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. 

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.

Crespin Torres Family 1885 Census of Socorro, NM

Here is another transcription I did from the 1885 Census. This is of Jose Crespin Torres and his family. The record shows him simply as C. Torres, but I know that it is him based on the family information.

 

Source: 1885 U.S. Census, Socorrro County, Territory of New Mexico, population schedule, Precinct 1 and 24 City of Socorro, enumeration district (ED) 32, pp. 45-46, dwelling 540, C. Torres; digital images, Ancestry Library Edition (ancestrylibrary.com : accessed 29 September 2012).

Below is a descendant chart that I did for Jose Crespin Torres. The sources are within the document.



Both documents are copyright (c) 2012 by Robert J. C. Baca. 

Ramon Baca Family in the 1885 Luis Lopez, NM Census

Below is my transcription of my 2nd great grandparent's family in the 1885 Luis Lopez, New Mexico census. Ramon Baca was married to Anastasia (Padilla) Baca. The census shows that this couple had eight children. However, there are a few mistakes in the census record.

First, the record shows that Juliana is "male". Juliana Baca, the future wife of Jose Leon Benavidez, is most obviously female. Second, Gabriel, Serito, and Maximiano, although listed as male, are also listed as daughters of Ramon Baca. The last example, although not technically a mistake, is hard to read. Line # 10 on my transcription has what looks like Rouol, a duaghter who was what may be 3 years old in 1885. Is this actually Raquel? Later census records will show Raquel born in 1884. Maybe what looks like a 3 is not actually a 3, but another number. However, the enumerator did not write down the name clearly enough and there does not appear to be a "q" in the name.

The record shows that Ramon and his teenage sons Gabriel and Serito were farmers. This is not a surprise: I've found this information in many other documents. Gabriel and Serito probably worked on their father's farm.



Source:

1885 United States Census, Socorro County, (Territory of) New Mexico, population schedule, Precinct 21 Luis Lopez, enumeration district (ED) 32, p. 138, dwelling 28, families 29, Ramon Baca; digital image, Ancestry Library Edition (ancestrylibrary.com : accessed 29 September 2012).

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

Images of 1930 US Census Showing Crespin Torres' Descendants

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Maurine Pool wrote a blog post on the Torres Family NM Genealogy and History Blog about the Torres family in the 1930 United States Census. The post was titled "1930 Snapshot". It was a good piece, but I wanted to add a little bit more to that article. Therefore, I went on to Footnote.com last week and found the images of the actual census records. They are below. Click on the images to get a larger view of them.



Go back to Maurine's article to read about the specifics of these records (link.)

Ignacio Torres family, Socorro, New Mexico

Ignacio Torres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Socorro City, enumeration district 27-1, page 5A, dwelling 80, family 83, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Tomas and Guadalupe Olguin Family, Valverde, New Mexico

Tomas Olguin household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Val Verde precinct 15, enumeration district 27-13, page 1A, dwelling 12, family 12, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Vivian and Dolores Stapleton and the Rogerio Torres family, Socorro, New Mexico

Vivian Stapleton household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Socorro City, enumeration district 27-1, page 2B, dwelling 37, family 39, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

RogerioTorres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Socorro City, enumeration district 27-1, page 2B, dwelling 34, family 36, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Jose Torres family, Fresno, California

Jose T. Torres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of California, Fresno County, Fresno City, enumeration district 10-25, page 63A, dwelling 548, family 559, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Apolonio Torres Family, Los Angeles, California

Apolonio Torres household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of California, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, enumeration district 19-557, page 10B, dwelling 303, family 309, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

The widow Domitila Sanchez, and her family, including her father Crespin Torres, in Los Angeles, California




Domitila Sanchez household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of California, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, enumeration district 19-704, page 40A, dwelling 241, family 332, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).


Juan Jose Montoya family (grandson of Crespin Torres), in Tucson, Arizona.

Juan Jose Montoya household, 1930 U. S. census, population schedule, State of Arizona, Pima County, Tucson City, enumeration district 10-43, page 23B, dwelling 474, family 484, retrieved 27 March 2010, digital image, Footnote.com (www.footnote.com).

Census Records of Martin Baca and his son Juan Baca

A photo of Juan and Carolina (Bourguignon) Baca, and their children, taken on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary (April, 1950). Kneeling left to right: Martin B. Baca, Philip B. Baca. Standing left to right: Robert B. Baca, Priscilla B. Baca, Lorenzo B. Baca, Juan Baca y Luna, Carolina Bourguignon Baca.

Photo courtesy of Ed Baca.

Martin Baca is my second great-grandfather on my dad's direct paternal line. His son Juan, was my great-grandfather. Martin Baca was the son of Jose Mateo Mauricio Cabeza de Baca, who, himself, was the son of my 4th great-grandfather Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca and his second wife Ana Maria Sanchez.

In 1860, Martin shows up in Lemitar, New Mexico with his brothers. (Click on the image to get a closer look.)

Source: Louis Baca household, 1860 U. S. census, population schedule, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Town of Lemitar, page 63, dwelling # 648, family # 580; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/).

A close up of the family record shows Louis Baca, a 30 year old male; Ramona, a 25 year female (most likely his wife); three young girls Beatriz, 11 years old; Jesusa (?), 5 years old; and Trinidad, 2 years old. Most likely these girls are the children of Louis and Ramona Baca. Listed in the household are Louis' brothers Juan de Dios, 26; and Martin, 22. Three female servants and another girl are listed: Rita (?), 27 ; Clara Baca, Indian, 27; Librada (Baca), also listed as an Indian (Clara's child?), 11 years old; and Jesusa (?), a 15 year old. (Click on the image to get a closer look.)

The 1870 census of Lemitar, New Mexico shows Martin Baca with his wife Rita Luna and three of their children. My great-grandfather Juan was not in this record because he would not be born until 10 February 1871.



Source: Martin Baca household, 1870 U. S. census, population schedule, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Town of Lemitar, page 13, dwelling # 117, family # 111; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com.



A close up of the record shows Martin Baca, 28 years old; his wife Rita; and their children Ramona 7, Miguel 6 and Adelida, 1.




I did not find the family in the 1880 census. Due to a fire, there is no 1890 census for New Mexico.

The next time I find the Baca family, Juan Baca and his wife Carolina Bourguignon are listed with his mother Rita (Luna)Baca.

Source: Juan Baca household, 1900 U. S. census, population schedule, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Town of Lemitar, supervisor district # 170, enumeration district # 136, page 22A, dwelling # 127, family # 128; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com.

A close-up of the record shows that the couple are newlyweds. It says that Juan Baca, born March 1872 (sic); and his wife Carolina, born June 1882 (sic); were married for 1 year and had no children. In reality, they had been married only a few months prior, on 9 April 1900. Included in the household is Juan's mother, Rita Baca, who, according to this record, was born in May 1844. Interestingly enough, it shows that Rita gave birth to only one child, and only one child was living. This does not seem to be correct.


The 1910 US census shows a larger household. Rita is no longer living with her son. It is possible that she passed away by this time.

Source: Juan Baca household, 1910 U.S. Census, Territory of New Mexico, Socorro County, Precinct # 2 Lemitar, supervisor's district # 181, enumeration district # 203, sheet # 5B, dwelling # 77, family # 79, digital image retrieve 6 March 2010, Ancestry.com.

A close up shows Juan Baca, 38; and his wife Carolina, 26. They had been married 10 years; Carolina gave birth to 4 children, with only three surviving. Their three child are also listed: two boys Lorenzo, 6 years old and Roberto (my grandfather), 4 years old; and one 7 month old girl, whose name is hard to read. I don't know of this daughter. The only daughter I know is of Prescilla, who would not have been born yet.

The deceased child may have been a Juan Felipe Baca. I show that Carolina gave birth to a Juan Felipe Baca on 15 January 1903. This is not the same Felipe Baca who was be born after this census was taken. It appears that the other Felipe died early, possibly at birth.

The 1920 census shows all of the family that lived on until at least the 1950s, minus for one son: Martin. I'm assuming he was born after this census was taken.

Source: Juan Baca household, 1920 U.S. Census, State of New Mexico, Socorro County, Precinct # 2: Lemitar, supervisor's district #211, enumeration district # 150, sheet 4B, dwelling #83, family # 84; digital image retrieved 6 March 2010, ancestry.com.

A close up of this record shows 48 year old Juan Baca, with his 36 wife Carolina B. Their children are listed as sons Lorenzo, 15; Roberto, 12; Felipe 7; and the one daughter Precila, 4 years old.

I could not find a 1930 census record for this family.

Dolores and Epitacio, Part II

As I mentioned in a post yesterday, I was confused about the birthdates of the siblings Dolores Torres and Epitacio Torres. To recap, according to the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center's book "Bautismos San Miguel del Socorro", Maria Dolores Torres was born on 16 March 1858 (p.68), while Jose Epitacio was born on 23 May 1858 (p.71.) This would be seemingly impossible: even twins are not born three months apart.



After posting, I received an e-mail from Johnathan, which said:

Mr. Baca,

I would just look at the actual entries for both baptisms. The year for one or the other was transcribed incorrectly. Her baptism shows a note that the page was torn.

It has happened before and will happen again....

Certainly, transcriptions can have errors. Therefore, yesterday I went to the Albuquerque Special Collections Library to look at the microfilm of the actual baptismal records. Epitacio's record is fairly clear; Dolores' was not. Below are images from the film (Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, microfilm # 1930433.)

The first image is a close up of page 145 of the baptismal book. On the top of the page, you will find Epitacio's baptismal record. It does not indicate the year on this page, but previous pages show the year 1858 on top. They seem to follow an orderly monthly sequence that would make this record fall in the same year.



The record shows Epitacio was baptized on the "viente y siete dias de mayo", or the 27th of May, and that he was born four days previous. The record says that Epitacio is the "hijo leg. de Valentin Torres y Maria Josefa Ortiz", which translates to mean that he was the legitimate son of Valentin and Josefa. Click on the image below to get a larger view.

Below is the full page view of pages 145 and 146. Click on the image below to get a larger view.

Dolores Torres' baptismal record is very difficult to read. I looked over this one again and again. The dates are obscured to me. It does seem to read, though, that she was the "hija leg." of Valentin Torres and (illegible - although, it does look like it might read "Josefa Ortiz".) Her record is the third from the bottom. Click on the image for a larger view.

A full view of pages 133 and 134 shows a date on p. 134. That date is hard to read though. It appears to be "Ano 18??". 1858, or another date? Click on the image for a larger view.

One thing I noticed when I was researching this question is that the editors of "Bautismos San Miguel de Socorro" decided to put the baptisms in chronological order. Because they did this, they skip through pages of microfilm. For instance, Maria Dolores Torres, baptized 17 May 1858, is on page 133 of the microfilm; while Benito Chavez, baptized on 21 March 1858, is on page 139; and Abraham Lucero, baptized on 22 March 1858, is back on page 133. Although it is possible that the priest skipped pages when writting down the information, it does make me wonder if the records on page 133 were actually written a year before the ones on page 139.



I also looked at census records to see if they could help me. They just seemed to confuse the matter even more.



In a post back in November 2007, I posted an image of the 1900 Census record that showed Epitacio's family. Click on this link to see the image. Family and household # 288 shows Epitacio as being born on May 1859, not May 1858!

Yesterday, I pulled up an image from Ancestry.com of the Manuel Gallegos household in the 1900 Census. Although I'm not 100% sure that this is actually Maria Dolores Torres' family (It has them as Manuel G. and Maria D.), it does appear to be that family. This record shows "Maria D." as having a birth date of March 1856. The record also says that Manuel G. and Maria D. were married 26 years prior, which is about the right amount of time, figuring that the couple in question was married on 21 August 1873.

Click on the image below for a larger view.


Source: 1900 United States Census, Precinct # 1, County of Socorro, Territory of New Mexico, Sheet 10B, Dwelling #244, Family #244, retrived 27 February 2010, www.ancestry.com


More research needs to be done before anything conclusive is determined. Once again, if anyone has anything to add to this discussion, either post a comment on my blog or send me an email at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

Click here to read the first part of this discussion.

Crespin Torres in Los Angeles, California - 1930

My cousin Maurine once told me that there was a 1930 census record of my 2nd great-grandfather Crespin Torres living in California. At the time, he was living with his daughter, Domitila Sanchez. Today, Maurine posted on the Torres Family NM Genealogy and History Blog an image of that census record. Indeed, Crespin was living with his daughter's family at that time in Los Angeles, California. Click on this link to read Maurine's post.

In 2007, Maurine gave me a photo of Crespin at his daughter Domitila's home. I posted it at this link.

Signor (Sydnor) Hanks family in the 1850 US Census

Below is the 1850 Census record for my wife's 2nd great grandparents Sydnor and Elizabeth Hanks (Family # 183.) This enumeration shows the following family members:

Signor Hanks, 38 years old, male, farmer ("), $1,500 in real property, born in Kentucky
Elizabeth (Hanks), 29 years old, female, born in Kentucky, person over 20 years old who cannot read or write.
Elijah (Hanks), 13 years old, male, born in Kentucky
Susan J. (Hanks), 11 years old, female, born in Indiana
Sarah F. (Hanks), 9 years old, female, born in Indiana
Matilda (Hanks), 7 or 8 (?) years old, female, born in Indiana

From this record, it appears that the family moved from Kentucky to Indiana between 1837 and 1839, which would be the birth years of Elijah (born in Kentucky) and Susan F. (born in Indiana.)

My wife's great-grandfather John William Hanks would not be born until 1856, which is the reason that he was not listed in this census.

I was researching this information because my sister-in-law had questions about Susan J. Hanks.

See also The Sydnor Hanks Family - 1860 Census and the 1870 Census.





Signor Hanks family, 1850 U. S. census, enumeration schedule, state of Indiana, Hamblin township, Brown County, dwelling # 183, family # 186, retrieved 28 November 2009; digital image, Records Search, pilot site, Family Search website (pilot.familysearch.org).

John William Hanks Family, 1900 U.S. Census

I found my wife's great-grandparents in the 1900 United States Census of Sergeant Township, Douglas County, Illinois. John William Hanks and Amanda Ann Craven were her paternal grandmother's parents. They are listed here in dwelling # 209, household # 209, as John and Mandy A. Hanks. Their daughter Ethel M., who is listed on the record as being 3 years old, was my wife's grandmother.

Click on the image below to get a better view of this record:

I retrieved this page today from the Family Search, Records Search website. Click on this link to go to that site.

1880 Socorro County, ED 45 (Complete) Census Online

The following links were posted on the "Socorro - Family History and Genealogy Message Board"

* 1880 Socorro County Census ED 44 - Partial
- abstracted by Virginia Grace, second transcriber Kathy Whitney

* 1880 Socorro County Census ED 45
- abstracted by Virginia Grace, second transcriber Kathy Whitney

For more information on Socorro County, please visit the NMGenWeb page at http://www.usgenweb.org/nm.

Click to read the message post.

Estevan Zimmerly in Albuquerque - 1920

I was searching the HeritageQuest Online census database when I came across an interesting fact: My great-grandfather Estevan Zimmerly and his family were living in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1920!

It appears that they lived on 901 1/2 South Second St., or South Lucent St., maybe - I have difficulting reading it. Their housemates were a Vicente C. Pino and his family.

Estevan's family were: Estevan, head, male, white, 30 yrs old, married; Adelfina, wife, female, white, 27 years old, married; Pablita (my grandmother), daughter, female, white, 9 years old, single; Guadalupe, daughter, female, white, 7 years old, single; "Gertruditas" (Gertudes), daughter, female, white, 5 years old, single; and Estevan, son, male, white, 3 9/12 years old, single. Estevan is listed as a laborer at a saw mill, while his housemate Vicente Pino is a merchant. I think that the house probably belonged to Vicente Pino since he was a merchant and because Estevan didn't live in Albuquerue for very long. Maybe the store that the Pinos owned was in the house.

I'll have to check this information against the Albuquerque city directory. I'll probably go to the library tomorrow to check it out.



Source:

Estevan Zimmerly household, 1920 U.S. Census, Bernalillo County, New Mexico, population schedule, city of Albuquerque, enumeration district 20, supervisor's district 211, sheet 7B, dwelling 230, family 271, HeritageQuest Online http://www.heritagequestonline.com , retrieved 25 March 2009.

Genealogical Databases at the Rio Rancho Library

The Rio Rancho Library website has links to a number of databases that can be accessed online. Many of them, such as FamilySearch and Rootsweb, can already be accessed without using the library website; while Ancestry.com Library edition can only be be accessed by visiting the library and using their computers. However, there is one database that patrons can access for free through the library website. If you have a Rio Rancho Library card - or even a Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library card - you can get on to Heritage Quest Online for free.

Although Heritage Quest is not quite as good as Ancestry.com, it does have some good databases. For instance:

* U.S. Census records. You may search certain censuses: 1790 - 1820; 1860-1920; and part of 1930. You may browse any census from 1790-1930.

* Over 22,000 family and local history books.

* Abstracts for over 2,000,000 genealogy and local history articles (you have to pay a fee to get the actual articles.)

* Selected records from the Revolutionary War.

* Freedman's Bank records.

* U.S. Serials Set - memorials, petitions and private relief actions of the U.S. Congress.

Check it out!

Native American Genealogy

While searching for something completely different, I found a website that deals with Native American Genealogy. Looking up Native American roots can be tricky. One of the links on the site is to a blog on Suite101.com also called Native American Genealogy.

Being Hispanic, I definately have some Native American blood. Jose Tomas Candelaria is one of my Indian ancestors. The 1790 Census of Plaza No. 4 of Alburquerque enumerates his family:

(Family #) 155 Jose Tomas CANDELARIA, G(enizaro) , 20 (years old), shoemaker; m(arried) Anna M(aria) GALLEGOS, M(estiza), 15 (years old.) (1.)

A Genizaro is "an Indian who became part of the Spanish community and adopted the Spanish way of life". It is a term used almost exclusively in New Mexico. A Mestiza is a woman who has mixed Spanish and Indian blood. (2.)

Jose Tomas Candelaria is my 5th great grandfather.

1. Virginia Langham Olmsted, New Mexico Spanish and Mexican Colonial Censuses: 1790, 1823, 1845 (Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1975), p. 9. Hereinafter, "NM Censuses 1790, 1823, 1845".

2. Olmsted, "NM Censuses 1790, 1823, 1845", p. 1.

1819 Muster Roll of Soldiers from Belen and Sabinal

One of my favorite resources is the book "Rio Abajo: Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande Province" edited by Michael P. Marshall and Henry J. Walt. The book is an archealogical and historical survey of the New Mexico communities south of Belen. Included among the histories are transcriptions of historical documents, such as a "Review of Militia, Mayoralty of Belen, November 4, 1819" (pages 263-264.) This muster lists 50 men, their ranks, and the weapons they carried.

Since this book is copyrighted, I am not going to list the men here. However, if you are interested in finding out who is on the list, send me an e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

If you ever get a chance, find this book in a library or purchase yourself a copy. Amazon.com has used copies starting at $180.52. I would try to find it elsewhere. I found a $30 copy at a used bookstore once.

Valentin and Jose Epitacio Torres Household Census Records

Sometimes I discover interesting and mysterious facts on census records. For instance, it appears that my 3rd great grandparents Valentin and Josefa Torres had a servant by the name of Refugia Chaves (1860 census) and later had two wards: Nestor and Josefa Abeyta (1880 census.) Valentin's son, my 2nd great grandfather Jose Epitacio Torres, also had a servant: an 11 girl by the name of Antonia Escamios (1900 census.) There is no indication who these servants and wards were. In addition, these censuses list children of Valentin and Jose Epitacio that I did not discover through other types of records.

As with any other type of record, I'll need to do further research to verify the information that I found here. If you have any other information about this family that may help me with my research, please add a comment to this blog or send me an E-mail.

Click on the images below to view the census records

1860 United States Census: Town of Socorro, County of Socorro, Territory of New Mexico, page 13, dwelling # 107, family #105.

The household of Valentin and Josefa (Ortiz) Torres may be found on the bottom of the page. Twenty-four year old Valentin Torres was a laborer who had $250 in real property and $100 in personal property. No occupation was indicated for his wife. Their children included a daughter Dolores, a son Jose, and another daughter whose name is undecipherable. The Jose Torres listed on this record is most likely Jose Epitacio Torres. The record for this family continues on the next page....

1860 United States Census, Town of Socorro, County of Socorro, Territory of New Mexico, page 14.

On the next page of the same census record, one final name is listed for the Valentin Torres household: an 11 year old female servant by the name of Refugia Chavez. The only other information for this young lady was that she was born in New Mexico. There is no indication to her relationship to the family, if any.

1880 United States Census, Precinct #1 Town of Socorro, County of Socorro, Territory of Socorro, sheet 19, dwelling # 209, household #239.

This record shows Valentin and Josefa Torres, who were 44 and 41 years old respectively, and their son Jose Epitacio, who was 22. Two wards are also listed: Nestor Abeyta, 12, and Josefa Abeyta, 16. I do not know what was the relationship between the Abeyta children and the Torreses. It is possible that they may be related to the next family listed on the page: Jesus and Maria Abeyta.

1900 United States Census, City of Socorro, County of Socorro, Territory of New Mexico, Sheet # 12, Dwelling # 288, Family #288.

Jose Epitacio's family is enumerated as: head Jose E. Torres, 41; wife Guadalupe P., 41; daughter Josefina, 8; daughter Delfina (my great-grandmother), 7; son Valentin, 5; son Esteban, 3; and daughter Marienila (?) 1 year old. There was also a female servant listed: Antonia Escamios, 11 years old.

1910 United States Census, Precinct # 1, City of Socorro, County of Socorro, Territory of New Mexico, Sheet 22 A, Dwelling #20, Family #21.

Jose Epitacio's family is listed as follows: head Jose E. Torres, 51; wife Guadalupe 41; daughter Josefita, 18; son Valentin, 14; son Estevan, 12; daughter Mariana 10; son Felipe, 9; daughter Juana Maria, 7; and daughter Guadalupe Jr., 4. By this time, my great-grandmother Delfina was married and living in a different household.

1920 United States Census, Precinct # 1, City of Socorro, County of Socorro, State of New Mexico, p. 2A

Jose Epitacio's family is listed in dwelling #19, family # 26 on page 2A. The family is enumerated as such: head Jose E. Torres, 60; wife Lupe P, 49; son Valentin, 24; son Estevan, 22; son Felipe, 19; daughter Jennie, 17; daughter Lupe, 13; son Jose E, Jr., 7.

I found these images on Ancestry.com.

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.

Poole Family in 1930 U.S. Census

Viola Fern Poole was my wife's grandmother. Viola's parents were Thomas Watson Poole and Estelle Blanche Ryan. This family shows up in a 1930 Census of Redmond, Illinois. Click on this link to view this record.

I found this record at the Special Collections Library in Albuquerque, NM using the Ancestry.com website. Retrieved 20 October 2007.

Douglas Family in the 1930 U.S. Census

I discovered three census records from 1930 that show members of the Douglas family. Click on the underlined words below to pull up PDF files of these records.


* Hindsboro, Illinois, record # 1: This census includes the families of Ralph Douglas, Ray Douglas and William J. Douglas. Ralph was my wife's grandfather, Ray was Ralph's brother, and William J. was Ralph and Ray's father.

* Hindsboro, Illinois, record # 2: This census includes Bruce Douglas and his wife. Bruce was another of Ralph's brothers.

* Vermillion County, Indiana: This census includes Elmer Douglas and his wife Helen. This appears to be a record for another of Ralph's brothers.

I found these records at the Special Collections Library in Albuquerque using the Ancestry.com website. Retrieved 20 October 2007.