Guadalupe Trejo Ancestor #1 - Part 2

My grandmother told me that she knew my grandfather well before they married, as an acquaintance from the town.  Guadalupe Trejo and Emiliana Maldonado married on February 20, 1930 in Tarimoro.  The church records are the only documents I have from their wedding.   It would be great to have pictures of their wedding day or any pictures of the two of them together.  It’s somewhat difficult for me to picture my grandmother as a twenty-year old bride because I only knew her as an elderly woman.

Although their families knew each other, Emiliana’s parents did not approve of her marrying a widower.  Her parents only accepted their marriage when she gave birth to their first child, approximately nine months after her wedding day.   Emiliana raised Esperanza and Apolonio as her own.  I don’t know about Esperanza, but I was told that Polo referred to Emiliana as mama.

Guadalupe & Emiliana raised their family in a relatively small house for a large family. The house was about 1,000 -1,100 square feet, including a storage area for their crops.  Prior to moving into the house where they raised their family, they lived on 107 Zaragoza Street when they were counted in Mexico’s 1930 census.

The Trejos made their living growing crops and raising livestock.  Guadalupe grew crops such as corn, cacahuate, frijoles, and tomatoes.  Tarimoro is known as a cacahuate (peanut) growing region.  His oldest sons, starting a very young age, worked the land and cared for the animals.  Guadalupe raised cattle for their milk and Emiliana raised pigs for slaughter.  The boys, Apolonio, Vicente, Luis, and Lupe Jr would rise up before sunrise to make their way to the fields.  The eldest daughters, Esperanza, Carmen & Olivia, were very busy with house work and child rearing – Guadalupe and Emiliana had 11 kids together.

I don’t know where in the economic spectrum the Trejo’s lived, but my Tia Came told me they always had food in the house.  Sundays were a special day, when they would eat carnitas, barbacoa, and birria.  She told me stories about all the fresh cow’s milk they would drink and I’d imagine they had plenty of peanuts to snack on.  She recalled a story about her father bringing a bunch of watermelons home for the kids to eat.  She remembered hearing the juice from all the watermelon she ate swishing back and forth in her tummy.  I’m not sure why she told me that particular story, but it must have been a particularly good childhood memory.  

I only have tidbits of information about Jose Guadalupe.  From what I have been told, he was a gregarious man, who enjoyed having family get-togethers with the Maldonados on the weekends. These family gatherings came to an end after he passed.  I do not know much about his parenting style, but it appears that none of his children have any ill will toward him. 

Another tidbit of information about him was that he served as the president of the presa de cubo ( the management organization for the local dam).   This is something I will research further. 

Guadalupe and Emiliana would go on to have eleven children, only eight of which survived into adulthood.  His eldest daughter, Esperanza, passed away as a teenager (I don’t have a record of her death).   In his relatively short life, Guadalupe oversaw the funerals of four children and grieved the loss of his first wife.

All of his children eventually immigrated to the United States, with his second eldest son, Vicente, being the first to do so.  I wonder what advise he gave to his son, if any, as he went north seeking better economic opportunities.

Unfortunately, Guadalupe passed away before all his children reached adulthood.  I’m unaware of the exact cause of death, but from what I understand it was likely throat cancer.  During his relatively brief battle with his illness, he came to understand that his chances of survival were slim.  My Tia Came commented that his final thoughts were with his youngest children: ‘Dejo mis chiquitos’ he said.  He passed on January 5, 1959, in Celaya GTO.

Vicente returned to Mexico to bury his father.  He handled the arrangements and paid for the expenses of his father’s funeral.  I have pictures of my grandfather’s viewing, but I’m opting not to post them.

A few years after his death, his sons would make their way to the United States, partly to support their mother and siblings, much like Guadalupe did decades earlier.