My Book "History and Families of the Socorro Land Grant, Part I" Now on Sale!

 

Hello, dear readers!

My book "History and Families of the Socorro Land Grant, Part I: The Baca Family and Their Descendants" is now on sale at Amazon.com!

After over 25 years of research, my efforts are finally realized. This book includes genealogies of 35 out of 66 founding families of the Socorro Land Grant. In the future, I will publish genealogies of the remaining families.

This is a valuable resource for family historians and the general public who are interested in families of the area of Socorro, New Mexico. Follow this link to purchase a copy of the book.

Book Signing and Presentation: "Baca Family Connections to the Socorro Land Grant"

 Yay! The time is nearly here. I will have my first official book signing at the Albuquerque Genealogy Center (Albuquerque Main Library), 501 Copper NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2nd Floor, on November 22, 2025, between 10:30 and Noon. 

My book "History and Families of the Socorro Land Grant, Part I: The Baca Family and Their Descendants" will be on sale on Amazon.com on November 3rd. I'll put a link on this blog on that date. Retail price is $50.

I'll be reading from the book and answering questions.

I will sell and sign the book at the event for the discounted price of $40. Please bring cash or check. Cards will not be accepted.

Click on this Link to See or Print out the Flyer.

"History and Families of the Socorro Land Grant, Part I" Book Available November 3rd!

 If you follow me on Facebook, you may have learned that I'm publishing my book "History and Families of the Socorro Land Grant, Part I: The Baca Family and Their Descendants". It will be available on November 3rd on Amazon.com.

Below is an image of the proof copy of the book.

Last week I did a final edit of the book and submitted the final draft to Amazon. 

The book details the genealogies of 34 descendants of the Baca family who were among the founders of the Socorro Land Grant in 1815. These are not just people with the Baca surname, but also the Abeyta, Chaves, Gallegos, Garcia Jurado, Padilla, Sanchez, Tafoya, and Trujillo families, among others. The genealogies begin Cristobal Baca and Ana Ortiz, who arrived in New Mexico with their family in 1600, and continues another 8 generations. The descendant narratives extend into the 1800s, and in a few cases into the early 1900s. Additionally, I've included one other Baca family, the descendants of early Socorro settler Juan Dionisio Baca. He was not actually descended from the Baca family, but rather from Petronila Garcia Jurado and an unknown father. Juan Dionisio Baca was the ancestor of famed lawman Elfego Baca, New Mexico Archbishop Robert Fortune Sanchez, and many other Socorro residents.

Other sections of the book explore a brief history of the Socorro Land Grant, five-generation pedigree charts for each of my four grandparents, and a series of vignettes. These stories highlight the connections between the Torres and Baca families, the role of the Cabeza de Baca lineage in the Socorro Land Grant, the Montoya family as defenders of the grant, and the legacy of María Guadalupe Torres, a matriarch whose descendants include many prominent members of the García and Baca families of Socorro.

Lastly, within the descendant narrative, you will find transcriptions of census records, obituaries, and even short family histories. It's not just names and dates - I flesh out many of these families' stories.

The book is over 550 pages, with extensive citations, and a name index of over 3,000 people. I have been researching my family for over 25 years, which includes many founders of the land grant. You will find this book to be the most extensive Socorro Hispanic family history, and I'm just beginning! There are another 31 founders who I will profile in subsequent volumes. 

When it is released, it'll look a little different from my proof copy: it'll have a green cover! The cost is $50, which is a bargain for a genealogy like this. If you are interested in New Mexico genealogy and history, you'll find this book to be just what you are looking for!

July 19, 2025 SCHS Presentation: "Life and Death in Small Town New Mexico"

Life and Death in Small Town New Mexico

The Personal Histories of Socorro and Surrounding Communities

A new presentation by Robert J. C. Baca

Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 2 PM

at The Socorro County Historical Society annual meeting

City of Socorro Convention Center

1220 Hwy 60 West
Socorro, New Mexico

(The old National Guard building.)

There are thousands of stories in New Mexican small towns. Socorro is not different. From its beginnings prior to Spanish exploration, through Spanish colonization in 1598 and up until the present, many families have lived and died in this town. These are the stories of a few notable, but maybe not lauded, residents of the area. These are "personal histories" of the local folk.

Robert J. C. Baca is a former president of the New Mexico Genealogical Society. For the past quarter century, he has been researching Socorro genealogy and history, focusing mostly on the Socorro Land Grant. He has presented before NMGS, The Historical Society of New Mexico, the Socorro County Historical Society, and many other organizations. Robert and his lovely wife Nancy live are teachers living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Robert invites you to bring photos, documents, and your own personal family histories to the presentation to share. This will be an interactive event. Portions of the presentation will be filmed and streamed on YouTube and social media after the event. 

2017 Genealogy Resolutions

Well, it's that time again: 2016 is about to close. It is time to make genealogy resolutions.

For 2016, I said that I was going to do three things:
1. I was going to enter enough names in my genealogy database to have 10,000 names. Well, this is what actually happened:

 

As you can see, as of a few minutes ago, I have only 8,613 names in my database. I'm 1,400 short. I chalk this up to making sure my database included quality research, rather than quantity. Right.

 

2. I said that I would publish a book on the Socorro Land Grant families. Well, I'm still working on it. I've registered a book publishing company with the state and city, but I'm probably 2 or 3 months away from finishing this project.

 

3. I said that I would publish articles in a number of publications this year. I didn't publish one *darn* article in ANY journal this year. Oops.

 

 

So, what are my resolutions for this year:

 

1. Get to the 10,000 mark on my database. That's doable. I added nearly 2,000 names this year.

 

2. Publish part I of my Socorro Land Grant book. Yes! I can do this.

 

3. Maybe publish an article or two in a journal or newspaper I haven't published in before. I can do this.

 

4. Complete my indexing of Socorro death certificates found on FamilySerch.org. I indexed quite a lot this year already. I think I can finish. See my other blog, The Socorro Land Grant Research Project, for the death certificates I've already indexed.

 

That's it! Four resolutions this year, instead of three. I guess I never learn.

 

Happy New Year!



Socorro Land Grant Presentation, May 16, 2015 in Socorro, New Mexico

From Immediate Release

Genealogist to Speak about Socorro Grant

Family historian Robert J. C. Baca will speak on “The History and People of the Socorro Land Grant”, on May 16, 2015, at 10 A.M., at the Cottonwood Valley Charter School in Socorro. This program is being presented by the New Mexico Office of the State Historian, the New Mexico Genealogical Society and the Socorro County Historical Society.

Baca has been researching Socorro genealogy and local history for over 15 years. Recently, his research has focused on the Socorro Land Grant. Baca has identified over 60 families who appear to be those who re-settled Socorro in 1815. This year marks the 200^th anniversary of the land grant. 

Baca’s presentation will focus on the controversies regarding the land grant. He will also do a case study on a few of the founding families.

Baca has deep roots in Socorro, going back its founding. He grew up in the community and is a 1986 graduate of Socorro High School. He has a bachelor’s degree in social studies education from the University of New Mexico. He presently teaches history at Foothill High School in Albuquerque.

This presentation is in fulfillment of a scholarship presented to Baca by the New Mexico Office of the State Historian.

Juan Jose Baca, born circa 1796-1799, of Socorro, New Mexico

 Here's some information about Juan Jose Baca, possible son of Juan Dionosio Baca and Maria Rita Pino. His parents were among the founders of the Socorro Land Grant.

Juan Jose Baca was not born in Socorro, as Socorro was not resettled until 1815. However, he probably arrived there as a teenager or young man.
 

Father  Juan Jose BACA
	Birth	ca 1796–1799	New Mexico1–2
	godfather/padrino	5 May 1825	Maria Atencia GALINDO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico3
	godfather/padrino	7 May 1827	Maria de la Cruz ROMERO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico4
	godfather/padrino	31 May 1829	Juan Pascual Vayla JOJOLA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico5
	godfather/padrino	23 Oct 1835	Juana Maria Salome BACA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico6
	godfather/padrino	7 Feb 1837	Maria de Jesus BACA Y PADILLA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico7
	godfather/padrino	22 Apr 1838	Juan Dionosio Aniseto BACA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico8
	godfather/padrino	8 Apr 1846	Maria Selestina Dionisia PADILLA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico9
	godfather/padrino	15 Nov 1846	Jose Teodoro BACA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico10
	godfather/padrino	22 Nov 1846	Maria Felistia PINO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico11
	godfather/padrino	3 Mar 1850	Matias Miterio TORRES; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico12
	godfather/padrino	12 Sep 1851	Jose Serapio JARAMILLO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico13
	Death
	Burial
	Census (fam)	1833	1833 Mexican Census; La Parida, New Mexico1
	Census (fam)	1845	1845 Mexican Census; San Antonio de la Parida, New Mexico2
	Census (fam)	30 Jul 1860	1860 U.S. Census; dwelling #1293, household #1187, La Parida, The Pueblitos de la Parida, Socorro County, Territory of New Mexico14
	Marriage		1
	Father	Juan Dionosio BACA (1763-    )
	Mother	Maria Rita PINO (1774-    )
Mother  Maria Antonia JARAMILLO
	Birth	ca 1805–1808	New Mexico1–2
	godmother/madrina	5 May 1825	Maria Atencia GALINDO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico3
	godmother/madrina	7 May 1827	Maria de la Cruz ROMERO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico4
	godmother/madrina	31 May 1829	Juan Pascual Vayla JOJOLA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico5
	godmother/madrina	23 Oct 1835	Juana Maria Salome BACA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico6
	godmother/madrina	7 Feb 1837	Maria de Jesus BACA Y PADILLA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico7
	godmother/madrina	22 Apr 1838	Juan Dionosio Aniseto BACA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico8
	godmother/madrina	8 Apr 1846	Maria Selestina Dionisia PADILLA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico9
	godmother/madrina	15 Nov 1846	Jose Teodoro BACA; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico10
	godmother/madrina	22 Nov 1846	Maria Felistia PINO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico11
	godmother/madrina	3 Mar 1850	Matias Miterio TORRES; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico12
	godmother/madrina	12 Sep 1851	Jose Serapio JARAMILLO; San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico13
	Death
	Burial
	Father
	Mother
Family Sources2,10,14
Children
M	Francisco BACA
	Birth	ca 1813	New Mexico1
	Enumerated	1833	Juan Jose BACA and Maria Antonia JARAMILLO; 1833 Mexican Census; La Parida, New Mexico1
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
M	Miguel BACA
	Birth	ca 1815	New Mexico1
	Enumerated	1833	Juan Jose BACA and Maria Antonia JARAMILLO; 1833 Mexican Census; La Parida, New Mexico1
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
M	Felipe BACA
	Birth	ca 1818	New Mexico1
	Enumerated	1833	Juan Jose BACA and Maria Antonia JARAMILLO; 1833 Mexican Census; La Parida, New Mexico1
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
F	Maria del Pilar BACA
	Birth	ca 1820–1825	New Mexico1–2
	Enumerated	1833	Juan Jose BACA and Maria Antonia JARAMILLO; 1833 Mexican Census; La Parida, New Mexico1
	Death
	Burial
	Spouse
M	Dionosio BACA
	Birth	ca 1831	New Mexico2
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
M	Jose Alejandro BACA
	Birth	ca 1833	New Mexico2
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
F	Maria Romana BACA
	Birth	ca 1843	New Mexico2
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
M	Jose Dinicio BACA
	Birth	ca 1845	New Mexico2
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
M	Jose Teodoro BACA
	Birth	12 Nov 1846	La Parida, New Mexico10
	Baptism	15 Nov 1846	San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico10
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
F	Crecencia BACA
	Birth	ca 1847	New Mexico14
	Enumerated	30 Jul 1860	Juan Jose BACA and Maria Antonia JARAMILLO; 1860 U.S. Census; dwelling #1293, household #1187, La Parida, The Pueblitos de la Parida, Socorro County, Territory of New Mexico14
	Death
	Burial
	Marriage
Preparer				Comments
Robert J. C. Baca Albuquerque, New Mexico

FAMILY NOTES

Census (fam) (1833):
Juan Jose Baca         37
Maria Xaramiyo        28
Maria del Pilar            8
Franco                      20
Miguel                      18
Felipe                        15

Census (fam) (1845):
(married) Juan Jose Baca        46
                Ma Anta Jaramo     37
                Jose Alejandro       12
                Diono                     14
                Ma del Pilar            25
                Ma Romana              2
                Jose Dinicio             ___

Census (fam) (30 July 1860):
Juan Jose Baca, 60 years old, male, farmer, real estate $1,500, personal estate $3,500, born in New Mexico.
Maria Anta ", 54, female, born in New Mexico, person 20 years or older who can neither read nor write.
Crecencia ", 13, female, born in New Mexico.
Ramona ", 11, female, Indian, Nabajoe.
Jose Fabian Gutierrez, 15, male, born in New Mexico.
Filomeno ", 12, male, born in New Mexico.

General:
There is a 10 year difference between Maria Romana Baca and her next youngest sibling and a 12 year difference between Jose Dinicio Baca and the same sibling that it appears that it may be possible that neither Romana and Dinicio were actually the children of Juan Jose Baca and Maria Antonia Jaramillo. It is possible that the children are adopted OR are actually their grandchildren.

Jose Teodoro Baca is named as the son of "unknown". He is baptized by Juan Jose Baca and Maria Antonia Jaramillo. Therefore, he is listed here are adopted by this couple.

Crecencia Baca is listed as being 13 years old in the 1860 U.S. Census. This would make her birth date as 1847. Once again, it appears that she may not be a daughter of Juan Jose Baca and Maria Antonia Jaramillo, but rather possibly a grandchild or adopted child.

CHILD NOTES: Jose Dinicio BACA

Birth (circa 1845):
There is no actual age listed on the 1845 census, so he may have been a baby at this time.

        1. Teresa Ramirez Alief Jose Gonzales and Patrica Black Esterly, New Mexico Censuses of 1833 and 1845: Socorro and Surrounding Communities of the Rio Abajo (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1994), p. 24.

        2. Alief, New Mexico Censuses of 1833 and 1845, p. 72.

        3. Lila Armijo Pfeufer, Margaret Leonard Windham, and and Evelyn Lujan Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church: 1821-1853 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1998), p. 25.

        4. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 35.

        5. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 46.

        6. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 89.

        7. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 99.

        8. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 112.

        9. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 218.

        10. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 227.

        11. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 228.

        12. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 280.

        13. Pfeufer, Windham, and Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church, p. 304.

        14. 1860 U.S. Census, Socorro County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, La Parida, The Pueblitos of La Parida, p. 137, dwelling #1293, household 1187, Juan Jose Baca; digital iages, Ancestry Library Edition (www.anestrylibrary.com : accessed 31 March 2015).

 

Juan Jose Baca is probably the son of Juan Dionosio Baca and Maria Rita Pino. Curiously, there is definite lack of evidence for Juan Jose Baca’s parentage. There is no baptismal or marriage record for Juan Jose, and few sacramental records for his children. Before 1833, there are no census records listing Juan Jose Baca before 1833, even though he was apparently born between 1796 and 1799 and could have been listed in the 1802 Spanish census of the Albuquerque Confraternity, the censuses of Las Huertas and Bernalillo (1803-1807), or even the San Antonio del Sabinal census of 1827, just to name a few.[1]

Since it appears that all the Baca families that arrived in the Socorro area in its first few decades were from the Rio Abajo area, a review was made of the Albuquerque, Isleta, Tomé, Belen and Socorro records. Other than a couple of baptismal records for the illegitimate children of Juan Jose Baca’s daughter Maria del Pilar Baca, there are no other sacramental records for his children. The evidence of Juan Jose Baca’s parentage therefore must come from two other sources.

First, Juan Jose Baca and Maria Antonia Jaramillo are listed as padrinos for four of Juan Dionosio Baca and Maria Rita Pino’s grandchildren and great grandchildren: Mariade Jesus Felipa Baca (1837),  Juan Dionosio Aniseto Baca (1838), Maria Felistia Pino, and Jose Serapio Jaramillo (1851). All of the baptisms took place in either Socorro of in La Parida.[2]

Second, Juan Jose Baca and Maria Antonia Jaramillo are continually listed as living in La Parida in the 1833, 1845 and 1860 censuses (see above.) Descendants of Juan Dionosio Baca and Maria Rita Pino who also lived in the area include Jose Miguel Baca, Antonio Maria Baca and Jose Leon Baca.[3] Certainly, there are other Baca families in this area who definitely or possibly not related to this family;[4] however, Juan Jose Baca and Jose Miguel Baca are enumerated very near each other in the 1860 census.[5] This may be significant, or it may mean nothing. In any case, the circumstantial evidence seems to point to Juan Jose Baca being a relative of this Baca clan.

---

[1] See Virginia Langham Olmsted, C.G., Spanish and Mexican Censuses of New Mexico 1750 and 1830 (Albuquerque: The New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1981), pp. 125-147, & 250-260.

[2] Lila Armijo Pfeufer, Margaret Leonard Windham, and Evelyn Lujan Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church: 1821-1853 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1998), pp. 99, 112, 228, and 304. To be fair, Juan Jose and Maria Antonia are also listed in the baptismal records of Juana Maria Salome (1835), whose grandfather is a certain Juan Miguel Baca, (not to be confused with Jose Miguel Baca) whose parentage is unknown; and Matias Miterio Torres, who was the grandson of Altagracia Baca, who was the daughter of Dionosio Antonio Baca, a different, yet similarly named, founder of Socorro. Ibid, pp. 89 and 280. Juan Jose Baca and Maria Antonia Jaramillo are also listed as padrinos for at least four other children not directly related to this Baca clan. Ibid, pp. 35, 46, 218 and 280.

[3] Teresa Ramirez Alief Jose Gonzales and Patrica Black Esterly, New Mexico Censuses of 1833 and 1845: Socorro and Surrounding Communities of the Rio Abajo (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1994), p. 26.

[4] See Ibid, pp. 24 - 27, and 72-75 for a full listing of residents of La Parida in 1833 and 1845.

[5] 1860 U.S. Census, Socorro County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, La Parida, The Pueblitos of La Parida, p. 137, Juan Jose Baca and Jose Miguel Baca households; digital images, Ancestry Library Edition (www.anestrylibrary.com : accessed 31 March 2015).