Dolores and Epitacio, Part II

As I mentioned in a post yesterday, I was confused about the birthdates of the siblings Dolores Torres and Epitacio Torres. To recap, according to the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center's book "Bautismos San Miguel del Socorro", Maria Dolores Torres was born on 16 March 1858 (p.68), while Jose Epitacio was born on 23 May 1858 (p.71.) This would be seemingly impossible: even twins are not born three months apart.



After posting, I received an e-mail from Johnathan, which said:

Mr. Baca,

I would just look at the actual entries for both baptisms. The year for one or the other was transcribed incorrectly. Her baptism shows a note that the page was torn.

It has happened before and will happen again....

Certainly, transcriptions can have errors. Therefore, yesterday I went to the Albuquerque Special Collections Library to look at the microfilm of the actual baptismal records. Epitacio's record is fairly clear; Dolores' was not. Below are images from the film (Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, microfilm # 1930433.)

The first image is a close up of page 145 of the baptismal book. On the top of the page, you will find Epitacio's baptismal record. It does not indicate the year on this page, but previous pages show the year 1858 on top. They seem to follow an orderly monthly sequence that would make this record fall in the same year.



The record shows Epitacio was baptized on the "viente y siete dias de mayo", or the 27th of May, and that he was born four days previous. The record says that Epitacio is the "hijo leg. de Valentin Torres y Maria Josefa Ortiz", which translates to mean that he was the legitimate son of Valentin and Josefa. Click on the image below to get a larger view.

Below is the full page view of pages 145 and 146. Click on the image below to get a larger view.

Dolores Torres' baptismal record is very difficult to read. I looked over this one again and again. The dates are obscured to me. It does seem to read, though, that she was the "hija leg." of Valentin Torres and (illegible - although, it does look like it might read "Josefa Ortiz".) Her record is the third from the bottom. Click on the image for a larger view.

A full view of pages 133 and 134 shows a date on p. 134. That date is hard to read though. It appears to be "Ano 18??". 1858, or another date? Click on the image for a larger view.

One thing I noticed when I was researching this question is that the editors of "Bautismos San Miguel de Socorro" decided to put the baptisms in chronological order. Because they did this, they skip through pages of microfilm. For instance, Maria Dolores Torres, baptized 17 May 1858, is on page 133 of the microfilm; while Benito Chavez, baptized on 21 March 1858, is on page 139; and Abraham Lucero, baptized on 22 March 1858, is back on page 133. Although it is possible that the priest skipped pages when writting down the information, it does make me wonder if the records on page 133 were actually written a year before the ones on page 139.



I also looked at census records to see if they could help me. They just seemed to confuse the matter even more.



In a post back in November 2007, I posted an image of the 1900 Census record that showed Epitacio's family. Click on this link to see the image. Family and household # 288 shows Epitacio as being born on May 1859, not May 1858!

Yesterday, I pulled up an image from Ancestry.com of the Manuel Gallegos household in the 1900 Census. Although I'm not 100% sure that this is actually Maria Dolores Torres' family (It has them as Manuel G. and Maria D.), it does appear to be that family. This record shows "Maria D." as having a birth date of March 1856. The record also says that Manuel G. and Maria D. were married 26 years prior, which is about the right amount of time, figuring that the couple in question was married on 21 August 1873.

Click on the image below for a larger view.


Source: 1900 United States Census, Precinct # 1, County of Socorro, Territory of New Mexico, Sheet 10B, Dwelling #244, Family #244, retrived 27 February 2010, www.ancestry.com


More research needs to be done before anything conclusive is determined. Once again, if anyone has anything to add to this discussion, either post a comment on my blog or send me an email at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

Click here to read the first part of this discussion.

Dolores Torres and her brother Jose Epitacio Torres

I've come across a problem in my genealogy. Below is what I've posted on various messages boards on the web:

I am looking for more information about my supposed 3rd great-aunt Maria Dolores Torres.

According to one source - "Bautismos San Miguel del Socorro", p. 68 - Maria Dolores Torres was born on 16 March 1858 to Valentin Torres and Josefa Ortiz. The problem with this is that my second great-grandfather Jose Epitacio Torres was supposedly born on 23 May 1858 to the same parents - an impossibility. ("Bautismos San Miguel del Socorro", p. 71.)

I've been looking at census records, and the 1860 US Census of Socorro, New Mexico shows Dolores and a "Jose" in the household of Valentin and Josefa Torres. Dolores is shown to be 5 years old, while Jose - possibly Jose Epitacio - is 3 years old. Assuming this is the same family, that would mean that Dolores was born circa 1855, while Jose Epitacio was born circa 1857, which are more reasonable dates. See my blog at to view an image of this census record.

On 21 August 1873, Maria Dolores Torres, single, of Socorro, the daughter of Valentin and Josefa Ortiz, married Manuel Gallegos, single, of Socorro, son of Manuel and Maria Quiteria Garcia. ("Matrimonios San Miguel del Socorro, Our Lady of Sorrows de La Joya, San Marcial y San Ignacio y San Cristobal", p. 108.)

Since I do not at this moment have access to Ancestry.com, I've the 1880 census transcription on USGenWeb . It shows on page 128A of Socorro Precinct #1, Socorro County, New Mexico, dwelling # 174, family # 207, a Manuel Gallegos y Garcia, aged 29, and his wife Maria Dolores Gallegos y Garcia, aged 23. This is most likely the same couple I mentioned above, since Manuel's mother's maiden name was Garcia. If we go by this transcription, Dolores was born circa 1857.

The 1880 Census also shows Jose Epitacio in the household of his parents Valentin and Josefa Torres, and his age as 22 years old, which would have his birthdate circa 1858. The image of this census record can once again be found on my blog

There are two questions that need to be answered:

1. Were Dolores and Epitacio actually born years apart rather than 2 months apart?

2. If Epitacio was born only two months from his sister, then it is obvious that at least one of them is not actually the child of Valentin and Josefa Torres. Most likely, it would be Epitacio who would be the one who was not there child. Then who were his parents?

Obviously, a better review of the documents are needed. I will have to look at images of the actual baptismal records and census records to better decipher the information. There may also be other information out there that I have not found. If anyone has any information or suggestions, please post to this thread.

More information about Jose Epitacio Torres can be found on the following pages:

* Valentin and Jose Epitacio Torres Household Census records

* Short Biography of Jose Epitacio Torres

* Transcription of 1880 US Census, Socorro County, New Mexico

I also found this family tree on GenCircles: Jose Valentin Torres family.

For those of us who can't wait....

I hate to wait. For years now, I've been wanting to get a pre-printed 9 generation pedigree chart of my ancestors. But I don't want to wait for a copy to mailed to me.* Well, I found a way to get a chart printed and ready for pick up that takes only a matter of a couple of hours.

Misbach Enterprises sells Custom 9 Generation Wall Charts. This includes fan and standard pedigree charts. The cost of the chart is $9.99, with additional charge for printing.

What you first need to do is create a GEDCOM file for your ancestors. You should be able to do this with any standard genealogy program. The site suggests that you create one that includes only those people that you wish to have on the chart. If you don't know how to do this, read the instruction book that comes with your program.

Once you have created the GEDCOM file, upload it to their site. Follow their simple directions. Once you've completed the process, the company will e-mail you a PDF file of your chart. It is now ready for printing. Since it is a non-standard size (21.5" X 24.5"), you will probably have to have it printed at a print shop. I sent my chart to Kinkos, which cost $3.00 plus tax.

For only just a little over $13, I was able to print a copy of my 9 generation pedigree chart. If I want additional copies, I can make them without ordering another chart. All I had to do was save the PDF file, and now all I have to pay is $3.00 per copy to print.

For more information about this other products offered by this company, click on this link.

* I know it doesn't make sense. If I ordered the pedigree chart years ago I would have received it years ago. I blame the fact that I'm a product of our instant gratification age.

New "Hanks Family" Label

Recently, I found a treasure trove of information about my wife's Hanks relatives. Specifically, I found many posting on the website Find A Grave. There, a contributor posted information about Nancy's great-grandfather John Williams Hanks, her 2nd great-grandfather Sydnor Hanks, and her 3rd great-grandfather Abner Hanks.

I contacted the contributor, who sent me a descendant register report for Sydnor Hanks. Although he personally is not from this family, he did send my query to someone in who is distantly related to my wife.

I'm hoping to find more of my wife's relatives. In order to facilitate this family search, I've created a new label on this blog: The Hanks Family. If you have any information about this family, please contact me via e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com or post to this blog.

NMGS Program February 20, 2010

Recently, it came to our attention that another organization was having a program at the Special Collection Library at the same time as our February program. We did some research, and discovered that The Hispanic Culture Preservation League is actually having their program in a different room than ours. Our program will be in Botts Hall, while their program will be in the Center for the Book. Therefore, there is no conflict between the two programs.

Please see the announcement below for information about our program.


Saturday, February 20, 2010, 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 Anglo/Saxons connection to New Mexican Families

In Part IV of an ongoing series, Mr. Cervantes will explore the connection between certain New Mexican families and the Anglo Saxon tribes. 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 tribe.

Angel Cervantes is the New Mexico Genealogical Society’s DNA Project Advisor. 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

Crespin Torres in Los Angeles, California - 1930

My cousin Maurine once told me that there was a 1930 census record of my 2nd great-grandfather Crespin Torres living in California. At the time, he was living with his daughter, Domitila Sanchez. Today, Maurine posted on the Torres Family NM Genealogy and History Blog an image of that census record. Indeed, Crespin was living with his daughter's family at that time in Los Angeles, California. Click on this link to read Maurine's post.

In 2007, Maurine gave me a photo of Crespin at his daughter Domitila's home. I posted it at this link.

The Torres Family NM Genealogy and History Blog

My cousin Maurine Pool of California created a new blog called the Torres Family NM Genealogy and History Blog. The first posting on her blog are about Crespin and Andrieta Torres' families that come directly from my own blog. Yesterday, she posted a good article about her own family titled Jose and Josie Torres.

If you follow my blog, and you are interested in this New Mexico Torres family that now hails from California, you may wish to follow her blog, too. Much of the information that I used for my own genealogy of the Torres family comes from her research that she began a couple of decades ago. Her posts should be interesting.

Link

February 9, 2010 - Correction! - Apparentely this blog was not created by my cousin Maurine, but rather my cousin Nash Torres. Maurine is just a contributor to the blog.

NMGS 50th Anniverary Conference!

The New Mexico Genealogical Society

proudly announces it's

50th Anniversary Conference

October 15 & 16, 2010

at the Marriott Pyramid Hotel

in Albuquerque, New Mexico

After 50 Years of Continuous Service to the Genealogical Community it's time to celebrate! 2010 marks Our Golden Anniversary! Celebrate with us at a GENEALOGY CONFERENCE in beautiful Albuquerque.

Speakers scheduled to appear:

* Keynote speaker: Paul Hutton, Ph.D - award winning speaker and UNM history professor
* Al Regensberg
* Robert J. Torrez, former New Mexico State Historian
* Rick Henricks, famed New Mexico historian
* Richard Melzer, historian
* Krysten Baca, of Ancestry.com
* Jim Greene, of FamilySearch.org
* Banquet Speaker: Bennett Greenspan, President & CEO of FamilyTreeDNA

All of this at very reasonable prices.

Visit our website at http://www.nmgs.org for more information.

To register for the conference or to view our agenda, click on this link.

We look forward to seeing you at the Marriott PYRAMID HOTEL in Albuquerque.

Maybe that's why I get a farmer's tan during the Summer....

When I received the preliminary results of my genetic test from Family Tree DNA, I was wondering whether I should post them online. After all, they are private information. But then I discovered that I have some sexy DNA.

According to the BBC, my haplogroup is fairly common in Europe, especially in Ireland, Wales and Spain, where it reaches frequencies of 90% or more. My lineage is R1b1b2, which, according to the British broadcaster, originates from sexy Near East farmers. Okay, maybe the article didn't exactly say that. However, Dr. Patricia Balaresque, the scientist who did the study that produced these findings, did say that the new technology of farming thousands of years ago helped my ancestors win out over hunter-gatherers. She also said that "maybe, back then, it was just sexier to be a farmer." Honest, she did!

All kidding aside, knowing my family history, it appears that my patrilineal pedigree (father's, father's, father's, father ... ad infinitum) came directly from Spain. What accounts for the same DNA showing up in Ireland and Wales, is probably due to the Celtic migration into Spain 2,500 years ago.

According to Wikipedia, Celts migrated to Spain somewhere around the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. They mated with the local Iberian people, and created a culture that is known historically as Celtiberian. These people were the most influential culture in Iberia during the pre-Roman era, and had their largest historical impact during the 2nd Punic War when they sided with Carthage against Rome.

So the next time you meet a man from Ireland, Wales or Spain, know that they may be my distant cousins. And if you are attracted to them, it could be because of their ancestry.