The Two Women Named Maria Eulalia Gallegos

Image is San Jose, San Miguel County, New Mexico by Walt Gonske
 

There were two women named Maria Eulalia Gallegos with the same parents born on different dates and married to different men on different dates. Why and how come?

The first Maria Eulalia Gallegos was born on the 4th of November 1858 the daughter of Antonio Gallego and Maria Luisa Ulibarri who at the time were living in Entranosa, San Miguel County New Mexico. Her godparents were Ramon Leyba and Tomasa Montoya.

This (the first) Eulalia married Casimiro Dimas, the son of Aparacio Dimas and Maria Dominga Olguin at San Miguel del Bado, New Mexico on the 11th of October of 1875. The marriage padrinos were Manuel Urioste and his wife. Manuel's wife is not named and there were several Manuel Urioste's around the area in the same time period. The church at San Miguel was, and is, the parish church, as compared to one of the many missions associated with it.

They went on to have at least six children;

1. Maria del Pilar born October 9, 1884,
2. Maria Ruperta born March 27, 1886, 
3. Maria Domitilia born September 6, 1892,
4. Maria Josefa born June 14, 1895,
5. Maria de la Cruz born May 2, 1899.
6. Samuel born march 28, 1907.

The second Maria Eulalia Gallegos was born 10th of February of 1861 also the daughter of Antonio Gallego and Maria Luisa Ulibarri who were still living in Entranosa, San Miguel County New Mexico. Her godparents were Miguel Antonio Ribera and Maria Caterina Lucero.

This (the second) Eulalia married Jose Gregorio Sanchez, the son of Nazario Sanchez and Ursula Bustamente on the 1st of December 1876 at San Miguel del Bado. The marriage padrinos were Francisco Griego and Celestina Sanchez.

They went on to have at least 3 children;

1. Rafael born on Oct 23, 1877,
2. Candelaria born on Feb 1, 1879,
3. Lucindo born on September 22, 1880.

That makes one wonder why parents would have 2 daughters born just a little over 2 years apart and give them exactly the same names? It is my guess that the first one got sick as an infant and the parents promised God to name their next daughter after the one that was ill and not expected to live. The first Eulalia survived but a promise was a promise, especially to God. So when the next baby was born a girl, she was named the same as the first one to fulfil a promise.

In Catholic Hispano New Mexican households it was not uncommon to make promises and deals with God himself or the saints. The promises and deals were for various and diverse reasons.
 

 

The Assassinination/Murder of Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur De La Salle and the Role Of Jean L'Archeveque

 (1643 - 1687)

 

Wandering about lost in the wilds of Texas were, amongst others, Robert-Rene Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, Pierre Duhaut, his servant Jean l'Archeveque, La Salle's nephew Cavelier, Henri Joutel, the friar Anastase Douay, Another La Salle nephew Crevel de Moranget, the surgeon Liotot, the German Hiens sometimes known as English Jem, a pilot Sieur de Marle, Nika one of two Shawnee hunters, Teissier and Saget.

 

Pierre Dahaut,  the surgeon Liotot, the German Hiens, Teissier, Jean l'Archeveque, Nika the hunter and Saget were ordered by La Salle to go and search for a cache of food hidden by La Salle on a previous mission. The food in the cache was found but spoiled and as they returned they ran into buffalo and Nika, the Shawnee hunter shot two of them. They camped to dress the animals and sent Saget to inform La Salle so he could send horses to transport in the meat.

 

La Salle sent Crevel de Moranget and de Marle to go back to the buffalo camp with Saget. Menwhile Pierre Duhaut and his companions had cut and prepared the meat and they had also put away for themselves the marrow bones and some choice portions of meat as was the custom and their right by woodland custom. When Crevel de Moranget and company arrived Moranget flew into a rage as was his habit and he threatned Pierre Dahut and siezed the whole of the meat including the reserved portions.

 

Angered by the outburst Pierre Dahut met in counsel with the surgeon Liotot, the German Hiens, Tiessier and Jean l'Archeveque and there it was reselvoved to kill Crevel de Moranget that night. Nika, La Salle's faithful follower and Saget must die with him. All five in on the counsel were of one mind with the exception of Teissier, who neither aided nor opposed the plot.

 

That night when the watch changed and most were asleep Pierre Dahut and the German Hiens, guns cocked ready to shoot anyone who should resist or try to flee. The surgeon Liotot, with an ax swiftly killed Saget and Nika but Moranget started to spasm into a sitting position gasping and unable to speak. The murderers compelled De Marle, who was not part of the plot, to comprimise himself by dispatching Moranget.

 

Now, vengenance and safety demanded the death of LaSalle. Hiens or "English Jim" alone hesitated as he was close to La Salle. Meanwhile La Salle was still at his camp six miles away. It was the 18th of March, 1687 and Moranget and his companions had been expected the night before. La Salle was anxious and on the 19th of March set out to find them along with the other Shawnee Indian guide and the friar Anastase Douay.

 

As they approached the buffalo camp LaSalle fired his pistol to summon followers within hearing. Pierre Dahaut stelathily crossed the river between them and he and the surgeon Liotot hid in the long reed like grass out of sight of LaSalle. LaSalle spotted l'Archeveque on the opposite bank and called to him demanding to know where Moranget was. l'Archeveque without lifting his hat or any other show of respect replied in an agitated but broken voice, but in a tone of insolance, that Moranget was strolling about somewhere. La Salle rebuked and menaced him and l'Archeveque drew back as he spoke toward the others in ambush. At that moment a shot was fired from the grass, instantly followed by another hitting La Salle in the head as he dropped dead.

 

"There thou liest, great Bashaw! There thou liest"! exclaimed the surgeon Liotot. With mockery and insult the members of the conspiracy stripped the body naked, dragged it into the bushes and left it there, a prey to the buzzards and wolves. Thus in the vigor of his manhood, at the age of fourty three died Robert-Rene Cavelier Sieur de la Salle.

 

Most, but not all, of the information on this post comes from the book titled La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West written by Francis Parkman published by Random  House in 1999. A tough but great read.

 

 

Gross Kelly & CO, Rowe, New Mexico - 1910 - 1947

Click on the image to make it larger.

 

This is a picture of the Gross Kelly & Co. store in Rowe taken on August 11, 1918.  Clearly the picture was taken in Rowe, the Picacho clearly visable behind the store. Other than that I do not recognize anything in the photo.

 

Rowe, what ever there was of the town in 1918 was 40+ years old, having been built as the AT&SF railroad came through. Prior to that the residents of Rowe were, for the most part, from Las Ruedas, down by the Pecos River.

 

This was the first Gross Kelly store. Later a second, or a third, building would be errected a bit further to the right of this picture and right in front of the AT&SF Railroad depot. Who knows who lived in the house next door pictured in this photo.

 

Gross Kelly was a big influence in the area around Rowe. Railroad ties were manufactured by the locals according to GK & Co. specs and sold to the company who in turn sold them to the Santa Fe Railroad who took them to a wood treatment plant to be treated prior to use on the tracks. The same goes for mine props and firewood, they were cut, delivered and sold by the locals to the store who in turn would sell them where ever they found a market. The store was operated as a Gross Kelly & Company store between 1910 and 1947, there after under different ownerships well into the 1960's. My mothers first cousin, Aaron Archuleta, worked at the store for many, many years and retired from there.

 

A good source of information on the Gross Kelly & Company is a book titled The Buffalo Head, A Century of Merchantile Pioneering in the Southwest written by Daniel T. Kelly with Beatrice Chauvenet and published by the Vergara Publishing Company in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1972.

 

Click on the image to make it larger.

 

The man on the left is Harry W. Kelly (H.W. Kelly) and the person next to him is Carlos (Charles) Cramer. I knew Charles Cramer's, wife Mrs. Maude Cramer. She lived to a ripe old age and was the postmistress in Rowe in the 1950's. Carlos Creamer came to the Rowe area as manager of the GK & Co. store. His family did stay in the area and Mr. and Mrs. Cramer raised several sons in Rowe.

 

The other four people and the dog are not identified.

 

Click on the image to make it larger.

 

These are the three folks who appear to be locals from the area. I do not recognize anyone, a bit before my time. But the boy appears to be 9 or 10 years old.

 

My padrino Jose Benavidez was living in Rowe and 18 years old at the time this photo was taken. My mother, Refugio Benavidez was 12 years old and my grandfather Roman Benavidez would have been 44 years ols and my grandmother Ignacia Archuleta 42.

 



Looking for someone special in San Miguel County, New Mexico? North or South Isidro , San Jose, San Juan, San Miguel del Bado, Rowe, etc.?

I may have it... I May not, but I do have a lot of names in my files (15,000 plus) and the majority are from the San Miguel County in the period 1800 - 1950 or so. If you are looking for someone in particular just ask, I will see what I have.

Names include, but are not limited to, Archuleta, Benavidez, Ortiz, Tapia, Gutierrez, Ortega, Garcia. Am willing to help if you have the patience to wait a bit. Genealogy is a hobby for the most part, not doing it full time. We have been doing it for over 10 years so our boxes of information are many.

So give me a name by posting a response to the weblog and give me something to go on. Jose and Maria are very, very common names. Seems like every ones first name was either Jose or Maria, so a first name other than that.

The weblog has averaged between 50 and about 90 visitors a day in the last year, with most of them being from the United States. The few forigners visiting bump into it by searching and the rest by word of mouth. I have not advertised the URL as the material here is of limited interest to most.

Nuestra Familia and New Mexico History

The history of New Mexico since the settling of the area by don Juan de Onate in 1598 and the history of our New Mexican families are one and the same. And you have to remember that the New Mexico of today is a lot smaller than before the American occupation. The names of our ancestors show up every where, EVERY WHERE. The good, the bad and the ugly. Hard to sidestep any aspect of it. Our ancestors have been here involved in all aspect of life as they lived and died.

Our ancestors were there when all of the good deeds were accomplished. They were also there as the dirty deeds went down. That happens in history, and especially the history of New Mexican Hispanos whose ancestors were here when the American invasion took place and the Americans took over the reins of government..

Politics and Hispanos and New Mexican Hispanos, Some Thoughts

The biggest, and probably the only things we "Hispanos/Hispanics" living in the good ole U.S.A. have in common with each other is a tie, however small that tie is, to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and the fact that we are citizens of the United States. We may share other things in common.... Maybe Catholicism, maybe the use of the Spanish language, maybe some aspects of a cultural tie. But the only real ties is that tenuous tie to Spain and our current citizenship.

 

Click on the highlighted words for a Wikipedia defination.

Some major politicians and both major political parties do not seem to get this. They appear to think of us as one big group. And we are not. No where close to being one big group. They seem to be looking for an "Hispanic" that will appeal to all of us. That will probably not happen. I recall Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor reminding New Mexicans she was not a Mexican, new or other wise, she identified herself as a Nuyorican. I can see where she was coming from. I can see that very clearly.

New Mexico Hispanics whose ancestors were here when the American occupation happened are, for the most part, mestizos with a unique history and culture.  415 years removed form the time our ancestors came to New Mexico from what was then New Spain (Mexico).  Almost 500 years removed from Spain. That is a long time when you stop to think about it.

We share a lot more with Mexicans from Mexico than we do with a Spanish Spaniard of today. Some would prefer otherwise, pero es asi como es. We have little in common with Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Ecuadoreans, Peruvians etc., etc.

Manifest Destiny and New Mexicans In The Period 1598 To 1846

New Mexicans contributed to the success of "Manifest Destiny", every bit as much as any American, maybe more, maybe much more. New Mexicans living in those days may not have heard of Manifest Destiny, but they contributed to it.

By keeping the majority of the population ignorant and uneducated the government contributed to it. The Spanish government contributed to it between 1598 when don Juan de Onate led the colony north from Mexico. When the Spanish were ousted during the liberation movement of the early 1800's the Mexican government took over the contributions. During this whole time New Mexicans contributed to it by allowing themselves to be led through this uneducated ignorance.

The first Americans who came to New Mexico, themselves an uneducated and mostly ignorant lot, made note of the widespread illiteracy and ignorance on the part of the average New Mexican. This knowledge was transferred back to "the states" and confirmed by future travelers to New Mexico. Soon the United States government knew this too. They also knew that New Mexico was, for all intents and purposes, unarmed and unable to defend itself. Especially against persons, such as Americans, with modern weapons.

Quin Sabe Como se Llamava

What is the spelling of your Spanish name? The spelling of your ancestor's name? Is it the traditional spelling or somewhat different? Ever wonder why it is spelled the way it is?

Cipriano or Sipriano? Versabe? Bersabe? Bersabel? Versabel? Puede que Butierrez or Gutierrez or maybe Gutierres? Was it Villas or maybe Bias? Who really knows? The spelling of names was in the hands of the priest who spelled it the way he heard it pronounced and the only names that were not misspelled when documented were Jose, Juan, Maria, Guadalupe and Jesus. And that is if the priest did not have a Spanish lisp or was a French priest like the ones Archbishop Lamy brought to New Mexico after the American occupation.

Most New Mexicans of the period were illerate so there is nothing they could do about it. They were oblivious to what was happening in the written realm. Not that they minded or cared. There was not much interest nor use for reading and writing in New Mexico at that time. The priests were the only ones who cared or had use of the written word.

When looking at old Spanish documents in New Mexico it is understandable why we have folks names Baldez in some places and Valdez in others. Why we have Gutierrez with a z and Gutierres with an s or Barela and Varela, Roybal and Roibal.

In the old days they used to say V (vay) de Vaca and B (bay) de Burro to illustrate the difference between the v's and the b's.

 There are enough problems with the language, any language, before you add folks who can't spell into this mix.

What Became of Jose Gutierrez, a Navajo Indian Baptized 20 March 1864 at San Miguel del Bado, New Mexico?

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.

"Six Degrees Of Seperation"? Or Less?

Six degrees of separation is the idea that everyone is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy.

In researching New Mexican (Hispanos) genealogy we have found that, generationally speaking, there is less than 6 degrees of separation before you can tie New Mexicans together in one big tree. The records are there to determine this. Birth, baptismal, marriage investigations, marriage and death records kept by the Catholic Church during the Spanish, Mexican and into the American period facilitate this.

Numbers of individuals, usually men, coming into New Mexico were never high and some periods they were non existent or very low. They were soon assimilated into the group that was here. This was true during the Spanish colonizing and colonial period, it remained true during and just prior to the Mexican period when French and Americans started making appearances in New Mexico. Records show that these folks had to integrate themselves with the natives in order to survive.

The French found it easy as a result of France being a Catholic nation at the time. The names, regardless of their current spelling, remain as proof of this assimilation, Alarid, L'Eperance, Archiveque, Gurule, Charette are some of the more prominent.

Early on, the Americans had more difficulty and some did so just to be able to remain here and work here. Kit Carson is a prime example. There were many others like him. Kit never really considered himself a Mexican, he never considered himself a New Mexican, he never considered himself a Catholic. But he swore on the Holy Bible that he was all three. As soon as the Americans marched into Santa Fe, Kit and others like him wrapped themselves in the American flag.

But they married New Mexican women and in reality their descendants were an odd mixture of American and New Mexican cultures.