Name Change: Jose Chaves to Jose Anastacio Chaves

Recently, I was searching for the ancestors of Anna Maria de Soledad Chaves, who, along with her husband, Jose (Lugardo) Padilla, appears to be one of the early settlers of the Socorro Land Grant. A Jose Padilla is listed in the 1818 Navajo military campaign donation list that I use as an early enumeration of Socorro. Jose Padilla is a common name, so it is difficult to figure out exactly who this person was. I chose an early settler, Jose Padilla who was married to Maria Soledad Chavez. This couple adopted a young Native American child or adult woman by the name of Maria Soledad Rosalia Padilla. Members of the Navajo tribe sold her to this couple, which means that she was basically their slave. We will never know whether she was treated as a member of their family, or just a servant. Stories differ as to how families treated their "adopted children". Once adopted and baptized in the Catholic Church, they were supposed to be raised as Christians. Of course, many families did the least they had to do to honor this pledge, while others felt it was their duty to treat adopted children as their own.

I could not find any other adopted or biological children for this couple.

I found a Tome marriage record for Jose Lugardo Padilla and Ana Maria de Soledad Chaves, on 3 June 1798. I believe this to be the same couple as Jose Padilla and Maria Soledad Chavez. He was the son of Juan Domingo Padilla and Juana Rita Baca; while she was the daughter of Jose Anastacio Chaves (deceased) and Juana Baca. All were from Belen. I found Jose Lugardo's parents' marriage record in Laguna, and was at least able to figure out the ancestry of his father, if not his mother. Ana Maria de Soledad's parents were a different story. Then I came across a record that I believe solved the mystery, and changed the name I had for one of my ancestors.

Since Chaves is the name found among the founders of Albuquerque, I decided to look at the index of the book "Aqui Se Comienza" - a book that I myself contributed two chapters to. The book outlines the descendants of 20+ families. The index showed that Jose Anastacio Chaves could be found on page 100 of the book. On that page, it indicated that Jose Anastacio Chavez and his mother Antonia Baca were godparents in the Isleta Church baptism of Tomas Gallegos. I checked the Isleta baptism and marriage book published by the New Mexico Genealogical Society and discovered this to be correct.

Jose Chaves, the son of Antonio Duran y Chaves and Antonia Baca, was married to Juana Maria Baca, the daughter of Diego Domingo Baca and Juana Duran y Chaves (yes, they were not-so-distant cousins.) Their marriage was in 1758. The baptismal record that showed godparents Jose Anastacio Chaves with his mother was in 1753. The fact that he was baptizing a child with his mother most likely indicates that he was at least an adolescent and probably unmarried. Therefore, I believe that Jose Chaves and Juana Maria Baca are the same couple as Jose Anastacio Chaves who was married to Juana Baca.

This means that their daughter, Anna Maria de Soledad Chaves, is the sister of Luis Maria Chaves, who was married to Maria Isabel Padilla. This couple is another of the families I've discerned to be founders of the Socorro Land Grant based on the 1818 enumeration. Luis Maria Chaves and Maria Isabel Padilla are my 4th great grandparents - ancestors of my maternal grandfather Santiago Baca. I now know my 4th great-grandfather by a different name.

Below is a chart that shows the relationship between Jose Anastacio Chaves and his 3rd great-grandson Santiago Baca.

Sources:
Lila Armijo Pfeufer, Margaret Leonard Windham, and Evelyn Lujan Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church: 1821-1853 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1998), p. 18.

Raymond P. Salas extractor and Margaret Leonard Windham compiler, New Mexico Marriages Churces of Immaculate Conception of Tome and Our Lady of Belen (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1994), p. 18.

"Microfilm # 16826: Laguna Baptisms, Marriages and Burials," database, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org: accessed 26 August 2017), Marriage Record: Juan Domingo Padilla and Juana Rita, 9 April 1771, image # 141.

Gloria M. Valencia et. al., editors, Aqui Se Comienza: A Genealogical History of the Founding Families of La Villa de San Felipe de Alburquerque (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 2007), p. 100.

Lila Armijo Pfeufer, Margaret L. Buxton transcribers, Margaret Leonard Windham, and Evelyn Lujan Baca compilers, New Mexico Marriages and Baptisms San Agustin de la Isleta Church: Marriages 1726 to 1846, Baptisms 1730 to 1776, 1829 to 1842 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1996), p. 133.
 In a baptismal record for Thomas Gallegos (baptized 17 January 1753), the godparents are listed as Joseph Anastacio Chabes and his mother Dona Antonia Baca.

Lila Armijo Pfeufer, Margaret L. Buxton transcribers, Margaret Leonard Windham, and Evelyn Lujan Baca compilers, New Mexico Marriages and Baptisms San Agustin de la Isleta Church: Marriages 1726 to 1846, Baptisms 1730 to 1776, 1829 to 1842 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1996), p. 11. 

Juan Montoya and his three wives

Among the names in the 1818 list of Socorro residents who contributed goods to a military campaign against the Navajos is a man by the name of Juan Montoya. Juan Montoya is as generic of a name that a person can find in New Mexico. It is very easy to confuse various men by that name - especially in Socorro where the Montoya surname is common. What is worse is when a person with a common name has more than one wife. A certain Juan Montoya is a case in point.

I figured that Juan Montoya, who was married to Maria Manuela Garcia (Jurado) was one of the men enumerated in the early 1818 Socorro list. Although I have yet to find a marriage record for this couple, their first daughter Maria Josefa Montoya was born on 6 December 1819 in Socorro, New Mexico. The baptism was record in Belen, as the San Miguel Church in Socorro had yet to be built. Josefa's brother Juan Nepomuceno was born on 11 March 1822. Through his San Miguel baptism, I figured out that Juan Montoya's parents were Antonio Montoya and Guadalupe Salazar, while Maria Manuela Garcia Jurado's parents were Francisco Xavier Garcia (Jurado) and Maria Josefa Sanchez. Francisco Xavier Garcia Jurado was another founder of Socorro; he was also enumerated in the 1818 list.

In the 1845 Spanish Census of Socorro, don Juan Montoya and Maria Monica Ortega are listed with three children: Pedro, Juan de Jesus and Francisco. Previously I found the baptisms for Jose Pedro and Juan de Jesus Montoya in the Socorro church records as children of Juan Montoya and Maria Manuela Garcia Jurado. As such, I deduced that those two children mentioned in the 1845 census were the same children, with Francisco being the son of Juan Montoya and one of his wives. Maria Monica Ortega is listed as 25 years old, while Francisco was 8. It is very possible that Francisco was Monica Ortega's son, so I have him listed as such. I have yet to find a baptismal record for him.

By 1847, Monica Ortega had passed away. On 15 August 1847, the Socorro marriage record of Juan Montoya and Maria Tomasa Luna indicated that Juan was a widower of his second marriage to Monica Ortega. This means that Juan was married three times. Although the marriage record does not indicate who Juan Montoya's parents were, by piecing together all of the clues, it appears that this is this same Juan Montoya. As such, it is very probable that Juan Montoya, the son of Antonio Montoya and Guadalupe Salazar, was married to three women: Maria Manuela Garcia Jurado, Maria Monica Ortega and Maria Tomasa Luna.

For source citations of the above article, and for a list of Juan Montoya's descendants, click on the link below:

Juan Montoya's Descendants

Finding Oodles of Socorro Records (Maria Rita Baca & Pedro Antonio Baca)

The Baca / Douglas Genealogy and Family History Blog: Finding Oodles of Socorro Records: Recently, I ordered a copy of a document from the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library in the Palace of Governors in Santa Fe, NM. I found i...

Some notes on the descendants of Dionosio Antonio Baca and Ana Maria Sanchez

Dionosio Antonio Baca and Ana Maria Sanchez were original settlers of Socorro. In the 1818 enumeration of Socorro, Doña Ana Maria Sanches is listed individually as contributing goods to the Navajo war campaign. She is noted as being the wife (esposa) of lieutenant Don Dionosio Baca. Today I have been researching their descendants and members of their household.

* One of their sons, Jose Antonio Baca and his wife Maria Manuela Barreras, had a daughter by the name of Ana Maria Eufemia Baca. She was born April 20, 1820 in Belen, New Mexico. On April 23rd, she was baptized, and adopted by Diego Armijo and Maria Josefa Barreras. Why she was adopted is unknown. However, it does seem that Maria Josefa Barreras was somehow related to Maria Manuela Barreras, possibly she was her sister. I thought maybe this was because the Armijo couple were barren. This is apparently not the case. On April 21, 1819, Diego Armijo and Maria Josefa Barreras had a daughter by the name of Maria Rosalia Armijo. That daughter was baptized on April 23rd of that year. I find it interesting that both girls were baptized on the same date and almost born on the same date, one year apart. I don't know if this means anything, but the coincidence is outstanding. 

I looked for more information regarding Ana Maria Eufemia Baca/Armijo. I couldn't find marriage records or baptismal records for any children. It would be interesting to see if this girl had any descendants. 

Sources:

Lila Armijo Pfeufer et. al., extractors and compilers, New Mexico Baptisms Church of Our Lady of Belen: 1810-1851 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1998), pp. 83 and 94.

* On March 30, 1834, Maria Anastasia Baca married Antonio Torres in Socorro, New Mexico. On both their marriage record and a March 3rd prenuptial record of the couple, it is noted that Maria Anastasia Baca was the "criada" of deceased Dionosio Baca. This apparently means that she was Dionosio Baca's servant. A January 22, 1842 baptismal record for Maria Anastasia's daughter Maria Antonia de Jesus Torres indicates that Maria Anastasia Baca was the daughter of the criada servant of Dionocio Baca, Maria del Rasario (no surname.) Therefore, it appears that both Maria Anastasia Baca and her mother were servants of Dionosio Antonio Baca. 

Sources:

Joe Sanchez III, extractor and Antonia Duran Silva editor, San Miguel del Socorro, New Mexico Marriage Records: 1821-1853 (Whittier, CA: independently published, 1999), p. 20.

Fray Angelico Chavez, New Mexico Roots, Ltd.: A Demographic Perspective from genealogical, historical and geographic data found in the Diligencias Matrimoniales or Pre-Nuptial Investigations (1678-1869) of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. (Santa Fe, New Mexico: typescript, 1982), Volume 10, p. 1912. 

Lila Armijo Pfeufer, Margaret Leonard Windham, and and Evelyn Lujan Baca, New Mexico Baptisms San Miguel de Socorro Church: 1821-1853 (Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1998), p. 152.

The Antonio Chavez Grant and the Socorro Grant

Recently, I searched the Internet to find sources that I can use for my research. I found a few articles and reports about the Socorro Grant and other grants that I found interesting.

On June 30, 2006, former New Mexico State Historian Robert J. Torrez submitted a report, "State Owned Lands Within New Mexico's Community Land Grants", (click here to read) to the New Mexico State Legislature Land Grant Committee. As the title indicates, this report details a few of the 130 Spanish and Mexican community land grants in New Mexico, in respect to state owned land within those grants. The Town of Socorro Grant just so happens to be one of the community grants studied in the report.

On page 34 of the report, Torrez begins describing the history of the Town of Socorro Grant. This history is very similar to J.J. Bowden's history of the grant, and can be seen as a summary of the Bownden article. Torrez's report then identifies two tracts of land within the grant that are state owns. These two tracts, the Escondida Tract and McAllister Drain, occupy a total of 109.87 acres. Certain individuals are mentioned as previous owners of the tract. I will have to do some research on these names, although a few of them seem familiar to me already.

What I found of particular interest is that Torrez states that according to a 2004 GAO report, the Town of Socorro Grant does not currently have any community acreage. I searched for that report, and found it online. (Click here to read the GAO report.)

In June 2004, the Government Accountability Office issued the report "Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Findings and Possible Options Regarding Longstanding Community Land Grant Claims in New Mexico". New Mexico U.S. Senators Jeff Binghaman, Pete Dimenici, and U.S. Congressman Tom Udall, requested that the GAO research New Mexico land grants. According to the report's cover letter (page 1)

In response to your request, this report: (1) describes the confirmation procedures by which the United States implemented the property protection provisions of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with respect to community land grants located in New Mexico, and the results produced by those procedures; (2) identifies and assesses concerns regarding these procedures as they pertain to the government’s confirmation of these grants from 1854 to 1904; (3) identifies and assesses concerns regarding acreage transferred voluntarily or involuntarily after the confirmation procedures were completed; and (4) identifies possible options that Congress may wish to consider in response to remaining community land grant concerns.

I have not had a chance to read the entire 221 page report, but I did find that the report does indicate that of the original 17,371.18 acres, the community no longer owns any acreage (page 148.) I would like to confirm that this is actually true, and find out when the last parcel of land was transferred. More research is needed.

The last article I found was by chance: "The History and Adjudication of the Antonio Chavez Grant" by Mark Schiller. This article was published in Volume 48, issue 4, of the Natural Resources Journal, and can be found on the UNM Law School website. The article takes a look at the legal process of the U.S. Court of Private Land Claims in respect to Mexican land claims. The author argues that the system of confirming (or denying) land claims was unjust, favoring American business and individual interests over the interests of the original Hispanic owners of the land. I will not go into detail here over his arguments, rather I would like to point out a few things that I found interesting in the article.

1. The article gives me insight on how possibly the U.S. Court of Private Land Claims unfairly adjudicated Spanish and Mexican land grants. This is important to the history of the Socorro Grant. Heirs of that grant were accused of forging a specific document which allowed the PLC to deny their claim. According to the Schiller, this accusation was made often against claimants and was trumped up in the press and in court. I have personally seen evidence of this in newspaper articles from the era.

2.  The Antonio Chavez Grant was given title in 1825. When it was titled, certain boundaries were given - including boundaries that were shared with the Socorro Grant. By reviewing these boundaries, I can figure out the northern boundary of the Socorro Grant - at least as it was understood to be in 1825.

3. The alcalde (mayor) of Socorro, Juan Francisco Baca, verified the Antonio Chavez Grant title in 1825. In my article "Early Settlers of the Socorro Land Grant: An 1818 List, Part II," (New Mexico Genealogist, volume 51), I identified Juan Francisco Baca as one of the founders of Socorro. This gives me more detail about this man.

All of these articles not only give me specific information about the Socorro Grant, but also give me hints of where to do further research.

Sources:

Robert J. C. Baca, "Early Settlers of the Socorro Land Grant: An 1818 List, Part II," New Mexico Genealogist, 51 (March 2012): p. 13.

J. J. Bowden, "Socorro Grant", New Mexico Office of State Historian website, http://dev.newmexicohistory.org/filedetails.php?fileID=24686, accessed 30 May 2015.

Government Accountability Office, "Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Findings and Possible Options Regarding Longstanding Community Land Grant Claims in New Mexico", GAO website, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0459.pdf, accessed 30 May 2015. 

Mark Schiller, "The History and Adjudication of the Antonio Chavez Grant," Natural Resources Journal, 48 (4), online journal (http://lawschool.unm.edu/nrj/volumes/48/4/9-schiller.pdf : accessed 30 May 2015), pp. 1057 - 1080.

Robert J. Torrez, "A Report: State Owned Lands Within New Mexico's Community Land Grants", New Mexico Office of State Historian website, http://admin.newmexicohistory.org/featured_projects/LandGrants/documents/TorrezReport.pdf, accessed 30 May 2015.