Socorro High School Class of 1931

My grandmother Pablita (or Pauline) Zimmerly was the class valedictorian of the Socorro High School (Socorro, New Mexico) graduating class of 1931.

Here is some information about that class:

Class Roll:
Max Baca
Salomon Chavez
Walter Herkenhoff
Cristobal Romero
Matias Torres
Flora Baca
Edna Miller
Tersilla Olguin
Josephine Sickles
Juanita Sisneros
Pauline Zimmerly
Walter Darr

Class Motto: "Dig"
Class Flower: Poppy
Class Colors: Blue and Gold

It would be interesting to find out who these students were. If my grandmother were alive today, she would be 106 years old (born 10 December 1909.)

Click here to see a copy of the graduation program posted on Evernote.

Socorro Poltiical History Notes - early 1900s.

 

A Republican political rally reported in the 5 November 1904 issue of the Socorro Chieftain

.

My 2nd great-grandfather Jose Epitacio Torres was a prominent Republican politician in late 1800s and early 1900s Socorro County. Among the offices that he held were mayor of Socorro, a member of the Socorro city council, and Socorro County Treasurer and Collector. He was also at one point the Chairman of the Socorro County Republican Party Central Committee.


On Wednesday, November 2, 1904, the Socorro County Republicans held a political rally for Governor Miguel A. Otero II and "Senate" candidate William Henry Andrews (he actually was running for, and was elected, as a non-voting delegate to the U.S. Congress.) At 7:30 PM, Chairman Jose E. Torres called the assembly to order. He chaired the election of Juan Jose Baca as president of the county Republican Party and M. Cooney and A. Shey as Vice-presidents. Other luminaries at the rally included Mayor A. C. Abeytia, Elfego Baca, A.A. Sedillo, and, Juan Juan Baca's brother Sevaro Baca.

According to the November 5th newspaper, the rally was "the greatest political demonstration witnessed in Socorro in recent years". The paper reported that "all day long the crowd in the city kept increasing by the coming of people from the surrounding country and villages...." and "...the spacious auditorium was crowded with expectant people ...."

Back in April 1903, Socorro was in a political crises. Mayor M. Cooney had apparently abandoned the city,  and the city council had neglected to issue a proclamation announcing the upcoming election. At an April 7th meeting, five councilmen met to issue the election proclamation. The mayor, city clerk and three other councilmen did not attend. A.C. Abeytia was elected as president pro-tempore, effectively making him mayor of the city.

The proclamation declared that the council was unsure as to their duties as per changes in law. However, they said that "the voters of the city of Socorro, New Mexico, are entitled to and it is their right to have a general city election on the day and date aforesaid" and it was "likewise the duty of the present city officers" to provide the legal means for the election.The wording of the document seems to be justifying the council's power to issue the proclamation.  There may have been questions as to whether they had that power.


The proclamation stated that the election would be held on April 7th, just 6 days after the issuance of the proclamation, and three days after it was published in the newspaper. The city clerk was ordered to provide ballots, polling places were set up in four wards - three of them in the homes of prominent Socorro men: Don Esquipula Pino, Sevaro A. Baca, and Francisco Padilla y Lucero. Councilmen Anastacio C. Torres and Florentino Gallegos were appointed as the election commission. Sixty dollars was set aside to pay for the election.

On April 3rd, "a meeting of prominent citizens was held". The chairman of the meeting was attorney James G. Fitch. He argued that Socorro needed reforming because taxes had been collected and no one knew where the money was spent. The interest on city bonds had not been paid and the roads were in bad condition. He would support "capable and honest candidates for city offices regardless of political considerations." J. A. Smiley was chosen as secretary of the meeting and J. J. Trujillo was the interpreter.

Jose E. Torres moved to nominate a ticket known as the "People's Ticket". A. C. Abeytia moved that the secretary be instructed to issue a call to the citizens of Socorro to attend a convention at the courthouse on April 4th. Both motions passed.

J. J. Trujillo then moved to have an advisory committee be set up to help the chairman for the election. These men included Masias Baca, Frank Abeyta (1st ward); L. A. Kittrell, B.A. Pino (2nd ward);  J. W. Terry, J.E. Torres (3rd ward); Florentino Gallegos, Rafael Lopez (4th ward.) This committee was to report to the convention names of available candidates for office. The motion was passed.

"Convention and Election" in the 11 April 1903 "The Socorro Chieftain"

Why did the city council move so quickly to hold an election? The April 11th issue of "The Socorro Chieftain" had an explanation:

The state of political affairs in Socorro promises interesting developments. It will be remembered that the 35th general assembly passed a law extending the terms of elective city officers one year, and afterwards passed another law exempting the terms of the officers of the city of Socorro from the provisions of the first law. It was intended, therefore, that the city of Socorro should hold a regular annual election on the first Tuesday in April under the provisions of the old election law, and Socorro
was the only city in New Mexico that might do so.

Originally, there was no quorum for the April 1st council meeting. Therefore, the council adjourned to the house of Councilman Cortinas who was too sick to be out. It also appears that Mayor Cooney was simply out of town, and had not actually abandoned the city. According to the article, all councilmen were informed of the meeting

On April 4th, seventy-five people met at the courthouse for the People's Ticket convention. The meeting was called to ordered by the Honorable A. C. Abeytia, who had A. C. Torres read the proclamation. James G. Fitch was elected as president of the convention. He gave another speech in which he said that Socorro "should at once solve 'the question as to whether the city is to be governed by the people or a clique who are afraid to go before the people on their record."

After Fitch's speech, A. C. Abeytia nominated J. W. Terry as mayor. Estevan Baca second the nomination which was approved by acclamation. Frank Abeytia nominated Eduardo V. Baca for city clerk and E. L. Price for treasurer. Both were accepted by acclamation. Candidates were then nominated for city council and board of education.

A committee of eight were chosen to employ judges and clerks for the election. At the end, the convention chose a clasped hands emblem for the party.

Although not all of the votes were counted by the April 11th issue, it was a foregone conclusion that the People's Ticket won. They had the only candidates on the ballot. However, The Socorro Chieftain figured that some questions would have to be decided in court before the results could be released.

The controversy over the election could be read about in the same newspaper. On the Monday before the election, a city council meeting was called. Abran Abeyta, one of the councilmen who did not attend the special council meeting, objected to the acceptance of the minutes of that meeting. A vote was taken, and the council approved the minutes, with the mayor vetoing the vote. (Did you know that a mayor could veto an approval of the minutes?)

I went through a few more months of issues, and I wasn't able to find out the resolution of this controversy. If I find out, I will add the story to this post.

Sources:
 
The Socorro chieftain. (Socorro, N.M.), 05 Nov. 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86090503/1904-11-05/ed-1/seq-1/>, retrieved 6 April 2014.

The Socorro chieftain. (Socorro, N.M.), 04 April 1903. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86090503/1903-04-04/ed-1/seq-1/>, retrieved 6 April 2014.

The Socorro chieftain. (Socorro, N.M.), 11 April 1903. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86090503/1903-04-11/ed-1/seq-1/>, retrieved 6 April 2014.

Garments of Faith & Founding of "Modern" Socorro - August 9, 2013

              Lecture: Garments of Faith & Founding of “Modern” Socorro

Nadine Ulibarri-Keller and Robert J.C. Baca

 

The wardrobe for the old San Lorenzo statue in the Polvadera church, which has been amassed for over a century, will be discussed and displayed in an upcoming program sponsored by San Miguel Mission.  Generations of believers have been making pilgrimages to this small church in tribute to El Santo.  With the birth of a new child, the return of a loved one from war or in supplication for strength and blessings during hardship or illness, the faithful have looked to San Lorenzo in thanksgiving.  Their gratitude has been made manifest through these garments and other tokens of love left at the church.  During Holy Week, the San Lorenzo church is a popular destination of many who walk from miles around.

 

Nadine Ulibarri-Keller, a mayordomo at the Polvadera church and who has lived in the village since childhood, will share stories and her experiences in caring for this much loved statue and its accumulated wardrobe.

 

 San Lorenzo is believed to have been born in Spain, at Osca, a town in Aragon near the foot of the Pyrenees. He was one of seven deacons of the Church of ancient Rome serving under Sixtus II.  He became a martyr in 258 AD during the persecution of Valerian where he was condemned to a slow, cruel death tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh little by little.  His feast day is celebrated August 10.

 

A presentation by Robert J.C. Baca, President of the New Mexico Genealogical Society and a native son of Socorro will follow Nadine.  Baca has been researching Socorro genealogy and history over many years.  Although Socorro has a rich history which goes back to the Piro Indian inhabitants of this area and to the Spanish beginning with the 1598 settlers lead by Juan de Onate, modern day Socorro began in 1815 when 70 families from Belen and other areas of New Mexico re-established the community.  With a re-discovered 1818 list of 66 Socorro residents who contributed to a military campaign and other research, Baca re-imagines the Socorro of two centuries ago when Spanish pioneers began their lives anew in this little community.

 

San Lorenzo was first mentioned in church records in 1835.  A license was granted by the bishop of Durango, Mexico for a chapel at Polvadera August 2, 1847.  The land on which this chapel was built was donated by Mr. & Mrs. Luciano Luna.  The church bell, that is housed in its own structure left of the main entrance, is said to be the original bell of the San Acacio Church.

 
  

If you go

 

What:  Lecture: Garments of Faith & Founding of “Modern” Socorro

 

When:  6:30 p.m. Friday, August 9, 2013

 

Where:  San Lorenzo Mission, Polvadera, NM (Exit 156 I-25, right to NM-408, first left to Frontage Road, north to Polvadera)

 How Much:  $20/person. Tickets available at San Miguel Church Office or Gift Shop.                              

                     For more information  call 575-835-2891.

 

  

 

              

            

A list of Socorro Grant Families?

According to J. J. Bowden, there were 70 families that re-settled Socorro, New Mexico in 1815. There is no list of who these families were. Ronald Miera in his article "Who Were the Settlers of Socorro Town Land Grant?" (Herencia, Volume 9, issue 3, July 2001) used Belen baptismal records to figure out who were the Socorro grant families. Although the San Miguel Church was not established until July 1821, baptismal records going back to August 17, 1816, showed babies being born in Socorro.

I have found another record that shows an early list of Socorro residents. In the microfilm "Spanish Archives of New Mexico 1621-1821, Series 2, Roll 19", I found a list of Socorro residents who contributed to a campaign against the Navajos on September 18, 1818. This is found on frames 268 & 269, catagorized as "Twitchell 2747".

Sixty-four individuals are listed on these two pages, including a few female spouses and widows of certain residents. Some of the spouses are not listed by name, but rather simply as spouses of certain residents.

Below is a list of these names:

El Alce [The Alcalde] Dn [Don] Migl [Miguel] Aragon


Dn Juan Dionisio Baca

Dn Xavier Garsia

Su Esposa [his wife]

Diego Antonio Beytia [Abeyta]

Pedro Antonio Silva

Jose Anto Gutierres

Bartolo Romero

hagustin Trujio [Agustin Trujillo]

Jose Padia [Padilla]

Lorenso Padia

Santiago Romero

Dionisio Maldonado

Antonio Truxilo [Trujillo]

Francisco Savedra

Antonio Jose Maldonado

Migl Baldes [Valdez]

Domingo Padia

Antonio Jose Benavides

Domingo Gallego [Gallegos]

Juan Salasar

Ramon Lopes

Bernardo Trujillo

Pasqual Serna

Felipe Padia

Bisente [Vicente] Silva

Antonio Griego

Rafael Apodaca

Anselmo Tafolla

Antonio Baca

Bisente Griego

Dn Pedro Garsia

Christobal Salazar

Dn Felisiano Montoya

Jose Maria Martin

Rafael Lopes

Lorenso Luna

Francisco Baca

Carlos Romero

Juaquin Aragon

Christoval Montoya

Jose Manuel Ruival

Juan Tafoya

Dn Baustista Chaves

Da [Dona] Ana Maria Sanches Esposa del tiente [wife of the lieutenant]  Dn Dionosio Baca

Maria getrudis Martin Esposa [wife] de Antonio Gurule

Manuel trujillo Melsiano (?)

Dn Diego Sanches

Salvador aragon

Jose Manuel Bijil [Vigil]

Su Esposa de Jose Padia

Su Esposa de Juaquin aragon

Juan Montoya

La Esposa de Anselmo tafoa

Antonio Montoya

Jose Antonio Molina

Rafael abeita

La Espa de [The wife of] Anto Trujo [Antonio Trujillo]

Simon Maldonado

Migl Perea

Antonio Cario [Carillo]

Luis Rivera

Barvara Barela vuida [widow]

tomas Salasar

There is some other wording on the document, including what these people contributed. I'm also not 100% sure that I have all the names correct, so I would like to have someone look these over for me.

There is more to this document than just names of Socorro residents. It also has a list of Sevillita, Belen, Tome and Toas residents, too. It would be good to have the entire document transcribed, translated and published at some point.

Historic Socorro Videos

Joel Wigglesworth inherited three historic videos about Socorro, New Mexico. Below is a screen shot of one of those videos:

This photo shows the demolition of the Socorro Courthouse.

Click on the underlined words below to view the three videos:

1. Socorro County Courthouse. According to Joel W.: "This is footage of the Socorro County Courthouse being torn down circa 1939. Socorro county, New Mexico. This film came into my possession about a decade ago, and I decided to post it here for its historical value. The name on the box the reel was in appears to read W.E Mundy, Socorro, New Mexico."

2. Socorro 1.  According to Joel W.: "This film came into my possession about a decade ago, and I decided to post it here for its geneaological and/or historical value. Contains footage of kids playing, misc people, and it appears that people are assembling for a wedding, dance, or party. The name on the box the reel was in reads Pete Gallegos, PO Box 1, Socorro, NM."

3. Socorro 2. According to Joel W.: "This film came into my possession about a decade ago, and I decided to post it here for its geneaological and/or historical value. Contains footage of misc people, some cars, the front of someone's house, and the plaza in Socorro, New Mexico. The name on the box the reel was in reads Pete Gallegos, PO Box 1, Socorro, NM."

Enjoy!

The 2011 NM History Conference

On May 6th, I attended the 2011 New Mexico History Conference. This conference, which is put on annually by the Historical Society of New Mexico, was held this year in Ruidoso, NM. This was my first conference as an attendee and as a presenter.
I presented a paper that I wrote especially for the conference titled "Luis Maria Baca and the Socorro Land Grant Controversy". In the paper, I discussed the probability that a certain Luis Maria Baca of Lemitar forged Socorro grant papers in order to have the grant validated by the U.S. government. I looked into his possible motivation for why he would have forged the papers. Below is an excerpt from my presentation:

Luis Maria Baca certainly would be in a position to possess Governor Armijo’s documents. After marrying Ramona Armijo, the adopted daughter and heir of the governor, Luis himself took possession of Governor Armijo’s estate. It could be imagined that Luis had been sorting through the papers of the late governor when he came upon this important document. However, why did it take him so long to find it? He had been living in his father-in-law’s home for nearly a decade and a half.

Luis Maria Baca and his three brothers moved to Lemitar in the early 1850s. Although he had the same surname as many of the original settlers of Socorro, it does not appear that he was closely related to any of them. Many of the Socorro families came from the Belen area, while Luis’ family was from Peña Blanca. He possibly did not know any of the families before coming to Socorro area.

Luis Maria Baca and his brothers were the grandsons and heirs to Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca of Peña Blanca. Luis’ grandfather and namesake had once been given a half a million acre Spanish land grant in Northern New Mexico, but had abandoned the property due to Indian attacks. His heirs, who included scores of children and grandchildren, petitioned the United States government for land. The heirs received five 100,000 acre parcels of land that were spread through the territories and states of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. It does not appear the Baca brothers of Lemitar received any of this land.

I intend to revise this paper for publication. The original presentation was 6 pages long, written for a 20 minute time limit. I want to include more information, as well as add citations. I will let the readers of my blog know when my paper is ready for publication and which journal has published it.

I was not able to go to many of the presentations, as I had arrived at 11 AM on Friday morning, and left 24 hours later. However, I was able to see the other two presenters who spoke about land grants, genealogist Henrietta Martinez Christmas and the state historian Dr. Rick Hendricks, and I also saw a presentation by Andres Armijo, the author of "Becoming a Part of My History". I also attended the awards banquet that night.

As I usually do, I purchased a few books. I bought the part II of "Sunshine and Shadows in New Mexico's Past: The Territorial Period". Nearly a year ago I purchased the Part II, which dealt with the Spanish Colonial and Mexican Periods. Both books were published by the Historical Socity of New Mexican and Rio Grande Books.

I also found two books that I've been looking for for a while. The first "The California Column of New Mexico" by Darlis Miller is about the 2,000 plus soldiers from California that arrived in New Mexico during the Civil War,and the 300 plus who stayed, married, had families and contributed to the culture and history of New Mexico. The second book is "The Territorial History of Socorro, New Mexico" by Bruce Ashcroft. This book is one of the few histories of my hometown.

I hope to attend the next New Mexico History Conference in 2012, which is to be in Santa Fe. That one will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of New Mexico as a state.

Socorro History Articles

For some years now, Paul Harden has be writting articles in the El Defensor Chieftain about local Socorro history. I've linked some of his articles that have been published on that newspaper's website. However, what is published on the El Defensor Chieftain's website is only text; photos are not included.

Yesterday, I discovered that some of his articles with photos are published on the El Camino Real International Heritage Center website. These include articles on Socorro county churches, ghost towns, La Llorona, Las Posadas y Las Pastorelas, and Socorro family names.

Click on this link to read these articles.

Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado and the founding of Socorro, NM

I have researched the Socorro Land Grant extensively, and have discovered that many of my ancestors appear to have been among the familes who settled Socorro early in its history - in 1815 and beyond. There are few records that tie specific families to this early settlement, other then a number of baptismal records that are found in the Belen church that name children born in Socorro. Ronaldo Miera, the current president of the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center, identified in his article "Who Were the Settlers of the Socorro Town Land Grant?" who he believed to be the probable first families of Socorro.

There is no existing document that specifically grants lands to the people of Socorro. It was claimed that the actual title of the Socorro Land Grant was destroyed in a fire. A document that purported that the last Mexican Governor of New Mexico, Manuel Armijo, validated the grant was found in court to be a forgery.The only documents that indicate that a grant was requested do not actually confirm that a title was given to the grant.

In 1800, the Governor of New Mexico was ordered by his superiors to look into resettling Senecu, Socorro, Alamillo, and Sevillita. At the time, the governor did not have Socorro resettled because he felt it was impossible to defend.

On November 10, 1817, Xavier Garcia and Anselmo Tafoya, in the name of the Socorro grantees, petitioned the New Mexican governor to verify the Socorro grant. On the same day, Governor Pedro Maria de Allande, ordered the Alcalde of Belen to give them title. He did not.

On August 1, 1818, Xavier Garcia once again petitioned the governor. This time Governor Facundo Melgares sent the Alcalde of Pena Blanca to give the residents title. Tradition states that he did give them a title at that time.

Xavier Garcia, the man who petitioned the governors of New Mexico twice,  is most likely Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado. He is my fifth great grandfather. His children would begin to show up in Socorro church records.

Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado was born circa 1756, probably in the Belen area. He married three times.
1.) He married Juana Maria Torres, daughter of Cayentano Torres and Maria Manuela Feliciana Vallejos, in February 1777, in Isleta, NM. They had two children:
       a.) Maria Petra Garcia Jurado, born circa 1778, in Belen.
       b.) Maria Josefa Garcia Jurado, born circa 1780, in Belen
2.) He married Maria Josefa Sanchez on September 28, 1782, in Isleta, NM. They had four children:
      a.) Ana Maria Garcia, born between 1793-1799
      b.) Luis Maria Garcia Jurado, born circa 1799
      c.) Francisco Antonio Garcia, born circa 1800
      d.) Jose Desidero Garcia Jurado
3.) He lastly married Maria Luz Sisneros, no known issue.

Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado's son Francisco Antonio Garcia was my fourth great-grandfather.

Francisco Antonio Garcia was the first husband of Maria Guadalupe Torres. They had at least four children, including Candelario Garcia. Candelario Garcia, the grandson of Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado, would become the trustee of the Socorro Land Grant in 1892. But that is another story....

To read more about the grant, read J.J. Bowden's history of the Socorro Grant on the New Mexico Office of State Historian website.

Additional bibliography:

Ronaldo Miera, "Who Were the Settlers of the Socorro Town Land Grant", Herencia, volume 9, issue 3. July 2001.

A complete register report of the first 3 generations of Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado's family, including citations, can be found on the Adobe Acrobat website at this link.

Socorro Fire Co. Fire Dept. - 1891

Today I've been doing some research on Socorro, specifically about Candelario Garcia, a political figure in the mid to late 19th century. I found this reference to Socorro County's fire department in the Insurance Yearbook: Fire and Marine, Volume 19 (1891):

Socorro, Socorro Co., population 2500; fire area 1/2sq mile; mercantile buildings, brick and adobe, 1 and 2 stories; no fireworks ordinance. Fire department – 1 hose carriage; hose rubber good 500 ft; value of fire department equipment $1000; total membership 25, volunteer; bell alarm. Catarino Cortanes.

Water Supply- Source, springs; system, gravity; reservoir cap 500,000 gals; 25 hydrants, Ludlow; pipe 6 miles, 2 to 10 in dia; 15 valves, Ludlow; pressure 65 pounds; cost to construct $30,000; ann expenses $1000; in on bonds $1800. Supt, R. W Monroe; mayor, Candelario Garcia; city clerk, Abram Abeita.

Click on this link to read this book online.

The Socorro Land Grant and Family History

Some people joke that one never finishes his or her genealogy. There is always more information to find. Actually, I would say this is not a joke. It's reality.

In June 2009 issue of the New Mexico Genealogist, I published an article about my fourth great-grandmother Maria Guadalupe Torres. Guadalupe had been married twice - once to my ancestor Francisco Antonio Garcia and then to Pedro Antonio Baca. Through her two husbands, she had sons who were merchants and politicians who were very influential in Socorro. Recently, I discovered a number of documents about the Socorro Land Grant that shows their influence.

On 15 February 1871, Pedro A. Baca, clerk of the Socorro County probate court, and his son Severo A. Baca, deputy clerk of the same court, transcribed a petition by Manuel Trujillo to the governor of New Mexico to recognize the legitimacy of the Socorro Land Grant. Trujillo, who made the request on 30 November 1845 on behalf of the inhabitants of the grant, explained to Governor Manuel Armijo that the original document that deeded the land to the inhabitants had been lost. He wrote that the inhabitants and their ancestors had been living on the land since "1815 or 1816". Governor Armijo approved Trujillo's request, and ordered that the inhabitants were to "remain in full and pacific possession" of the property, within the limits described in the petition, "henceforth and forever". The order was to serve as the "legal, true and irrevocable title"of the grant.

When Pedro Antonio Baca transcribed this document, he wrote the following:

I, the undersigned clerk of the Probate Court of this county do certify that the foregoing document was recorded by me word for word and letter by letter in book letter "Y", pages 156, 157, and 158.

He signed the transcription, and set his official seal upon the document. Samuel Ellison translated it from Spanish, which was then subscribed and sworn before the Surveyor General James K. Proudfit on 25 February 1875. Additionally, on 4 July 1875, Dav. J. Miller, the translator for the Suveyor General's Office, compared the translated document to Pedro Baca's Spanish transcription and found it correct and adopted it as the official translation. Thus apparently began the process towards having the United States government recognize the grant as per the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

...And then much more happened, which will not be detailed here....

In August 1892, the Territory of New Mexico made the City of Socorro and Candelario Garcia trustee over the Socorro Land Grant. Candelario Garcia was Pedro Antonio Baca's stepson through Pedro's wife's first marriage. This statute appears to have come about due to a lawsuit filed in the Court of Private Land Claims, in the Territory of New Mexico. Judgement in the case of The City of Socorro and Candelario Garcia vs. The United States of America defined the grant as being one Spanish league square, centered on the Roman Catholic church of the city (San Miguel Mission.) The plaintiffs were made the trustees of the grant. The law that followed gave Candelario Garcia sole authority over the grant, with the City of Socorro receiving the trust once it was relinquished by him or he was removed as trustee. It could be assumed that at some point the city took over trusteeship of the grant due too Candelario's advancing age, death or some other reason.

In describing my relatives' role, I do not wish to lessen the importance of others in the history of the land grant. There are many other actors in this story. Much more that can be discussed - history that has already written and history that needs to be written. One day I hope to write a history of the Socorro Land Grant. Until then, above is just a glimpse of what is to come.

Sources:

Town of Socorro Grant, Spanish Archives microfilm roll # 23, Surveyor General Case File 107, frames 392 - 531.

New Mexico statutes, annotated: containing the codification passed at the second session of the Legislature of the state of New Mexico. In effect June 11, 1915, Volume 1, page 336, retrieved from Google Books website, 9 July 2010, http://tinyurl.com/socgrant

Repost and Corrections: Baca Haberdashery and Shopping Center

Yesterday, I went to the University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library to search the Socorro newspaper archives. I was specificallly looking for advertisements for my maternal grandparent's businesses. Below are ads for Santiago and Paublita (Zimmerly) Baca's Habberdashery and Shopping Center.

Click on the photos to see larger images of them.

My mom once told me that her classmates thought that she was rich because she always wore the latest fashions. She was able to get new clothes because her parents owned a clothing shop. I wonder if she ever wore one of these swimsuits that were "very '50."

So, exactly how long have kids been buying ties for their fathers on Father's Day?

Here is a themed ad. The school board elections were going on at this time, so many of the ads for that day's newspapers had an election theme.


Grandpa made a "big improvement for Socorro by the thorough job of improvement" of some business offices. I thought I tortured the English language. Someone didn't do a thorough job of editing this article

Author's note: I deleted the following information from the article because it may contain some erroneous information.


It appears that this was the same building that my grandmother sold to the county in the 1980s. My mom told me that my grandfather bought these offices so that my grandmother would have something to fall back on if he died, which is good thing because Santiago died in 1961. My father had his bookkeeping business in one of the suites during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Behind these offices, my grandmother owned another building that she used as a fabric shop. My mom often worked in that shop. I remember spending a lot of time there when I was a little kid.

Author's note: Below is a Google Map of the area in question. Please note that 380 Garfield Ave. is shown on the corner of Garfield and Grant ("A".) If you go East from that location, you will see Court St. This is where my grandmother's property was, north of Church St. Her fabric shop was on Church St. and Park St. However, I wish to note that the Baca Shopping Center is said to be at Garfield and Center, which, if Garfield extended through Court St. and a park that is there, would be east of Court St. I would be very appreciative if anyone reading this post would be
able to help me figure out where this shopping center was located. Please send me an email at abqbobcat@nmia.com, or post a comment to this blog.

View Larger Map



Credits, from top to bottom:


Ad for Baca's Haberdashery, El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 26 May 1950, page 8, column 1.


Ad for Baca's Haberdashery, El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 9 June 1950, page 8, column 5.


Ad for Baca's Shopping Center, El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 1 February 1951, page 8, column 1.


"Baca Makes Big City Improvement", El Defensor - Socorro County News, Socorro, New Mexico, 8 February 1951, page 8, column 6.

San Marcial Flood

I found an article about the 1929 San Marcial flood, New Mexico on the Valencia County News Bulletin website. Below is an excerpt from the piece:

San Marcial had been a thriving railroad town since the 1880s when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad designated it as a major division point on the Santa Fe's north-south train route through New Mexico.

By the 1920s, San Marcial boasted a bank, a mercantile store, a drug store, an opera house, several churches, public schools and even a Harvey House. Only Socorro surpassed San Marcial in population and prosperity in Socorro County. San Marcial's 1,500 men, women and children were justifiably proud of their close-knit community there work was plentiful and nearly everyone got along.

But the bright skies over San Marcial suddenly darkened in August 1929. Unusually heavy rain caused the Rio Grande to rise so high and so quickly that the reservoir at Elephant Butte (built in 1916) could not handle the overflow. Despite heroic efforts, San Marcial's dike broke on Aug. 13.

Click on this link to read more.

Socorro Spanish Methodist Church

I received a couple of emails from John E. Chavez of Santa Fe, New Mexico. People interested in Socorro, New Mexico history, specifically about the Spanish Methodist church in the area, should read on. Here are his words:

I am descended from the Socorro County Chavez (San Antonio, San Marcial) and Baca families (Socorro, Lemitar, Escondida) families - my grandfather Juan C. Chavez was the pastor at the "Spanish" Methodist Church in Socorro and my dad went to school in Socorro; another close relative, Samuel Santiago Van Wagner (his father lived in Valverde NM after mustering out from Ft. Craig; his mother was Barela) was a Presbyterian pastor in Socorro and Albuq.

There are many old families, Hispanic and Anglo, in the Socorro area that have difficulty tracing their ancestors during the NM territorial period (1849-1912) since those that were or converted to Protestant could no longer find records in the Catholic archives and most were not registered with civil govt. either. Also, many, if not most, Hispanic families automatically assume all their ancestors - and this is often not completely true, as many, many in the Socorro area had converted from Catholicism to Protestant.

The Socorro Public Library has a copy of Carlos Lopopolo's extraction and compilation of early Socorro Spanish Methodist Church records. This is by far the best single source of genealogical records for Hispanic (and Anglo) Methodist families in the Socorro area (and beyond) of the territorial era in NM. (I am related to most of those Hispanic families and family memberswere pastors or church leaders in many areas of NM).

It is in the reference section of the Socorro Library (cannot be checked out) and it is chock full of entries for baptisms, marriages and deaths Socorro has a great genealogical resource that may ONLY exist at the Socorro Public Library ths among the Socorro Methodists (and many Baptists and Presbyterians also). However, it is not found elsewhere - I've looked all over NM and the nation; I've also talked with Lopopolo who indicated that the copy in the Socorro Library may be one of the only ones left in existence.

Some of the Baca, Chavez, Torres, Pino, Gutierrez, Barela, Eaton, Stapleton, Sullivan, and many other Socorro area families are in the Lopopolo compilation. (Socorro was also home to the early Protestant churches of Rev. J.M. Shaw, Baptist and Rev. S.J. Fulton, Presbyterian and Rev. Matthieson, Presbyerian).

I would hope that someone would do a backup copy of Lopopolo's book as Lopopolo said that copy in the Socorro Library may be one of the few, or only, ones left; or perhaps the Socorro Library could put the book behind lock and key for
Library use only (I have seen similar records in the UNM Zimmerman Library that
had pages cut out with razor blades).

I would be glad to help any families who may have ties to those early Hispanic Protestant families. We have a lot of rare data and a website.

John E. Chavez, Santa Fe, NM
Click here for his email.


p.s. Accounts of the infamous murder of a Methodist church leader, Conklin, on the porch of the church on Xmas Eve 1880 by two young Baca brothers do not mention that those Baca brothers (Onofre and ??) were members of the Methodist Church - they show up in the above mentioned Lopopolo book.

The Baca cousins (not brothers) that John writes about are Antonio, Onofre and Abram Baca. I wrote about the murder on my blog, at this link. The article that I wrote itself caused a little bit of controversy because I used a source that some felt was biased and unreliable. However, it was not the only source I used, and I understood its bias and questionable validity when I wrote the article. Because of this, I believe that I used it, with other sources, to create a fair and balanced article.

John sent me another email that talks about what he calls "the NM Protestant Gap"

The info I sent you is particularly relevant in Socorro, as Socorro was one of the earliest and strongest footholds the very early Protestant churches established in NM. Many Socorro families doing their genealogy may be affected by this - and without even being aware that some of their antecedents were Protestant - regardless of if their family is or was Catholic (my mother is Catholic).

Another source is the El Buen Samaritano Spanish Methodist Church in Albuq. near 6th and Granite (by the old Harwood Girl's School). They have a history room, and some of the families in that congregation have ties back to the Socorro area.

My fellow researcher, Crystal Baca Slater, and I have done a LOT of records searches for what we term "The NM Protestant Gap" (a gap in the Catholic and civil records during the NM territorial period).

We also have/had a website: go to www.myfamily.com, but lately have difficulties accessing or instructing others to access it; it leads to "Early NM & CO Protestants" and has a LOT of early photos, files, a few trees, history, etc. (I'll try to get you username and password that work - remind me if I forget).

Another source is the NMGS "First 40 Years" CD which has searchable files including some court records and extractions of baptisms, births, marriages and deaths from Socorro and Valencia County (the early Chavez and Baca families mostly migrated to Socorro from Valencia County - Albuq. to a lesser extent).

It can be VERY difficult of these early Hispano Protestant families to track their Protestant ancestors; but Crystal and I are available to help.

Regards,
John Chavez, Santa Fe NM

Desolate Outpost: Fort Craig, New Mexico

Seaching for information about Fort Craig, I found this link from 30 August 1998 Albuquerque Journal article titled "Desolate Outpost".

Fort Craig was a military fort 35 south of Socorro, New Mexico. Not much remains of the post, just a few crumbling adobe buildings. However, the history of the fort is fascinating. Please read the article.

I've also found these two links that are interesting:

* Images of Old Fort Craig and Valverde, New Mexico

* Fort Craig, New Mexico

* Fort Craig National Historic Site

* Graverobbers desecrate and loot Ft. Craig, N.M., cemetery

* Government Secretly Exhumes Bodies at Historic Cemetery After Grave Looting Tip

* Old West Mystery, Solved in D.C.

More articles from the El Defensor Chieftain

Okay, it's early morning and I really don't feel like working on the yard yet. So, I've been searching the El Defensor Chieftain website once again. Here are a few more articles about Socorro:

* Welcome, everyone, to the free state of ... Socorro? by Valarie Kimble. In 1953, a few residents decided as a joke they would declare that Socorro was not actually part of the United States. Apparently, it was meant to protest the fact that Santa Fe was short-changing the county in that year's budget process. The El Defensor Cheiftain decided to continue along with the joke by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "event". However, there were a number of people who were upset about the newspaper trying to commemorate the joke. If you search the newspaper's website, you'll find a number of irrate letters to the editor regarding the anniversay celebrations.

* Whats (sic) in a name? Part I and Part II by Paul Harden. Harden explores the relationship between the families mentioned in Fray Angelico Chavez's book "Origins of New Mexico Families" and the Socorro families. I am particularily interested in what he has to say about the Torres family. I noticed one mistake, though. The Jose Torres that he mentions as being the son of Agustin and Felipa (Baca) Torres is actually their grandson. He is the son of Agustin and Felipa's son Ricardo Torres. He's right, though, in saying that Jose Torres had property on Cuba Rd. I've found that Jose's sister Maria Paubla (Torres) Zimmerly had some property her brother's land. Maria Paubla is, of course, my 2nd great grandmother. The article also mentions another one of my ancestors, my 2nd great grandfather Jose E. Torres. (By the way, just to make things a little bit more confusing, Maria Paubla's son Esteban Zimmerly married Jose E. Torres' daughter Delfina. They were my great-grandparents.)

* Tech's creation focus of professor's study - discusses the founding of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Articles found in the El Defensor Chieftain

I was a little bored, so I decided to search through Socorro's local newspaper El Defensor Chieftain for articles relating to New mexico history and genealogy. This is what I found:

* "1940 Socorro - The Business District" by Paul Harden. The is a description of many of the businesses in the area. Howevever, I noticed at least one mistake. It mentions that the Baca Haberdashery was owned by Robert Baca, assumedly my paternal grandfather. Actually, the Haberdashery was owned by my maternal grandfather Santiago Baca.

* "Socorro goes to the movies" by Paul Harden. A history of the Socorro movie theaters.

* "San Antonio School celebrates 80 years:A look at Socorro County rural schools" by Paul Harden

* "Mission Churches" Part I and Part II by Paul Harden. A history of Socorro area churches.

* "The Biggest Killer in the Southwest: Smallpox" by Paul Harden.

* "Character (and characters) have been part of Socorro's mystery and charm" by Valarie Kimble

* "Poet chronicled state history" by Marc Simmons. An article about Captain Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá's epic poem.

* "New Mexico family name boasts a glorious history" by Marc Simmons.

* "History travels the El Camino Real" by Marc Simmons

* "Miera and Pacheco was indeed a versitile fellow" by Marc Simmons

* "Rebel artillery fought hard in New Mexico battle" by Marc Simmons

* "Horses for Spanish soldiers" by Marc Simmons

... and many more. Want to search for other articles? Go to the El Defensor Chieftain website.

Hammel Museum - Socorro, New Mexico

I found this link to the Hammel Museum in Socorro, New Mexico. From the website:

The HAMMEL MUSEUM started as a beer garden and, in the intervening century, became successively a brewery, an ice plant, a soda bottling plant, and finally ended as an active industry still making ice.

The museum is named in honor of the Hammel family, who came to Socorro in the early 1880's and built the brewery. Clarence Hammel was the last of the family to operate the business. He died in 1986. The structure was willed to the Socorro County Historical Society to become the Hammel Museum. The museum structure was built during the boom years in Socorro which began with the coming of the railroad in 1880 and ended with the closing of the mines by 1893. The museum chronicles the industrial and commercial history of those boom years.

Clarence's grandfather, Jacob Hammel emigrated to the United States from Munich, Bavaria in 1848. He was accompanied by his friend Eberhard Anheuser, who wanted Jacob to join him in building a brewery in St. Louis. Jacob, in his infinite wisdom, decided to start his own brewery across the Mississippi River in Lebanon, Illinois, close to East St. Louis. The plant across the rive in Missouri became, of course, the famous Anheuser-Busch company.

Nevertheless, Jacob did well with his brewery in Lebanon, calling it the Illinois Brewery. Relatives from Bavaria came over to work for the enterprising Jacob. Meanwhile, the company survived a spring flood even though survival required rebuilding the plant. In the early 1880's, Jacob's son, William G. Hammel was sent to New Mexico Territory for his health. He was diagnosed as having developed blood poisoning as a result of dental surgery. Living in New Mexico was supposed to prolong his life. It did! He was joined in Socorro by his brother Gustav....

To read more, click on this link.

Stapleton Pension Denied by President Cleveland

I found a transcription on the Internet of a presidential letter about House Bill No. 4797: "An act granting a pension for Robert H. Stapleton". This 1886 bill came before President Grover Cleveland to sign. Although it appears that Stapleton was injured during the Battle of Valverde on 21 February 1862, Cleveland vetoed the pension request because it was made after the 4 July 1874 deadline.

I find it interesting that the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States would spend the time to vote on and veto a bill on a pension for a New Mexican lieutenant colonel. I guess they didn't have much to do at the time.

Stackpole was married to Maria Paubla Baca, a daughter of my fourth great-grandmother Maria Guadalupe Torres.

Link

Arroyo de San Lorenzo Land Grant

I was going through my flash drive looking for stuff to talk about on my blog, when I found a land grant case that was brought before the U.S. House of Representatives by the Secretary of Interior. I downloaded this letter back in March, although I'm not quite sure where I found it. However, I was able to find it again on Google Books: here is the link. Search for "Antonio Chaves" in the book and you should be able to find the letter titled "Land-Grant to Antonio Chaves: Letter from the Secretary of the Interior...."

The letter itself includes transcriptions and translations of certain land documents; therefore, it should not be considered to be a primary document. Thank goodness for the translations, too. I don't read Spanish well.

In February and March, 1825, Antonio Chaves petitioned the Mexican government through Santa Fe for some land in what would later be known as Socorro County. Chaves was a resident of Belen who was feeling a little bit crowded where he lived. He had a hard time pasturing his stock, so he asked for some land at the San Lorenzo Arroyo, which was just north of Amalillo, near Socorro. He believed that the land was so "uninviting, uncultivated, desolate and bleak" that the governor would have no problem granting him this land. With such a description, one wonders why he would ever want to own the land!

The land seems to have incorporated parts of both the Socorro and Sevilleta land grants. According to "Rio Abajo: Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande Province" Alamillo and Sevilleta were just north of where San Acacia is now. San Acacia is 10 miles north of Socorro. (1)

Bartolome Baca petitioned the governor for Antonio Chaves by explaining five reasons why Chaves should get the land. First, it would help increase the population of the area, which would make it harder for Indians to attack. Second, there would be enough land in the area left over for other residents to pasture, grow food and use for transit. Third, by granting Chaves the land, others would get jealous and would begin cultivating vacant lands instead of overusing the property they already owned. Fourth, since Chaves had lost much of his livelihood because of Navajo Indian attacks, he needed the land to rebuild. Fifth, his land would offer employment for the impoverished people of the community. Bartolome's arguments must have been convincing, because Chaves was granted the land.

After Chaves died, his wife and children lived on the land for a while. His widow is named in one of the documents as Mrs. Monica Pino, while he himself is described as Antonio Chaves y Aragon, also known as Antonico Chaves. His children are not named in the document. After 1850, his wife and children sold the land to three men: Ramon Luna, Rafael Luna and Anastacio Garcia. By February 1874, Ramon Luna, Anastacio Garcia, and the heirs of Rafael Luna, who had died in the interim, petitioned the government to keep their lands. The United States Surveyor-General recommended that they be granted this property in accordance to the Treaty of Guadalupe. Whether or not they were granted this land is not mentioned in this document.

Since I am doing extensive research on the Socorro area, I will be doing more digging into this land grant, as well as others. This case gives an interesting perspective into the lives of the people who lived there. The land appeared to be plentiful, but the people were impoverished. The people who owned the land had to fight to keep it after New Mexico became an American territory. Land records existed, but were often vague and it was problematic when trying to prove property rights.

If you would like to add more to this discussion or ask questions, please either post a comment to this article or send me an e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com.

1. Michael P. Marshall and Henry J. Walt, Rio Abajo: Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande Province (Santa Fe: New Mexico Historic Preservation Program, 1984), 260 (map), 265, 274.

Elfego Baca: Socorro County Sheriff

A friend of mine once told me that he could find no proof that Elfego Baca was a Socorro County Sheriff. This is important because some of Elfego Baca's more colorful stories have to do with him holding this office. I believed my friend, since I think that much of what Elfego Baca said was self promotion, and untrue or at least exagerated.

Well, we were wrong. The 1920 Albuquerque City Directory has a list of state officials. Elfego Baca is listed as the Socorro County Sheriff. (1)

That's why you never believe anyone until you confirm the information yourself.

1. 1920 Albuquerque City Directory (Hudspeth Directory Co., 1920) p. 91.