Gonzales and Montoya Marriage Reveals Complex Relationship

On September 27, 1845, Jose Sebastian Gonzales married Maria Victoriana Montoya in the San Miguel Mission, Socorro, New Mexico. He was the legitimate son of (Jose) Manuel Gonzales and Margarita Montoya; she was the legitimate daughter of (Jose) Bauptista Montoya and Mariana (or Maria Antonia) Garcia. The screen shots of two separate pages in the San Miguel Mission marriage book shown below is the record of their marriage. 1. 

Recently, I found that the ThruLines (tm) program in Ancestry.com misidentified Maria Victoriana's parantage. It suggested that she was the daughter of Juan Montoya, my ancestor. However, she is actually the daughter of his brother Juan Bautista Montoya.

My ancestor Juan Montoya was married to Maria Manuela Garcia Jurado (among others.) He was the son of Antonio Montoya and Maria Guadalupe Salazar; she was the daughter of Francisco Xavier Garcia and Maria Josefa Sanchez. 2. 

On the other hand, Victoriana's parents are siblings of Juan Montoya and Maria Manuela Garcia Jurado. Juan Bautista Montoya was the son of Antonio Montoya and Maria Guadalupe Salazar. Mariana (or Maria Antonia) Garcia was the daughter of Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado and Maria Josefa Sanchez. 3. In other words, two Montoya brothers with similar names married two Garcia Jurado sisters with similar names. 

As further proof, below are two separate census records from Socorro for the different families. Please note that Victoriana is listed in the Bautista Montoya family:

C(asado)* Juan MONTOYA ................... 39

                Maria Manuela GARCIA ........ 35

                Felipe ...................................... 11

                Pedro ........................................  7

                Juan de Jesus ............................ 4

* "Casado" means "married". 4. 

Bautista MONTOYA  ......................... 34

Mariana GARCIA ................................. 28

Victoriana ............................................... 13

Eugenia ....................................................  8

Casimira ...................................................  6

Maria Micaela ........................................  3 5.

Sources: 

1. "Microfilm # 16996," database of digital images, San Miguel Mission, Socorro, New Mexico, Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org: accessed 19 March 2022), marriage record: Jose Sebastian Gonzales and Maria Victoriana Montoya, 27 September 1845, images 92 & 93.

2. This relationship is shown through their children's baptisms. For example: Juan Nepomuceno Montoya, born 14 March 1822. Source: 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. 4.

3. This relationship is shown through ther chidlren's baptism. For example, the baptism of Victoriana Garcia herself. Source: 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. 4.

4.  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. 4.

5. 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. 5.

 

Marriage Record of Francisco Antonio Garcia and Maria Guadalupe Torres

                                       

 Marriage Record: Francisco Antonio Garcia and Maria Guadalupe Torres, 23 February 1825, San Miguel Church, Socorro, New Mexico. 

Source:  "Microfilm # 16996," database of digital images, San Miguel Mission, Socorro, New Mexico, Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org: accessed 5 March 2022), marriage record: Francisco Antonio Garcia and Maria Guadalupe Torres, 23 February 1825, image # 14.

Above is the image of my 4th great-grandparents marriage record. The record indicates that Francisco Antonio Garcia, 27 years old (single), was the son of Francisco Gabien (Xavier) Garcia, dead, and Maria Josefa Sanches, also dead. He married Maria Guadalupe Torres, 13 years old (single), the daughter of Santigo Torres and Maria Barbara Ortis, who were living in Socorro. The padrinos (best man and matron of honor) were Jose Antonio Baca* and Maria Manuela Barreras. The witnesses were Antonio de Jesus Marques, Jose Rafael Lopes, and Diego Antonio Belesques. A prenuptial investigation (diligencia)  was performed on the couple. Click on this link to view the marriage record. You may have to search for image # 14.

A transcription of the prenuptial investigation (diligencia matrimonio) can be found at this link.**

* Jose Antonio Baca was Francisco Antonio Garcia's half 2nd cousin, once removed through their mutual ancestor Ramon Garcia Jurado. See the chart below. (Sources available upon request.)

** After clicking the link, scroll down to "Fray Angelico Chavez’s New Mexico Roots (1678 - 1869)". Click on Volume IV, and search for page 626. You'll find the investigation there.

Source: Fray Angelico Chavez, New Mexico Roots, Ltd.: A Demographic Perspective from genealogical, historical and geographic data found in the Diligencias Matrimoniales or Pre-Nuptial Investigations (1678-1869) of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. (Santa Fe, New Mexico: typescript, 1982), Volume 4, p. 626.

Zuni Pueblo Ancestor: Josefa de Hinojos, wife of Diego Montoya

Certain words and phrases in this article have links to articles and a video on the Internet. Click on the underlined words to review these site.

Josefa de Hinojos is a common ancestor of many New Mexicans. She was the wife of Diego Montoya, and had at least seven children. My research shows that I descend from her at least 22 times, with all four of my grandparents being descendants. 

In the prenuptial investigation of her descendants, Josefa de Hinojos is alleged to be a coyota of the Zuni people. A "coyota" was a woman of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry. She is also noted to be the sister of and Indian named Ventura.1.

DNA tests analyzed by the New Mexico Genealogical Society DNA Project Team has identified five Josefa de Hinojos's matrilineal descendants as being in the mtDNA Haplogroup C1b11, a Native American haplogroup. Researcher Miguel A. Torrez wrote that DNA research technology is not able to identify which specific tribe their ancestor is from. 2. 

New Mexican Hispanics will find that they most undoubtably have Native American Ancestry. When the Spanish conquered Mexico, they paired off with and had children with Native American women. Their descendants of mixed race came to New Mexico and mingled with various Pueblo tribes here. Captured native children, known as genizaros - sold to and raised by Spanish families - were freed and blended in with the growing mestizo population of New Mexico.

My ancestry includes all of these people. The paper trail frequently lists my forebears as  "mestizo", "indio" and "genizaro". My DNA results show from 18% (FamilyTreeDNA) to 23% (Ancestry.com) indigenous American blood. When I began understanding the true nature of my ancestry decades ago, I began celebrating the diversity of my family. This fact is not unique to me. The only uniqueness of my ancestry is that only my sisters and I have the specific combination of our pedigree. However, all Nuevo Mexicanos can tell this mestizo story.

In his presentation "Nuevomejicano Ancestors with Spanish & Indian Antecedants", Jose Antonio Esquibel profiles Josefa de Hinojos. I linked the video at the 8 minute, 46 second mark when he begins talking about Josefa. However, I suggest you rewind the video to the beginning. Earlier in the video, Esquibel explains how our mestizo ancestors helped negotiate with their Indian cousins to end the 17th Century Pueblo Revolt and allow the Spaniards to occupy New Mexico once again. There were definite close familial bonds between the Spanish and Pueblo residents of the Kingdom. 

Endnotes:

1. Fray Angelico Chavez, New Mexico Roots, Ltd.: A Demographic Perspective from genealogical, historical and geographic data found in the Diligencias Matrimoniales or Pre-Nuptial Investigations (1678-1869) of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. (Santa Fe, New Mexico: typescript, 1982), volume 2, p. 316. Prenuptial Investigation of Jose Vicente Duran y Chaves and Maria Concepcion Aragon.

2. Daria Celeste Landress, Henrietta Martinez Christmas, and Miguel A. Torrez, "Josefa de Hinojos: Colonial-period matriarch of New Mexico and Haplogroup C1b11," New Mexico Genealogist, 60 (March 2021): pp. 30-42.

1897 Obituary: Manuel Gallegos y Baca (with genealogy reports)

I found an obituary for a certain Manuel Gallegos y Baca in the 12 March 1897 issue of "The Chieftain" newspaper (Socorro, NM.)

Manuel Gallegos y Baca, of this city, died at his home last Sunday morning, and the funeral ceremony and burial took place the following day. The deceased was born at Belen, January 1st 1819, and came to Socorro in the early thirties. He was married in 1840 to Maria Quitira Garcia, who died about two years ago. They had ten chidren of whom seven survive, viz: Manuel, Fernando, Florentino, Felicitas, Juanita, Martin and Emilia, who are all married.

Source:  Obituary: Manuel Gallegos y Baca, The Chieftain (Socorro, New Mexico), 12 March 1897; online archives (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 30 December 2015).

You can access the obituary here.

I did a little bit of research, and was able to find some information about his and his wife's ancestry.  Below I show that ancestry through their daughter Maria Dolores Gallegos. I have particular interest in this family because one of their descendants Eloisa Stackpole married my great granduncle Ricardo Zimmerly. Click on the links below to see descendant and ancestry charts of this family.

Descendants of Manuel Gallegos

Ancestors of Maria Dolores Gallegos

Correction: My distant cousin M.W.H. pointed out on Facebook that I forgot to mention that Manuel Gallegos' grandson Herminio Torres also married a Zimmerly, my great grandaunt Gertrudes Zimmerly. This is true. I actually have him listed in the "Descendants of Manuel Gallegos" report above, but I forgot to mention him specifically in this post. Sorry! - Robert J.C. Baca, 1 January 2017.

Descendants of Toribio Garcia Jurado

Andres Armijo, the author of "Por Constancia /So that it may be validated: Family History in the Rio Abajo", informed me recently that he is related to me. I already knew that we were related by marriage - his great uncle married my great aunt, and therefore we have mutual cousins. I also figured that we were related to each other in other ways. After all, we are both of New Mexico stock and we both come from the Rio Abajo. But even though I read his book, I didn't realize that he had information that showed that we are 7th cousins.

In his book, Andres indicated that he is the descended of Joseph Enrique Chaves, a soldier from Belen who enlisted in Isleta Pueblo in 1808. Joseph Enrique Chaves was the son of Santiago Chaves and Maria de la luz Garcia. Maria de la luz Garcia was the daughter of Toribio Garcia Jurado and Antonia Teresa Gutierrez. Based on my extrapolation of the information that he presented, Andres is the 6th great-grandson of Toribio and Antonia (see pages 102-104 of his book.) I, too, am the 6th great-grandson of Toribio and Antonia - three times - and their 7th great-grandson once.  That makes Andres and me 7th cousins and 7th cousins, once removed.

Andres' ancestors probably stayed in Belen for a few generations at least. My ancestors were the original (re) settlers of Socorro in 1815.

In my two articles in the September 2011 and March 2012 New Mexico Genealogist - "The Early Settlers of the Socorro Land Grant: An 1818 List (Parts I and II)", I mention two specific ancestors of mine who are the children of Toribio Garcia Jurado and Antonia Teresa Gutierrez. Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado, married three times, was one of the instrumental founders of Socorro. In 1817 and 1818, he petitioned the governor to get title of the Socorro Land Grant for the settlers. He was listed in an 1818 list of Socorro residents who contributed goods to a military campaign against the Navajos. (Part I - page 117.) I am descended from Francisco Xavier's second wife Maria Josefa Sanchez, who was dead by 1816.  (New Mexico Roots, Volume 4, page 616.)

Francisco Xavier's sister Maria Trinidad Garcia Jurado arrived Socorro by 1818 with her husband Feliciano Montoya. Feliciano Montoya was listed on the 1818 list, which confirms that he was living in Socorro at the time. (Part II - page 12.)

Descendants of Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado include my second great-grandmother Maria Guadalupe Padilla, who married my 2nd great-grandfather Jose Epitacio Torres. They were the parents of Delfina Torres, who married Estevan Zimmerly - my great-grandparents - my maternal grandmother's parents. Another descendant is Jose Crespin Torres, my 2nd great grandfather on my father's side, who married Maria Andrea Trujillo.

Descendants of Maria Trinidad Garcia Jurado include Maria Pabla Torres who married Samuel Zimmerly, who were the parents of the aforementioned Estevan Zimmerly (which means that Maria Pabla Torres and Maria Guadalupe Padilla were 3rd cousins, and their children - the married couple Estevan and Delfina were fourth cousins.) Also, my 3rd great-grandfather, Jose Valentine Torres, the father of the aforementioned Jose Epitacio Torres, was a great-grandson of Maria Trinidad. This means that Jose Epitacio Torres and his wife were 2nd cousins, once removed. Also Josefa Abeyta, Jose Epitacio Torres' first wife, was also a great-granddaughter of Maria Trinidad Garcia Jurado, which made this couple also second cousins. Luckily, I'm not descended from her, too.

If you wish to get proof of these relationships, please contact me.

The Garcia Jurado family is one of my favorite families, partially because I'm descended from them many times and also because they are just interesting people. I mean, just look at Ramon Garcia Jurado (Toribio's famther), Ramon's daughter Petronila Garcia Jurado (not mentioned here, but I wrote about her in the June 2014 New Mexico Genealogist) and his grandson Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado. All of these people had colorful lives. You can read about them in articles that I've written and through books such as Origins of New Mexico Families (by Fray Angelico Chavez), The Spanish Recolonization of New Mexico (Esquibel and Colligan), and "Spanish Colonial Lives" (Tigges and Salazar.)

The Line of Santiago

As many of you know, my name is Robert James Baca. What you might not know is that my middle name comes from my mother's father Santiago Baca. Santiago literally means "St. James" in Spanish, but is often translated as "James."

When researching my family, I noticed a trend among my ancestors. I call it the line of Santiago.

My maternal grandfather Santiago Baca was born on December 24, 1907, and died on July 19, 1961. Santiago Baca married my grandmother Maria Pablita Zimmerly in 1932.

Santiago Baca's maternal grandfather was Santiago Padilla, who was probably born in the mid 1800s, and married my 2nd great grandmother Maria Albina Trujillo in 1878.

Santiago Padilla's 2nd great grandfather was Santiago Trujillo who was married to Victoria Chaves, probably in the 1760s. He was probably born in the 1730s or 1740s.

The leap from Santiago Padilla and Santiago Trujillo is a bit large (5 generations.) As such, it's unlikely that Santiago Padilla was named after his 2nd great grandfather. However, it does appear that my grandfather was named after his grandfather. You will see that in many Hispanic families, especially those from a hundred a years ago. New Mexicans generations ago were often named after one of their grandparents.

So my middle name seems to go at least as far back as the 1800s, and possibly the 1700s. This is a neat legacy to have.

My grandparents Santiago and Pablita (Zimmerly) Baca

8 Generations of Moms on Mother's Day

Frances Rosaline Baca, born August 1, 1934 in Socorro, New Mexico; married Robert C. Baca on October 27, 1954 in Socorro; died February 19, 1999 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Frances was the daughter of

Maria Pablita Zimmerly, born December 10, 1909 in the Socorro; married Santiago Baca on February 13, 1932 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; died September 22, 2007.

Pablita was the daughter of

Delfina Torres, born March 3, 1893 in Socorro; married Estevan Zimmerly on April 22, 1908 in Socorro; died May 7, 1978 in Socorro.

Delfina was the daughter of

Maria Guadalupe Padilla, born April 1869; married Jose Epitacio Torres on April 25, 1889 in Socorro; died November 4, 1920 in Socorro.

Guadalupe was the daughter of

Juana Maria Garcia, born May 29, 1828; married 1.) Felipe Padilla on March 19, 1840 in Socorro, and then as a widow married 2.) Jose Manuel Abeyta on May 20, 1872 in Socorro; her date of death is unknown.

Juana Maria was the daughter of

Maria Guadalupe Torres, born February 17, 1812 in Belen, New Mexico; married 1.) Francisco Antonio Garcia on February 23, 1825 in Socorro and then as a widow married 2.) Pedro Antonio Jose Baca on October 24, 1834, in Socorro; died January 4, 1900 in Socorro.

Guadalupe was the daughter of

Maria Barbara Ortiz, born circa 1779; married Santiago Torres on April 15, 1792 in Santa Fe; her date of death is unknown.

Barbara was the daughter of

Josefa Tenorio, born circa 1757; married Francisco Xavier Ortiz on October 6, 1768; date of death unknown.

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.

 

 

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. 

Descendants of Ramon Baca

Below is a descendant chart for my 2nd great-grandfather Ramon Baca. If you have any other information to share, please contact me at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

Copyright (c) 2012 by Robert J. C. Baca

Pedigree Chart for Maria Paubla Torres

For my article "The Zimmerlys of Socorro", (New Mexico Genealogist, Vol. 50, No. 2, June 2011, pp. 50-59) I submitted a pedigree chart for Maria Paubla Torres, the wife of Samuel Zimmerly. Unfortunately, due to the small printing, it is almost impossible to read. Therefore, I've reproduced that chart and posted it below:

Click on the photo to see a larger, more legible view of the chart.

You may order a copy of the journal that contains my article (Vol. 50, No 2.) by clicking on this link.

Robert Baca

The Miera family and their connection to my family

I would like to say that I am descended from Bernardo Miera y Pacheco, but, alas, I am not. According to Fray Angelico Chavez, Miera:

· was a captain of the Calvary of Cantabria, and a native of Valle de Carriedo of the Mountains of Burgos in Spain;

· was the son of Don Luis de Miera who served under the Conde de Auilar in the Army of Philip V. His mother Isabel Ana Pacheco was the daughter of Don Antonio Pacheco, who was the Governor of Navarra and Colonel of the “Terzio” of Lombardy. Don Pacheco died in the battle of Mantua;

· arrived in New Mexico in the mid 1700s, and was the Alcalde Mayor (mayor) of Galisteo and Pecos in 1756;

· tried to recast, and failed, to recast old ordnance pieces in Santa Fe;

· carved the wooden statue of St. Philip the Apostle on the high altar of San Felipe Pueblo; and,

· accompanied Fathers Dominguez and Veléz Escalante as guard commander and explorer on their tour of exploration, from which he created a detail map of New Mexico in 1779. This is probably his most important and lasting accomplishment.[i]

Yvonne T. is a descendant of Bernardo Miera y Pacheco. She sent me an email recently detailing her family tree. Although I don’t want to show detailed information about her family due to privacy concerns, I will say that her 2nd great-grandparents are Mauricio Miera and Placida Montoya. Bernardo was Mauricio’s 2nd great grandfather. Coincidentally, Maurcio and Placida Miera are also the ancestors of some of my cousins.

As readers of my blog know, Samuel Zimmerly, a Civil War soldier, was my second great grandfather. He and his wife Maria Paubla Torres had six children. (Click on this link.)One of their children was Estevan Zimmerly, my great grandfather. Another child was Teresa Zimmerly, who married Estanislado Miera, a son of Mauricio Miera. Estanislado Miera and Teresa Zimmerly had at least four children, who had a number of descendants themselves which are my distant cousins.

Yvonne T. is descended from another child of Maurcio and Placida Miera: Guadalupe Miera, who married Salomon Chavez. Yvonne has provided me with further information about her family.
I’ve created an ahnentafel table for Estanislado Miera showing nine generations of this family. Click on this link to see it.

[i] Fray Angélico Chavez, Origins of New Mexico Families: A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period, Revised Edition (Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico, 1992), 299-230.

More on Miguel Vega y Coca

In a previous post, I noted that I am a descendant of Miguel Jose Laso Vega y Coca. Since that I posted that yesterday, I have received a few Emails requesting that I show how I am related to this founder of the Las Golondrinas Ranch.

* This link shows how I am descended from Miguel through my mother.

* This link shows how I am descended from Miguel through my father.

By the way, I'm descended from Miguel at least four times.

One More Post About Senator Salazar

In previous posts, I discussed the claim by United States Senator Ken Salazar that he could trace his roots back to 1598 Santa Fe, New Mexico. Senator Salazar was recently nominated by President-elect Obama to the position of Interior Secretary. I pointed out in my posts that Salazar could not have had ancestors who founded Santa Fe in 1598, since the town was not founded, or even settled, until a decade later. Also, I pointed out that the first Salazars to arrive in New Mexico did not come to the area until many decades later.

This, of course, did not preclude the possibility that Senator Salazar may have had ancestors who came to New Mexico in 1598 who were not part of his Salazar line. Many of us who have Hispanic New Mexican roots can find an ancestor or two who arrived in New Mexico at that time. For instance, the first Baca to arrive in New Mexico came here in 1600, yet I also have ancestors who were here in 1598.

An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican addresses this controversy. In the article Interior Secretary-designate traces roots to Santa Fe , a brother of Senator Salazar, LeRoy Salazar, states that family lore says that the Salazar family arrived in the late 1500s or early 1600s, and that a cousin traced their lineage back to 1400s Spain. He also states that their 3rd great-grandfather Julian Salazar lived in Chamita, New Mexico in the 1800s, and that his son Francisco Esteban Salazar, their 2nd great-grandfather, moved the the San LuisValley, Colorado in the mid 1800s.

The article also discusses some of the controversies that I brought up in my posts. It cites both Place Names of New Mexico and Origins of New Mexico Families for those arguments.

I would like to thank Vicente Martinez for letting me know about the Santa Fe New Mexican article. He has been sending me e-mails about this family since I first brought up the subject. He tells me that this family can be found on HGRC's Great New Mexico Pedigree Database, and that the database traces the family a few more generations past Julian Salazar.

Other NMGS posts about the Senator Salazar controversy:

* Obama Pick Claims New Mexico Ties

* Explanation: Blog Post About Senator Salazar

Using Census Records to Tell A Story: Casimiro Montoya’s Family

Recently, I wrote a short article that I submitted to the New Mexico Genealogist about the descendants of Maria Clara Lorenza Silva. One of her grandsons was a man by the name of Jose Casimiro Montoya, my 2nd great grandfather. While doing research, I found three United States census records for his family.

Although I did not have enough room to write a more complete story about Casimiro’s family - I was told to write a two to six page article – I do have the space here to continue the story. For reference, I’ve attached to this post the three census records. All three censuses are of Polvadera, New Mexico, a town about nine miles north of Socorro. The 1880 and 1900 censuses are of Casimiro Montoya’s families. The 1910 census is of the Amadeo Luna home, in which Casimiro was living at the time.

Jose Casimiro Montoya was the son of Juan Tomas Montoya and Ana Maria Estefana Perea. He was born on 5 March 1848 in Polvadera, New Mexico.[1] On 8 January 1875, Casimiro married Manuela Abeyta at San Miguel Parish in Socorro, New Mexico. She was the daughter of Jose Albino Abeyta and Maria Miguela Sanchez.[2] Reviewing the census records, it appears that they lived all their married lives in Polvadera.

In 1880, Casimiro and “Manuelita” were living with their two young sons. Amadeo was listed as being 3 years old at the time; “Siverato” was eight months old. Casimiro was a farmer, while his wife kept house.[3]

In 1900, Casimiro and Manuelita had three unmarried children living with them. Jose Liberado, most likely the same child as “Siverato” named above, was listed as being 20 years and born in October 1879. Andrellita, my great-grandmother, was 16 years old and was born in November 1883. The 14 year old Sophia was born in May 1886. It appears that Amadeo may have passed away between 1880 and 1900. Manuelita is noted as having eight births, but having only three living children. Of the family, Casimiro could read and write, but could not speak English. Manuelita was illiterate and was also not an English speaker. All three children were English speakers, and could read and write. Liberado was a farm worker like his father, while the two girls both attended school six months that year.[4]

Ten years later in 1910, the widowed Casimiro Montoya was living with his son-in-law and daughter. The 28 year old Amadeo Luna and his 23 year old wife Sofia M(ontoya) had the 62 year old Casimiro in their home. They also had two sons: three year old Miguel A. and one year old Antonio Jose. Apparently at the time, Sofia had given birth to three children, but only the two survived.[5]

1] Lila Armijo Pfeufer, et al, extractors & compilers, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church 1821-1853 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogy Society, 1998), 249.

[2] Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Roll # 32, 8 January 1875 marriage record.

[3] Casimiro Montoya family, 1880 United States Census, dwelling # 31, household # 31, town of Polvadera, county of Socorro, state of New Mexico, HeritageQuest Online, http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/, Retrieved 9 November 2008.

[4] Casimiro Montoya family, 1900 United States Census, dwelling # 24, household # 25, town of Polvadera, county of Socorro, state of New Mexico, HeritageQuest Online, http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/, Retrieved 10 November 2008.

[5] Amadeo Luna family, 1910 United States Census, dwelling # 10, household # 11, town of Polvadera, county of Socorro, state of New Mexico, HeritageQuest Online, http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/, Retrieved 10 November 2008.

Casimiro Montoya family, 1880 United States Census, dwelling # 31, household # 31, town of Polvadera, county of Socorro, state of New Mexico, HeritageQuest Online, http://persi.heritagequestonline.com, Retrieved 9 November 2008.

Casimiro Montoya family, 1900 United States Census, dwelling # 24, household # 25, town of Polvadera, county of Socorro, state of New Mexico, HeritageQuest Online, http://persi.heritagequestonline.com, Retrieved 10 November 2008.

Amadeo Luna family, 1910 United States Census, dwelling # 10, household # 11, town of Polvadera, county of Socorro, state of New Mexico, HeritageQuest Online, http://persi.heritagequestonline.com, Retrieved 10 November 2008.

Possible Ancestry of Certain 2008 Presidential Candidates

I found a site that lists the ancestry of certain US politial figures. Below are links to genealogies of the three Presidential front runners:

* Hilary Clinton

* Barach Obama

* John McCain

... and here is a possible relationship between Barach Obama and John McCain.

I don't know how accurate these are. However, at least the author of these genealogies included the sources so that you may check them out yourself.

Maria Paublita Zimmerly's Ancestry

Grandma Paublita as a toddler.

Follow this link to view five generations of my grandmother Paublita (Zimmerly) Baca's ancestry. It is not complete; I am missing a few dates and probably some children of the respective families.

This post was originally published at 10:14 AM on 9/29/2007

Five Generation Photo

This is a photo of five generations of my family. Sitting left to right are my grandmother Paublita (Zimmerly) Baca, my great-grandmother Delfina (Torres) Zimmerly, and my mother Frances (Baca) Baca. Sitting on the floor is my sister Janis (Baca) Schwartzenberg. The baby sitting on my great-grandmother's lap is Janis' son Shawn Schwartzenberg. Based on the age of my nephew in this photo, it was taken around late 1977 or early 1978. My great-grandmother Delfina died soon after this photo was taken at the age of 85 on 7 May 1978. My grandmother and mother are also deceased.

Delfina (Torres) Zimmerly

mother of

Paublita (Zimmerly) Baca

mother of

Frances (Baca) Baca

mother of

Janis (Baca) Schwartzenberg

mother of

Shawn Schwartzenberg

Post originally published at 10:12 AM, 9/29/2007

Crespin Torres and his aunt Guadalupe

According to Crespin Torres' obituary:

Don Crespin Torres became an orphan at an early age. At 2 ½ his mother died and seven months later his father also died, and he lived with his grandfather Juan Montoya. From 5 to 13, he lived in the house of his first cousin, Hon. Candelario Garcia and later with his aunt Lupe Torres de Baca, where he lived until he married Senorita Andreita (Trujillo)....

This story piqued my interest, so I decided to do some census research. I first began by trying to find information about his aunt Lupe Torres de Baca.


Maria Guadalupe Torres was born on 17 February 1812 in Los Garcias, NM. Her parents were Santiago and Maria Barbara Ortiz. Her first husband Francisco Antonio Garcia married her on 23 February 1825 in Socorro, NM. Francisco Garcia, the son of Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado and Maria Josefa Sanchez, was born circa 1800. Francisco Antonio Garcia's family was enumerated in the 1833 Mexican Census of Socorro, NM:

Fran(cisco) Antonio GARCIA 33
Gualupe TORES 24
Juana Maria 6
Jose Candelario 4
Juan Maria 2


Ramirez Alief, Teresa, et al, New Mexico Census of 1833 and 1845: Socorro and Surrounding Communities of the Rio Abajo, (New Mexico Genealogical Society, Albuquerque, NM. 1994), p. 6.

Francisco and Guadalupe Garcia happen to be my 4th great-grandparents on my mother's side:

1 Francisco Antonio Garcia 1800 -
.. +Maria Guadalupe Torres 1812 -
.. 2 Juana Maria Garcia 1828 -
...... +Felipe Padilla 1815 -
....... 3 Maria Guadalupe Padilla - 1920
........... +Jose Epitacio Torres 1858 -
............ 4 Delfina Torres 1893 - 1978
................ +Esteban Zimmerly 1887 - 1936
................. 5 Maria Paublita Zimmerly 1909 -
..................... +Santiago Baca 1907 - 1961
...................... 6 Frances Rosaline Baca 1934 - 1999
.......................... +Robert Carlos Baca 1932 - 1999
........................... 7 Robert J. C. Baca

After Francisco Antonio Garcia's death, Maria Guadalupe Torres married Pedro Antonio Baca on 24 October 1834 in Socorro, NM. Pedro Antonio Baca was born circa 1807 to Juan Dionosio Baca and Maria Rita Pino. Pedro Baca's family was enumerated in the 1845 Mexican Census of Socorro, NM:

(married) Pedro BACA 38
M(aria) Guadalupe TORRES 30
Jose Candelaria 13
Juan Maria 11
Juan Pomoseno 10
M(aria) Ysabel 8
Marcos 6
M(aria) Paubla 4
Juan Jose 1
M(aria) Rosalia 12
Sebastian 13


Ramirez Alief, Teresa, et al, New Mexico Census of 1833 and 1845: Socorro and Surrounding Communities of the Rio Abajo, (New Mexico Genealogical Society, Albuquerque, NM. 1994), p. 57.

In the same 1845 census (page 75), Crespin Torres' parents and four of his brothers are listed as living in San Miguelito de las Canas, NM. Since Crespin was not born until 2 years after the census, he is not listed in the household.

It appears that Jose Candelaria, Juan Maria and Juan Promoseno (Nepomuceno?) are all Garcia children from Guadalupe's first marriage. Maria Rosalia and Sebastian appear to be the Baca's servants mentioned in the 1860 census.


By 1860, Crespin Torres and his brother Carmelo (Canuto?)were living in the Pedro Baca household:

1860 United States Census, Socorro, New Mexico


Dwelling #72; Family #76

Baca, Pedro; 55 years old; male; merchant and farmer; $2,000 Real Property; $17,000 Personal Property; Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Maria Guadalupe; 45 years old; female; Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Juan Nepomuceno; 25 years old; male; Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Marcos; 23 years old; male, Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Juan Jose; 16 years old; male; Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Severo; 13 years old; male; Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Maria Rita; 11 years old; female; Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Maria Catarina; 8 years old; female; Birthplace: New Mexico
Baca, Rosalia; 28 years old; female; Indian; Servant; Birthplace: Apache
Baca, Maria Susana; 11 years old; female; Indian; Servant; Birthplace: Apache
Baca, Maria Petra; 10 years old; female; Indian; Birthplace: Apache
Baca, Sebastian; 25 years old; male; Servant; Birthplace: Sonora, New Mexico
Sais, Maria Figenia; 18 years old; female; Servant; Birthplace: New Mexico
Torres, Jose Carmelo; 21 years old; male; Laborer; $300 Real Property; $500 Personal Property; Birthplace: New Mexico
Torres, Jose Crespin; 11 years old; male; Birthplace: New Mexico

1860 New Mexico Census, Socorro, New Mexico, Socorro County, page no. 10. Transcribed by Virginia Grace. Copyright 2006. http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nm/socorro/census/1860/pg001.txt. Retrieved 25 July 2007.

Juan Nepocumeno Baca is probably Juan Nepocumeno Garcia, Guadalupe's son from her first marriage. This census shows that the Baca's had five servants in their household, including children. Since slavery was allowed in New Mexico at this time and since Maria Rosalie and Sebastian had been in the Baca household for at least 15 years, it is most likely that these servants were actually slaves.


Crespin married Andreita Trujillo on 5 April 1869. At that time he moved out of his aunt Guadalupe's home.

NOTE: this post is not complete. I want to research the 1850 United States census to see where Crespin was living at that time.

Many good New Mexico genealogical resources on one site!

Nancy Lopez, my fourth cousin that I discovered through the Internet, has a fantastic website called My New Mexico Roots.

Here are just a few links that I think you should see on her site:

* Her pedigree chart

* The 1850 Census of Lemitar, New Mexico

* Dilegencia Matrimonials for the Armijo, Baca, and Lopez families.

* Early Lopez Settlers on the Rio Abajo

* Bernardo Miera y Pacheco's 1779 Map of New Mexico

...and many more resources.

By the way, Nancy is my fourth cousin through our 3rd great-grandparents Francisco Luna and Concepcion Sena.