Esteban Arroyo - Ancestor #4 - Part 2

Esteban’s death record was my last hope of finding a document that definitively identified his parents.  The information in death records is uneven, so it wasn’t a guarantee that I would hit the jackpot if I found it.  I started my search by narrowing down the years of when he could have possibly died.

The marriage informational records of his children provided me with helpful hints to track down his death record from the Catholic Church.  Refugio’s Arroyo’s MI from 1894 provided me with my first clue.  It listed her father, Esteban Arroyo, as deceased.  I decided to work backward from that date. Unfortunately the records were not indexed at the time, so I searched the digital microfilm documents page by page.  I searched for hours to find his record. 

Jackpot!!!  Well, a bittersweet jackpot.  It's a bit sorrowful searching death records because I'm familiar with the feelings that accompany the records.  

I knew it was his records because it listed Leandra Jimenez as his spouse.  Esteban Arroyo passed January 18, 1895, in Tarimoro, at the age of 51.  

I was elated, almost to the point of being teary-eyed, when I read the names of his parents at the bottom of the record. His parents were listed as Manuel Arroyo and Antonia Contreras.  Other than the trill that comes with finding a record after hours of research, my favorite aspect of family research is learning the names of my ancestors.  I first great pride in resurrecting the relationship within a family.  I wonder about the last time someone mentioned Manuel and Antonia as the parents of Esteban. Additionally, I now could add the names of another set of great-great-great grandparents to my family tree. 

This record provided that definitive proof that Bacilia Lara and Bacilia Alvarez were indeed the same woman.  Mystery solved.   With the names of his parents and the biographical information from his first MI, I was able to locate his baptism record.

Esteban Arroyo was baptized on August 2, 1843 in Tarimoro.  The record is from Salvatierra because Tarimoro did not have a parish at the time.

Below is his record from Tarimoro's 1883 padron.  He is listed as living with his wife and kids, Leandra Jimenez, Josefa, Refugio, Conrado, and Maria.   The ages in the document are not accurate.

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Esteban Arroyo Death Record

"México, Guanajuato, Registro Civil, 1862-1930," images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-23321-10800-46?cc=1922031 : accessed 27 February 2016), Guanajuato &gt; Tarimoro &gt; Defunciones 1894-1896 &gt; image 47 of 540; Archivo General del Registro Civil del Estado Guanajuato (Guanajuato Civil Registry State Archives). 

Citation

"México, Michoacán, registros parroquiales y diocesanos, 1555-1996," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18784-10196-9?cc=1883388&wc=3NYG-MNP:178285301,178658501,219552601 : accessed 27 February 2016), Morelia > Arquidiócesis de Morelia > Padrones 1831-1896 > image 416 of 684; parroquias Católicas, Michoacan (Catholic Church parishes, Michoacan).

 

Ancestor #4 Esteban Arroyo (Great Great Grandfather) – Part 1

Esteban Arroyo, my great-great-grandfather, lived in Tarimoro, Guanajuato in the 1800’s.  Unfortunately, I do not have any photographs of him. 

I’m writing about Esteban because finding and confirming the names of his parents required extra genealogical research.  The records I typically use to find the names of my ancestors, the marriage information (MI) records, were not fruitful in his case due to inconsistencies in the surname used by his first wife.  I located two MI records for Esteban Arroyo, he was married twice, but I could initially only positively attribute one of the two records to him.  I know he was married twice because in the MI record with my great-great-grandmother, Leandra Jimenez, it states that he was a widower of 14 months, previously married to Bacilia Lara.  Esteban Arroyo and Leandra Jimenez married on November 7, 1872 in the San Miguel Arcangel church in Tarimoro, Guanajuato. 

Esteban y Leandra

Extra research is required to discover the names of the parents of a bride or groom when the only record known of them is their second marriage information record.  A marriage record usually lists the parents of both the bride & groom.  In the case of Esteban, in the section normally reserved for the names of the groom’s parents, it listed the details of his previous marriage.  I used that information to work backward to try to locate his first MI record.  I was unsuccessful at finding an exact match.  However, I did find a record for an Esteban Arroyo and Bacilia Alvarez.   Bacilia’s parents are listed as Ygnacio Alvarez and Antonia Lara.  His parents were listed as Manuel Arroyo and Antonia Contreras. 

Esteban y Bacilia

Everything for the marriage record for Esteban and Bacilia Alvarez matched except her surname. Perhaps the priest incorrectly wrote down her name as Lara (her mother’s maiden name) instead of Alvarez during Esteban’s marriage informational session with Leandra.  I wanted to be certain, so I continued to look.

I decided to research his first wife’s death record, hoping to find useful additional.  My search again came up empty for an exact match.  The closest match I found was for a deceased woman named Bacilia Perez, who was survived by a husband named Estaban Arroyo. Bacilia Perez passed away in Tarimoro on September 1, 1871, approximately 14 months before Esteban and Leandra were married.  The record was around the estimated time and place of the passing of Esteban’s first wife.   

Bacilia Perez

I had three records for Esteban Arroyo, each showing him married to a woman named Bacilia, and each with a different surname.  I began to wonder, was it possible that there were two or three Esteban Arroyos who lived in the same place, at the same time and married a woman named Bacilia.  Likely not, but I wanted more definitive proof that Bacilia Lara and Bacilia Alvarez were the same person. 

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citations:
1. Esteban y Leandra:
"México, Guanajuato, registros parroquiales, 1519-1984," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-20592-29266-79?cc=1860831 : accessed 20 February 2016), Tarimoro > San Miguel Arcángel > Información matrimonial 1870-1873 > image 520 of 645; parroquias Católicas, Guanajuato (Catholic Church parishes, Guanajuato).

2. Esteban y Bacilia
"México, Guanajuato, registros parroquiales, 1519-1984," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-20415-44091-80?cc=1860831 : accessed 20 February 2016), Salvatierra > Salvatierra > Información matrimonial 1863-1865 > image 387 of 450; parroquias Católicas, Guanajuato (Catholic Church parishes, Guanajuato).

3. Bacilia Perez
"México, Guanajuato, registros parroquiales, 1519-1984," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-20589-8090-59?cc=1860831 : accessed 20 February 2016), Tarimoro > San Miguel Arcángel > Defunciones 1870-1878 > image 79 of 444; parroquias Católicas, Guanajuato (Catholic Church parishes, Guanajuato).

Draft: Ancestor #3 Refugio Arroyo

This post is a work-in-progress.  I have to interview my eldest aunt to gather more information about Refugio's life.  My Tia told me that her Mama Cuca (as Refugio was known to her grandchildren) loved her grandchildren very much.  My Tia Came called her a “abuela de verdad.”

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Refugio Arroyo was born and raised in Tarimoro, GTO.  Her baptism record states that she was baptized on February 26, 1878, at San Miguel Arcangel church. Her parents are listed as Esteban Arroyo and Leandra Jimenez. 

She married Apolonio Trejo on April 3, 1894 in Tarimoro, GTO, at the age of 16. 

As mentioned in a previous post, she was widowed in 1916, at the age of 38.  She never remarried.

She was living with her son, Guadalupe, at the time the 1930 Mexican Census was taken.

Below is a picture of Refugio with her grandson, Apolonio. 

Apolonio Trejo & Refugio Arroyo

She passed away around 1960.  I believe she was laid to rest inside the San Miguel Arcangel church, pictured below.

Baptism Record Citation:

"México, Guanajuato, registros parroquiales, 1519-1984," database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-20400-42964-12?cc=1860831 : accessed 13 February 2016), Tarimoro &gt; San Miguel Arcángel &gt; Bautismos 1877-1882 &gt; image 97 of 728; parroquias Católicas, Guanajuato (Catholic Church parishes, Guanajuato).

Draft: Ancestor # 2 Apolonio Trejo

Apolonio Trejo, my paternal great grandfather, was born and raised in the Tarimoro region of Guanajuato.  His baptism record states that he was baptized with the name Jose Apolonio de Jesus Trejo Lara on April 10, 1874, at San Miguel Arcangel in Tarimoro.  He was born in Encinal, a very small rancho in the municipality of Tarimoro.  His parents are listed as Pedro Trejo (25) and Crispina Lara (22). 

The 1883 padron of Tarimoro list Apolonio living with his immediate family in Barajas, a small rancho near Huapango.   Also listed in the padron living with the family is Rafael Trejo, his grandfather. 

                                                

Apolonio has been an important name in the Trejo family, along with Guadalupe, over the last four generations.  Guadalupe Trejo named his first son after his father, and my father named his oldest son after his oldest brother.  I don’t foresee any more Trejos named Apolonio, at least not in the US. 

On April 3, 1894, he married Refugio Arroyo in the San Miguel Arcangel church in Tarimoro.  He is listed as a 20 year old laborer from Huapango.  Refugio Arroyo is listed as a 17 year old bachelorette from Tarimoro. I imagine the wedding would have been a relatively simple affair by today standards.

Based on the records I have found online and the names provided to me by my father, Apolonio and Refugio had eight children together: Encarnacion (1897), Mercedes (1900), Guadalupe (1901), Ascencion (1905), Soledad (1913), Concepcion, Juliana, and Modesto (I have been unable to locate records for the last three children).  Apolonio’s occupation was likely related to agriculture and his income comparable to a lot of folks in town.   His home in Huapango, a really small & rural community, was likely a simple structure made out of bricks. 

I do not have any second-hand accounts about Apolonio, however I do have one unfortunate story.   I was told that he was taken from his home during the Mexican revolution, and along with his younger brother Crispin, killed in Salvatierra.   His death had something to do with supporting rebels against the government during the time of the Mexican revolution.   The story goes that his brother was killed first and he died from sight of his fallen brother.

The record about his death states that he was killed by a firing squad in Salvatierra on May 29, 1916.  His brother’s record also states that he met the same fate.  His body was not returned to Tarimoro, but he received his final sacraments at San Miguel Arcangel.  From what I gather, his burial site is unknown, somewhere in Salvatierra. 

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.  

Estado de Guanajuato

Guadalupe Trejo - Ancestor #1 - Part 1

                                                  

My paternal grandfather,  Jose Guadalupe Trejo, was born in August 2, 1901, in Tarimoro, Guanajuato, Mexico.  He entered the world at 10am in a house in the rancho del molino.  His parents, Apolonio Trejo (27) and Refugio Arroyo (23), were both from the Tarimoro area. His civil registration birth record lists his paternal grandparents as Pedro Trejo (deceased) and Crispina Lara (living).  His maternal grandparents are Estaban Arroyo (deceased) and Leandra Jimenez (living).
 

I do not have a lot of information about his upbrining, but based on my knowledge of the time and place where he lived, he did not likely have an education beyond elementary school, if that. As the son of a farmhand,  he likely spent a lot of time in the fields, perhaps picking cacahuate.   At the age of 18, he became the oldest male in his home when his father was killed in 1919. 

Within a year after his father died, he migrated to the US in search of work in 1920.  The 1920 trip was the first of two trips to the United States, with the second trip being in 1926.  The 1920 record surprised me because I had previously been under the impression that he only migrated once, in 1926.  I do not have return or exit dates for both trips, so I don’t know how much time he spent in the US.

I do not have any records or stories of how much money he earned while in the US or how he used his money.  I suspect he used it to support his mother & siblings.

A short time after returning to Tarimoro, he married Angelina Rodrigues, his first wife, on April 9, 1921 at the parish San Miguel Arcangel in Tarimoro. Guadalupe and Angelina had two children together, Esperanza & Apolonio (named after his grandfather). Esperanza was born around 1923 and Apolonio was born in 1925.  They lived in Tarimoro.

On April 6, 1926, Guadalupe entered the United States for the second and final time in Lorado, Texas.   Along with other Mexicans from Guanajuato, he made his way to Chicago.  From what I understand, the Mexicans in Chicago worked in the meat processing and steel industries.  My Tio Lupe told me that he worked in the meat processing industry.  My uncle also mentioned that his father did not talk much about his time in the US, except that he worked a lot.

By my estimate, there were nearly two dozen men from Tarimoro working in Chicago around the same time as Guadalupe.  My uncle (Tio Lupe) mentioned that my grandmother’s oldest brother, Jesus Maldonado, was also in Chicago.  The hometown connections in Chicago’s Mexican communities were important for migrants.  For example, a fellow resident of Tarimoro (Refugio Acevedo) taught him how to read & write.   

I have one picture of Guadalupe in the US, where he is sitting down in a formal studio portrait with two other men.  My tia came told me that he is the man sitting down and that his brother, Ascencion, is one of the two men standing in the picture.  I do not know the identity of the other man.  Perhaps it could be Lorenzo Arciniega, one of the witnesses for my grandfather’s second marriage who testified to living with him in Chicago.

Sadly, Angelina passed away on May 5^th 1927, due to pneumonia.  I’m uncertain if he returned to Mexico prior to her passing.  If he learned of her passing while on Chicago, there would have been insufficient time for him to return to Tarimoro to attend her funeral.  Its somewhat difficult to imagine the range of emotions he experienced after her passing.

At the age of 26, he was a widower and a single father to two small children. (The picture below was provided by Alejandra Garcia, Apolonio's granddaughter.)

The stories about Guadalupe Trejo were provided by Carmen Trejo, Luis Trejo, and Jose Guadalupe Trejo Jr.
for more information about Mexicans in Chicago in the 1920's:
Mexican Chicago
Steel Barrio