Tomasa Gonzales and Philip Bouguignon in the 1860 Census

A woman who marries a soldier often finds herself physically separated from him for substantial periods of time. Tomasa Gonzales is no exception.

Nineteen year old Tomasa Gonzales, the wife of Philip Bourguignon, can be found in the 1860 U.S. Census at Fort Craig, 30 miles south of Socorro, New Mexico. She was living in household #310, as head of family #222. She was a laundress. She is listed with three children: Abram (5 years old), Celsa (4) and Amado Gonzales (4 months.) Interestingly enough, it does not appear that any of these children were her own. She had been married just 3 years prior, and seems too young to have had 4 and 5 year old children. Also, I find no other documentation of her having children by those names. She should have had a daughter Margarita Bourguignon by this time. Margarita would have been born around 1858 or 1859, according to the 1880 and 1885 censuses.

Tomasa's 26 year old sister, Maria Ynes Gonzales, is shown in the same household, as the head of family #223. Maria Ynes is a laundress also. She is listed with two children: Margarita 2 years old, and Nestor 11 years old. Is this Margarita actually Margarita Bourguignon?

1860 Census of Fort Craig, Territory of New Mexico, p. 28

Meanwhile, Tomasa's husband is enumerated in a different military fort. Sgt. Philip Bourguignon is listed with his fellow soldiers of the 1st Regiment of the Mounted Rifles at Ft. Union in San Miguel County.

The couple had been married for only three years. What would it have been like to be living apart so early in the marriage?

1860 Census of Fort Craig, Territory of New Mexico, p. 127

Sources:
1860 U.S. Census, Socorro County, New Mexico, population schedule, Fort Craig, p. 28, dwelling # 310, families # 222 & #233, Tomasa Gonzales & Maria Ynes Gonzales; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 October 2015).

1860 U.S. Census, San Miguel County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, Military Camp at Red River, Fort Union, p. 127, dwelling #1263, family # 1268, Phil. Bourginon; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 October 2015).

1880 U.S. Census, Socorro County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, Palomas, enumeration district (ED) 45, p. 63, dwelling # 44, family # 44, Donaciano Montoya; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 July 2015).

1885 U.S. Census, Sierra County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, Las Palomas, Precinct No. 4, enumeration district (ED) 30, p. 2, household # 17, family # 17, D. Montoya; digital images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 July 2015).

Matrimonios: San Miguel del Socorro, 1 January 1854 - 31 December 1900; San Ignacio y San Cristobal, 1 March 1869 - 31 December 1900; San Marcial, 26 March 1883 - 31 December 1902; Our Lady of Sorrows of La Jolla, 1 January 1872 - 31 December 1900 (Alburquerque: Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico, 1999), p. 20.