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.

Looking for a Spanish translator

My Spanish is not very good. Which is a problem because I have a few documents which I wish to translate.

I don't have a whole lot of money, but I would be happy to barter. If you can translate 18th and 19th Century New Mexico Spanish into English, I would trade for research hours. I can research on Ancestry.com; New Mexico baptismal, marriage and burial records; Spanish Archives records; New Mexico newspapers; New Mexico death certificates prior to 1940; and other records pertaining to New Mexico. I'd be happy to copy any of these records as a PDF or JPEG and email them to you - or create a family history report for you.

I have two documents that I wish to translate: the first one is from the Spanish Archives of New Mexico, is from 1727 and is 14 pages long. Below is a JPEG of the the first page of the document. Click on the document to see if you can translate it.

The second record is a transfer of land from 1841. It's only two pages long.

I can send you PDF files for both documents.

If you think that you can help me out on this, send me an email at abqbobcat@nmia.com. Thanks.

Update: Patricia Sanchez Rau translated this document for me a decade ago. She and I wrote an article in the June 2014 "New Mexico Genealogist" that used the information in this document.

Socorro County Records

Recently, I've been searching Socorro County 19th century deed and tax assessment records. The Albuquerque Special Collections Library has a number of these records on microfilm. However, I wasn't finding some records at the library, so I checked "Genealogical Resources in New Mexico: Third Edition" by Karen Stein Daniel, CG^SM. This is a fantastic book for anyone who is doing New Mexico research. It has an extensive listing of where to find church, county and other records.

It's not expensive, either. To buy a copy, go to the NMGS Press webpage at this link and order book E-5. The book is only $7.50 for NMGS members, $15.00 for non-members. If you have the 1st or 2nd edition of the book, you find that the 3rd edition is even more comprehensive that its predecessors.


Genealogical Resources for Socorro County

Many records can be found at the Socorro County Courthouse:

Socorro County
County Courthouse
PO Box 1, Socorro, NM 87801-0327]
Ph: 505-835-0589; Fax 505-835-4629

There are also finding aids online that can be used to find records that are not at the courthouse. These may be found at the Online Archive of New Mexico. Two collections are at the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe. These are:

* Records of the United States Territorial and New Mexico District courts for Socorro County, 1851-1933. MS 1976-031. Click this link to access the finding aid.

* Socorro County, N.M. Records, 1851-1935. MS 1974-029. Click this link to access the finding aid.

Socorro was created in 1852 as an original New Mexico county. All of Catron (est.1921) and Sierra (est.1884) Counties, and parts of Lincoln (est. 1869)and Torrance (est.1903) Counties were once part of Socorro County. Therefore, some records for these other counties may be found in the Socorro County archives.

Source: Daniel, Karen Stein, CG^sm, Genealogical Resources in New Mexico: Third Edition (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 2007), pp. 18-23.

Genealogy Databases

While surfing the web today, I found a page on the RootsWeb site that has searchable User-Contributed Databases. These databases include military records, census records, and even yearbooks.


There are databases for many countries and apparently all 50 states. Below are links to the New Mexico databases:


NM: Curry Co: Clovis, New Mexico Class of 1928 - Alumni Lists
NM: Dona Ana Co: 1844 Census - Dona Ana Bend Colony (Includes Las Cruces, Dona Ana, Tortugas, NM) - Census
NM: Dona Ana Co: Desert View Cemetery; Chaparral - Cemetery Records
NM: Lea Co: Antioch Church Cemetery - Cemetery Records
NM: Quay Co: WWII Soldiers from Roosevelt, NM - Military Records
NM: Roosevelt Co: 1914 Yearbook, Portales HS, Portales, NM - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Eastern New Mexico College - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Eastern New Mexico College - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Eastern New Mexico College Yearbook 1944 Freshman Class - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Eastern New Mexico College Yearbook-Sophmores 1944 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Eastern New Mexico University (Portales, NM) Greyhounds 2003 Football Roster - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: El Portal 1953, Portales New Mexico High School - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Lamb O Rama 1959, Portales Jr High School, Roosevelt County, New Mexico - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Military Discharge Index, Roosevelt County, NM - Military Records
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales High School, Portales NM, Class of 1929 50th reunion - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1915 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1920 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1923 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1924 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1925 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1926 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1927 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Portales, NM High School 1928 - Alumni Lists
NM: Roosevelt Co: Roosevelt County, NM, Marriage Records, April 1903 through January 2002 - Marriage Records
NM: San Miguel Co: Highlands University yearbook 1967 - Alumni Lists


Check this site often as databases are added frequently.

Mortality Schedules

I found this site that displays searchable mortality schedules.


From the site:

The Mortality Schedules - In 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 census enumerators were directed to secure in addition to the usually required census data, information as to all persons dying within the 12 months preceding the census taking. These lists became known as the "Mortality Schedules".... The mortality schedules usually included the date and cause of death. Some online transcriptions do not include all data found on the original mortality schedule images. Hundreds of counties have been transcribed and and placed online.

There is only one mortality schedule on the site for New Mexico: from the 1885 Taos County census. However, more schedules may be added later. Also, it may be helpful if you looking for ancestors in other states.

Where to do research in Albuquerque

"...these are a few of my favorite places."

There are many fantastic places in New Mexico to do genealogy research. Here are some that can be found in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

* The University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library has many important New Mexico documents which are archived in the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections. The Online Archive of New Mexico is a catalog of items archived there and in other state libraries. The general collection of Zimmerman Library also has many good books on New Mexico history and genealogy. Lastly, many online databases and journals may be accessed by anyone from any of the library's computers or from home by anyone with a UNM ID.

* The National Hispanic Cultural Center Library has a huge collection of books on Hispanic history and genealogy. One room of the library focuses on New Mexico genealogy.

* Family History Centers are libraries supported by the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints (the Mormons.) There are Family History Centers all over the World. To find a center near you, click on this link. There are three Family History Centers in Albuquerque:

Albuquerque New Mexico
5709 Haines St NE
Albuquerque, Bernalillo, New Mexico, United States
Phone: 505-266-4867
Hours: M,F 9am-3pm; T-Th 9am-3pm, 6pm-9pm; Sat 9am-12pm

Albuquerque New Mexico East
4109 Eubank NE
Albuquerque, Bernalillo, New Mexico, United States
Phone: 505-293-5610
Hours: M-Th 9am-3pm; T-Th 6pm-8pm

Albuquerque New Mexico West
4500 Ellison Dr NW
Albuquerque, Bernalillo, New Mexico, United States
Phone: 505-898-7583
Hours: T,Th 9:30am-12:30pm, 6pm-9pm; W, F-Sat 9:30am-3:30pm; W 6pm-9pm

* The Albuquerque Special Collections Libarary has a huge collection of published works, microfilmed documents, and computer databases. It is probably the best and most accessible genealogy library in Albuquerque. The focus of the library is on New Mexican genealogy; however, there are plenty of resources available for all genealogists.

Delayed Birth Records: Socorro County, NM - 1867-1895

You can find the Delayed Certificates of Birth for Socorro County here. For whatever reason, certain persons in Socorro county retroactively applied for these certificates. Persons listed were born between 22 October 1867 to 14 Dec 1885. This list includes date and place of birth, and parents names.

Microfilm of the actual Delayed Birth Certificates can be found at the Special Collections Library in Albuquerque.

Research Guide: Mexico

FamilySearch.Org has a great Research Guide for Mexico. It explains not only how to use church and census records, but also defines certain terms that you will come across when doing research.