Heirs of Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca

A wealth of information, including the names of descendants of Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca and the residents of Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1860, can be found in in U.S. House of Representatives Documents in Google Book.

It's fascinating. It includes testimony given by a number of New Mexicans.

My second great-grandfather Martin Baca is mentioned in the lawsuit as one of the sons of Mateo Baca, son of Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca

From the document:

"To the Hon William Pelham surveyor general of the Territory of New Mexico under the act of Congress approved July 22 AD 1854 Your petitioners the surviving heirs at law of one Luis Cabeza de Baca deceased would respectfully state that on the 16th day of January 1821 the provincial deputation of the State of Durango granted to the ancestor of your petitioners Luis Cabeza de Baca a tract of land called the Las Vegas Grandes and which said grant was afterwards ratified by the provincial deputation of New Mexico and which said grant has for its boundaries the following landmarks to wit On the north the Chapellote river on the south the boundary of San Miguel del Bado on the east the Aguage de la Llegua and the boundary of Antonio Ortiz and on the west the summit of the Pecos mountains all of which will more fully appear by reference to the said grant now on file in the office of the surveyor general No 137 and the grant to Antonio Ortiz No 727 and the grant to San Miguel del Bado No 125 to all of which reference is hereby made Your petitioners further state that said lands marks and boundaries are well known and easily discovered but inasmuch as no survey of said lands has as yet ever been made the quantity of land included within said boundaries is unknown to your petitioners Your petitioners further state that it will appear by reference to said grant that it was made to the said Luis Cabeza de Baca and his male children and invested him and his male children with an absolute title to said lands."

Check out the link below:

Town of Las Vegas vs. Tomas Baca, et.al. 

Temporary Separation - Philip Bourguignon and Maria Tomasa Gonzales

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

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

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

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

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

Zimmerly, Torres wedding

Below is a family photo taken after the marriage of my great-grandparents Estevan Zimmerly and Delfina Torres. They are the couple in the center of the photograph. The other people in the photo are Delfina's family - her parents, brothers and sisters and an uncle. To the far left, wearing a hat, his her father Jose E. Torres. To the far right, holding the baby is her mother Maria Guadalupe (Padilla) Torres. I've posted a different copy of this photo before which was in much better condition, but had a bunch of wording obscuring part of the picture.

Below is Estevan and Delfina's wedding invitation.

Below is my translation of the wedding invitation using online translation machines:

Wedding

You and your family are respectfully invited to attend

the marriage of our children

Delfina Torres

and

Estevan Zimmerly

which is to be held on the day of April 22,

A.D. 1908, at 7 A.M.

in the Catholic Church of San Miguel

in Socorro, N.M.,

and from there they will be given a toast at the home of the

(first?), and there will be a dance in the evening at the

Garcia Opera (House).

Jose E. Torres.

Paulita T. Zimmerly,

Socorro, N.M., 14 April 1908.

Jose E. Torres was Delfina's father. Paulita T. (Torres) Zimmerly was Estevan's mother.

By the way, the Garcia Opera House, where the dance was held, was built by Francisca Garcia, the widow of Juan Nepomuceno Garcia and dedicated to his memory. Delfina's mother was the niece of Juan Nepomuceno & Francisca Garcia.

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.

Civil War Records Online

Recently, while researching for 19th Century persons, I discovered two sites that had Civil War records. Both of them had images of a series of books titled The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. These books include typewritten copies of official correspondence, orders, reports and returns from both sides of the war. This series was published in the late 1800s and early 1900s by the Washington Government Printing Office.

Below are the advantages and disadvantates of each site:

* Google Books has a search engine that allows you to look up specific names, places and events. Once you are on the page you are looking for, it even highlights the words that you are searching for. The entire series appears to be on this site, the only problem is that it is not organized. You have to search through the entire series in order to find a specific volume in the series. Books may be downloaded on to PDF for easy viewing and printing. Series Link

* Cornell University Library "Making of America" has the entire series organized on one webpage. As with the Google site, the series is searchable; however, it does not highlight the terms you are looking for once you get on to the page. It is not possible to download the books on to PDF, and you may only print page by page. In order to print a page, you must right click and click "print page". Also, if you wish to look at another page, you must type in that page number in the box at the top of the web page. Series Link

You may also find on these sites the series Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. The same advantages and disadvantages exist for this series on those sites. To access this series, click on the links below:

* Google Books - Union and Confederate Navies

* Cornell University - Union and Confederate Navies

Researching Another Baca Family for This Month's Presentation

Today, I was at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library researching for the presentation that I will be giving at the El Camino Real International Heritage Center on March 21st. As you may know, it is about a woman by the name of Maria Guadalupe Torres. She was born in 1812, and was among the re-settlers of Socorro, New Mexico in the early 1800s. She married two men, Francisco Antonio Garcia in 1825, and then Pedro Antonio Baca in 1834. She had many children with both men.

I am descended from a child of her and her first husband. They are my fourth great-grandparents.

One of the children that she had with her second husband was a man by the name of Juan Jose Baca. He owned a large home and store that still stands in Socorro. Today, I found a few census records on the man in the Ancestry.com library edition. I wish to share them with you.

Juan Jose Baca married Maria Francisca Miera on 14 February 1866 at the San Miguel Mission in Socorro, New Meixco. Logically, I decided to begin looking for this family first in the 1870 census. That is where I found them.

In the 1870 Census of Socorro, New Mexico, they are listed in dwelling 155, as family 140. Juan Jose Baca is listed as a 27 year old general merchant, with real estate worth $1,500, and personal property also at $1,500. His wife, 17 years old, was a housekeeper. Their daughter Guadalupe was 2 years old. A fifteen year old White male by the name of Crux (Baca) also lived in the house, although I'm not sure who he is. Rita (Baca), a 22 year old Indian woman, and Andres Castillo, a 23 year old White male carpenter also lived in the household. They may have been employees of the Bacas and/or borders, although I am not certain of their relationship.

The 1880 Census of Socorro, New Mexico, shows them in dwelling # 164, as family # 194. Juan Jose's parents are shown on the same page above them in dwelling # 163. This time Juan Jose is 37 years old and his wife Francisca is 30. Once again, Juan Jose is listed as a merchant. Their children as listed as: Guadalupe, 11 year old girl; Felipe, 9 year old boy; Dominicia, 7 year old girl; Salomon, 5 year old boy; Marie Isabel, 3 year old girl; and Juan Nepomuceno, 9 month old boy. In addition, Ignacio Sanches, 45, and Francisca Sanches, 30, are listed as servants.

Due to a fire, there are no 1890 census records for New Mexico.

In the 1900 Census of Socorro, New Mexico, the Juan Jose Baca household is found on two pages. First, the are on the bottom of the page, listed as dwelling # 266, family # 266. Each family members birth month and year are listed on the record, but I won't list them here. According to the record, 56 year old Juan Jose Baca, had been married to 48 year old Francisca for 34 years. She had 14 births, with only 11 children living. Their children living in the household included son Juan N., 19; son Emilio M., 17; daughter Angelina P., 15; and son Juan J., 11. The record continued on the next page.

The top of the next page of the 1900 Census shows two more of their children: daughter Pabla, 7; and son Lucas C., 6 years old. No other children or occupants are listed.

By the 1910 census of Socorro, New Mexico, it appears that Juan Jose Baca was dead. They are listed as living in dwelling 236, and are family # 270. "Francisqita Baca", 59, is the head of the household. Many of her adult children live with her - they are all listed as single. The names are hard to read, so what follows are my best guesses: Nepomuseno, 28, son; Amelio, 26, son; Agustina, 23, daughter; Juan J., Jr., 21, son; Paubla, 18 years old, daughter; Lucas, 16, son. In addition, three grandchildren are listed - all with the surname Castillo - Juan, 19; Alfonso(?), 17; and Ignacio(?), 14; all boys. All but Ignacio were born in New Mexico: Ignacio is listed as being born in Texas. There is also one servant in the household, Victorina Martinez, who was born in Texas, and whose parents were both from Texas.

In this record, Francisquita is noted as having 14 births, with only 10 children living. Apparently one died between the 1900 census and the 1910 census.

Francisca is not shown in the 1920 or 1930 censuses.

One last thing: I want to point out that although this family's last name is Baca, they are only distantly related to me - and that is through my fourth great-grandmother Maria Guadalupe Torres. This Baca family may also be distantly related to my mother's Baca family, going back to families who came here from Belen in the early 1810s. If there is any relation to my father's family, it's even more distant going back to the 1700s or even the 1600s.

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.

Marriage Records for the Zimmerly Family

As I've mentioned before, I have a set of 2^nd great grandparents named Samuel and Maria Paubla (Torres) Zimmerly. They were the parents of six children, including my great-grandfather Estevan Zimmerly. Sadly, Samuel Zimmerly died before any of his children were married and had their own children. In fact, Samuel died just 40 days after my great-grandfather was born. However, Paubla was able to see all of her children marry, and the births or many, if not all, of her grandchildren.

Below, I have the marriage records of all six of the Zimmerly children. Interestingly enough, they were married in the same sequence as they were born.

All of these records can be found in Socorro Marriages, Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, FHL (Family History Library) Microfilm # 16997. I did my research at the Albuquerque Special Collections Library.

1. Juan Jose Zimmerle married Isabel Torres, the daughter of Eduardo Torres and Juliana Ortega, on 8 February 1888.
   

   
   
   

2. Gertrudes Zimmerly married Herminio Torres, the son of Jose Torres y Padilla and the deceased Maria Dolores Gallegos, on 1 November 1889.
   

   
   
   

3. Ricardo Zimmerly married Eloisa Stackpole, the daughter of Ricardo Stackpole and Elisia Torres, on 26 February 1900.(There is also a record on the same frame for my paternal great-grandparents Juan Baca and Carolina Bourguignon.)
   

   
   
   

4. Maria Dolores Zimmerly married Ricardo Abeyta, the widower of Leonides Chaves, on 31 March 1902.
   

   
   
   

5. Teresa Zimmerly married Estanislado Miera, the son of Narcisio Miera and Placida Montoya, on 28 May 1906.
   

   
   
   

6. Esteban Zimmerly married Delfina Torres, the daughter of Jose Epitacio Torres and Guadalupe Padilla, on 22 April 1908.
   

   
   

Jose Estanislas Miera - Husband of Teresa Zimmerly

Jose Estanislas Miera was my great, great uncle by marriage. He was married to Maria Teresa Zimmerly, the sister of my great grandfather Estevan Zimmerly.

On 12 September 1918, J.E. Miera filled out a World War I registration card. The card indicated that he was born on 8 August 1884. He was a clerk at the A.H. Hilton Mercantile Co. (A. H. Hilton was the father of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton.) He listed his nearest relative as his wife, Terezita Z. Miera. He was of medium height and build, and he had brown eyes and black hair. He was not obviously disqualified for military service due to physical disabilities.

I found this document on the Ancestry.com website on 15 April 2008. Click on the picture above to get a better look at the registration card.

Zimmerly Civil War Pension Records

Yesterday, I received in the mail Civil War pension records for my 2nd great grandfather Samuel Zimmerly and his widow Paula Zimmerly de Torres. What can be found in these documents:

* Samuel Zimmerly declared that he was an invalid due to rheumatism contacted while in the army. He claimed to have been exposed to "damp, wet weather."

* Samuel was working as a carpenter while living in Socorro, New Mexico.

* There are two documents that include Samuel's signature.

* A couple of the documents include Paula's mark (apparently she could not write.)

* Certain affadavits include statements and signatures by prominent Socorro residents such as Samuel Meek and Luis Maria Baca.

* One record includes a list of items and value of Paula's property.

* Handwritten copies of Samuel and Paula's marriage record, as well as the baptismal records of four of their children: Maria Dolores, Estavan, Tereza and Ricardo Maximiano.

* A letter from the Socorro County Assessor Ricardo Zimmerly to the Pension Department announcing his mother's death on 23 July 1917.

... and a bunch of other stuff.

There is no new information about Samuel's family. The copy of the marriage record once again states that he was Swiss, and that he was the son of Santiago Zimmerly and Maria Schus.

Luis Maria Baca declared that as far as he knew, Samuel was not married before he married Paula Torres. But then again, he only knew Samuel since 1864.

I hope to write an article about Samuel Zimmerly soon. I'll probably publish it in the New Mexico Genealogist. Maybe I'll give the readers of this blog a sneak peak.

More links about Samuel Zimmerly:

* Samuel Zimmerly and Paubla Torres

* Searching for My Zimmerly Cousins

* Civil War Roster

* Camp Lathan and the California Column

* Samuel Zimmerly Living in Visala, California?

* Zimmerly Questions

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.

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.

Marriage Record: Santiago and Pablita (Zimmerly) Baca

Below are two pages from the marriage records of the Immaculate Conception Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Entry # 6 is the marriage record for my maternal grandparents Santiago Baca and Pablita Zimmerly:

Page 1

Page 2

A transcription (in Latin) is as follows:

Numerus Carrens: 6

Datum Matrim: Feb 13(?) 1932

Nomina et residentae: Santiago Baca, Socorro. Pauline Zimmerly, Socorro

Datum et Locus Baptismi: Socorro, NM; Socorro, NM

Patres Sponsum: Rafael Baca, Josefina Padilla, Steve Zimmerly, Adelfina Torres (all from
Socorro, N.M.)

Testes: J. Torres; Lucie Torres

Nomen Sacerdotis: Rem ita se Habere Testor A. J. Snebelen, Parochus

Adnotiones Dispensatines Obtentae Locus Matrimanii, etc: am licentia Parochi

Notia Matrium: Inscripsi Ipae; Misi Notitium (no entries)

I apologize if I mispelled some of the Latin.

From this record, we know that Santiago Baca and Pauline Zimmerly were married on 13(?) February 1932. Their parents were, respectively, Rafael Baca and Josefita Padilla, and Steve Zimmerly and Adelfina Torres. The best man and matron of honor were J. Torres and Lucie Torres, who were probably a cousins of the bride.

See the wedding photo at this link.

Source: Archives of the Archdiocese of New Mexico, Roll # 16652, Albuquerque Marriages, Immaculate Conception Church, 13 February 1932.

Samuel T. Zimmerly's World War I Draft Card

Below is a copy of Samuel T. Zimmerly's World War I draft card. Samuel T. Zimmerly was the son of Juan Jose Zimmerly and Isabel Torres. Samuel was married to Juanita Torres, the daughter of Candelario Torres and Gregoria Orinez.

The draft card display's the following information about Samuel Zimmerly:

* He was born on 21 January 1889 in Socorro, New Mexico, USA
* He was a natural born citizen
* He was a self-employed farmer
* His dependants included his wife, child and brother
* He believed that he should be exempted from the draft because of his dependants
* He was of medium height, slender build, had brown eyes and hair, was not balding, and was missing any appendages
* He signed his card

Click on the image below to get a larger view:

I retrieved this document on 23 April 2007 from Ancestry.com.

See also Ricardo Zimmerly's and Estevan Zimmerly's draft cards.

Ricardo Zimmerly's World War I Draft Registration Card

Here is a Ricardo Maximiano Zimmerly's World War I Draft Registration Card. The card states that he was born on 6 May 1878. He was the assessor for the county of Socorro, New Mexico. He was married to Lizzie Stackpole Zimmerly.He was tall, slender and had brown hair and brown eyes. The card was completed on 12 September 1918. Click on the image below for a larger view:

Ricardo was my great-grandfather Estavan Zimmerly's brother. I found this document on Ancestry.com on 6 October 2007.

See also Samuel T. Zimmerly's and Estevan Zimmerly's draft cards.

Flora (Zimmerly) Salazar's Death Certificate

Below is the death certificate for Flora (Zimmerly) Salazar, a daughter of Juan Jose Zimmerly and Isabel Torres. According to the record, she was born on 2 January 1895 in Socorro, New Mexico and died on 4 January 1935 in Albuquerque, NM. Her residence was 901 North 15th Street, Albuquerque, NM. She was married to Ramon N Salazar, who was also the informant for her death certificate. Click on the image below to get a larger view.


This record was given to me by B. Mares.

Estevan Zimmerly's Baptismal Record

Below is the baptismal record for my great-grandfather Estevan Zimmerly. The record shows that he was baptised on 3 November 1887 at the San Miguel Parish in Socorro, New Mexico. He was born 6 days prior to Samuel Zimmerly and Paula Torres. His godparents were Estevan Baca and Catalina Baca. Someone wrote in the record later that he married Delfina Torres on 22 April 1905. Click on the image below for a larger view.


Once again, this record was supplied to me by B. Mares.