Socorro Fire Co. Fire Dept. - 1891

Today I've been doing some research on Socorro, specifically about Candelario Garcia, a political figure in the mid to late 19th century. I found this reference to Socorro County's fire department in the Insurance Yearbook: Fire and Marine, Volume 19 (1891):

Socorro, Socorro Co., population 2500; fire area 1/2sq mile; mercantile buildings, brick and adobe, 1 and 2 stories; no fireworks ordinance. Fire department – 1 hose carriage; hose rubber good 500 ft; value of fire department equipment $1000; total membership 25, volunteer; bell alarm. Catarino Cortanes.

Water Supply- Source, springs; system, gravity; reservoir cap 500,000 gals; 25 hydrants, Ludlow; pipe 6 miles, 2 to 10 in dia; 15 valves, Ludlow; pressure 65 pounds; cost to construct $30,000; ann expenses $1000; in on bonds $1800. Supt, R. W Monroe; mayor, Candelario Garcia; city clerk, Abram Abeita.

Click on this link to read this book online.

NMGS Year-end program, November 20, 2010

Saturday, November 20, 2010
10:30 AM at the Salón Ortega in

The National Hispanic Cultural Center
1701 4th St. SW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
On the southwest corner of Avenida
César Chávez and 4th Street

The New Mexico Genealogical Society’s
Year-end program
featured speaker
Robert Julyan
Author of “The Place Names of New Mexico”

Additionally:
· Door prizes / NMGS Volunteer Appreciation
· NMGS Officer elections
· Vote on proposed NMGS by-law amendments (the amendments are featured in the September 2010 issue of the New Mexico Genealogist)

This program is free and open to the public. For more information, visit national recognized NMGS website at www.nmgs.org.

First Hand Account of the New Mexico Territorial Period

Recently, I have been researching early Socorro County history, when I came across a book online titled "El Gringo, or New Mexico and Her People". It was written by William Watts Hart Davis, a circuit judge the United States Attorney for New Mexico. He traveled throughout New Mexico for two and a half years in the 1850s. I find the book interesting because he talks a lot about the people he came across in his travels.

What I specifically found useful in my research was his mention of the residence of the last and late Mexican Governor of New Mexico Manuel Armijo:

The mayor domo of the establishment received us in the court-yard and conducted us into the house, where we were welcomed by the owner of the establishment, a son-in-law of the deceased general [Governor Armijo.] As is customary of a Mexican gentleman, he placed everything at our disposal, but we felt well understood that nothing farther was donated to us than accommodations for ourselves and our horses. We were ushered into the main sala, where servants soon made their appearance with water and necessary ablutions and accompanying toilet fixtures...." [page 363]

The son-in-law is undoubtedly Luis Maria Baca, husband of Manuel Armijo's adopted daughter Ramona Armijo. Ramona inherited her father's house after he died. ^1. Additionally, Luis Maria Baca was also a grandson and namesake of land grant proprietor Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca, and the brother of my 2nd great-grandfather Martin Baca.^2. Through this vignette, I was able to get a better understanding of this family.

To read "El Gringo", click on this link.

Sources:
1. Fray Angelico Chavez, Origins of New Mexico Families: A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period, Revised Edition (Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1992), p. 318. See also J. J. Bowden, "Socorro Land Grant", in the New Mexico Office of the State Historian website http://www.newmexicohistory.org/>, retrieved 24 October 2010. (Link)

2. Chavez, "Origins of New Mexico Families", p. 152-153. See also J.J. Bowden, "Luis Maria de Baca Grant", in the New Mexico Office of State Historian website, http://www.newmexicohistory.org>, retrieved 24 October 2010. (Link)

Cousin writes about genealogy ... and her iPhone

My cousin Maurine Pool, a reporter for the Orange County Register, wrote a short article about using her iPhone at a recent reunion - the Torres Family Reunion, to be specific. She was showing all of us her new genealogy program and photographs ... well, why don't I let her explain it herself. Click on this link to read her article.

By the way, check out the photos that go along with her iPhone. One photo includes a picture of my 2nd great grandparents Crespin Torres and Andreita Trujillo.

Family Photos at NMGS Conference

I'm putting together a slide show for the New Mexico Genealogical Society's 50th Anniversary Conference on October 15th and 16th. As part of the slide show, I would like to show some family photos.

If you wish to contribute your family photos to the conference, please do the following:

1.) Send me up to three family photos to my email at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

2.) Include the names of all the people you know in the photos, how they are related to you, and when and where you think the photo was taken. Approximate dates are fine.

Send it to me by Sunday, October 10th. I'll be preparing the slide show the week following.

Thanks! Hope to see you at the conference!

Robert Baca
President, New Mexico Genealogical Society.

Family Photos at NMGS Conference

I'm putting together a slide show for the New Mexico Genealogical Society's 50th Anniversary Conference on October 15th and 16th. As part of the slide show, I would like to show some family photos.

If you wish to contribute your family photos to the conference, please do the following:

1.) Send me up to three family photos to my email at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

2.) Include the names of all the people you know in the photos, how they are related to you, and when and where you think the photo was taken. Approximate dates are fine.

Send it to me by Sunday, October 10th. I'll be preparing the slide show the week following.

Thanks! Hope to see you at the conference!

Robert Baca
President, New Mexico Genealogical Society.

Early registration for NMGS Conference ... extended

Shh... it's a secret.

Even though we've passed the early registration date, I can get you into the


New Mexico Genealogical Society's 50th Anniversary ConferenceOctober 15 - 16, 2010Mariott Pyramid Hotel, Albuquerque, NM
at the early registration price. Click on this link to print up a registration form. Initial the form with my initials, (RB) send it in with a check or money order at the early registration fee amount, and - there you go - you're attending a great conference.

Can't make it to the conference on both Friday and Saturday? Have you thought about attending the banquet instead? The luncheon banquet begins at 12:30 PM on Saturday, October 16th. Bennett Greenspan, the President and CEO of FamilyTreeDNA, will be talking about genetic genealogy. This is a must for anyone who is interested in using DNA for genealogical research. It's only $35 per person.

Remember, send in your registration soon. If you mail it too late, we might not get it in time....

Last minute deal: NMGS 50th Annivesary Conference

Save $20 by registering early for the NMGS conference!
Send it postmarked by September 15th to get the deal!
Find a registration form at this link.

New Mexico Genealogical Society
50th Anniversary Conference

October 15-16, 2010

Marriott Pyramid North
515 San Francisco Road NE
Albuquerque, NM

For more information, visit the NMGS website at http://www.nmgs.org/

Early registration for NMGS Conference ends Sept 15th!

Just a reminder to everyone: early registration for the New Mexico Genealogical Society's 50th Anniversary Conference ends September 15th!

You can certainly wait until after September 15th to register, but why? Wouldn't you rather save money by registering early? For more information about the conference, and to print out a registration form, click on this link:

New Mexico Genealogical Society
50th Anniversary Conference

October 15-16, 2010

Marriott Pyramid North
515 San Francisco Road NE
Albuquerque, NM

September 18, 2010 NMGS Program

Saturday, September 18, 2010, 10:30 AM
Albuquerque Main Library Auditorium
501 Copper NW, Albuquerque NM

The New Mexico Genealogical Society
and the New Mexico DNA Project presents

Angel R. Cervantes

Who will discuss the

Anthropological Genetic Genealogy:

The Moors connection to
New Mexican Families
Haplogroup E1b1b1

In Part I of an ongoing series, Mr. Cervantes will explore the connection between certain New Mexican families and the Moors. Mr. Cervantes will show a short film that will trace the history of these people. He will discuss which families show the markers that are most identified with this ancient civilization.

Angel Cervantes is a History Instructor and the Project Administrator of the New Mexico DNA Project. 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 program, please contact the New Mexico DNA Project at angelrcervantes@yahoo.com. For more information about NMGS programs, visit our website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm.

50th Anniversary Conference - October 15th & 16th

New Mexico Genealogical Society

50th Anniversary Conference

October 15-16, 2010

Marriott Pyramid North

515 San Francisco Road NE

Albuquerque, NM

Save by registering early!

Early Registration ends September 15th!

- Affordable conference registration!

- Affordable banquet!

- Exceptional speakers, speaking on local genealogy and history:

* Paul Hutton
* Al Regensberg
* Robert J. Torrez
* Richard Melzer
* Rick Hendrix

- Nationally recognized speakers such as:

* Krysten Baca of Ancestry.com
* Jim Greene of FamilySearch.org
* Bennett Greenspan, President of FamilyTreeDNA

- Network with genealogists from around the state and around the country!

- Visit the Land of Enchantment!

Registration forms may be found at this link

For more information, click on this link: www.nmgs.org

Pieces to the Puzzle: Torres and Trujillo

Every few weeks or so I check the Torres Family NM Genealogy and Family History Blog. Every time it's like opening up a present. My cousin Maurine is always posting new and fascinating information about our Torres (and occassionally our Trujillo) families. Here are a few articles that she posted in the past few weeks:


* 1860 Trujillos - The family of Maria Andrea Trujillo, wife of Jose Crespin Torres. 1860 Census record for Andrea's parents, the family of Jose and Dolores (Marquez) Trujillo and a military pension application for her brother Juan Julian Trujillo.


*Zooming in on Family - Shows Crespin and Andrea Torres' 50th Wedding Anniversary photo that I've profiled before on my blog. This post is a teaser for the next four articles on the Torres Blog:

* Family Puzzle 1, Family Puzzle 2 and Family Puzzle 3 - These three posts identify and describe each family member in the 50th Annivesary photo.

* Family Puzzle 4 - Explains why Jose T. Torres' family were not in the photo.

The Socorro Land Grant and Family History

Some people joke that one never finishes his or her genealogy. There is always more information to find. Actually, I would say this is not a joke. It's reality.

In June 2009 issue of the New Mexico Genealogist, I published an article about my fourth great-grandmother Maria Guadalupe Torres. Guadalupe had been married twice - once to my ancestor Francisco Antonio Garcia and then to Pedro Antonio Baca. Through her two husbands, she had sons who were merchants and politicians who were very influential in Socorro. Recently, I discovered a number of documents about the Socorro Land Grant that shows their influence.

On 15 February 1871, Pedro A. Baca, clerk of the Socorro County probate court, and his son Severo A. Baca, deputy clerk of the same court, transcribed a petition by Manuel Trujillo to the governor of New Mexico to recognize the legitimacy of the Socorro Land Grant. Trujillo, who made the request on 30 November 1845 on behalf of the inhabitants of the grant, explained to Governor Manuel Armijo that the original document that deeded the land to the inhabitants had been lost. He wrote that the inhabitants and their ancestors had been living on the land since "1815 or 1816". Governor Armijo approved Trujillo's request, and ordered that the inhabitants were to "remain in full and pacific possession" of the property, within the limits described in the petition, "henceforth and forever". The order was to serve as the "legal, true and irrevocable title"of the grant.

When Pedro Antonio Baca transcribed this document, he wrote the following:

I, the undersigned clerk of the Probate Court of this county do certify that the foregoing document was recorded by me word for word and letter by letter in book letter "Y", pages 156, 157, and 158.

He signed the transcription, and set his official seal upon the document. Samuel Ellison translated it from Spanish, which was then subscribed and sworn before the Surveyor General James K. Proudfit on 25 February 1875. Additionally, on 4 July 1875, Dav. J. Miller, the translator for the Suveyor General's Office, compared the translated document to Pedro Baca's Spanish transcription and found it correct and adopted it as the official translation. Thus apparently began the process towards having the United States government recognize the grant as per the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

...And then much more happened, which will not be detailed here....

In August 1892, the Territory of New Mexico made the City of Socorro and Candelario Garcia trustee over the Socorro Land Grant. Candelario Garcia was Pedro Antonio Baca's stepson through Pedro's wife's first marriage. This statute appears to have come about due to a lawsuit filed in the Court of Private Land Claims, in the Territory of New Mexico. Judgement in the case of The City of Socorro and Candelario Garcia vs. The United States of America defined the grant as being one Spanish league square, centered on the Roman Catholic church of the city (San Miguel Mission.) The plaintiffs were made the trustees of the grant. The law that followed gave Candelario Garcia sole authority over the grant, with the City of Socorro receiving the trust once it was relinquished by him or he was removed as trustee. It could be assumed that at some point the city took over trusteeship of the grant due too Candelario's advancing age, death or some other reason.

In describing my relatives' role, I do not wish to lessen the importance of others in the history of the land grant. There are many other actors in this story. Much more that can be discussed - history that has already written and history that needs to be written. One day I hope to write a history of the Socorro Land Grant. Until then, above is just a glimpse of what is to come.

Sources:

Town of Socorro Grant, Spanish Archives microfilm roll # 23, Surveyor General Case File 107, frames 392 - 531.

New Mexico statutes, annotated: containing the codification passed at the second session of the Legislature of the state of New Mexico. In effect June 11, 1915, Volume 1, page 336, retrieved from Google Books website, 9 July 2010, http://tinyurl.com/socgrant

Special Collections Material Now At Main Library

I know that I'm behind the times, but I wanted to let you know that the Albuquerque Special Collections material has moved to the second floor of the Albuquerque Main Public Library. Not everything is there: for instance, they didn't have have the paper copies of the Albuquerque City Directories - but they did have the microfilm of those directories. However, almost everything is there.

They have about a dozen computers on the second floor that are useable for genealogical research. These computers have free access to the library editions of Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, and other paid websites. Most of the microfilms are there, including the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. And I found that it appears that all of the genealogical periodicals and books are on the shelves.

Come visit the library! They are open

Mondays 10 AM - 6 PM
Tuesdays 10 AM - 7 PM
Wednesdays 10 AM - 7PM
Thursdays 10 AM - 6 PM
Friday 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday 10 AM - 6 PM
Closed Sunday.

As always, if you are coming from far away, you may wish to call before you leave just in case it is closed for hoidays or unforeseen reasons. You may call the Albuquerque Main Library at 505-768-5141. Their website is at http://www.cabq.gov/library/main.htm#ongoing.

I'll be going over to the library today!

R. Baca

The Mayors of Socorro, New Mexico

I love reading the El Defensor Chieftain Online. This oddly named newspaper came about when two Socorro newspapers merged circa 1960: the "El Defensor" and the "Socorro Chieftain". Historically, the "El Defensor" had orginally been a Spanish language newspaper, while the
"Chieftain" was written in English. However, by the 1950s most of the articles in the "El Defensor" were in English.

The online version of the El Defensor Chieftain apparently has all the issues from the past decade or so, which include some good local history articles. I have linked to some of those in articles in the past. Today, I would like to take note of another article, one titled "The Mayors of Socorro". This piece lists and gives a short bio of all the mayors of Socorro beginning with incorporation in 1879.

Please take note of the mayor from 1899-1900, Jose E. Torres. This is my 2nd great-grandfather, my maternal grandmother's maternal grandfather. Juan Jose Baca is another interesting one - I've profiled him before. He's actually related to Jose E. Torres' wife - he was her uncle (or more precise, her half uncle.) Anyhow, read the article and enjoy (click here to read it!)

Mary Penner to Speak at June 19, 2010 NMGS Program

Saturday, June 19, 2010, 10:30 AM
The Auditorium, basement floor
Albuquerque Main Library
501 Copper NW, Albuquerque NM


Important Notice : Due to the closure of the Albuquerque Special Collections Library for renovations, our programs will be presented in different locations throughout the year. Please check the New Mexico Genealogical Society website for program locations at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm. Our programs are usually presented at 10:30 AM on the third Saturday of each month.

The New Mexico Genealogical Society presents

Mary Penner
Professional Genealogist

Will present a workshop on

Online Public Library Resources for Genealogists
Local public libraries hold many valuable resources for family history researchers, but we can’t visit every library near where our far-flung ancestors lived. Fortunately, many public libraries have online resources useful for genealogists. Find out how to conduct research in libraries far and wide from your home computer.

Tijeras resident and NMGS member Mary Penner began documenting her family history at the age of ten and still continues to pursue her passion for genealogy. A former college and high school English teacher, she now works as a professional genealogist, writer, and speaker. An award winning author, her articles have appeared in numerous genealogy journals and magazines, and she contributes frequently to the “Ancestry Weekly Discovery,” a digital newsletter for Ancestry.com. Her recent webinar on Ancestry.com has been viewed by over 3,000 people. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Genealogists and has been awarded research grants from both the Kansas and Missouri State Historical Societies.

For more information about Mary Penner, check out her Penner Research Services website at http://www.marypenner.com/.


This program is free and open to the public.

Another Candelaria Family

One of my readers, Lorraine, recently commented on my March 2008 post Native American Genealogy. My post had to do with my 5th great grandfather Jose Tomas Candelaria. In her comment, she requested some information about another Candelaria family:

I am interested in your Candelaria line, my line thre me a screw ball when a gr gr gr grandfather decided to change name from Candelaria.I discovered a birth record that showed he was born to a Juan Candelaria...Ygncaio would have been born around 1800 so I placing Juan about 1780

Hard to find info, Juan married to Tomasa Sanchez (Teresa chaves name also noted on record I found).

Does this sound familiar...we have also been told we have Native blood (apache) Gr aunts and uncles sent to indian school.

From ATrisco area of NM..

would appreciate any thoughts

I searched the 1790 and 1802 census records in Virginia Langham Olmsted's "New Mexico Spanish & Mexican Colonial Censues 1790, 1823, 1845" and "Spanish and Mexican Censuses of New Mexico 1750 to 1830" for Atrisco and surrounding areas, including Alburquerque, to no avail. I also searched the Internet, and found Lydia Urbie's site that has a database that includes Ynacio Candelaria and his parents Juan Candelaria and Tomasa Sanchez. The following information was found on that database:

Ygnacio CANDELARIA
____ - AFT 17 JUN 1833

DEATH: AFT 17 JUN 1833

Father: Juan CANDELARIA
Mother: Tomasa SÁNCHEZ

Family 1 : María Manuela ANAYA

MARRIAGE: BEF 20 AUG 1826

1. María Bernarda CANDELARIA
2. José de los Dolores CANDELARIA

Click on this link to view the database.

At this time, I have no other information about this family. If anyone reading this knows more about this family, please either email me at abqbobcat@nmia.com or post a comment to this article.

Albuquerque Special Collection Library to close May 29, 2010

The following information was sent to me by Julia Clarke, the director of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library system. The Albuquerque Special Collection Library will be closing after May 29, 2010. More information is below:

Good afternoon,

The Special Collections Library will close for renovation effective Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Saturday, May 29 will be the last day of service at 423 Central NE.

· The renovation is scheduled to last approximately 10 months. (Reminder: we could encounter issues that would extend the duration of the project.)

· All genealogical materials as well as a significant portion of the New Mexicana materials will be moved to the second floor of the Main Library.

· Microfilm resources and microfilm readers will be available to genealogists.

· Public access computers will be available.

The move is scheduled to take approximately two weeks. It is anticipated that Special Collections materials will be available to the public by June 14. Should they be available more quickly, this will be announced on the public library’s website: www.cabq.gov/library

The Main Library is open Mondays through Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Main Library is open from 10 to 7. Mondays and Thursdays thru Saturdays, the Library is open from 10 to 6.

Since our original discussions, two more maintenance positions have been removed from the library system. This means that we have less manpower to accomplish this task, hence the two week schedule. We ask your understanding as we go through this move. After June 14, we will be continuing the effort to make this a successful transition.

I also anticipate that it will be later than June 14 for all computer related services to be up and running smoothly.

We very much appreciate your patience. Please contact me with any questions.

We also will appreciate your sharing this information.


Julia Clarke
Director
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System
501 Copper NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 768-5122
Fax: (505) 768-5191
jclarke@cabq.gov

HGRC Presentation - Dr. Claire Ortiz Hill

I usually don't post program announcements on this site from groups that have not asked me to post. However, I found that this program put on by the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico, seems interesting. So, I'm posting it here.

From their website:

May 8, 2010

Speaker:


Dr. Claire Ortiz Hill

Topic


"Manuel Francisco Delgado's Paternal Ancestors (1574-1766)"

Dr. Claire Ortiz Hill holds degrees in Philosophy and Comparative Literature from the University of California and the Sorbonne and has published several books and numerous articles. She is from the Ortiz and Delgado families of Santa Fe. Her website devoted to New Mexico genealogy is called Rancho Pancho. It can be visited at http://pagesperso-orange.fr/rancho.pancho For the past several years she has been going to Almeria, Spain to research the origins of the New Mexico Delgados in the Archivo Historico Provincial. For over 25 years she has been a religious hermit with the Archdiocese of Paris, France.


Hope to see you at the May meeting.

The program will be at Botts Hall, at the Special Collections Library, 423 Central Ave NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico at 10:30 AM. For more information, go to their website at http://hgrc-nm.org.

Repost and Corrections: Baca Haberdashery and Shopping Center

Yesterday, I went to the University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library to search the Socorro newspaper archives. I was specificallly looking for advertisements for my maternal grandparent's businesses. Below are ads for Santiago and Paublita (Zimmerly) Baca's Habberdashery and Shopping Center.

Click on the photos to see larger images of them.

My mom once told me that her classmates thought that she was rich because she always wore the latest fashions. She was able to get new clothes because her parents owned a clothing shop. I wonder if she ever wore one of these swimsuits that were "very '50."

So, exactly how long have kids been buying ties for their fathers on Father's Day?

Here is a themed ad. The school board elections were going on at this time, so many of the ads for that day's newspapers had an election theme.


Grandpa made a "big improvement for Socorro by the thorough job of improvement" of some business offices. I thought I tortured the English language. Someone didn't do a thorough job of editing this article

Author's note: I deleted the following information from the article because it may contain some erroneous information.


It appears that this was the same building that my grandmother sold to the county in the 1980s. My mom told me that my grandfather bought these offices so that my grandmother would have something to fall back on if he died, which is good thing because Santiago died in 1961. My father had his bookkeeping business in one of the suites during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Behind these offices, my grandmother owned another building that she used as a fabric shop. My mom often worked in that shop. I remember spending a lot of time there when I was a little kid.

Author's note: Below is a Google Map of the area in question. Please note that 380 Garfield Ave. is shown on the corner of Garfield and Grant ("A".) If you go East from that location, you will see Court St. This is where my grandmother's property was, north of Church St. Her fabric shop was on Church St. and Park St. However, I wish to note that the Baca Shopping Center is said to be at Garfield and Center, which, if Garfield extended through Court St. and a park that is there, would be east of Court St. I would be very appreciative if anyone reading this post would be
able to help me figure out where this shopping center was located. Please send me an email at abqbobcat@nmia.com, or post a comment to this blog.

View Larger Map



Credits, from top to bottom:


Ad for Baca's Haberdashery, El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 26 May 1950, page 8, column 1.


Ad for Baca's Haberdashery, El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 9 June 1950, page 8, column 5.


Ad for Baca's Shopping Center, El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 1 February 1951, page 8, column 1.


"Baca Makes Big City Improvement", El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 8 February 1951, page 8, column 6.

Images of 1930 US Census Showing Crespin Torres' Descendants

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Maurine Pool wrote a blog post on the Torres Family NM Genealogy and History Blog about the Torres family in the 1930 United States Census. The post was titled "1930 Snapshot". It was a good piece, but I wanted to add a little bit more to that article. Therefore, I went on to Footnote.com last week and found the images of the actual census records. They are below. Click on the images to get a larger view of them.



Go back to Maurine's article to read about the specifics of these records (link.)

Ignacio Torres family, Socorro, New Mexico

Ignacio Torres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Socorro City, enumeration district 27-1, page 5A, dwelling 80, family 83, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Tomas and Guadalupe Olguin Family, Valverde, New Mexico

Tomas Olguin household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Val Verde precinct 15, enumeration district 27-13, page 1A, dwelling 12, family 12, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Vivian and Dolores Stapleton and the Rogerio Torres family, Socorro, New Mexico

Vivian Stapleton household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Socorro City, enumeration district 27-1, page 2B, dwelling 37, family 39, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

RogerioTorres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Socorro City, enumeration district 27-1, page 2B, dwelling 34, family 36, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Jose Torres family, Fresno, California

Jose T. Torres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of California, Fresno County, Fresno City, enumeration district 10-25, page 63A, dwelling 548, family 559, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Apolonio Torres Family, Los Angeles, California

Apolonio Torres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of California, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, enumeration district 19-557, page 10B, dwelling 303, family 309, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

The widow Domitila Sanchez, and her family, including her father Crespin Torres, in Los Angeles, California




Domitila Sanchez household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of California, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, enumeration district 19-704, page 40A, dwelling 241, family 332, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).


Juan Jose Montoya family (grandson of Crespin Torres), in Tucson, Arizona.

Juan Jose Montoya household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of Arizona, Pima County, Tucson City, enumeration district 10-43, page 23B, dwelling 474, family 484, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Zimmerly Family Documents

The other day, I was at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library when I decided to look at a Zimmerly Family folder that I set up in 2008. I wanted to make sure that it was still there. It was. I set up the folder after doing a presentation at the library in July 2008.

Among the items I put in the folder, are the following:

* Civil War pension and military records of Samuel Zimmerly

* Samuel Zimmerly's obituary

* Church marriage records of all 6 children of Samuel and Paubla (Torres) Zimmerly

* A couple of genealogy charts

* A Zimmerly family history that was pubilshed in the El Defensor Chieftain in the 1960s

Over the past year and a half, I've put a few more documents in the folder. Also, someone else added some items, too. Although, I'm not quite sure what those documents had to do with the Zimmerly family. I left them there anyway in case there was a connection that I was missing.

Below are photographs of items that I included in the folder. Click on the photos for a larger view:

If you would like to view the items, you can find them as you are entering the building in the filing cabinet just left of the front doors. Feel free to make copies of any of the documents, but please leave them in the folder when you finish with them so that others may use them in the future.

By the way, would anyone be interested in me doing a Zimmerly family presentation in Socorro sometime this June? Please let me know - and suggest a place to do it - by either posting on this blog or sending me an email at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

Crespin Torres and his children in the 1930 US Census

My cousin Maurine Pool recently posted an article on "The Torres Family NM Genealogy and History Blog" about my 2nd great grandfather Crespin Torres and his children as they were found in the 1930 United States census. It's a great article because it often mentions the actual street that these family members lived.

Ignacio Torres was my great-grandfather.

If you wish to read the actual article, click on this link.

Below is the article as I transfered it to this blog:

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:44:00 +0000
2010-03-18T12:30:40.380-07:00
U.S. Census



While we're filling out 2010 census forms, let's take a moment to look back at our Torres Family relatives in 1930. That's the most recent U.S. Census data available for viewing. The public will get access to the 1940 census in April 2012, which is exactly 72 years from the official census date (to protect individuals' privacy -- although many people live long past age 72). See who lived where then:

• Ignacio Torres lived in Socorro with his wife Andreita and children Jose, Teresita, Margaret and Anastacio. Also in the household was his stepdaughter Manuelita and her husband Pantaleon and their two daughters. On top of that, Ignacio's household included wife Andreita's first mother-in-law Juana Marquez and Juana's grown daughter Nestora.
• Guadalupe Olguin and her husband Tomas lived in Val Verde, Socorro County with children Tersila, Rosela, Jose de la Cruz and Crespiniano.
• Dolores Stapleton and her husband Vivian Stapleton lived on Mt. Carmel Avenue in Socorro, three doors down from her brother Rogerio.
• Rogerio and his wife Clara lived on Mt. Carmel Avenue with Annie, Rogerio, Clara, Frances, Della, and another daughter, who is still living.
• Jose Torres and his wife Josefa live on Anna Street in Fresno, California, with their five children, three of whom are still living. Also living in the home was Jose's stepson Benny and his wife Monica.
• Apolonio Torres and his wife Aurora lived on San Pedro Street in Los Angeles with children Luis, John, Nestor, Josephine and Clarence. Son Max and his wife Rita lived nearby.
• Living on Vallejo Street in Los Angeles were widow Domitila Sanchez with her sons Henry, Crespin, Joe and Joe's wife and son. Also living there that April was her father, Crespin Torres, 82. (See previous post). Other grown children of Domitila's lived in New Mexico.
• Juan Jose Montoya, the only survivor of Monica Montoya, was living in Tucson, Arizona on Contzen Street with his wife Sara and three sons, two of whom are living.

Note: Incorrect census spellings have been corrected for this post.
Individual photos taken between early 1900s to early 1940s

Baca, Baca, Baca....

Did I ever mention to you that "Baca" is a confusing surname in this state, and in my family. This is for a variety of reasons:

1.) Baca is one of the most common last names in New Mexico. If you are a Hispanic New Mexican whose family has been here for a few hundred years, regardless of whether you, your parents, or grandparents have the surname, somewhere in your genealogy you are likely to have the Baca name. Guaranteed.

2.) Yes, both of my parents are Bacas. No they are not cousins (at least not close cousins) through their surnames. My dad's family was from Pena Blanca, my mom's family was from Belen. And that's going back 150 -200 years. Do you know how many times my mother was asked to clarify her surname? - "Mrs. Baca, what is you maiden name?", "Baca", "No, the name you had BEFORE you were married", "Baca", "No, you don't understand, before you walked down the aisle, you had a last name that was the same name as your father's. What was that name?", "Baca", "Okay, let me try to explain this even better...."

3.) There are approximately 5,236,286,201,215 Bacas in the Socorro area alone. Or at least it seems that way. Although many of them are distantly related to either my dad or my mom - THEY ARE NOT THE SAME BACA FAMILIES! Many of the Bacas I write about on this blog are not my parents' families.

Because of this reason, I've decided to make it clearer as to which Baca family I am talking about in my blog. I've created two new labels for this blog: Robert's maternal Baca line, and Robert's paternal Baca line. To find these label, look at the right hand margin of this blog under Categories in this Blog. Click on the label that you wish to explore.

Now we have clarified the Baca quandry. Let's not even get into talking about my Torres, Trujillo, and Padilla families....

My maternal Baca Family, part IV

This photo is of the Socorro County High School Freshman Class of 1928. Although I do not know which names go with whom, the following students are listed as Freshmen in 1925: Ramona Baca, Jennie Baca, Adrian Baca, Santiago Baca, Beltran Baca, David Chavez, William Crabtree, Mary Greenwald, Leonor Gallegos, Deluvino Gutierrez, Elizabeth Abernathy, Juan Jaramillo, Martha Medly, Juan Montoya, Alice Miera, Terresita Maez, Vera Owsley, Dale Reed, Elizabeth Torres, John Torres and Irene Vigil. I found this photo in the 1924-1925 Socorro County High School Yearbook.

I've known for a while that my maternal grandfather Santiago Baca had been a teacher at one time. The family story is that he and my grandmother Paublita Zimmerly met at a teacher school, became teachers, and later married. They did not continue teaching for very long. However, my grandfather always had a strong interest in education and was a school board member and school board president when my mother and her siblings were growing up.

In doing research for this series of articles, I found that in 1930, while Santiago was living in his father Rafael Baca's home in Luis Lopez, New Mexico, he was listed as a public school teacher. (Click on this link - look at dwelling 8, family 8, line 45.) He was only 21 years old. Assuming that Santiago graduated from high school in 1928, he would have only been out of school 2 years when he began teaching. The text that goes with the photo above, includes Santiago's hobby and favorite expression. His hobby was "Golden silence", while his favorite expression was "ditto", which may mean the expression above his, in which case it would be "I'll show you how", or it could just simply mean "ditto".

Santiago's cousin Jennie Baca was listed in her father Serito Baca's home. At 21 years old, she too had become a teacher (Click on this link - she is listed in dwelling 9, family 9, line 53. Her father is listed at the bottom of the previous page - line 50.) Jennie appears to be the same person named in the class of 1928 photo above. The yearbook states that her hobby is "modest" and that her favorite expression is "I think so too".

It's interesting that these two teachers would value silence and modesty. Sounds like good traits for their students, if not necessarily for themselves.

Santiago's 20 year old cousin Lupe (or Guadalupe) Baca, is listed in her father Max Baca's household in 1930 (Click on this link - she is listed in dwelling 1, family 1, line 4.) She, too, is listed as a public school teacher. I did not find her in the 1925 yearbook - probably because she was too young to have been in high school that year. Due to her age, she probably graduated in 1929 - which means that she became a teacher just one year after graduating high school!

It would be interesting to find out why these three became teachers. Forty-four year old Candelario Valenzuela is found in the same village as the three cousins (dwelling 6, family 6, line 36.) Was this teacher an inspiration to the three cousins?

All three cousins were neighbors in Luis Lopez, New Mexico, a village a few miles south of Socorro. All I know about Santiago's cousins is what I've stated here. It will be interesting to find more. I hope soon to find marriage records for Jennie and Lupe. If any of my readers know more about these family, please contacting me at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

Sources:

* Multiple households, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, Socorro County, New Mexico, Village of Luis Lopez, district # 21, enumeration district 27-16, page 1A, retrieved 11 March 2010.; digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

* Zerito Baca household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, Socorro, New Mexico, Village of Luis Lopez, district # 21, enumeration district 27-16, page 1B, dwelling 9, family 9, retrieved 11 March 2010.; digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

* "El Miramontes", 1924-1925 Socorro County High School yearbook, published 1925.

Support the Albuquerque Special Collections Library

The following announcement is meant for informational purposes only, and is not officially sponsored by the New Mexico Genealogical Society.

Concerned Citizens Supporting
The Albuquerque Special Collections Library

Organizational meeting

Time and Date
1 PM,
Saturday March 20, 2010

Location
Center for the Book
Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central Ave. NE
(NW corner of Central and Edith)
Albuquerque, NM

The meeting is free and open to the public.

In the next few months, the Special Collections Library of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System will be undergoing renovation. At that time, the library system is intending to move most of the collections of the Special Collections Library to the Main Albuquerque Library on 501 Copper Ave. NE. While many of us patrons understand the need for renovation of the library, we are apprehensive about the move. Specifically:

· Are the renovations going to be done in a timely manner? If the renovations take many months or even more than a year, it could be detrimental to genealogy and history researchers of the area.

· Will the collections be moved quickly to the Main Library and be accessible immediately so that there are no lapses in service?

· Is the move itself necessary? Could we have the library open during portions of the renovation?

· Most importantly, will we have a guarantee from the library system that once the renovation is done, that the Special Collections Library continue the same services as before? Namely, that the library will continue to house its vast and varied research collections on genealogy and New Mexico history and culture, and having these collections easily accessible and that library will be open for at the very least the same hours of operation as before?

Supporters of the library must have our voices heard! We must be clear as to what we want done, and we must let those who are making the decisions know what we want. If you are concerned about these issues, please attend our organizational meeting in the Center for the Book at the Albuquerque Special Collection Library, at 1 PM on Saturday, March 20, 2010.

For more information about the library, follow this link to its official website.

My maternal Baca Family, part II

My great-grandparents Rafael Baca and Josefa Padilla, with two of their children Santiago (my maternal grandfather) and Ramona (baby.) Photo courtesy Judy Vaiza.

In an article I posted yesterday, I discussed my mom's Baca family. I explained that my third great-grandfather Jose Rafael Baca was somewhat of a mystery. Although I could name his son Ramon, knew Ramon's approximate birth date, knew that Jose Rafael was married to Maria de la luz Jesus Chaves, and that Jose Rafael died on 24 January 1838, I had to guess as to whom his parents were. That guess was Dionisio Antonio Baca and Ana Maria Sanchez, which further research gave me a birth date for Jose Rafael of 25 October 1808, in Tome, New Mexico. But honestly, that's just a guess. I'm not sure.

According to the U.S. Census, Jose Rafeal's only son Ramon had nine children living in 1900. I decided to look deeper into four of his children's families: Juliana, Serito, Maximiano, and my great-grandfather Rafael.

Juliana Baca, who, according to the 1900 Census, was born in January 1866, married Jose Leon Benavidez on 26 November 1890 in the San Miguel Parish in Socorro, New Mexico.

Serito Baca, was born in February 1870, according to the same census. I have not found a record of his marriage, but I know that he was married, based on the 1930 census. I know that others have his wife's name, which they probably got from their children's baptismal record, but I will leave this information blank her since I have not discovered it for myself.

The same census shows Maximiano Baca as being born in February 1874. He married Maria de Jesus Lopez on 14 February 1898, in Socorro, New Mexico.

According to his tombstone in the Luis Lopez cemetery, Rafael Baca was born on 8 February 1878. He married his wife Josefa Padilla on 28 November 1903, in Socorro, New Mexico. Incidentally, Rafael Baca and Josefa Padilla were first cousins, once removed, through their Padilla lines.

******************************

While the 1930 United States census has a number of records for this family, I have not been able to find a record for Juliana Baca and Jose Leon Benavidez. They may have passed away by this time, were not enumerated in the census, or are hiding somewhere where I can't find them. However, one of their daughters shows up in the census.

Veronica Baca Benavidez and her husband Felipe Padilla can be found in Lemitar, New Mexico (dwelling 80, family 86.) According to the census , Felipe was 27 years old, and Veronica was 28 years old in 1930. The record says that they were married for the first time at 17 years old and 28 years old, respectively, which would indicate a 1920 date. However, the San Miguel Parish records show that they were actually married on 27 June 1917 in Socorro, New Mexico (Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Roll # 16997.)

Three of their daughters are enumerated in the record: Amadita, 10 years old; Marianita, 8 years old; and Aguida, 10 months old.

I could not find a 1930 census record for Veronica's sister, Prescila Benavidez. There may be a 1920 Census record for her and her husband Hilario B. Gonzales, since they were married at the San Miguel Parish in Socorro, New Mexico on 16 December 1914 (Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Roll # 16997.) I haven't had a chance to look for this record.

There is another Hilario Gonzales listed on the same page as Veronica (dwelling 84, family 91), but it is obviously not the same person as Prescila's husband. The man in that record is 65 years old, and has a wife Librada who is 75 years old. I show that the elder Hilario was married to Maria de Jesus Bourguignon on 5 March 1889 in Socorro, New Mexico, [Matrimonios San Miguel del Socorro, San Ignacio y San Cristobal, San Marcial & Our Lady of Guadalupe of La Jolla (Albuquerque: Hispanic Genealogical Research Center, 1999.), 186] so this may mean that his first wife had died by this time, and he married another woman. Or, this is different Hilario, although that seems unlikely. They were both from Lemitar.

Coincidentally, the younger Hilario Gonzales was my paternal grandfather's 1st cousin through their mutual grandparents Philip Bourguignon and Tomasa Gonzales. That would make Hilario and Prescila's grandchildren my double third cousins.

I will talk more about Veronica and Prescila in Part III of this article, which will be on my Socorro and the Beyond Graveyard Rabbit blog.

Click on the record below to view an image of the census record mentioned above.

Source: Multiple households, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule schedule, Socorro County, New Mexico, Precinct # 2 Lemitar, enumeration district # 27-2, page # 5A, retrieved 11 March 2010.; digital image, Footnote.com (http://www.footnote.com/).

The next two pages of the census that I profile here include three of the Baca siblings. These are sequential pages for the town of Luis Lopez, New Mexico.

Page 1A, includes two of the families and the head of the third. Max P. Baca, who is 53, and his wife Maria de Jesus, 46, are listed in dwelling 1, family 1. Seven of their children are listed:

* Filomenia is their 27 old single daughter

* Lupe is their 20 year old single daughter.

* Ramon is their 18 year old single son.

* Johnny is their 16 year old son.

* Gregorio is their 14 year old son.

* Ruth is their 10 year old daughter

* and, last, but not least, Cilvianita (?) is their 8 year old daughter.

Max is listed as a "general farmer", while Lupe is a public school teacher and Ramon is a laborer for the State Highway.

My great-grandfather Rafael Baca is listed as a widower under dwelling 8, family 8. His wife Josepha Padilla died nearly three years prior 15 September 1927 (Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Roll # 16997.) Rafael is also listed as a farmer, with his single 21 year old son Santiago (my maternal grandfather) listed as a public school teacher, like his cousin Lupe. Rafael's other children listed in this household are: his single 19 year old daughter Ramona; his 13 year old son Felipe; his 6 year old son Alvaro; and his single 17 daughter Eugenia.

On the bottom of page 1A, Zerito (Serito) Baca is listed by himself, with his family continuing on page 1B. They are dwelling 9, family 9. Sixty year old widower Serito Baca, a farmer like his brothers, had been married when he was 30 years old. Six of his children are listed, all single:

* Albanita, 27 year old daughter

*Adrian, 23 year old son

* Jennie, 21 year old daughter, was a public school teacher like her cousins.

* Flora, 19 year old daughter

* Eloisa, 17 year old daughter'

* Ignacio, 15 year old son

Click on the two pages below to view these households.

Source: Multiple household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, Socorro County, New Mexico, Village of Luis Lopez, district # 21, enumeration district 27-16, page 1A, accessed 11 March 2010.; digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Source: Zerito Baca household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, Socorro, New Mexico, Village of Luis Lopez, district # 21, enumeration district 27-16, page 1B, dwelling 9, family 9, accessed 11 March 2010.; digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

In next part of this series about "My Maternal Baca Family", I will look at three recent obituaries that will shed light on the grandchildren of Juliana Baca and Jose Leon Benavidez. It will be posted on the Socorro and the Beyond Graveyard Rabbit blog in the next couple of days.

My maternal Baca Family, part I

Probable photo of Ramon and Maria Anastasia (Padilla) Baca. Courtesy Judy Vaiza.

In my research, I have often concentrated on my 2nd great-grandparents. Probably because these ancestors are distant enough for me to consider them to be pioneering folk, yet close enough that I can have a definite connection with their descendants, my cousins. All of my 2nd great grandparents were born in the 19th century and experienced rapid change. Within their lifetimes, New Mexico became a territory of the United States; the United States experienced a Civil War and trains began transversing the territory; some of them experienced the turn of the century, the advent of the automobile, and statehood; and a few of them lived during World War I and the beginning of the Great Depression.

Ramon Baca and his wife Maria Anastasia Padilla lived at least into the early 20th century. They show up with their nine surviving children in the 1900 United States Census record of Luis Lopez, New Mexico (click to see transcription of the record.) Although Anastasia Padilla's genealogy is interesting, I would like to focus on Ramon's family history here.

Ramon is the son of Jose Rafael Baca and Maria de la luz Jesus Chaves. We know who his parents are because they are named on Ramon and Anastasia's marriage record. Ramon married Anastasia on 10 April 1861 at the San Miguel Parish in Socorro, New Mexico. We also know of Ramon's approximate birth date because it was listed in the 1900 Census: he was born circa August 1837. I have yet to find a baptismal record for Ramon.

Ramon's father is a real mystery. I cannot find a marriage record for Jose Rafael Baca and Maria de la luz Jesus Chaves. He is mentioned directly in only two other places: in his burial record for 24 January 1838, where his wife is also mentioned; and in his wife's subsequent marriage to Jose Francisco Saavedra on 16 March 1842 in Socorro, New Mexico, where she is noted as the widow of Jose Rafael Baca.

I figure that Jose Rafael Baca and Maria Chaves were probably married between 1833, when a Socorro area census showed a 12 year old Maria de Jesus in her father's household *, and 1837, the year that their son Ramon was born. As far as I can determine, Ramon was the only child from their marriage.

Since many of the Baca families who came to the Socorro area were originally from Belen, New Mexico, I searched for Jose Rafael Baca in the baptismal, marriage and burial records of Tome, Belen and Socorro. I found many Jose Rafaels, and Rafaels in the records. None seemed definitely to be the Jose Rafael Baca for whom I was searching.

I went back to the 1833 census records of the Socorro area, and found a 20 year old Jose Rafael Baca in the household of 70 year old Dionisio Baca (page 5, New Mexico Census of 1833 and 1845 Socorro and Surrounding Communities of the Rio Abajo. See citation below.) I matched this with a baptismal record for Jose Rafael Baca, born to Dionisio Antonio Baca and Ana Maria Sanchez, on 25 October 1808, in Tome, New Mexico. Although I am not completely satisfied with this match, I have put this relationship in my database, as well as Jose Rafael's birth date.

As mentioned before, Jose Rafael Baca's son Ramon had nine living children in the 1900 Census. In my next article, which will be posted on Sunday in this blog, I will discuss four of his children: Juliana, Serito, Maximo and my mom's paternal grandfather Rafael Baca.

* 1833 Census of Sabino, New Mexico:

Luis CHAVES .... 60

Juan .... 20

Ma(ria) Antonia ... 15

Ma(ria) de Jesus ... 12

Feliz ... 8

Source: Teresa Ramirez Alief, et. al., New Mexico Census of 1833 and 1845 Socorro and Surrounding Communities of the Rio Abajo (Albuquerque, New Mexico: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1994)

The second part of this series can be found here.

7 Generations of the Baca Family

Since The New Mexico Genealogical Society is hosting a Baca Surname Workshop on March 20, 2010 - which I will be facilitating - I've decided to share some information about the Baca family. Click on this link to view a PDF file of the first seven generations of descendants of Cristobal and Ana (Ortiz) Baca, the first Baca family to arrive in New Mexico in the Winter of 1600. You are free to use this information, but please use the proper citation when publishing or putting it into your genealogical database. I have worked on this family for over 10 years now, and I would like credit where credit is due.

Feel free to contact me if you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or corrections. Please realize that this document was not meant to include every single descendant for seven generations of this family. I only included those people that I was researching at the time.

I will bring my nine generation ancestor chart to the workshop that I will use in conjunction with the Cristobal Baca's seven generation descendant chart. For more information about March 20th's workshop, click on this link.

Yes, you too can participate in the Baca Surname Workshop!

"The Baca Surname Workshop", facilitated by Robert J. C. Baca, will be on March 20, 2010, beginning at 10:30 AM, in Botts Hall, at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library. The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, click on this link.

I received a number of responses from people who were disappointed because they could attend this workshop. Some people have even sent me their charts in hopes that we would discuss it during the workshop. That gave me an idea.

If you can't attend, but you wish to share your information in hopes that someone can help you, send me an e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com. Let me know if you wish to allow people to contact you directly or through me instead. I will share your information and give you any hints that attendees may have regarding your family tree.

You may find that ancestor who eludes you, or you may even find a long-lost cousin. Either way, you may be happy with the results.

If you are able to attend the workshop, please attend! The workshop will only be successful if people actually attend and discuss their genealogies. It is open to the novice and experienced genealogist, alike!

Robert Baca
President, New Mexico Genealogical Society

Census Records of Martin Baca and his son Juan Baca

A photo of Juan and Carolina (Bourguignon) Baca, and their children, taken on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary (April, 1950). Kneeling left to right: Martin B. Baca, Philip B. Baca. Standing left to right: Robert B. Baca, Priscilla B. Baca, Lorenzo B. Baca, Juan Baca y Luna, Carolina Bourguignon Baca.

Photo courtesy of Ed Baca.

Martin Baca is my second great-grandfather on my dad's direct paternal line. His son Juan, was my great-grandfather. Martin Baca was the son of Jose Mateo Mauricio Cabeza de Baca, who, himself, was the son of my 4th great-grandfather Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca and his second wife Ana Maria Sanchez.

In 1860, Martin shows up in Lemitar, New Mexico with his brothers. (Click on the image to get a closer look.)

Source: Louis Baca household, 1860 U. S. census, population schedule, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Town of Lemitar, page 63, dwelling # 648, family # 580; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/).

A close up of the family record shows Louis Baca, a 30 year old male; Ramona, a 25 year female (most likely his wife); three young girls Beatriz, 11 years old; Jesusa (?), 5 years old; and Trinidad, 2 years old. Most likely these girls are the children of Louis and Ramona Baca. Listed in the household are Louis' brothers Juan de Dios, 26; and Martin, 22. Three female servants and another girl are listed: Rita (?), 27 ; Clara Baca, Indian, 27; Librada (Baca), also listed as an Indian (Clara's child?), 11 years old; and Jesusa (?), a 15 year old. (Click on the image to get a closer look.)

The 1870 census of Lemitar, New Mexico shows Martin Baca with his wife Rita Luna and three of their children. My great-grandfather Juan was not in this record because he would not be born until 10 February 1871.



Source: Martin Baca household, 1870 U. S. census, population schedule, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Town of Lemitar, page 13, dwelling # 117, family # 111; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com.



A close up of the record shows Martin Baca, 28 years old; his wife Rita; and their children Ramona 7, Miguel 6 and Adelida, 1.




I did not find the family in the 1880 census. Due to a fire, there is no 1890 census for New Mexico.

The next time I find the Baca family, Juan Baca and his wife Carolina Bourguignon are listed with his mother Rita (Luna)Baca.

Source: Juan Baca household, 1900 U. S. census, population schedule, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Town of Lemitar, supervisor district # 170, enumeration district # 136, page 22A, dwelling # 127, family # 128; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com.

A close-up of the record shows that the couple are newlyweds. It says that Juan Baca, born March 1872 (sic); and his wife Carolina, born June 1882 (sic); were married for 1 year and had no children. In reality, they had been married only a few months prior, on 9 April 1900. Included in the household is Juan's mother, Rita Baca, who, according to this record, was born in May 1844. Interestingly enough, it shows that Rita gave birth to only one child, and only one child was living. This does not seem to be correct.


The 1910 US census shows a larger household. Rita is no longer living with her son. It is possible that she passed away by this time.

Source: Juan Baca household, 1910 U.S. Census, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Precinct # 2 Lemitar, supervisor's district # 181, enumeration district # 203, sheet # 5B, dwelling # 77, family # 79, digital image retrieve 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com.

A close up shows Juan Baca, 38; and his wife Carolina, 26. They had been married 10 years; Carolina gave birth to 4 children, with only three surviving. Their three child are also listed: two boys Lorenzo, 6 years old and Roberto (my grandfather), 4 years old; and one 7 month old girl, whose name is hard to read. I don't know of this daughter. The only daughter I know is of Prescilla, who would not have been born yet.

The deceased child may have been a Juan Felipe Baca. I show that Carolina gave birth to a Juan Felipe Baca on 15 January 1903. This is not the same Felipe Baca who was be born after this census was taken. It appears that the other Felipe died early, possibly at birth.

The 1920 census shows all of the family that lived on until at least the 1950s, minus for one son: Martin. I'm assuming he was born after this census was taken.

Source: Juan Baca household, 1920 U.S. Census, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Precinct # 2: Lemitar, supervisor's district #211, enumeration district # 150, sheet 4B, dwelling #83, family # 84; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, ancestry.com.

A close up of this record shows 48 year old Juan Baca, with his 36 wife Carolina B. Their children are listed as sons Lorenzo, 15; Roberto, 12; Felipe 7; and the one daughter Precila, 4 years old.

I could not find a 1930 census record for this family.