Joseph Dunn Obituary

My wife's uncle, Joseph Leon "Joe" Dunn died on Friday, August 21, 2009 in Peoria, Illinois. Please click on this link to read his obituary.

Door Prizes at August 15th NMGS Meeting

We will be giving away door prizes at the August 15, 2009 New Mexico Genealogical Society meeting. Once again, Ancestry.com donated two books:

* "The Official Guide to Rootsweb.com" by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG, and Tana Pedersen Lord; and,

* "Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records" by Loretto Dennis Szucs & Matthew Wright.

Come try to win the door prizes, and then enjoy the two speakers we have scheduled that day: Dr. William Litchman and Dr. Wesley Sutton. As always, the program - and the door prizes - are free and open to the public.

The program begins on Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:30 AM

at:

Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM
(NW corner of Edith and Central)

Additional Presentation at August 15th NMGS Program

Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:30 AM
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM
(NW corner of Edith and Central)

The New Mexico Genealogical Society

Special Announcement

After our regular program on August 15, 2009, (“Researching the Courthouse III: Vitals” by Dr. William Litchman, certified genealogist) the New Mexico Genealogical Society will present Dr. Wesley Sutton. He will speak for approximately 15 minutes on “Heritage Genetics of Spanish Americans in the American Southwest”.

Dr. Sutton collected DNA samples from New Mexicans in 2003 as part of his research for his Ph.D. dissertation. He will discuss his findings in a short presentation, and will answer questions from the audience.

Men and women of Spanish ancestry are encouraged to contribute DNA to Dr. Sutton’s ongoing study. This will be done through a simple check scrape using a cotton swab. Persons taking part in the study are requested, but not required, to bring a pedigree chart or other documentation showing your ancestry.

This is a group study. Individual results will not be discussed.

The August 15th program will begin with Dr. William Litchman’s presentation at 10:30 AM. Dr. Sutton will speak afterwards at approximately 12 noon that day. Please join us for both presentations.

August 15, 2009 NMGS Program

Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:30 AM
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM
(NW corner of Edith and Central)



The New Mexico Genealogical Society presents
William Litchman, Ph.D.
Offering the Third part of his workshop
Researching at the Courthouse III:
Vital Records
Dr. Litchman presents the third part of a workshop that he began in 2007. This will be an in-depth exploration of vital records that are essential to genealogical research. He is a thorough researcher and an entertaining speaker. We are happy to welcome him back.


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.

August 1, 2009 - my mom's 75th birthday

Clockwise from top left: Robert C. Baca, Frances R. Baca, Janis Baca, and Cynthia Baca. The day of Janis' first holy communion.

My mom would have been 75 years old yesterday. Here are a few facts about her:

* Born Frances Rosaline Baca on 1 August 1934 in Socorro, New Mexico

* Married Robert C. Baca on 27 October 1954 at the San Miguel Parish, Socorro, New Mexico

* Had three children:

1.) Janis Marie Baca, born 23 March 1956, married Donn Schwartzenberg, had two children, one grandchild. Was killed in a car accident 9 December 2008 in the Alamo Reservation, New Mexico.

2.) Cynthia Baca, born 1958, married to Sam Gonzales, has three children, expecting two grandchildren in March 2010.

3.) Robert J. C. Baca, born 1968, married to Nancy Douglas. He has no children of his own. His wife has one child through a previous marriage.

There's much that I can say about mom, but let me try to say it in a few words.

Mom was a very loving and caring person. She was always taking care of her family. During the last years of my mom's life, my grandmother began showing signs of Alzheimers, my dad's health was getting worse (he died only a few months after my mother), and I was going through a divorce. She was there for us - and for many others. She always seemed to have unlimited energy.

My mom always said that she knew when something was wrong with one of her children. She said that if any of us were going through tough times, the backing of our photos on the wall would start falling out of the frame. Of course, I think her uncanny predictions had more to do with the fact that we were always having problems and the backings were continuously falling out.

I have a painting in my kitchen that reminds me of her. It shows a woman peeling a tortilla from a burner with her bare hand. I never understood how my mom could do the same thing without burning her hands.

Just now I thought I smelled her beans cooking on the stove. Man, I'm hungry.

Mom wasn't just a homemaker. She also worked at various businesses throughout her life. I remember her working at her mother's fabric store and my dad's accounting business. She taught Sunday school class for a short while (many of my classmates still remember her fondly.) She hated politics, but she was always helping out my father whenever he ran for any type office, whether it was Grand Knight at the local Knights of Columbus, or board member of the Socorro Electric Co-Op Board.

She tried to do her own business, too. She loved to do crafts, and so she tried to sell a few of them on the side. She never made much money, but I believe she had a lot of fun doing it.

Speaking of crafts, I remember every Christmas she was always making gifts. Whether it was crochet, pillows, or stuffed animals, she was spent all December making them. She would also bake cookies and cakes. Her favorite concoction was - excuse my Spanglish -"kake de jamon", which, although it roughly translates to "pig cake" or "ham cake", was really a chocolate bread made with lard. Okay, it wasn't very healthy, but, man, was it gooooooood!

So that was a brief description of my mom. I know it doesn't do her justice, but I wrote it quickly in order to get it out in this post. I love you mom and miss you.

Albuquerque Public Library Computers to be down August 5th

Below is an e-mail that I received:

Please pardon us as we improve our computer systems.

On August 5, 2009 – Wednesday - all Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Libraries will have extremely limited electronic services.

What does this mean for you?
· No public internet computers
· No online catalog/databases
· No library cards can be issued
· No new holds (requests) can be placed

You WILL be able to:
· Use our free Wi-Fi
· Attend library programs
· Ask questions
· Borrow books, movies, and CDs with your library card
· Download digital books and movies

On Thursday, August 6, 2009 please call 311, your Local Library, or Library Customer Service at 768-5170 to confirm that all library services are available.
Or visit http://www.cabq.gov/library/

Thank you,

Customer Service Office
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System
501 Copper Ave NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505)768-5170

The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System is a Division of the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department.

NMGS 50th Anniversary Conference

Save the Date!

The New Mexico Genealogical Society's

50th Anniversary Conference

Next Year - October 14 - 16, 2010

at the National Hispanic Cultural Center

in Albuquerque, New Mexico

... more information to be posted later ....

July 18, 2009 NMGS Program

Saturday, July 18, 2009, 10:30 AM
Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque NM
(NW Corner of Edith and Central)

The New Mexico Genealogical Society presents
Angel R. Cervantes

Who will discuss the

New Mexico DNA Project:
The Franks’ Connection to New Mexican Families

In Part II of an ongoing series, Mr. Cervantes will explore the connection between certain New Mexican families and the Franks of Western Europe. Cervantes will show a short film that will trace the history of the Franks, a Germanic people that conquered France in the 5th Century. He will then discuss which families show the markers that are most identified with this tribe.

The program will begin promptly at 10:30 AM, so please do not be late.

For more information about the New Mexico DNA Project, visit their website online at: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/NewMexicoDNA/default.aspx

This program is free and open to the public.

For more information about our programs, please visit the New Mexico Genealogical Society website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm

A bunch of photos of my parent's wedding

My aunt Judy gave me a copy of my parent's wedding film on DVD. I decided to do some screen shots of the video and I post them on Facebook. Here is the link to those photos.

I decided to post the screen shots rather than the video itself because it allows for us to look at photos of individuals. I do not know who many of the people pictured in the photos are, or sometimes if I just made a guess. If you know who any of the individuals are, please send me an e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com describing the photo and explaining who they are.

I hope you enjoy these photos.

Link.

Snapshot of Socorro: September and October 1883

I love looking at old newspapers. This link shows page 12 of the September 1883 and page 1 of the Bullion, a local newspaper.

Socorro had become a boom town during the 1880s. Prospectors were opening up new mines throughout the area.. Billings Smelter was built in Park City, at the base of Socorro Peak, or the "M" Mountain as we Socorrians call it. This lead to an influx of people from all over the country, as well as the world. However, before long many of the mines dried up and many of the prospectors left.

The Bullion was published to capitalize on this boom. It informed the populous about new mine prospects and the state of current mines. It also included local, state, national and world news.

The pages that are displayed on this link show advertisements of the local businesses. These include John Eastwood who dealt and manufactured jewelry; Juan Jose Baca who had dry goods, boots, shoes, notions, groceries and liquors; fancy groceries from F.P. Shaw on the Plaza; Asche and Hilton Boot and Shoe Store; and many others. There were attorneys in Socorro, too. These included W. E. Kelly, N. B. Cartmell, Albert Hagan, and many more.

There is an advertisement for the Convent of Mt. Carmel. Tuition and board was $20.00 a month, $200.00 a year. They offered a full academic curriculum, with "particular attention given to ... Painting, Drawing, Fancy Needle Work, Embroidery and ... Vocal and Instrumental Music."

If you needed to go somewhere, there was a posting of time tables for the A.T. and S.F. railroad lines. If you just arrived, there were accommodations at the Sturgis House on Fischer Street.

And let's not forget the mining industry. Some merchants advertised that they sold mining supplies including the Blanchard and Co. and the aforementioned F.P. Shaw. Andy Naw was "prepared to make and repair wagons and mining tools" and also did general blacksmithing. Assayer and metallurgist T. E. Simmons plied his trade. The Ozark & Socorro Mining Company advertized also advertised in the paper. And let's not forget the aforementioned Gustav Billing Smelting Works.

You will need Adobe Acrobat to read the link. If you don't have it, click on this link. I will post more pages in future articles.