Gallegos History at the State Fair

This year marked the 75th Anniversary of the New Mexico State Fair. I would guess I've been to maybe one-third of the fairs -- first with my parents and my brother; and during the last dozen years with my own family. While the fair is pretty much the same old fair, year in and year out, like many New Mexicans, we usually carve out a morning to go to the fairgrounds. One of the traditions we started after Isabella was born was to try to get a family photo at the Midway. I was able to find a handful of those pics and post them here -- celebrating at least nine years of our family's annual tradition.

State Fair 2004

State Fair 2006

State Fair 2007

State Fair 2013

Onofre Duran and Ranchos de Atrisco

Since starting my genealogy research, I have been curious about the community of Atrisco, especially since the first Chaves families settled there more than 300 years ago – just before the Villa de Alburquerque was founded. My interest only grew after my Great-Uncle Lalo Chavez told me that his own grandmother, Telesfora Duran, was from Atrisco. Most interesting to me was the name of my great-great-great grandmother; her name was obviously passed on to my Grandpa Louie, whose full name is Louis Telesfor Chavez.

Telesfora was the daughter of Onofre Duran and Placida Sanchez. My Uncle Lalo knew of Onofre Duran, as he was the namesake of Onofre Chavez – one of Telesfora’s many sons, and a favorite uncle of my Uncle Lalo and Grandpa Louie.

For all of those reasons, Onofre Duran and his home in Atrisco were always in the back of my mind. Thanks to a cousin who also descends from Onofre Duran, I got back on the genealogical trail of the Duran family.

The biggest find, thanks to my cousin, Tina Rizkallah, was Onofre’s last will and testament. A friend at the State Archives helped me track down the document, and another friend generously translated the old Spanish of 19^th Century New Mexico into English.

Aside from the intense preamble, which is worth the read on its own, the will affirms that Onofre owned property and a house in Ranchos de Atrisco – a three-bedroom home with a backyard. He mentions real estate “on the paternal line,” which he was leaving to his children. My guess is that is land that he inherited from his father. But thus far, I have not been able to establish that his father, Franciso Duran, lived in Atrisco; nor that Onofre was born there. In fact, I haven’t figured out where Onofre his wife, Placida Sanchez, or his siblings – Maria Valentina, Dolores and Maria Luisa – were born. I’ll keep searching.

The other interesting new information in the will is the fact that Onofre was first married to Lugarda Samora. Together, they had a daughter, Monica, in 1850. She was baptized at San Felipe de Neri church. The 1850 Census listed the young family (Onofre was 26 years old, meaning he was born about 1824; Lugarda was 25; and Monica was a few months old.) Lugarda must have died soon after, because Onofre remarried Placida Sanches in 1856. Their first child, Jose Maximo, was born in 1857. My great-great-great Grandmother Telesfora was born in 1867 in Ranchos de Atrisco.

It appears that Onofre Duran died in December 1880, at the age of 56, and his estate was settled in 1881.

Here is a translation of Onofre Duran’s last will and testament, dated May 5, 1880:

Onofre Duran

In the name of God Almighty and Mary Forever Virgin be it manifested that I, Onofre Duran, being gravely ill but of sound mind thanks to our Revered God, revoking and annulling, as in fact, I revoke and annul all and any wills and codicils made by me before this one, I declare and it to be my disposition that this is my last will of all my property in the following manner.  First, commending my soul to God, its Creator, to whom I humbly beg for His infinite grace and mercy that, by deliverance from my Lord Jesus Christ, my Creator and Savior; by the powerful intercession of the Queen of Angels, Mary the Holiest, True Mother and Lady, Worthy Mother of my Lord Jesus Christ; and by the intercession of all the angels He may place my soul with all the saints in His Glory, amen, and being clear that I was married to Lugarda Samora who died in the year of eighteen hundred and that at the time of her death I was left with an only child, a daughter of lawful wedlock. 

And I declare to have remarried to Placida Sanchez.  And I also declare that in this time in which God has granted us life we have had the following children: Maximo, Clofio, George, Telesfora, Bonifacio, Jose Ynacio, Luis, all of which were born from my wife in lawful wedlock.  And to which, after my death I leave as heirs of my real estate on the paternal line, which I state as follows:

It is clearly known that I own the house of my dwelling which has three bedrooms and a backyard and it is also clear that I own the land stated in the documents issued to me by Law in this location in los Ranchos de Atrisco; and I also state to own a three-oxen wagon; I also state to own two calved cows; and I also state to own the lands recognized and acquired by the documents issued in my favor, which were acquired by means of my work, lawfully in this location by my wife and purchased by both of us; and I also state and direct that after my death that my body be buried in the chapel of los Ranchos de Atrisco at a cost affordable to my wife and children; and I also state and direct that once my funeral and legal debts are paid for that the rest be divided, one half for my wife Placida Sanchez and the other half be divided among all of my aforementioned children in equal shares; and I also declare and direct that my executors and administrators be my wife, Placida Sanchez and Marcos Lovato, who survive me, and who I hope execute this, my last will, and for its due execution I signed this Will in los Ranchos de Atrisco on this day May 5, 1880, aided by my witnesses, Melquiades Carbajal and Manuel Sanchez.

Onofre Duran, Testator

Melquiades Carbajal

Manuel Sanchez y Tapia, witnesses

Approved today, July 1^st, 1880

J.R. Armijo

Probate Judge

Registered today December 1, 1880

Scribe

The Visigoths: My Chaves Roots Before Spain

One of the benefits of genetic genealogy is the ability to dig deeper into your past. In my case, I already discovered through my Y-DNA that I descend from Pedro Gomez Duran y Chaves – the progenitor of the New Mexico Chavez family.

Pedro Gomez Duran y Chaves was born about 1560 in the southern Spanish village of Valverde de Llerenes. Thanks to DNA, I can trace my genealogy before the time of Christ – and further north of the Iberian Peninsula to Nordic lands of Northwestern Europe.

My Y-DNA, which traces my male lineage, confirms that I am part of the “I” haplogroup, specifically the I1 sub-haplogroup. That sub-haplogroup helped genetic researcher Angel Cervantes to match me with other descendants of the New Mexico Chaves family. Just as important, the sub-haplogroup suggests that I descend from gothic ancestors, mostly likely the Visigoths.

When Cervantes told me about the Visigoth connection, I was embarrassed to admit that I was ignorant of the history of this East Germanic tribe. I felt a little better when nobody else was the wiser during a recent lecture that Cervantes gave in Albuquerque.

 

Visigoth Migration

Long before arriving in Iberia, which is now called Spain, the Visigoths’ ancient homeland was Gutthiuda, or Gothland, in what is modern-day Sweden, according to Cervantes. They were one of two main branches of the Goths; the other was the Ostrogoths. The Visigoths were one of the first to live their ancient homeland, between the time of Christ and about 300, and migrate southeast to the Balkans, where they were considered by the Roman Empire to be one of several barbarian tribes. The Visigoths participated in several wars with the Roman Empire. They eventually made their way to Italy and sacked Rome in 410.

Around the same time, two other tribes, the Vandals and the Suebi, took control of the Iberian Peninsula. They would rule the peninsula for nearly 100 years, before the Visigoths moved west from Italy and eventually displaced the older tribes in Iberia. The Visigoths eventually lost territory in Gaul to the Franks. So, in 1507, the Visigoths’ kingdom was limited primarily to the Iberian Peninsula.

Visigoth Tremisses

Interestingly, more than 1,500 years later, about 13 percent of modern-day Spaniards are thought to have descended from one of these three Nordic tribes – the Suebi, Vandals or the Visigoths.

One unexpected remnant of the Visigoths that I inherited, albeit unknowingly, is my given name. The Spanish translation of my name is Gilberto, which to my surprise, is one of several names that originate from the now-extinct, ancient East Germanic language of the Visigoths, according to Cervantes. He said many names date back the language, including those ending in “o”, such as Rodrigo, Ricardo, and Fernando; and those ending in “ildo” or “ilda,” such as Hermenegildo, Regildo, Hilda and Gilda. Some surnames, such as Guzman, Gutierrez and Valdez, also originate from the language of the Visigoths.

The modern-day Germans and Dutch speak a language that originates from an ancient Western Germanic language.

The Visigoths and the Vandals were both Arian Christians, and they did not believe in the Trinity. Interestingly, the Visigoths were the only non-Roman-Greco people with a bible written in their own language, with their own alphabet, according to Cervantes. The Visigoths eventually embraced Catholicism in Iberia toward the end of the 6^th Century.

I’m sure that, over time, I’ll learn more and appreciate more about the history of my ancestors during ancient times – the good, the bad and the ugly. One thing I’m learning is how my ancestors were persecuted and the persecutors in history. For example, the Visigoths were considered barbarians and persecuted by the Roman Empire. More than 1,000 years later, the Spanish descendants of the Visigoths and many others, persecuted indigenous Indian tribes of the New World, including my maternal ancestors, the Chichimeca Indians north of Mexico City that were also considered to be barbarians.

Don Manuel Gallegos and "Cajetito"

Don Manuel Gallegos and “Cajetito”

While I have established that my paternal surname is an adopted name, it’s still my family name, descending from a long line of Gallegos men – at least eight generations to Manuel Gallegos, who served as Alcalde Mayor of Santa Fe in 1761-63, shortly before his death.

I always assumed that since he held a prominent position in the local Spanish government of the capital city, there had to be more records about the Alcalde Mayor. No doubt, he must have been a descendent of the first Gallegos men who came to New Mexico in the mid-1600s, before the Pueblo Revolt. But I haven’t determined the identity of his parents.

I found a handful or records about Manuel’s time as mayor. But I recently came across more detailed estate records related to his death in 1763, thanks to the transcription of the Spanish Colonial records posted online by researcher Henrietta Christmas. Those estate records confirm my assumptions that Manuel Gallegos left plenty of material goods – worth about 1,075 pesos -- to his wife, Juana Maria Baca, and nine heirs when he died.

What I didn’t expect is one of those possessions was a servant named Joseph Antonio, known by the alias “Cajetito,” an Indian genizaro. I’m note sure of the origin of the nickname, which basically means little bucket. But the designation as Indian genizaro meant he was an Indian slave or servant, probably captured or purchased from a nearby tribe or pueblo.

That news on its own wasn’t a major surprise. Many prominent Spanish families in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, including my own Chavez ancestors, had servants. I have been meaning to write about the capture and trade of Indian children, and sometimes children of Spanish colonists. It is a complicated subject, and I have seen examples of both sides of the practice in my family tree.

The surprise in this case was two-fold: first it was a shock to see Joseph Antonio listed as a possession after the death of Manuel Gallegos; and second, the name Joseph Antonio suggests that perhaps this servant is the father of my own ancestor, Jose Antonio Gallegos, who was raised in the home of Manuel’s son, Manuel Gallegos Jr., in the early 1800s.

I know – it’s confusing. My paternal family tree, starting with myself, goes like this:

1.     Gilbert Gallegos, Jr.

2.     Gilbert Gallegos Sr.

3.     Carlos Gallegos

4.     Luis Gallegos (raised in the home of Manuel Gallegos)

5.     Manuel Gallegos

6.     Gregorio Gallegos

7.     Jose Antonio Gallegos (“criado” or raised in the home of Manuel Gallegos)

8.     (possible) Joseph Antonio, aka “Cajetito” (genizaro in the home of Alcalde Mayor Manuel Gallegos)

I can’t be certain whether my Gallegos line extends to Indian ancestors or the Alcalde Mayor Manuel Gallegos. And as I said, I already know through my DNA that my paternal heritage is linked to the original Duran y Chaves family. My Great-Grandfather Luis Gallegos was raised by a Gallegos family, but his own paternal ancestry is not known.

What is clear is that Luis Gallegos, and his ancestors before him, were raised with the Gallegos name – the same surname my grandfather, my father and I inherited.

While I have not determined the parents of Manuel Gallegos, the Alcalde Mayor of Santa Fe, this is what I know about him:

He was born about 1720, based on records that identified his age later on in life. Without his baptismal or marriage records, I have not found records identifying his parents or his place of birth.

He married Maria Josefa Baca, and they had nine children, including Manuel Antonio Gallegos, who was born in 1753. Manuel Jr. married Maria de la Luz Ortiz, and gave his Gallegos surname to Jose Antonio, my ancestor who was either Indian or a mix of Indian and Spanish.

Manuel Sr. served at Lt. Alcalde Mayor of Santa Fe in 1751 and 1752. A decade later, he was Alcalde Mayor and War Captain from 1761 to 1763.

Manuel Gallegos died on Dec. 29, 1763, according to the estate record transcribed by Henrietta Christmas. The next day, the Lt. Governor took an inventory of his holdings, followed several months later by the completed inventory, which was valued at 1,075 pesos:

Ø  One house that consists of four rooms, one large hall, one room, one kitchen and one store room,(150 pesos)

Ø  Built upon 30 varas of land with all its agricultural lands lying adjoining the house, that consists from north to south 400 hundred and some varas and from east to west 200 varas (100 pesos)

Ø  One old saddle with its equipment (40 pesos)

Ø  One old rifle with its case “San Miquelena.” (30 pesos)

Ø  One pair of spurs (6 pesos)

Ø  One leather jacket with six button holes (40 pesos)

Ø  One coat of Spanish cloth and pants of the same (45 pesos)

Ø  One pipe with an old gold stem (8 pesos)

Ø  One old hat (3 pesos)

Ø  One cloth cloak from “Queretaro” (15 pesos)

Ø  One axe (4 pesos)

Ø  One weaving frame (15 pesos)

Ø  Fourteen male mules and one unbroken mule (460 pesos)

Ø  One female burro (15 pesos)

Ø  One male mule that is to be paid by a servant of Vicar Santiago

Ø  Five pesos due him by Roque Lobato

Ø  Three pesos due him by the Indian Antonio Vigil

Ø  Joseph Antonio, alias “Cajetito” Indian genizaro

Ø  Due by Miguel Romero, deceased one cow and a calf (25 pesos)

Ø  Due by the deceases six varas of cloth to Bicente Martinez, soldier (6 pesos)

Ø  Due by deceased, to Pedro Rendon, three peso

The inventory was completed several months later:

Ø  Five male mules and serge cloth with trimmings (30 pesos)

Ø  Four pairs of shoes (8 pesos)

Ø  Two handkerchiefs (3 pesos)

Ø  One piece of cloth sufficient to make a cape (24 pesos)

Ø  One peso in soap (1 peso)

Ø  Two pounds of chocolate and two pounds of sugar (6 pesos)

Ø  One-half pound of bluing (2 pesos)

Ø  Three varas of ribbon (1.5 pesos)

Ø  Three canvas sheets for the patio (24 pesos)

Ø  One cotton shawl (5 pesos)

Said property being acquired by the sale of two male mules and six fanegas of piñon nuts, also five pesos in silver, which were delivered in good to the widow of the deceased Manuel Gallegos, six equipment’s with riata lassos (24 pesos)

Juana Maria Baca, the widow of Manuel Gallegos testified that she brought with her to the marriage: 156 ewes and a part in two ranches farming land that she inherited from her father and sold for 196 pesos