In it, she interviews the public-relations director for Ancestry.com. She asks him questions about conventional genealogical research, DNA research, and other items such as Barack Obama's lineage. It's worth a read.
29 July 2008
Ancestry and DNA Article
My cousin Maurine Pool is a columnist and editor for the Orange County Register in California. Recently, she wrote an "Q and A" article for her paper on genealogy and DNA testing. Below is the link:
Roots, the Pop Version
In it, she interviews the public-relations director for Ancestry.com. She asks him questions about conventional genealogical research, DNA research, and other items such as Barack Obama's lineage. It's worth a read.
In it, she interviews the public-relations director for Ancestry.com. She asks him questions about conventional genealogical research, DNA research, and other items such as Barack Obama's lineage. It's worth a read.
28 July 2008
Genealogy Fun
Here's something funny I found on the blogsphere:
Genealogy Roots Blog: 20 Things That Make Genealogy Fun
Check out numbers 2 and 4. They apply to many New Mexicans.
Genealogy Roots Blog: 20 Things That Make Genealogy Fun
Check out numbers 2 and 4. They apply to many New Mexicans.
27 July 2008
Conflict in Socorro, New Mexico
Recently, I've been researching the territorial period history of Socorro, New Mexico. I was looking for information to use on my Zimmerly presentation and my Pedro Antonio Baca article.
I've been reading two books: "The Territorial History of Socorro, New Mexico" by Bruce Ashcroft (El Paso: University of Texas at El Paso, 1988) and "The Incident of New Mexico's Nightriders" by Bob L'Aloge (Sunnyside, WA: BJS Brand Books, 1992.)Both books paint a portrait of a town in suffering from racial tensions and conflict.
Socorro was an old Spanish town that was re-settled in 1816. Nothing much changed with the Mexican revolution of 1821, except that now all the Spaniards became Mexicans. Another change was that it became legal for Americans and other foreigners to come to the New Mexico. In 1841, Texas claimed everything east of the Rio Grande as their own. When Texans crossed the Rio Grande, they were captured by Mexican soldiers. Enemy prisoners were brought into Socorro, and at least one of them wrote a scathing description of the town.
The Texas invasion was the precursor of the Mexican-American War. That war began in 1846, and New Mexico was easily subdued by American forces. The Mexican governor of New Mexico escaped to Mexico, and an American governor was put in his place - at first it was a military governor, and then a civilian governor ran New Mexico. By 1850, New Mexico was a territory of the United States.
Troops were stationed in Socorro at first, and then moved to nearby Fort Conrad in August 1851. However, the poorly constructed fort was abandoned and troops moved on March 31, 1854 to Fort Craig a few miles away.
After the Civil War started, Confederate troops advanced up the Rio Grande deep into New Mexico. Union soldiers were sent to Ft. Craig to fight off the Confederates. American, foreign-born, and native New Mexican soldiers fought side by side against the invading enemy army. The Battle of Valverde was fought in 1862 just a few miles northwest of the fort at the bottom of a mesa that lent its name to the skirmish. The Confederacy won the battle, and a makeshift hospital was set up in Socorro.
The Confederates marched up towards Santa Fe. They would meet Union soldiers in a few minor skirmishes, and fought one last battle at Glorietta. On paper, it could be argued that the Confederates won the battle. However, they were so devastated by the loss of supplies and men that they had to retreat back to Texas. Union troops from Ft. Craig shadowed them as they left, essentially escorting them out the territory.
Due to the Confederate invasion, the Union sent troops from California to protect New Mexico and Arizona. The California Column, as it was called, consisted of over 2,000 men. Many were stationed at Ft. Craig. Some of these soldiers moved to Socorro after they mustered out of the army; a few even married local women.
Many former soldiers and other newcomers began etching out a living in Socorro. In the 1880s, Socorro experienced an economic boom. Mines opened up in the area surrounding Socorro, including Carthage near San Antonio, New Mexico, and Kelly near Magdalena. Billings Smelter was built at the foot of the Socorro Mountains just west of Socorro, in a settlement called Park City. Most of the ore mined in the area was processed in this smelter.
Many people moved to Socorro and the surrounding villages to take part in this boom. Flour Mills were built to service not only the local population, but also military installations. Stores were opened in the town. Everything seemed good in Socorro. Both native New Mexican and newcomer seemed to do well in the town. However, there was tension below the surface.
Many of the Mexican population felt resentful towards the newcomers, and the newcomers felt that the Mexicans were holding back progress. When a local newspaper editor was murdered by three Mexicans cousins, the tension came to a head.
A.M. Conklin was the editor of the Socorro Sun. On Christmas Eve 1880 he was attending a service at the Methodist Church in Socorro. He was asked by parishioners to stop a group of Mexican men from bothering some American women in the church. He did, and when he left the church he was ambushed by three Baca cousins: Antonio, Onofre and Abram. One of the cousins shot him dead.
The sheriff, who was related to the Baca cousins, refused to apprehend the Bacas. Therefore, some of Anglo men decided to form a vigilante group. Called the Socorro Committee of Safety, this group decided to seek justice for the murder. Former Civil War soldier Colonel Ethan Eaton led the group. They apprehended, or had others help them apprehend, all three Baca cousins. Antonio Jaramillo Baca was shot while trying to escape, Onofre Baca was lynched by the committee, and Abram Baca was brought to trial. After Abram was found not guilty, he jumped on a horse and high tailed out of town. Good thing, too, because the Socorro Committee of Safety had just begun their reign of terror.
In three years, the committee lynched another five men and threatened many others. Not all were Mexicans, in fact most were not. Only two were Hispanic. However, it did leave a strong tinge of racial tension in the town. The vigilantes demanded that all "Americans" in the town support the committee. It obviously created a rift between "Americans" and "Mexicans". The committee did not believe the native New Mexicans were up to the task to meting out justice, while the natives believed that the newcomers were interlopers trying to take over the town. Both may have been right.
This period of Socorro history is fascinating. It really exemplifies the "wild west" mentality in the town. Various governors tacitly, and sometimes even openly, supported the Socorro Committee of Safety. The committee ruled Socorro for a short period of time. Although the lynching was done by masked men, and various corner's reports stated that the men were hanged by "persons unknown", everyone knew who was doing it. Often large crowds watched the lynchings, and local officials and prominent members of the community took part in the events.
Sources:
Ashcroft, Bruce, The Territorial History of New Mexico, (El Paso: The University of Texas at El Paso, 1988)
L'Aloge, Bob, The Incident of New Mexico's Nightriders, (Sunnyside, WA: BJS Brand Books, 1992.)
Marshall, Michael P. and Henry J. Walt, Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande Province, (Santa Fe: New Mexico Historic Preservation Program, 1984.)
Miller, Darlis A., The California Column in New Mexico, (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1982.)
Taylor, John, Bloody Valverde: A Civil War Battle on the Rio Grande, Febrary 21, 1862, (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1995.)
When I wrote this post last year, I neglected to include one source of information. Although I found most of the information for the article from the sources mentioned above, one piece of information was found in another source: the fact that the three Bacas implicated in the murder of A.M. Conklin were probably cousins, rather than brothers. This information, and their link to famous lawman/outlaw Elfego Baca can be found in the following article:
I've been reading two books: "The Territorial History of Socorro, New Mexico" by Bruce Ashcroft (El Paso: University of Texas at El Paso, 1988) and "The Incident of New Mexico's Nightriders" by Bob L'Aloge (Sunnyside, WA: BJS Brand Books, 1992.)Both books paint a portrait of a town in suffering from racial tensions and conflict.
Socorro was an old Spanish town that was re-settled in 1816. Nothing much changed with the Mexican revolution of 1821, except that now all the Spaniards became Mexicans. Another change was that it became legal for Americans and other foreigners to come to the New Mexico. In 1841, Texas claimed everything east of the Rio Grande as their own. When Texans crossed the Rio Grande, they were captured by Mexican soldiers. Enemy prisoners were brought into Socorro, and at least one of them wrote a scathing description of the town.
The Texas invasion was the precursor of the Mexican-American War. That war began in 1846, and New Mexico was easily subdued by American forces. The Mexican governor of New Mexico escaped to Mexico, and an American governor was put in his place - at first it was a military governor, and then a civilian governor ran New Mexico. By 1850, New Mexico was a territory of the United States.
Troops were stationed in Socorro at first, and then moved to nearby Fort Conrad in August 1851. However, the poorly constructed fort was abandoned and troops moved on March 31, 1854 to Fort Craig a few miles away.
After the Civil War started, Confederate troops advanced up the Rio Grande deep into New Mexico. Union soldiers were sent to Ft. Craig to fight off the Confederates. American, foreign-born, and native New Mexican soldiers fought side by side against the invading enemy army. The Battle of Valverde was fought in 1862 just a few miles northwest of the fort at the bottom of a mesa that lent its name to the skirmish. The Confederacy won the battle, and a makeshift hospital was set up in Socorro.
The Confederates marched up towards Santa Fe. They would meet Union soldiers in a few minor skirmishes, and fought one last battle at Glorietta. On paper, it could be argued that the Confederates won the battle. However, they were so devastated by the loss of supplies and men that they had to retreat back to Texas. Union troops from Ft. Craig shadowed them as they left, essentially escorting them out the territory.
Due to the Confederate invasion, the Union sent troops from California to protect New Mexico and Arizona. The California Column, as it was called, consisted of over 2,000 men. Many were stationed at Ft. Craig. Some of these soldiers moved to Socorro after they mustered out of the army; a few even married local women.
Many former soldiers and other newcomers began etching out a living in Socorro. In the 1880s, Socorro experienced an economic boom. Mines opened up in the area surrounding Socorro, including Carthage near San Antonio, New Mexico, and Kelly near Magdalena. Billings Smelter was built at the foot of the Socorro Mountains just west of Socorro, in a settlement called Park City. Most of the ore mined in the area was processed in this smelter.
Many people moved to Socorro and the surrounding villages to take part in this boom. Flour Mills were built to service not only the local population, but also military installations. Stores were opened in the town. Everything seemed good in Socorro. Both native New Mexican and newcomer seemed to do well in the town. However, there was tension below the surface.
Many of the Mexican population felt resentful towards the newcomers, and the newcomers felt that the Mexicans were holding back progress. When a local newspaper editor was murdered by three Mexicans cousins, the tension came to a head.
A.M. Conklin was the editor of the Socorro Sun. On Christmas Eve 1880 he was attending a service at the Methodist Church in Socorro. He was asked by parishioners to stop a group of Mexican men from bothering some American women in the church. He did, and when he left the church he was ambushed by three Baca cousins: Antonio, Onofre and Abram. One of the cousins shot him dead.
The sheriff, who was related to the Baca cousins, refused to apprehend the Bacas. Therefore, some of Anglo men decided to form a vigilante group. Called the Socorro Committee of Safety, this group decided to seek justice for the murder. Former Civil War soldier Colonel Ethan Eaton led the group. They apprehended, or had others help them apprehend, all three Baca cousins. Antonio Jaramillo Baca was shot while trying to escape, Onofre Baca was lynched by the committee, and Abram Baca was brought to trial. After Abram was found not guilty, he jumped on a horse and high tailed out of town. Good thing, too, because the Socorro Committee of Safety had just begun their reign of terror.
In three years, the committee lynched another five men and threatened many others. Not all were Mexicans, in fact most were not. Only two were Hispanic. However, it did leave a strong tinge of racial tension in the town. The vigilantes demanded that all "Americans" in the town support the committee. It obviously created a rift between "Americans" and "Mexicans". The committee did not believe the native New Mexicans were up to the task to meting out justice, while the natives believed that the newcomers were interlopers trying to take over the town. Both may have been right.
This period of Socorro history is fascinating. It really exemplifies the "wild west" mentality in the town. Various governors tacitly, and sometimes even openly, supported the Socorro Committee of Safety. The committee ruled Socorro for a short period of time. Although the lynching was done by masked men, and various corner's reports stated that the men were hanged by "persons unknown", everyone knew who was doing it. Often large crowds watched the lynchings, and local officials and prominent members of the community took part in the events.
Sources:
Ashcroft, Bruce, The Territorial History of New Mexico, (El Paso: The University of Texas at El Paso, 1988)
L'Aloge, Bob, The Incident of New Mexico's Nightriders, (Sunnyside, WA: BJS Brand Books, 1992.)
Marshall, Michael P. and Henry J. Walt, Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande Province, (Santa Fe: New Mexico Historic Preservation Program, 1984.)
Miller, Darlis A., The California Column in New Mexico, (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1982.)
Taylor, John, Bloody Valverde: A Civil War Battle on the Rio Grande, Febrary 21, 1862, (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1995.)
When I wrote this post last year, I neglected to include one source of information. Although I found most of the information for the article from the sources mentioned above, one piece of information was found in another source: the fact that the three Bacas implicated in the murder of A.M. Conklin were probably cousins, rather than brothers. This information, and their link to famous lawman/outlaw Elfego Baca can be found in the following article:
Gonzales, David, and Jonathan A. Ortega, "Onofre Baca - Socorro Lynching Victim and his Brother Elfego Baca - an American Legend", Herencia, 3 (January 1995), 1-3.
For more information about the controversy over this article, click on the following link: Socorro Spanish Methodist Church. Make sure to also read the comments posted to the article.
Updated: 10/04/09
26 July 2008
August 2008 New Mexico Genealogical Society Program
Saturday, August 16, 2008, 10:30 AM
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Edith NE, Albuquerque NM (NW Corner of Edith and Central)
William Litchman, Ph.D.
Presents the second part of his workshop
Researching at the Courthouse:
Deeds, Wills, Titles and Other Records, Part II
Dr. Litchman presents the second part of a workshop that he began in September 2007. This will be an in-depth exploration of legal records that are essential to genealogical research. He is a thorough researcher and an entertaining speaker. We are happy to welcome him back.
As always, certain books published by NMGS will be on sale during the program.Please visit the NMGS Press web page at http://www.nmgs.org/books.htm for a full listing of NMGS books.
This program is free and open to the public.
For more information about our programs, please visit our website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm.
20 July 2008
San Miguel Church, c. 1920
Here is a photo that I found on the digital archives of the Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. It is a postcard that shows the San Miguel Chuch of Socorro, New Mexico, c. 1920.
Copyright disclaimer from the the CSR website:
"Copyright 2005 The University of New Mexico. All Rights Reserved. You may print, reproduce and use the information in, and retrieve files containing publications or images from, The University of New Mexico's WWW documents for non-commercial, personal, or educational purposes only, provided that you (i) do not modify such information, and (ii) include any copyright notice originally included with such information and this notice in all such copies."
Title: Church of San Miguel,
Reference URL: http://econtent.unm.edu/u?/pictitems,414
Recap of Zimmerly Family Presentation, NMGS
13 July 2008
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, CGSM. 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, CGsm, Genealogical Resources in New Mexico: Third Edition (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 2007), pp. 18-23.
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.
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, CGsm, Genealogical Resources in New Mexico: Third Edition (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 2007), pp. 18-23.
10 July 2008
Juan Jose Baca Store and House
Nancy Lopez sent me the photos below of the Juan Jose Baca Store in Socorro, NM. I'm not exactly sure where she got them, but it was probably either the Library of Congress or Denver Public Library sites.
From the Socorro: A Historic Survey:
The Juan Jose Baca House is still standing. It was used as a pizza parlor and micro-brewery in the early 2000s. The business has since moved.
Juan Jose Baca is not directly related to me, but he may be from the same Baca families that I'm descended from who came to Socorro from Belen in early 1800s.
From the Socorro: A Historic Survey:
The Territorial sytle was introduced in New Mexico by the U.S. Army in the construction of their forts and by newly arrived easteners, who were familiar with the Greek Revival style. The influence of the Greek Revival, though it arrived in New Mexico after it had peaked in the East, continued to be used in its indigenous form for the rest of the century. It is still popular as the Territorial Revival style.
In the early Spanish/Mexican period, commercial stores were not separate entites. Business was conducted in a room of the house; eventually, some of these rooms became stores. The Juan Jose Baca store and residence ..., the principal example of this development, has an elaborate overhanging balcony. In the late nineteenth century, it also had a wood false front....
Conron, John P., Socorro: A Historic Survey (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1980), p. 13.
The Juan Jose Baca House is still standing. It was used as a pizza parlor and micro-brewery in the early 2000s. The business has since moved.
Juan Jose Baca is not directly related to me, but he may be from the same Baca families that I'm descended from who came to Socorro from Belen in early 1800s.
Another Photo Essay from Nancy Lopez
My distant cousin Nancy Lopez sent me a link to a photo essay that she did called "New Mexico Vintage Photos." Again, she found some great old pictures of New Mexico, and wrote an essay about the history of lodging and the railroad in New Mexico (among other things.) It's a great page (actually, it's five pages.) Check it out at this link.
09 July 2008
Photos of New Mexico
I discovered that a distant cousin of mine, Nancy Lopez (not the golfer), has a blog called CyBeRGaTa. I met her on-line a couple of years ago - she discovered one of my sites - and I've talked to her in person at least a time or two.
Anyway, she has a post called "Photos and Thoughts, Pie Town and Penasco, New Mexico". The post contains a number of photos that she found at the Library of Congress website include those of Alburquerque (Albuquerque), Penasco, Pie Town (which was known as "Norman's Place" at one time), and Magdalena. I love the stories that she tells with the photos.
Check out the photo of the Albuqueque Heights in 1943. I live in that area now. It's much bigger now than it used to be.
Anyway, she has a post called "Photos and Thoughts, Pie Town and Penasco, New Mexico". The post contains a number of photos that she found at the Library of Congress website include those of Alburquerque (Albuquerque), Penasco, Pie Town (which was known as "Norman's Place" at one time), and Magdalena. I love the stories that she tells with the photos.
Check out the photo of the Albuqueque Heights in 1943. I live in that area now. It's much bigger now than it used to be.
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