20th Century Deaths: The Baca/Luna Family of Lemitar, NM

The following article has many links that you should explore. Please click on the links in blue or in the images below.

Genealogists often use obituaries and death certificates to discover vital information about families. Not only do they show the dates and causes of deaths of particular persons, but they can also confirm birthdates, parent names, places of origin, etc. Obituaries particularly can be used to glean family information such as spouses, children, and grandchildren. However, it must be understood that death certificates are only primary documents for the death itself, and not for any other information. The person filling out the paperwork - especially if it's a child or neighbor of the deceased - often does not have personal knowledge of birthdates, parents, and other information. Mistakes can be made. Obituaries are even more likely to have errors, since they are not official documents. As researchers, we should always use other documents to confirm the information. 

That said, it's a good starting off point. I often will use obituaries to find my cousins. I don't publish information about living people, but having the information in my database helps me connect to relatives and solve mysteries. I've used it to connect to people who show up as related to me in various DNA databases, as well when having conversations with people interested in family history.

I have found a lot of information about my Baca/Luna family using these death records. Martin Baca was a son of Jose Mateo Mauricio Cabeza de Baca and Maria Guadalupe Montoya. He was also the grandson of the famed Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca and his second wife Ana Maria Sanchez. Martin himself is mentioned as an heir of Luis Maria in a land claim made by the family (page 7.)  He and his brothers moved from Peña Blanca, New Mexico to Lemitar in the early 1850s. 

Martin's wife Maria Rita Luna was the daughter of Francisco de Luna and Concepcion Sena. The family had moved from Albuquerque to Socorro by 1845, when Maria Rita was about 1 years old. 

Martin and Maria Rita had at least 5 children: Ramona, Miguel, Juan, Adelaida, and Juan B. The second Juan was my great-grandfather. Click on this link to read a 5 generation ancestor report for my great-grandfather. This report includes sources for the above information.

Below are images of either death certificates or obituaries of four of those five children. Click on the images to see the documents online.

I do not have an image or link for the first obituary:

1. Ramona Baca

Transciption:

Sra. Ramona B. de Barreras Fallecio el Sabado En Su Residencia de Magdalena. El sabado fallecio en su residencia de Magdalena, Sra. Ramona Baca, esposa de Dn. Frutoso Barreras, a los 65 anos de edad.

A la extinta ademas de su esposo le sobreviven dos hijos y tres hijas; Sres. Martin Barreras, de La Junta Colo; Adolfo J. Barreras, de Chicago; Irene, esposa de Dn. Liberator Montoya de Denver, Beatriz, esposa de Pedro Lopez, Supt. de esculeas de este condado; Rosita Barreras, enboder (?) de su padre; dos nueras, Ramoncity y Mary Lee de Barreras; dos hermanos: Juan Baca, de Socorro, Miguel Baca de Gallup; una hermana: Adelaida Baca, de Polvadera; ademas deja postrados en officcion un gran numero de nietos, sobrinos y parientes que lamentan su separacion.

El funeral se verifico el lunes en la manana emprezando en la casa del luto a la iglesia de Santa Magdalena, en donde le dieron misa de cuerpo presnte y de alif siguio el cortejo funebre al panteon, en donde fueron sepertados (?) los resos mortales.

Esta redaccion extiende sus condolencias a la familia Barreras y deudos. Q.D.E.P.

Translation:

Mrs. Ramona B. de Barreras Died Saturday In Her Magdalena Residence

On Saturday died in her residence in Magdalena, Mrs. Ramona Baca, wife of Don Frutoso Barreras, at 65 years old. In addition to her husband, she is survived by two sons and three daughters; Mr. Martin Barreras, from La Junta Colo; Adolfo J. Barreras, of Chicago; Irene, wife of Don Liberato Montoya of Denver, Beatriz, wife of Pedro Lopez, Superintendent of schools in this county; Rosita Barreras, (caretaker?) of her father; two daughters-in-law, Ramoncita and Mary Lee de Barreras; two brothers: Juan Baca, of Socorro, Miguel Baca of Gallup; a sister: Adelaida Baca, from Polvadera; In addition, she leaves a large number of grandchildren, nephews and nieces and relatives who (mourn her.)

The funeral was held on Monday morning (beginning) in the house of mourning to the church of Santa Magdalena, where she was given a mass of body and (?) following the funeral procession to the cemetery, where the mortal remains were (buried.)

This (newspaper's) editorial staff extends its condolences to the Barreras family and relatives. R.I.P.

Source: "Genealogy Bank," database, Genealogy Bank (www.genealogybank.com: accessed 19 May 2018), "Sra. Ramona B. de Barreras Falleció el Sábado En Su Residencia de Magdalena", Obituary: Ramona Baca de Barreras, 21 Feburary 1930, "Defensor del Pueblo" newspaper (Socorro, New Mexico.), page 1.

2. Miguel Baca

3. Adelaida Baca

4. Juan B. Baca y Luna

A Moment in a Lifetime: My Grandfather's WWII Draft Card

Being a patriotic American (and required by law), my paternal grandfather completed a draft card a year before the U.S. entered World War II. On October 16, 1940, Robert Bourguignon Baca signed his name to the form. It shows that he was born in Lemitar, New Mexico, a small village 7 miles north of Socorro, where he resided. He was born on May 11, 1907, and was a citizen of the United States. He was 33 years old at the time he completed the form.

He worked for the Socorro Post Office. The person who would always know his address was his wife, Mrs. Robert B. Baca - my grandmother Maria Teresa (Torres) Baca. He was listed as 5'11" and 190 pounds. He had brown eyes, black hair, and a dark complexion. He had no obvious identifiable physical characteristics. 

Although I pretty much knew all this information before, it's still nice to see this snapshot of a moment in his lifetime. It also confirms that he was going by the name Robert Bourguignon Baca - Bourguignon being his mother's surname. It has his signature, and it gives his height. My dad and others said that he was over 6 feet tall - and indeed pictures of him, especially when he's standing next to my dad who was 5'9" seem to indicate that he might have actually been at least 6 feet. (Side note: I'm 5'10" when I don't slouch. I once said to my dad, "hey, dad, I'm taller than you!" My dad responded, "you may be taller than me, but you aren't taller than your father!" Of course it was just a joke: I look a lot like my father.)

I was very young when my grandfather died - about 4 years old. I honestly don't remember him and I don't have any pictures of me with him. I wish I knew him better. My sisters and many of my cousins remember him. I've been told that I look a lot like him, especially when I wear a suit and fedora. 

Source: "New Mexico, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSSB-2SYQ-5?view=explore : Oct 24, 2026), image 482 of 1033; National Personnel Records Center (St. Louis, Missouri).

Image Group Number: 101688584

Article about the Zimmerly Family in the Socorro County Historical Society website

One of the first articles that I used for research was titled "Zimmerly Family in Socorro for 100 Years" which was published in the El Defensor Chieftain on November 17, 1966. There are some mistakes in the article - for instance it says that Samuel Zimmerly was from Germany. He actually was from Switzerland. However, it had a lot of great genealogical information about his descendants. I am personal descended from his son Estevan (Steve) Zimmerly and Delfina Torres, and their daughter Maria Paublita (again, another mistake was the she was born on December 10, 1909, not 1924. December 10, 1924 was the date that her brother Albert was born. 

Here is a link to the transcribed version of the article.

My genealogy database now lists over 17,000 people

 Hello, friends:

Today my Socorro Land Grant Project genealogy database has exceeded 17,000 names. Are you interested in finding out about your family who lived in the Socorro area? Contact me. We could share information with each other. 

I tend to do research in spurts. It helps that this weekend is my Labor Day break. 

I'll be posting this database to Ancestry.com. I suggested to everyone that you save your database online every so often in case your computer is lost or damaged and you lose your data. This uploaded database will be private, as I have a lot of projects that I'll be working on in the future. 

Happy researching!

- RJCB

 

Video Blog: Finding Philip Bourguignon's Family in Census Records

I uploaded a new video blog to YouTube: "Using New Mexico Census Records to Find Sgt. Bourguignon's Children". 

In the video, I discuss my 2nd great-grandfather Philip Bourguignon's part in history, find his family in various U.S. censuses, and follow his wife to Albuquerque to visit her son Luis, whose family was living in the Barelas neighborhood. Along the way, I add names and records to my Ancestry.com family tree.

Samuel Zimmerly's Civil War Pension Files (from index)

 Unlike my 2nd great-grandfather Philip Bourguignon, I do know my 2nd great-grandfather Samuel Zimmerly's date of death. Based on his obituary, Samuel died circa November 20, 1887. A history of the Zimmerly family states that he died on November 20, 1887, while the obituary below mentions that he died the day before the publication date of November 22, 1887.

Zimmerly was a member of Co. B, 1st Infantry, of the California Column. The obituary mentions other members of the same company including Samuel C. Meek, Joseph D. Emmerson, Richard Patterson, Councilman McCuistion, E.L. Smart, and Sam Creevy, all who were residents of the city of Socorro and its vicinity. 

Sources: 

Author Anonymous, "Zimmerly Family in Socorro for 100 Years," El Defensor Chieftain (Socorro, New Mexico) (17 November 1966). 

"Samuel Zimmerly's Obituary," obituary, p. 3, Santa Fe New Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 22 November 1887; online archives (http://0-access.newspaperarchive.com.albuq.cabq.gov/us/new-mexico/santa-fe/santa-fe-new-mexican : accessed 2 September 2026).

The pension index below shows that Samuel Zimmerly applied for an invalid Civil War pension on September 21, 1885, while his wife Paula Torres de Zimmerly applied for a widow's pension on July 18, 1889. 

Source: "U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934," database, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com: accessed 2 September 2026), Index of Invalid and Widow's pension files. Pension Requests made by Samuel and Paula Torres de Zimmerly

Philip Bourguignon's Death Date?

Until recently, I wasn't able to estimate the date that Philip Bourguignon died. However, after reviewing a pension record index, I believe that I can use this record to estimate his death date within a two-year period. 

It appears that my 2nd great-grandfather may have died between May 25, 1892, and July 14, 1894. I base it on the pension index below that shows the dates of Philip's Civil War invalid pension request and his wife Tomasita's request for a widow's pension. 

Source: "U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934," database, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.com: accessed 2 September 2026), Index of Invalid and Widow's pension files. Pension Requests made by Philip and Tomasita Bourguignon.

New Video Blog: "Reflections on My Father's Baca Family"

With the passing of my Aunt Maryetta recently, I decided to do a little bit of reflection on my dad's family. My aunt was the last of her generation to pass - the last of her siblings. She only has one living Baca cousin. 

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.

Using the Native Bound Unbound Database to Find Our Native Ancestors

 If you haven't heard of the of the "Native Bound Unbound" Project and Database, you are missing out on an important resource for New Mexico genealogy and history. As a Hispanic New Mexican, I know that my ancestry is complicated. I am descended from both Spanish enslavers and indigenous enslaved. The project's goal is to identify enslaved Native people who are not normally mentioned in historical records. Their names are out there; often they are given Spanish names rather than their original birth names. But they are out there and need to be recognized and celebrated. 

Doing a cursory review of the database, I have already found a number of my ancestors who enslaved people. And I found at least one ancestor who was once enslaved. 

I have written about Jose Tomas Candelaria before on this blog. He is my fifth great grandfather on my Grandmother Maria Teresa (Torres) Baca's side of the family. Apparently, according to my uncles, my great grandmother Juana Andrea Montoya (Teresa's mother) indicated that she was Apache. Although my research does show that she has a number of "Spanish" ancestors, her 2nd great grandfather is Jose Tomas Candelaria, a genizaro. Genizaros were de-tribalized Natives who often were captured as children and put in Spanish households. Many received their freedom as adults and often received land, usually in the outskirts of communities in order to be a buffer against raids from certain tribes. 

Jose Tomas Candelaria was listed as a "genizaro" in the 1790 Spanish census of the 4th plaza of Alburquerque. He is one of a few Candelaria people listed as genizaros, indicating that a few of these citizens were probably raised in one or more Spanish Candelaria households. In entry # 155, 20-year-old Jose Tomas Candelaria is listed with his 15-year-old mestiza wife Ana Maria Gallego. In the Spanish caste system, mestizos were people of mixed Spanish and Native parentage. 

Review an image of the actual census record as well as a translated transcription of the records. The Candelaria/Gallego household is entry # 155 on the page.

Jose Tomas Candelaria entry in the 1790 Census

Once again, this is a great resource for research. Although the transcriptions are only for the household that include Native peoples, images of the entire census are there to peruse. This is a free resource that genealogists should use.

Let us honor all of our ancestors, especially those who were silently ignored over the years.