Ancestor Birthday Blog - Andrea Montoya - November 30, 1883

 

Ignacio and Andrea (Montoya) Torres. Photo courtesy Edward Lujan.

Welcome to my mini-blog within a blog – The Ancestor Birthday Blog. On this blog, I will be posting short vignettes on my ancestors on their birthdays. Today is the genealogy of my great-grandmother Andreita (Montoya) Torres.

My great-grandmother Juana Andrea Montoya was born on November 30, 1883 in the Socorro, New Mexico area. Her parents were Jose Casmiro Montoya and Manuela Abeyta. Andreita (as most people called her) was the granddaughter of Juan Tomas Montoya and Ana Maria Estefana Perea and Jose Albino Abeyta and Maria Miguela Sanchez. Among her ancestors was Jose Tomas Candelaria, the maternal grandfather of her grandfather Albino Abeyta. Jose Tomas Candelaria was listed as a genizaro in the 1790 Spanish census of Alburquerque. A genizaro was an Indian usually kidnapped as a child who was raised in a Spanish household as a servant, and sometimes as family. Jose Tomas would have received his freedom before he married his wife Ana Maria Gallegos. According to family lore, my great-grandmother claimed to be part Apache, which is a possibility since her 2^nd great-grandfather was Native American.

Andreita Montoya married two men. Her first husband was Miguel Marquez. She married him on August 18, 1900 in Socorro. He was the son of Jose Apoloniar Antonio Marquez and Juana Maria Bartola Lucero. Andreita and Miguel had one child: Manuelita Marquez. Her first husband would have died before she married her second husband.

Andreita’s second husband was my great-grandfather Ignacio Torres. Andreita and Ignacio married on August 25, 1906 in Socorro. They had four children who lived past their childhood: Jose Manuel (born 1907), Maria Teresa (1912), Margaret (1917) and Anastacio Torres (1920). Another child, Adelarda Torres (1909) shows up in the 1910 census of the family. It is unknown who this child is; she does not show up in any other records.

Andrea's children: Manuelita Marquez (sitting), Jose Manuel Torres (standing on the right), Maria Teresa Torres (standing on the left) and Margaret Torres (baby on Manuelita's lap.)

Andreita’s second husband Ignacio was the son of Jose Crespin Torres and Maria Andrea Trujillo. Ignacio was born on October 25, 1875 in Socorro. He died on March 15, 1950.

Andreita passed away on July 9, 1974. Although I was 5 years old going on 6 when she died, I for some reason do not remember her at all.

Andrea Montoya and Ignacio Torres (sitting.) Children, clockwise from the right: Jose Manuel, Anastacio, Margaret and Maria Teresa. Photo courtesy Maurine Pool.

If anyone wishes to post stories about Andreita, feel free to post comments on this blog.

Source information available upon request.