Into The Fog Of History
He was baptized on the 20th of March of 1864 by Juan de Jesus Medina and Refugio Benavidez. He was "bought" by J. Ignacio Gutierrez of El Pueblo, San Miguel County, New Mexico. His baptismal record states "Baptized 20 March 1864. 12 years old male Navajo Indian bought by J. Ignacio Gutierrez." The priest doing the baptizing was J. Guerin. He shows up in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census at El Pueblo, San Miguel County, New Mexico in the household of Ignacio Gutierrez and his wife Guadalupe (Ribera) Gutierrez and their children Juana, Josefa, Monico and Pablo. The couple who were his padrinos, Juan de Jesus Medina and his wife Refugio (Benavidez) Medina and their children live next door. The census was taken on 29 July, 1870 and he was listed as a 17 years old and an Indian. He could neither read nor write and is listed as a servant in the household.
Maria Benita del Refugio Benavidez (la Madrina) is my 3rd cousin 2 times removed. Our common ancestors are Juan Domingo Benavidez and Francisca Lujan.
Anyway, Jose Gutierrez seems to have disappeared after the 1870 Federal Census. The name Jose was too common to be of any value when looking for him, as was the last name Gutierrez. Finding him independent of Ignacio Gutierrez is all but impossible. He seems to have been lost into the Hispanic world of the time. Probably married and his descendants are amongst us as friends and relatives.
A story that starts when Jose Gutierrez was baptized on March the 20th of 1864 and ends on the 29th of July of 1870 when the census was taken, barely 6 years and 4 months.
Did he live a long life? Did he marry? Did he have a family? Maybe we will never know. This is a unique New Mexican story and there are probably many like it.
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