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.

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. 

Juan Baca y Luna and Carolina Bourguignon in Magdalena, NM

 

Juan Baca y Luna and Carolina (Bourguignon) Baca with their grandson Michael Baca, c. 1938. Photo credit: Edward Baca (Michael's brother.)

Sometimes by posting on social media, a genealogist can correct mistakes in his or her research. Friends online can help by offering information unknown to the researcher. This certainly occurred after I posted on Facebook information I found about my great-grandparents’ property in Magdalena, New Mexico.

On March 6, 1916, my great grandfather Juan Baca y Luna purchased property in Magdalena, New Mexico from Telesfor Chavez y Castillo and his wife Maria Manuela Chavez. He paid $140 for the property. [Socorro County (New Mexico). County Recorder. Image Group N.] Magdalena is a community about 20 miles from the county seat of Socorro, New Mexico. It is located east of the Socorro Mountains. I’ve traveled to that village many times. It’s a pathway to get to Southern Arizona to visit my mother-in-law, as well as a way to get to the Alamo Navajo Reservation where my sister once worked and lived. The reservation is about 20 miles north of the village. 

My great-grandfather Juan was the son of Martin Baca and Maria Rita Luna. [Baptism: Juan Vaca] Through his father, he was a descendant of Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca; Martin being one of around 100 grandchildren of my fourth great-grandfather. Martin had moved from Peña Blanca [Windham, p. 157] to Lemitar, New Mexico with his brothers [1860 U.S. Census] between 1850 and 1860, and married into the Luna family [Matrimonios, p. 53] who had also set up roots in the little hamlet of Lemitar. 

Juan Baca y Luna married Carolina Bourguignon on April 23, 1900 in Socorro [AASF # 16997]. She was the daughter of a German immigrant, Philip Bourguignon, who fought in the American Civil War. [1890 U.S. Special Census] Her mother was Maria Tomasa Gonzales, a daughter of a family with deep New Mexican roots. [Microfilm #16994, Baptism: Maria Tomasa Gonzales] Philip and Maria Tomasa married on October 27, 1857 in Socorro. [Matrimonios, p. 20]

On April 8, 1919, my great-grandparents Juan and Carolina sold the Magdalena property they owned to Martiniano Chavez y Castillo for $500. The document indicated that Juan and Carolina were living in Magdalena at the time. [Socorro County (New Mexico). County Recorder, images 360 & 361] Until finding the warranty deed that conveyed this property, I didn’t know that my great grandparents owned property in Magdalena. The 1910 and 1920 census records both indicated that Juan lived with his family in Lemitar [1910 & 1920 Lemitar Censuses], not Magdalena. Lemitar is 7 miles North of Socorro, and so, following present-day freeways, it is nearly 30 miles distant from Magdalena. It would be interesting to find out whether they would have taken the same paths or would have found a more direct pathway to that area.

My dad’s cousin Edward Baca had a possible explanation of what was going on regarding my great-grandparents’ property in Magdalena. On a Facebook post, Edward stated that 

“My dad (Lorenzo Baca) told me that when he was a boy on the farm in Lemitar, he would accompany Papa Juan (Baca y Luna) on a wagon drawn by a team of horses to Magdalena to sell produce. Magdalena was a good market at that point in time because the Kelly mines were in full operation and the economy was booming there. The journey would take two days, with them camping on the first night out. On the second day they would arrive in Magdalena and sell their produce, then return to the farm by the same route. On one trip, they took a pig with them, which they sold to a rancher. When they got back to the farm in Lemitar, they were surprised to learn that the pig had gotten back before them. Evidently, he escaped from his new owner and made a beeline back to familiar surroundings. There was no school in Lemitar at that time, so when my dad was 11 or 12 years old and your grandfather Robert was around 9, Juan took them to Magdalena, found them a place to live and enrolled them in school there. When not in school, my dad recounted that he and Robert earned money by cleaning businesses after hours and doing other odd jobs. I don’t know how long they stayed in Magdalena, but my dad told a couple of interesting stories: One Saturday night they heard a series of gun shots coming from a nearby saloon. They ran over to see what the commotion was and learned that several drunken miners were killed in a gunfight! The other story that my dad told me was that a son of the famous sheriff Elfego Baca stole all their firewood one night. So, this is all to say that maybe the property that Juan sold in 1919 was the place where my dad and his brother, Robert, were staying when they lived in Magdalena.” (Edward R. Baca, 2025)

My great-uncle Lorenzo was born on August 17, 1904 (AASF # 16994.), while my grandfather Robert was born on May 11, 1907. (AASF # 16994.) Lorenzo would have been 11 years old when the property was bought, while Robert would have been 8. When the property was sold, they would have been 14 and 11 years old, respectively. Regardless if they actually lived on Juan and Carolina’s property in Magdalena, that property was in their possession during the early school years of their two oldest boys.

So, who is this Chavez y Castillo family that my great-grandparents bought and sold their property to? The first property document I found was the quit claim deed for my great-grandparents’ sale of the property in 1919. It listed the grantee as Martiniano Chavez y Castillo. Originally, I thought that this man was Martiniano Chavez, married to Magdalena Castillo [Belen Marriages, 1873.] However, the standard Spanish naming practice is that a man includes both his father’s and mother’s surnames. Martiniano's parents were Chavez and Baca; he would have had the surname Chavez  y Baca. A relative of this family, Kathy Sanchez Avila, commented on my Facebook post that the Martiniano mentioned in the deed was actually a son of Jose Mauricio Chavez y Baca. [Sanchez Avila, 2025]  His mother’s surname is Castillo, so his full name would be Martiano Chavez y Castillo. [1885 U.S. Census, Jarales] He was the nephew of the previous Martiniano. Juan  Baca y Luna bought the property in 1916 from his brother Telesfor [proof of relationship: 1885 U.S. Census, Jarales and the Marriage Record of Telesfor Chavez and Maria Manuela Montoya.]

Kathy Sanchez Avila also posted on Facebook that her 2nd great-grandfather Jose Mauricio Chavez y Baca owned property that eventually became the Alamo Navajo Reservation. [Sanchez Avila, 2025.] Jose (Mauricio) Chavez y Baca’s family can be found in a community called Santa Rita in the 1900 census. [1900 Santa Rita Census] According to place name historian, Robert Julyan, Santa Rita is a community later known as Riley, which was 20 miles north of Magdalena, near the Rio Salado. [Julyan, pp. 290-291] A Google Map search indicates that Riley is indeed near the Alamo Navajo Reservation and the Rio  Salado. [Google Maps, 2025]

There is quite a lot more that can be written about Jose Mauricio Chavez y Baca and his family. For example, they are descended from founders of the Socorro Land Grant. However, I will leave that family history for a later post.

As I was writing this post, I found one more property transfer. Apparently, Martiniano Chavez y Castillo and his wife sold property to Juan Baca y Luna 10 days after they bought property from Juan, for the price of "one dollar & other valuable considerations...."   [Socorro County (New Mexico). County Recorder, images 377 & 378] I have not yet found the deed that later transferred this property to someone else.

Follow this link to view images of the three deeds mentioned in this article. I've also included 9 generation ancestral narrative reports for both my grandfather Robert Bourguignon Baca and Martiniano Chavez y Castillo.

Works Cited

Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Roll # 16994.

Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Roll # 16997.

Baca, Edward R. Facebook, Comment on Robert James Baca's September 1, 2025 Facebook post, "Baca Family sells property in Magdalena, New Mexico", 2 September 2025, www.facebook.com. Accessed 7 September 2025.

1885 U.S. Census, Valencia County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, Jarales, enumeration district (ED) 37, p. 2, dwelling # 14, family # 14, Jose Baca y Chavez; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2021).

1890 Special U.S. Census: Surviving Soldier, Sailors and Marines, and Widows, Etc., Socorro County, Territory of New MExico, special schedule, Precinct No. 4, enumeration district (ED) 83, p. 1, house # 291, family #291, Philip Bourguignon; digital images,.

1860 U.S. Census, Socorro County, New Mexico, population schedule, Town of Lemitar, p. 63, dwelling # 648, family #580, Louis Baca; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 March 2010).

Family Search (www.familysearch.org : accessed 2 September 2025), image, "Marriage Record: Telesfor Chavez and Maria Manuela Montoya, 30 July 1902," image # 121.

Google Map search: Riley, New Mexico.” Google Maps, 7 September 2025, https://maps.app.goo.gl/X6zknd5pVRV4rDWt7. Accessed 7 September 2025.

Julyan, Robert. The place names of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, 1996.

Margaret Leonard Windham editor, New Mexico 1850 Territorial Census, Vol. II: Rio Arriba and Santa Ana Counties (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1976.).

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 (Alburqu.

Microfilm # 16734, Belen Marriages 1856-1911, 1917-1956," Family Search, FamilySearch.org (www.familysearch.org : accessed 7 July 2021), digial image, "marriage record: Martriano Chavez and Magdalena Casatillo, 10 February 1873," image # 90

“Microfilm # 16994, Church Records 1821-1956, Catholic Church. San Miguel (Socorro, New Mexico)," Family Search, FamilySearch.org (www.familysearch.org : accessed 21 May 2018), digital image, "baptism: Juan Vaca, 11 February 1871," image # 82.

Microfilm # 16994, Church Records 1821-1956, Catholic Church. San Miguel (Socorro, New Mexico)," Family Search, FamilySearch.org (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 June 2021), baptism, "Carolina Bourguignon, 13 July 1882, image # 233.

1900 U.S. Census, Socorro County, New Mexico, population schedule, Precinct No. 31, Santa Rita, enumeration district (ED) 151, sheet 5A, dwelling # 49, family # 52, Jose Chavez y Baca; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 July 2021).

1910 U.S. Census, Socorro County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, Precinct No. 2, Lemitar, enumeration district (ED) 243, sheet 5B, dwelling # 77, family # 79, Juan Baca; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 November 2.

1920 U.S. Census, Socorro County, New Mexico, population schedule, Precinct No. 2, Lemitar, enumeration district (ED) 150, sheet 4 B, dwelling # 83, family #84, Juan Baca; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 November 2019).

Sanchez Avila, Kathy. “Comment on Robert James Baca's September 1, 2025 Facebook post "Baca family sells property in Magdalena, New Mexico."” Facebook, 1 September 2025, www.facebook.com. Accessed 7 September 2025.

Socorro, New Mexico, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https:// www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK6-245G?view=fullText : Aug 27, 2025), image 360 and 361 of 1594; Socorro County (New Mexico). County Recorder. Image Group Number: 00814.

"Socorro, New Mexico, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://

www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK6-2WD1?view=fullText : 

Sep 9, 2025), image 377 & 378 of 1594; Socorro County (New Mexico). County Recorder. Image Group Number: 008148668

Socorro, New Mexico, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https:// www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK6-DS4D-Z?view=fullText : Sep 7, 2025), image 1277 & 1278 of 1598; Socorro County (New Mexico). County Recorder. Image Group N.

Transcription and Translation of Separation of Philip Bourguignon and Maria Tomas Gonzales

I posted last year about the separation of Philip Bourguignon and Maria Tomasa Gonzales. However, I didn't have a full translation. By the miracle of ChatGPT, I was able to transcribe and translate the court documents that plaintiff Philip Bourguignon requested and received custodianship of his children "Margarita, Felipe, Andrea, Eduardo, Trinidad, Jesús, and Luis Bourguignon, all of whom are minors due to their age and otherwise under legal age." He received custody of his children on 22 February 1872.

It does not appear that the couple was formally divorced, and in fact they got back together. Philip and Tomasa had five children after this separation: Pabla, Elisa, Charles, Federico, and my great-grandmother Carolina. 

There is no indication why they separated and why Philip requested custody of his own children.

Click on the link below to see the documents in my Evernote app. The transcription and translation are below the images.

Separation of Philip Bourguignon and Maria Tomasa Gonzales 

Temporary Separation - Philip Bourguignon and Maria Tomasa Gonzales

 In a previous post that I made years ago, I mentioned that I had a copy of a 1872 record that provided for a legal separation between my 2nd great-grandparents Philip Bourguignon and Maria Tomasa Gonzales. In the document, Philip Bourguignon was given full custody of their children. I found this document to be interesting, because the Bourguignons would have at least two children a decade later - one of them being my great-grandmother Carolina Bourguinon. So it was obvious that they did not divorce.

The document is in Spanish, and my ability to read Spanish is limited. I had asked for someone to translate it for me, and the late Francisco Sisneros had offered to do it for me. Unfortunately, at some point before I could get it translated, I lost my copy.

Well, I found it again on Ancestry! As such, I'm asking if someone would make a translation of the full document for me. Here is the link! If you do not have a subscirption to Ancestry, I can send you images instead. The document can be found on pages 143 to 146 of the book. 

Update 6/16/2022: Andres Armijo and I met over the phone yesterday and he helped me translate the document. It's very much boilerplate legal language, but it was still interesting to see the process that Philip Bourguignon used to gain custody of his children during his temporary separation from Maria Tomasa Gonzales. There is also a hint of a possible future separation or divoce proceeding in district court, which I need to search for to see if it actually occured.

When I publish an article about the family, I won't quote or publish a word-for-word translation of the documents. I took notes during my conversation with Andres, but we agreed that we didn't need to translate the entire series of documents. It's all standard wording, so I don't think that we needed that. Instead, I'll summarize the documents. There is some interesting genealogy that I can do with this by looking into the family trees of the various people mentioned in the documents - such as guarantors, justices of the peace and the probate judge.

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.

Two Bourguignon siblings are caught ill - February 1905

According to the "Notas de Lemitar" in the February 4, 1905 issue of the Socorro Chieftain, siblings Charles Bourguignon and Carolina (Bourguignon) Baca were hit hard by the flu or a cold. Did they catch it from each other?

Carolina Bourguignon was the wife of Juan C. de Baca y Luna. Juan and Carolina Baca were my great-grandparents.

El joven Charles Bourguignon ha estado en cama por algunos dias de un fuerte ataque del trancaso (grip.)

The young Charles Bourguignon has been in bed for a few days of a strong attack "del trancaso" ("of the grip" - or, in other words, the flu.)

La señora de Don Juan Baca, Doña Carolina, hace días que está en cama á resultas de un fuerte resfrío que la fatiga mucho.

Roughly translated: "Doña Carolina, the wife of Don Juan Baca, has been in bed for days due to fatigue from the cold."

Below is the complete column "Notas de Lemitar" that includes paragraphs about other Lemitar residents:

 

I used the website BabelFish for this translation. www.babelfish.com. 

Source:

The Socorro chieftain. (Socorro, N.M.), 04 Feb. 1905. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Jose Leon Benavidez

Sometimes I get comments about my blog posts within a day or two of posting them. That's the case of my article "Descendants of Ramon Baca".

 

Ramon Baca was my 2nd great grandfather on my mother's side (my mom being a Baca, too.) I recently discovered an 1885 census record of Ramon's family, and I posted that on my blog. (Click here to read.)

 

I decided to revise the information that I had on Ramon's family, and I linked a descendant chart to my "Descendants of Ramon Baca" post.

 

One of the people that was mentioned in the chart was Jose Leon Benavidez. Jose Leon Benavidez was the father in-law of one of Ramon Baca's grandsons, Hilario Gonzales, Jr.

 

Larry , a distant cousin of mine, responded to my post:

 

“Jose Leon Benavidez is my dad's maternal grandfather. I used to visit him in Lemitar, NM. I remember going over to see him and he had a wagon in the back that I used to play on. He only spoke Spanish so I never spoke to him since I don't speak Spanish. He would just rock on his rocking chair on the porch while my dad would visit with him. He was very old as I remember.

“He had a daughter named Prescilla Benavidez who married Hilario Gonzales who I am named after ... Hilario Gonzales died when my dad was only 1 1/2 years old. My grandmother Prescilla never remarried. Jose Leon Benavidez told his sons that whoever took in Prescilla and took care of her would get his property. My great-uncle Julian Benavidez had just lost his wife so he took in Prescilla and her children. So my dad was raised by his Uncle Julian....

“However, Benavidez is not the family name. I believe Gomocindo Benavidez who is Jose Leon Benavidez's father was taken in by the Benavidez family because they were abandoned by their father whose last name was Rael. I don't know his first name.... So if you try to look up the Benavidez family tree you will have to look for a Rael also.”

 

Based on this information, Larry is my 3rd cousin. BUT WAIT, let me go back to an article I posted on 15 March 2010: "My Maternal Baca Family: Part II".  In that article, I wrote this:

 

"Coincidentally, the younger Hilario Gonzales was my paternal grandfather's 1st cousin through their mutual grandparents Philip Bourguignon and Tomasa Gonzales. That would make Hilario and Prescila's grandchildren my double third cousins."  

 

Therefore, Larry is my DOUBLE 3rd cousin.

 

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! In an email giving me permission to post his comments on this blog, Larry reminded me that he had a photo of my great-grandparents Estevan Zimmerly and Delfina Torres' wedding. He is also descended from Delfina's parents, Jose Epitacio Torres and Maria Guadalupe Padilla! So he's a fairly close cousin to me three times - once on my paternal grandfather's side (Philip Bourguignon), once on my matenal grandfather's side (Ramon Baca), and once on my maternal grandmother's side (Jose Epitacio Torres!) I'm not sure if he is a triple 3rd cousin, or a double 3rd cousin and also a 2nd cousin or 3rd cousin, once removed, but it's an interesting coincidence that he is related to me so many times within five generations of my family.

 

When I finally meet Larry, I wonder if we'll look a lot alike.

 

 

Bourguignon descendants

Below is a PDF document that I created that shows the descendants of my 2nd great grandfather Phillip Bourguignon. It is not complete. However, I do believe it includes all of his children.

If you have any additional information that you would like to add to my research, please send me an email at abqbobcat@nmia.com.  - Robert J. C. Baca.

Descendants of Philip Bourguignon

1885 Census of Bourguignon Family of Lemitar

Recently, I created a blank form that could be used for the 1885 Census. This special census was taken by only a handful of states and territories including the Territory of New Mexico. Since the 1890 census was mostly destroyed, this census is helpful in finding information about our ancestors between the periods of 1880 and 1900.

Click on this link to print up a free copy of the blank form for the 1885 Census.

I decided to test out this form by transcribing the record for my 2nd Great-Grandfather Philip Bourguignon. Philip was a Union Civil War soldier from Germany. As you can tell, he had a very large family: there are 9 children listed in the census. I had to create an 11th line to include all of the family!

The town is listed as "Limitar". This was a common spelling at the time. Presently, the town is spelled "Lemitar". Lemitar is located about 7 miles north of Socorro on I-25.

Although it was not mentioned in the census, Philip's wife's maiden name was Tomasa Gonzales.


Bourguignon 1885 Census Transcription

One thing that I discovered in this census was that Philip was a teacher! That's one more educator in my family. I wonder what he taught?

Source:
1885, Socorro County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, Precinct No. 2: Limitar, p. 88, dwelling # 56, family #65, Philip Bourguignon; digital images, Ancestry Library Edition  (www.ancestrylibrary.com : Accessed 29 September 2012).

Baca cousin writes article about his roots

Edward Baca, one of my dad's cousins, wrote an article in the Dallas Morning News about his family. Coincidentally, he is also related to me through my mom's side. His mother was my maternal grandmother's first cousin.

In the article, he talks about his three great-grandfathers who were posted at Ft. Craig: Philip Bourguignon, Samuel Zimmerly, and Richard Stackpole. Bourguignon and Zimmerly are my 2nd great grandfathers; Stackpole is not related to me.

He also writes about other ancestors, including Cristobal Baca and Cristobal de Torres. It's a really good article. Read it by clicking on the link below.

Edward Baca of East Dallas: My roots help me better appreciate how different cultures can mix News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Opinion: Viewpoints

Posted using ShareThis

Photos of my father's Baca Family, 1950

Below is a photo sent to me by my cousin Ed Baca:

This is a picture of Juan and Carolina (Bourguignon)Baca with their children, at their 50th Anniversary, April 1950.

Kneeling L to R: Martin B. Baca, Philip B. Baca
Standing L to R: Robert B. Baca, Priscilla B. Baca, Lorenzo B. Baca, Juan Baca y Luna, Carolina Bourguignon Baca

Juan and Carolina Baca were my paternal grandfather's parents. Robert B. Baca was my grandfather.

I have a similiar photo that shows Juan and Carolina alone. This was given to me by my aunt Theresa.



Based on the clothing and the background, it seems to have been taken at the same time.

1890 Census - Special Schedule - Philip Bourguignon

In 1890, the United States did a special schedule of Civil War era surviving soldiers and widows. My 2nd great grandfather Philip Bourguignon was listed on this schedule.

He was listed as a sargeant in the Company F of the 1st U.S. Cavalry. He enlisted on 4 December 1848 and was discharged on 11 September 1861. His residence at the time was Socorro, Socorro County, New Mexico. He had rhuematism and was pensioned.

Other soldiers and widows listed on this particular schedule are Presicilliana Melton, widow of Thomas Melton; Washington Wise; John Ryan; and James D. Mitten (?)

Click on the image below to get a larger view of the document.

This document was retrieved from Ancestry.com on 7 November 2007.

Photo: Juan and Carolina (Bourguignon) Baca

Below is a photo of Juan and Carolina (Bourguignon) Baca.

Click on the following posts about this couple:

* Juan Baca's Baptismal Record
* Marriage Record
* Tombstone

Marriage Record: Juan Baca and Carolina Bourguignon

Document view.

Part of this record is difficult to read, but I was able to figure out the following facts:

1.) On 9 April 1900 at the San Miguel Parish in Socorro (New Mexico), Juan Baca, single, son of Martin Baca, deceased, and Rita Luna of Lemitar (New Mexico); married Carolina Bourguignon, single, daughter of Felipe Bourguignon, deceased, and Tomasa Gonzalez of Lemitar.

2.) A prenuptial investigation was performed on the couple, and it was discovered that they were related in the 3rd degree of consanguinity.

3.) The witnesses were Eliseo Sanchez and Clarita Garcia. The officiating priest was Philberto Martin.

A transcription of portions of this record can be found in the reference below. I used the transcription to help me decipher parts of the record.

Matrimonios San Miguel del Socorro, Our Lady of Sorrows de La Joya, San Marcial y San Ignacio y San Cristobal, (Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico. Albuquerque, NM. 1999), p. 232.

Juan Baca and Carolina Bourguignon were indeed related in the 3rd degree of consanguinity. They were 2nd cousins. Below is a chart that I created to show their relationship (it was not in the original document) :

Jose Joaquin de Luna

father of

Francisco de Luna *** siblings *** Maria de Jesus de Luna

parents of

Maria Luna *** cousins *** Tomasa Gonzalez

parents of

Juan Baca *** 2nd cousins *** Carolina Bourguignon

Socorro County Post Offices

Here is a list of Socorro County Post Offices and the postmasters of those offices. My 2nd great-grandfather Philip Bourguignon was the first postmaster of Lemitar, New Mexico beginning in 10 January 1866 and working there intermediately between postmasters until 1885.

From the site, here is a list of Lemitar, New Mexico postmasters from 1866 to 1974:

LEMITAR

Philip Bourguignon January 10, 1866
Jules L. Barbey December 5, 1866
Jose Armijo Y. Gabaldon January 24, 1867
Philip Bourguignon November 12, 1869
Pablo Montoya October 30, 1871
Philip Bourguignon February 14, 1872
Discontinued - April 22, 1872
Philip Bourguignon February 10, 1873
Jose Baca October 22, 1874
Discontinued - October 24, 1877
Jacinto Sanchez January 6, 1880 Discontinued - June 1, 1880
Philip Bourguignon February 26, 1883
H. L. Ortiz November 27, 1885
Discontinued - February 5, 1886
Clemente Castillo June 28, 1893
Leonor M. de Sanchez June 19, 1899
Meliton Gonzales January 9, 1904
Victor Lopez February 24, 1909
Antonio E. Gonzales April 9, 1937
Ramona V. Gonzales September 30, 1952
Armida Crespin October 25, 1974

This page can be found on the New Mexico ALHN site.

This post was revised at 9:41 AM on 2 August 2007.

Received record from 1872 Probate Journal - Bourguignon

Photo: Philip Bourguignon

A couple of years ago, I discovered an abstract in the New Mexico Genealogist about a suit from my 2nd great grandfather Felipe Bourguignon requesting for a separation from his wife Tomasita Gonzales de Bourguignon and guardianship of his six children Margarita, Felipe, Andrea, Eduardo, Maria de Jesus and Louis. The suit was made on 21 February 1872 in Socorro County.

This was intriguing because I had never heard that Felipe tried to separate from my 2nd great grandmother Tomasita. It is especially interesting since I know that they did not actually divorce at this time since they would later have another couple of children a decade later: my great grandmother Carolina (3 July 1882) and her brother Francisco (28 December 1884.) I wanted to know why they separated. The abstract did not give any details.

A few weeks ago I requested the actual document from the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives. According to the abstract the document could be found in the Probate Journal of Socorro County, New Mexico, Book M: Wills Testements and Inventories, pages 143-146. I received the document from the state archives today. There is only one problem: it is written in Spanish.

I understand a little Spanish, enough to understand that this is indeed the document I was looking for. However, I can't figure out the details. Therefore, the next step if for me to find someone to translate this. Once I get it translated, I will post the translation on this blog.

References:

Greene, Priscilla Innerbilcher, abstractor, "Probate Journal 1870-1874, Socorro County, New Mexico, Book M: Wills, Testements and Inventories Part 2" in The New Mexico Genealogist, Volume 39, No.4 (December 2000) p. 187.

Personal tombstone research (for Carolina Bourguignon's birthdate.)

Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Roll # 16994 (for Francisco Bourguignon's birtdate.)

1870 Census: Philip and Tomasa Bourguignon

Below is the census record for Philip Bourguignon, Tomasa Gonzales and family.

This record can be found on the web page 1870 Federal Census Socorro County, New Mexico Territory (File 3 of 17).

Precinct # 2: Lemitar. Territory: New Mexico. County: Socorro. Enumerated by J. M. Shaw on August 7, 1870.

Dwelling 46; Family 42.

Page 467B.

Bouguignon, Philip, 42 years old, Male, White, general merchant, Real Value $2,000, Personal Property $1,500, Birthplace: Darmstadt *, father and mother foreign born, eligible to vote.

Page 468A.

Bouguignon, Tomasa,28 years old, Female, White, keeping house, born in New Mexico.

Bouguignon, Margarita, 12 years old, Female, White, born in New Mexico, father foreign born, in school within the year.

Bourguignon, Philip,10 year old, Male, White, born in New Mexico, father foreign born, in school within the year.

Bouguignon, Andrea, 8 years old, Female, White, born in New Mexico, father foreign born, in school within the year.

Bouguignon, Edward, 6 years old, Male, White, born in New Mexico, father foreign born.

Bouguignon, Jesus Maria, 3 years old, Male, White, born in New Mexico, father foreign born.

Bouguignon, Louis, 3/12 years old, Male, White, born in New Mexico, born in March of this year.

Lopez, Jose, 18 years old, Male, White, laborer, born in New Mexico

Gonzales, Maria, 18 years old, Female, White, domestic servant, born in New Mexico.

*Hesse Darmstadt, Germany

Website Link: Fort Craig National Historic Site

I found a site for Fort Craig at

http://www.nm.blm.gov/sfo/fort_craig/fort_craig_home.htm

Fort Craig was a U.S. military outpost from 1854 to 1885. The Civil War battle of Velverde was fought nearby by soldiers from the fort.

Two of my 2nd Great Grandfathers served at Fort Craig in the mid-1800s, Philip Bourguignon and Samuel Zimmerly. From what I can gather, Philip Bourguignon had been discharged from the army prior to the battle. Samuel Zimmerly was part of the California Column which entered New Mexico in response to the Confederate invasion. He did not take part in any Civil War battle either.