" by Marc Simmons

... and many more. Want to search for other articles? Go to the El Defensor Chieftain website.

Hammel Museum - Socorro, New Mexico

2009-05-26T07:52:00.003-06:00

I found this link to the Hammel Museum in Socorro, New Mexico. From the website:

The HAMMEL MUSEUM started as a beer garden and, in the intervening century, became successively a brewery, an ice plant, a soda bottling plant, and finally ended as an active industry still making ice.

The museum is named in honor of the Hammel family, who came to Socorro in the early 1880's and built the brewery. Clarence Hammel was the last of the family to operate the business. He died in 1986. The structure was willed to the Socorro County Historical Society to become the Hammel Museum. The museum structure was built during the boom years in Socorro which began with the coming of the railroad in 1880 and ended with the closing of the mines by 1893. The museum chronicles the industrial and commercial history of those boom years.

Clarence's grandfather, Jacob Hammel emigrated to the United States from Munich, Bavaria in 1848. He was accompanied by his friend Eberhard Anheuser, who wanted Jacob to join him in building a brewery in St. Louis. Jacob, in his infinite wisdom, decided to start his own brewery across the Mississippi River in Lebanon, Illinois, close to East St. Louis. The plant across the rive in Missouri became, of course, the famous Anheuser-Busch company.

Nevertheless, Jacob did well with his brewery in Lebanon, calling it the Illinois Brewery. Relatives from Bavaria came over to work for the enterprising Jacob. Meanwhile, the company survived a spring flood even though survival required rebuilding the plant. In the early 1880's, Jacob's son, William G. Hammel was sent to New Mexico Territory for his health. He was diagnosed as having developed blood poisoning as a result of dental surgery. Living in New Mexico was supposed to prolong his life. It did! He was joined in Socorro by his brother Gustav....

To read more, click on this link.

June 20, 2009 NMGS Field Trip

2009-05-19T12:01:00.000-06:00

Saturday, June 20, 2009, 10:00 A.M.
El Rancho de Las Golondrinas
This living history museum is in Las Cienega, NM
15 miles south of Santa Fe and 45 miles north of Albuquerque.

The New Mexico Genealogical Society
invites you on a Field Trip to attend:

A Family Reunion,
Families of El Rancho de Las Golindrinas

This day-long event will be hosted by the El Rancho de Las Golindrinas Museum in La Cienega, NM. This museum depicts life of Spanish Colonial New Mexico.

Speakers include local archeologist Dedie Snow, genealogist Henrietta Christmas, and former state historian Robert Tórrez. Additionally, historic interpreter Manuel López will portray Hispanic mountain man “Marcelino Baca”, relating life and times of this 1800’s resident of Colorado and New Mexico.

Advanced registration is required: basic fees are $5.00 per person. Children under five are free. Make checks out to El Rancho de Las Golindrinas and mail to 334 Los Pinos Rd., Santa Fe, NM 87507. Please note “Reunion” on the outside of the envelope and include the names and number of family members who will be attending.

For more information, visit the museum website at http://www.golondrinas.org/. You may find a registration form at http://www.golondrinas.org/reunion09.pdf.

Directions: Las Golondrinas is 15 miles south of Santa Fe and 45 miles north of Albuquerque. Take Exit 276 and follow the brown "Las Golondrinas" signs. Please Note: due to RailRunner construction, Exit 276 may be closed approaching from Albuquerque. If so, From Albuquerque, you will need to take EXIT 271 and follow "Las Golondrinas" signs. Exit 276, from Santa Fe, will remain open.

The New Mexico Genealogical Society is not sponsoring of this event. We are merely offering information and inviting people to attend. For carpool information, please contact Robert Baca at (505) 299-7883. For a map to the site, visit our website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm

Mom

2009-05-10T10:35:00.008-06:00

Frances Baca, born August 1, 1934, married Robert C. Baca on October 27, 1954, and died on February 19, 1999. She had three children: Janis, Cindy and Robert. She was my mom.

Many of the photos below I've posted before.

My uncle Jimmy and my mom, dressed up for a parade

My mom, on her graduation day in 1953

My mom, her parents, and siblings. From left to right: Aunt Josie, my mom,uncle Jimmy (kneeling), Aunt Judy (the baby),grandma Paublita, and grandpa Santiago.

Frances and Robert, and their wedding party, October 27, 1954.

Clock wise from top left: Frances, Bobby, Janis and Cindy

Frances Baca, being surprised at her baby shower, sometime in 1968. That's me in her tummy.

Four generations of moms, and one little boy.
From left to right, sitting on the couch, my grandmother Paublita (Zimmerly) Baca, my great-grandmother Delfina (Torres) Zimmerly, my mother Frances (Baca) Baca, on the floor, my sister Janis (Baca) Schwartenberg, and the baby is my nephew Shawn Schwartzenberg.

Genealogy Trivia Challenge

2009-05-09T22:04:00.004-06:00

Question:

Philip Bourguignon and Tomasa Gonzales are my 2nd great-grandparents on my father's side. Jose Epitacio Torres and Maria Guadalupe Padilla are my 2nd great-grandparents on my mother's side.

In his e-mail to me, Larry G. wrote that these two couples were also his 2nd great-grandparents; interestingly enough they on the same sides of his family as me.

How are Larry G. and I related?

I know the answer. I just want to see who can answer this question first.

Photos of my father's Baca Family, 1950

2009-05-05T20:58:00.004-06:00

Below is a photo sent to me by my cousin Ed Baca:

This is a picture of Juan and Carolina (Bourguignon)Baca with their children, at their 50th Anniversary, April 1950.

Kneeling L to R: Martin B. Baca, Philip B. Baca
Standing L to R: Robert B. Baca, Priscilla B. Baca, Lorenzo B. Baca, Juan Baca y Luna, Carolina Bourguignon Baca

Juan and Carolina Baca were my paternal grandfather's parents. Robert B. Baca was my grandfather.

I have a similiar photo that shows Juan and Carolina alone. This was given to me by my aunt Theresa.

Based on the clothing and the background, it seems to have been taken at the same time.

May 16, 2009 NMGS Program

2009-04-28T20:03:00.001-06:00

Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10:30 AM

Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library

423 Central NE, Albuquerque NM

(NW Corner of Edith and Central)

The
New Mexico Genealogical Society
presents

Internet Genealogy:

Using your computer to search, connect and publish – for free!

A workshop facilitated by Robert J.C. Baca,

President of the New Mexico Genealogical Society

One of the great things about the Internet is that there are a plethora of free sites that can be used for genealogy. Whether you are searching for lost ancestors, wishing to connect to family known and unknown, or wanting to publish family stories and genealogy, the Internet may be the place for you. Learn from a professed "Internet genealogy junky" who has "suffered" through countless hours of searching just so that he can tell you about all the best sites out there.

This program is free and open to the public.

For more information about our programs, please visit the New Mexico Genealogical Society website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm

CD: Santa Fe Deed Study

2009-04-26T16:05:00.000-06:00

A New CD created by Tiggs Planning Consultants and published by the New Mexico Genealogical Society!

HISTORIC DEEDS STUDY
SANTA FE PLAZA, NEW MEXICO

A CD of the Santa Fe Plaza Historic Deed Study is now available from the New Mexico Genealogical Society. The Deeds Study, completed in 1989 with funds from a New Mexico State Historic Preservation grant, was the result of an exhaustive search for deeds and related documents providing information on the Santa Fe Plaza area from Spanish occupation up to 1860.

The Deeds study is a unique report that provides information for historians, archaeologists, and historic preservationists. It is also of use to families doing research on family trees and property ownership.

The preparation of the CD was by Tigges Planning Consultants, Inc. and was funded by the City of Santa Fe. Note that the information may be retrieved either by using the indexes or by name or key word.

Sources searched for deeds and other documents include the NM Archives, Santa Fe Archdiocese; Santa Fe County, University of New Mexico Southwest Room Archives, and the Bancroft Library at the University of California. Other relevant documents were also included such as wills, inventories and government reports. Information on the CD includes the following:

A user’s guide;
A transcript of the written documents;
An English translation of Spanish documents;
Indexes for:
Names appearing in each document;
Key words, for example: Acequia Madre, camino, guerta;
Date of document;
Source of document; and
Buyers and sellers.

Copies of the CD are available for $20.00 ($10.00 for Libraries). Click here for order Form.

Sundays are good days to post

2009-04-26T13:49:00.002-06:00

Last week, I wrote about how I posted to three different genealogy message boards, and received responses from all three. Well, today I received another reponse to one of last week's posts. Now I know a little bit more about my stepson's grandfather - specifically his birth and death dates. I've posted on the same list for an obituary.

It seems that Sundays are good times to post of message boards. I've got to remember that.

Searching for my stepson's family

2009-04-19T14:23:00.009-06:00

Remember how this is the Baca/Douglas Genealogy and Family History Blog? Well, Douglas is my wife's maiden name. Which means that I should, every once in a while, be doing research on my wife's family. Well, I finally got down to it recently: I started looking up my stepson's ancestry.

(The story that follows does not include last names or my stepson's full name in order to protect the identities of living people.)

It all started yesterday when I was showing my wife the features of the new Family Tree Maker 2009 that she installed for me. She was going through the list of names on the program, when she noticed that I put the "wrong" birthplace for her son. I put the Illinois township that he was born in, rather than the actual city. It would be like putting "Paradise Hills" instead of "Albuquerque"as the city (Paradise Hills is a neighborhood in ABQ.) I told her that I got the information off of his birth certificate. She didn't believe me. So we checked it out - and lo and behold, I was right. Well, I was right in that it mentioned the township instead of the actual city. Well, what do I know? I don't know Illinois geography and we certainly don't have townships in New Mexico!

Anyhow, we checked a few more sources in order to prove her right, and we browsed through Nancy's wedding book. In the book was my stepson's family tree. It included the name of his grandparents, and the name of his great-grandfather's name: Archibald Frederick P****. Nancy gave me some additional information, for instance that his grandfather Robert was born in 1927, that his great-grandfather Archibald lived in Vermilion County, Illinois and that there was an "uncle" Isham. I began my search (today!).

I searched HeritageQuest Online first. I can access census records from from home through the Rio Rancho Public Library system (Albuquerque Public Library cards work on Rio Rancho's server.) The problem is that HeritageQuest has a ... um ... crappy search engine. Often I can't find what I'm looking for, and 1930's census records are mostly not indexed. Therefore, I found a lot of names that are similiar, but obviously were not the correct ones.

In desperation, I posted information to three different genealogy forums. Within a few hours, I received a wealth of information. First, I received a message from Dick at GenForum. It was a 1930's census record that seems to be the correct family. It lists a widow Ethel (with her maiden name!) as well as her children. Archie, 28, (or more likely, 23) is listed as married - but, it does not list his wife's name (so I'm still looking for that!) It also has his brother as being Isham, 17; so, therefore, Isham may be the great-uncle of my stepson's father, not his uncle.

Later, from "granny" at the Ancestry forum, I received a possible 1992 obituary abstract for Archibald. I would like to read the actual obituary, but this is a start.

And just now, as I was writing this post, I received another message from Larry at CousinConnect. He had a whole slew of census records that look very promising. I think I might have found another generation, as well as the name of Archibald's father (but still no name for Archibald's wife.) This message also included a transcript of the 1930's census record that I mentioned before. It shows Archie's age as 23 on that record. Looking back at the actual record, it does appear to be "23". This also closely matches the obituary abstract I talked about which shows "Archie" as being born in 1906.

The moral of this story: use genealogy forums. When I first used these forums 10 years ago, it took weeks to get a response - if I got one at all. Now, with everyone connected, it took me just hours. Wow! I wasn't expecting that!

Stapleton Pension Denied by President Cleveland

2009-04-18T19:06:00.003-06:00

I found a transcription on the Internet of a presidential letter about House Bill No. 4797: "An act granting a pension for Robert H. Stapleton". This 1886 bill came before President Grover Cleveland to sign. Although it appears that Stapleton was injured during the Battle of Valverde on 21 February 1862, Cleveland vetoed the pension request because it was made after the 4 July 1874 deadline.

I find it interesting that the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States would spend the time to vote on and veto a bill on a pension for a New Mexican lieutenant colonel. I guess they didn't have much to do at the time.

Stackpole was married to Maria Paubla Baca, a daughter of my fourth great-grandmother Maria Guadalupe Torres.

Link

Poetry and Genealogy

2009-04-17T21:54:00.002-06:00

I found a post by George Geder, a family historian and photo restoration artist: Genealogy and the Poetry Jam. While attending a poetry slam in Santa Fe, he noticed that some of the contestants recited poetry about their ancestors. He suggests genealogical conferences should host poetry slams for genealogists who wish to honor their ancestors in verse. I think it's a great idea.

In his post he includes a poem that he wrote about one of his ancestors, which based on an obituary that he read. To read his post, click on this link.

Arroyo de San Lorenzo Land Grant

2009-04-15T20:00:00.005-06:00

I was going through my flash drive looking for stuff to talk about on my blog, when I found a land grant case that was brought before the U.S. House of Representatives by the Secretary of Interior. I downloaded this letter back in March, although I'm not quite sure where I found it. However, I was able to find it again on Google Books: here is the link. Search for "Antonio Chaves" in the book and you should be able to find the letter titled "Land-Grant to Antonio Chaves: Letter from the Secretary of the Interior...."

The letter itself includes transcriptions and translations of certain land documents; therefore, it should not be considered to be a primary document. Thank goodness for the translations, too. I don't read Spanish well.

In February and March, 1825, Antonio Chaves petitioned the Mexican government through Santa Fe for some land in what would later be known as Socorro County. Chaves was a resident of Belen who was feeling a little bit crowded where he lived. He had a hard time pasturing his stock, so he asked for some land at the San Lorenzo Arroyo, which was just north of Amalillo, near Socorro. He believed that the land was so "uninviting, uncultivated, desolate and bleak" that the governor would have no problem granting him this land. With such a description, one wonders why he would ever want to own the land!

The land seems to have incorporated parts of both the Socorro and Sevilleta land grants. According to "Rio Abajo: Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande Province" Alamillo and Sevilleta were just north of where San Acacia is now. San Acacia is 10 miles north of Socorro. (1)

Bartolome Baca petitioned the governor for Antonio Chaves by explaining five reasons why Chaves should get the land. First, it would help increase the population of the area, which would make it harder for Indians to attack. Second, there would be enough land in the area left over for other residents to pasture, grow food and use for transit. Third, by granting Chaves the land, others would get jealous and would begin cultivating vacant lands instead of overusing the property they already owned. Fourth, since Chaves had lost much of his livelihood because of Navajo Indian attacks, he needed the land to rebuild. Fifth, his land would offer employment for the impoverished people of the community. Bartolome's arguments must have been convincing, because Chaves was granted the land.

After Chaves died, his wife and children lived on the land for a while. His widow is named in one of the documents as Mrs. Monica Pino, while he himself is described as Antonio Chaves y Aragon, also known as Antonico Chaves. His children are not named in the document. After 1850, his wife and children sold the land to three men: Ramon Luna, Rafael Luna and Anastacio Garcia. By February 1874, Ramon Luna, Anastacio Garcia, and the heirs of Rafael Luna, who had died in the interim, petitioned the government to keep their lands. The United States Surveyor-General recommended that they be granted this property in accordance to the Treaty of Guadalupe. Whether or not they were granted this land is not mentioned in this document.

Since I am doing extensive research on the Socorro area, I will be doing more digging into this land grant, as well as others. This case gives an interesting perspective into the lives of the people who lived there. The land appeared to be plentiful, but the people were impoverished. The people who owned the land had to fight to keep it after New Mexico became an American territory. Land records existed, but were often vague and it was problematic when trying to prove property rights.

If you would like to add more to this discussion or ask questions, please either post a comment to this article or send me an e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

1. Michael P. Marshall and Henry J. Walt, Rio Abajo: Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande Province (Santa Fe: New Mexico Historic Preservation Program, 1984), 260 (map), 265, 274.

I'm not my own grandpaw ... honestly

2009-04-11T08:54:00.004-06:00

Ever heard of the song "I'm My Own Grandpa"? Sometimes I worry about how many times I'm related to myself. Well, never fear - Ancestry Magazine published a story that makes us all feel much better about ourselves. It's called "Welcome to the Family", and it talks about a phenomenon called "pedigree collapse". This is when one ancestor marries a (not so distant) cousin. It's common, the author says, especially since in olden days people didn't move much and didn't travel far to find a mate.

Honest. I'm not my own grandpaw. Maybe a distant (... distant ... distant ... ) cousin to myself, but not my own grandpaw.

Maybe I should just stop now, and begin learning how to play the banjo part from "Deliverance".

Link.

April 18, 2009 NMGS Program

2009-04-09T19:27:00.000-06:00

Saturday, April 18, 2009, 10:30 AM
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque NM
(NW Corner of Edith and Central)

The New Mexico Genealogical Society presents
Angel R. Cervantes

Who will discuss

The New Mexico DNA Project:
The Visigoths’ Connection to Y-DNA Haplogroup I

The Visigoths conquered the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) in the 6th Century A.D. They were the first Christian rulers of Spain. Although their dynasty lasted only a couple of centuries, many New Mexicans alive today continue to carry their bloodlines.

Mr. Cervantes will discuss which New Mexican families have the Visigoth DNA. He will also show a short video that will explain the history of these people, which includes their invasion of Spain.

For more information about this project, visit The New Mexico DNA Surname Project online at http://newmexicodna.bravehost.com/.

This program is free and open to the public.

For more information about our programs, please visit the New Mexico Genealogical Society website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm