June 2004, 
Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-4

Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues
 Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research

Two Hispanic Astronaut candidates 
join ranks of 
Space Explorers, 2004.

Seated, from left: Bobby Satcher, Chris Cassidy, Ricky Arnold and Shane Kimbrough. Standing, from left: Jose Hernandez, Tom Marshburn, Joe Acaba, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Jim Dutton and Shannon Walker. Not shown: Randy Bresnik. Image credit: NASA.

Jose Acaba: A 36-year-old teacher at Dunnellon Middle School in Florida and a former Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.
Joe Hernandez: A 41-year-old engineer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; grew up as a migrant farm worker before settling in Stockton, Calif.

Sent by Joseph Martinez, Ph.D. 

UNITED STATES

Extract: Dedication Pays Off in 11 Degrees Earned by 11 Siblings
by Stuart Silverstein, Times staff writer, May 14, 2004
Sent by Granville Hough, Ph.D.  gwhough@earthlink.net

Photograph by Ricardo DeAratanha, Los Angeles Times

Family Perez
Parents Samuel and Maria Elena Perez, center, 
are surrounded in their living room by nine of their children, clockwise from left, 
Maria Elena, Essau, Dinah, Omar, Deborah, Samira, Dalila, Judith, and Isai and grandson Isai, Jr.

Family members cite the parents' high expectations and deep involvement in their children's lives. The siblings helped one another succeed in school too.  "Our family is very united," said Maria Elena, an American Studies major who focused on Chicano and Latino studies.

The children also said they were inspired by the sacrifices made by their father who from the mid-1970s to the mid-90s often held three jobs.  

the siblings add that their musical education has played a big role in their lives, giving them direction and keeping them out of trouble when they were younger.  All 11 children play instruments, and five of those who attended USC were in the marching band.  On weekends, three of the siblings earn extra money by playing in a mariachi band.  

The eldest child, Agar Perez-Dogue, 35, was the family's college pioneer, showing the others what they could accomplish and how to circumvent the obstacles.  she learned the ins and outs of financial aid, said brother Isai Perez, 33, back when their father still "wasn't sure what tuition was."

"These parents beat all the odds," said Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, after being told the family's story.  Estela Mara Bensimon, a USC expert on minorities in urban higher education, estimated that perhaps as few as 6% of Latinos who enter California elementary schools go on to earn a degree from a four-year university.  By contrast, the rate is higher than 25% for white non-Latinos.

MALDEF AND LULAC REBUKE SAMUEL HUNTINGTON'S THEORIES ON LATINO IMMIGRANTS AND CALL ON AMERICA TO REAFFIRM ITS COMMITMENT TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND DEMOCRACY

Joint Statement of MALDEF and LULAC, April 23, 2004
Joseph Martinez joe.martinez@science.doe.gov

On May 27th, Samuel P. Huntington will publish his new book, alleging that Latino immigration threatens "Anglo-Protestant values" which are the "creed" of American culture. Since the release of his article announcing his new theory in Foreign Policy magazine in March, Huntington's methodology and conclusions have been proven wrong by experts across the board. As national Latino civil rights groups, we further believe that Huntington's writing is dangerously biased against Latinos and goes against fundamental American values.

Huntington's biases are un-American. The United States is a nation of immigrants from around the world. In the U.S., individual accomplishment is valued. The very foundation of American democracy is the Bill of Rights, respecting and even guaranteeing individual rights. By passing various civil rights laws in the 1960's, Congress re-established that our Constitution also means that not one race, religion or ethnicity should dominate another. The American dream is built upon the hard work of immigrants and the fundamental value of equal opportunity. We must not go back to a system where one's race, class or religion determines one's fate, regardless of one's intellect or willingness to work hard.

Huntington has made astonishing and unsupported generalizations about Latinos. His generalizations about Latinos being "persistent" in immigrating to the U.S., being exceedingly fertile, having less interest in education and not wanting to learn English are not based on fact and appear to emanate from a prejudice against Latinos. He has no proof that every Latino/a, or even the majority of Latinos/as and their families, fall into these stereotypes, nor any proof that Latinos are very different from other ethnic groups. This kind of analysis harkens back to the justifications for legal segregation and discriminatory policies that were commonplace prior to the civil rights laws of the 1960's

Mexican-Americans and Latino immigrants are not inferior to white Anglo-Protestants.

A recent New York Times poll found that Latino immigrants are hard-working, have strong family values, do not take public benefits, and generally epitomize the American dream.. Latino immigrants are contributing billions of dollars to the economy and even creating jobs for U.S. citizens.. Studies consistently find that immigrants contribute far more in taxes to the government than they use in government services.. Latina/o parents value education and encourage their children to do well in school at the same rates as Anglo parents, with more than 90 percent of Latina/o children reporting that their parents want them to go to college.. Moreover, studies demonstrate that Mexican Americans support American core values at least as much as Anglos.

Huntington alleges that Latinos do not want to become American, despite the fact that Latino immigrants consciously choose to leave their home countries and migrate to the U.S. in order to become American and live the American dream, especially for their children. Everything that is traditionally thought of as "American," Latinos live out fully. They are family-oriented, religious, hard-working and loyal to the U.S. In fact, Latinos have won more medals of honor for their service in the U.S. military than any other ethnic group.

Huntington fails to take into account that the significant accomplishments of Latinos have occurred in spite of the long and shameful history of discrimination specifically directed against Latinos in the U.S. When Huntington alleges that Latinos have not achieved as much as whites in education, he neglects to acknowledge the history of segregation against Latinos, and Mexican Americans in particular, especially in the Southwest. Even today, when legal segregation is outlawed, Huntington does not take into account that Latinos are attending the most segregated schools in the country, which are providing a lesser quality of education as compared to majority white schools. Predominantly minority schools have less-qualified teachers, more overcrowding, worse educational facilities, and less access to advanced curricula. Despite all these barriers, children of Latino immigrants are succeeding at a very high rate.

It is ironic that Huntington blames Latinos for segregation. Latinos and other people of color know from tough experience that such segregation is not voluntary, as it still difficult for Latinos to gain equality in white communities, and there is still discrimination in jobs and housing. However, like African-Americans, Latinos have been segregated and mythologized as "different," and subject to unfair criticism, because of their ethnicity.

Huntington criticizes Latinos' use of Spanish and falsely alleges that Latinos do not want to learn English. The majority of Latinos speak English. Among Spanish-speaking Latinos, poll after poll shows that Latinos want to learn English. Their ability to learn English is sometimes limited if they entered the U.S. at an older age and when they do not have access to English classes because they are working more than one job and there are limited English classes offered.

As far as the ability to speak Spanish, Huntington portrays it as a negative, whereas in the global economy, many see such language capabilities are a positive.

Huntington mischaracterizes the history between the U.S. and Mexico and the causes for migration patterns between the two countries. Huntington characterizes Mexican immigration as "persistent" and a "massive influx" post-1960's civil rights laws. This characterization fails to recognize the unique, historical relationship between the two countries. In 1848, the U.S. acquired a significant portion of Mexico, which became what is now known as the Southwest in the U.S. Those people living in that region were Mexican citizens prior to the acquisition. When the U.S. experienced severe labor shortages while its soldiers were fighting in the world wars, the U.S. entered into several agreements with Mexico to bring temporary migrant laborers from Mexico who worked under abusive conditions in the agricultural fields for decades. Most of these workers did not have the opportunity to become citizens, making it difficult to exercise full political participation. During the Great Depression, the U.S. government and a number of state and local governments forced repatriation of one-third of the Mexican American population to impoverished conditions in Mexico. Shockingly, most of those who were deported were U.S. citizens who happened to be of Mexican ethnicity. Despite this checkered past, Mexican immigrants continued to come to the U.S. to fill U.S. economic needs and to pursue economic opportunities not available in Mexico.

Characterizing past non-Mexican immigration as "legal" and current Mexican immigration as "illegal" is false and misleading. Prior to 1939, it was not illegal to enter the U.S. without the U.S. government's permission. Millions of immigrants, mostly from Western Europe, entered the U.S. without proper visas. Currently, many Mexicans enter the U.S. legally. The U.S. legal immigration system, however, is in need of serious overhaul. The current system is not meeting the economic or family reunification principles it was designed to meet. The backlogs in legal visa processing for the spouses and children of Mexican legal immigrants living in the U.S. are causing families to be separated for 13 years. In order to reunite with their families, some Mexican citizens do enter without proper documentation.

Present high levels of migration between the U.S. and Mexico are based on geographic proximity and economic interdependence of the two countries. Many Mexicans come here because Mexico is our close neighbor and trading partner. Mexico is closer than Europe so the voyage to America is more natural. The U.S. and Mexican fate and economies are inextricably intertwined. That is, the U.S. is just as dependent on Mexico and Mexican migration as the opposite is true.

LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) is the oldest and largest grass-roots Latino civil rights organization in the United States. For questions or further information, call Dr. Gabriela Lemus, Director of Policy and Legislation, in our D.C. Office. League of United Latin American Citizens 2000 L Street NW, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 833-6130, (202) 833-6135 FAX

MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has been defending the civil rights of Latinos for nearly 35 years. For questions or further information, call Katherine Culliton, Legislative Staff Attorney, in our D.C. Office: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund 1717 K St.NW, Suite 311, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 293-2828, (202) 293-2849 FAX

Summary of the book review by Alan Wolfe: In Who Are We?, Samuel Huntington turns his formidable intellect to the challenges posed by immigration. Unfortunately, he has abandoned the clear-eyed realism of his past work in favor of disdainful moralism, whipping up nativist hysteria instead of offering real solutions.  

Alan Wolfe is Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College and author of The Transformation of American Religion. To read the complete review go to: http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20040501fareviewessay83311/alan-
wolfe/native-son-samuel-huntington-defends-the-homeland.html

National Museum  of the American Latino
Support grows for American Latinos museum
Backers say it's the missing cultural piece on D.C. mall
By MICHAEL COLLINS
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE, Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Information sent by: Howard Shorr  Howardshorr@msn.com
and Theresa Ynzunza  theresa.ynzunza@rescuemission

"I think it is just a missing piece of the American experience," she said. Becerra's legislation, which has the backing of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, would authorize $3.2 million for the commission to begin its work. But creating the museum would involve raising probably $100 million to $200 million in the private sector and most likely would require a similar contribution from the federal government, Becerra said.

This film is about cultural appreciation.  It's about what would happen one day if all the Latinos in California disappeared. Who would mow the lawns, pick the fruits, wash the cars and do all the menial jobs that so many take for granted?  
Starring: Yareli Arizmendi, Directed by: Sergio Arau
Written by: Yareli Arizmendi, Sergio Arau, Sergio Guerrero

UNITED STATES HISPANICS to MEET in CHICAGO 
to DEVELOP a NATIONAL LATINO AGENDA 
for 2004 NATIONAL ELECTIONS 
from 
JUNE 17TH to JUNE 20TH 
  
http://www.hispanicagendasummit.org

On Thursday, June 17th to Sunday, June 20th, 2004,  hundreds of our nation's Hispanic-American civic, religious, political, business and community activists will be getting together for a day long important non-partisan political caucus at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza 350 N. Orleans, Downtown Chicago, Illinois to begin the process for political and economic empowerment in the upcoming national elections.  

The National Hispanic/Latino-American Agenda Caucus commences the first stage of the process by which a national coalition of Hispanic/Latino American grassroots and leadership groups and individuals will be coalescing to develop a platform to be presented to the presidential candidates and their respective parties. 
 
Peter Fontanes, the founder and national coordinator of the event, said that, “We are definitely moving ahead to make an impact on these important national elections where our community must effectively negotiate our place in the sun. We intend to be seated at the table of economic opportunities and political empowerment as equal partners and not just as an after thought as it has been the case in the past. The response of those outstanding individuals who are participating in this effort to the needs for a national expression of solidarity and unity among our people has been absolutely fantastic. ’La Nueva Gran Unidad Pan Americana’ is alive and well and will be prepared to bring the hopes and promises of the American Dream on behalf of our people to the forefront of this year’s presidential debates. “

The conference will be will be geared toward bringing together the various segments of the Hispanic/Latino American community to draw up a Hispanic/Latino platform on which candidates will be rated according to their level of support, to organize a strategy for voters education, registration and participation and to organize a permanent structure for monitoring national political leaders and supporting Hispanic/Latino political candidates.
 
It includes delegates from states where there are substantial populations of Hispanics and a number of high profile representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties. 

Jose Nino, the former head of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce   expressed his desire “to see that this caucus should be seen as a catalyst to inspire our people to begin discussing the national issues such as immigration, economic development, housing, education and many more that are affecting our daily lives.  Hopefully, out of this discussion will come voter’s mobilization, registration and   participation. “

Individuals or organizations related to Hispanic/Latino issues can register as delegates and can sit with their state delegation. There is a lower fee for those who are senior citizens, people on public assistance and students. Members of all religious, political and sexual orientation are welcomed to also participate.

Reports will be drawn up and distributed to the delegates and will be voted on by the conference participants. If a report cannot garnish more than 60%of the votes it will be issued as a prevailing views report as opposed to an approved resolution or a minority-majority report. 

Invited participants include Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Candidate for Mayor in New York, Fernando Ferrer, Hector Flores from the League of United Latino American Citizens (LULAC) and many others who will participate in a variety of activities designed to assist the delegates in returning back to their respective states to organize political action committees and voters registration drives. 

In October, another conference will be held in Washington, D.C., to interview the candidates or their representatives to monitor and report back to the community how the candidates and their respective parties have responded to the Latino Agenda. 

The organization has a website http://www.hispanicagendasummit.org  and the public is invited to register online. Among some of the leaders involved are the following listed as they appear in the schedule . .

Roundtable Discussions will focus on the following areas.  
Resolutions will be prepared and presented at the conclusion of the conference.

1- Hispanic/Latino American Voters Education, Registration and Participation 
2- Creating a National Hispanic/Latino American Political Action Committee 
3- Lobbying, Campaigning, Fundraising and Technology
4- Grassroots Organizing: Toward a Gente-Centered, Issues-Based Hispanic-Latino Movement
5- “LA NUEVA GRAN UNIDAD PAN-AMERICANA” Is it possible?
6- The Hispanic Business Community and Political Agendas
7- The Hispanic/Latino Youths and College Students Community and Their Political Agendas: 
    The Present Meets the Future!
8- The Hispanic Woman/Latina: Confronting Macho Politics!
9- The Labor Movement and the Hispanic/Latino Political Agenda 

Friends, we are very excited about this event. Looking at our count of commitments, we are pleased to say individuals are coming from afar (Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Spain) and all over the US, representing organizations such as:

National Council of La Raza, Tulipanes Art Festival, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Pilsen Alliance, Aspira, Inc., National Republican Committee, National Democratic Committee, Independent Voter's League, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, Hispanics in Telecommunication and Technology, Cuban American National Council, Hispanics in Real Estate and Construction, http://www.concienciaccion.org, Puerta al Futuro, Somos Primos, Dia de la Mujer Latina, National Organization for Women (NOW), National Dominican Womens' Caucus, ACORN, Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, New Jersey Latino Political Alliance, New Jersey Mental Health Institute, National Association of Elected and Appointed Officials, Hispanic Hispanic Leadership Agenda, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the list goes on....

More importantly, the conference is open to the public, and it is evermore important to make sure our sisters and brothers who don't necessarily represent an organization and want their voice heard come and attend, especially from the Chicago and midwest regions. So please spread the word!

If you haven't done so, please mail in your registrations ASAP http://www.hispanicagendasummit.org
. Only $50 for three days of speakers, panels and workshops and $10 for students and low-income attendees. The conference site is expecting confirmation of attendees for logistical and also nourishment purposes (they need to know how many to expect for meals- note: meals are not included with registration fee).  Please rsvp to this e-mail if you plan to be on the call. 
Juntos, podemos!
Alan A. Aja, National Executive Coordinator
National Hispanic-Latino American Agenda Summit, www.hispanicagendasummit.org

Hispanic influence and contributions are spread across the country, and the cities and economies of tomorrow are being built by a rapidly growing pool of immigrant and second-generation workers. Even unexpected places such as Alaska and North Carolina have seen dramatic Latino population increases. 

This means the speaking of Spanish will only strengthen, not disappear, and that the culture and values of Hispanics' countries of origin will continue to permeate American society. But also, despite the doubts of skeptics, Latinos are going through a very rapid and successful process of Americanization and integration. The United States will one day be a nation shaped by many different Hispanic heritages. 

In dozens of states and hundreds of communities around the nation, Hispanic political influence is growing at the local and state level and is expanding to the national level. For example, Silver Spring voters elected their first Latina, Ana Sol Gutierrez, to the House of Delegates in 2002. In the same year, the first Latina was elected to the Colorado Board of Education and the first Latino attorney general was elected in Nevada. In Virginia, J. Walter Tejada recently was the first Latino elected to the Arlington County Board. 

Latinos might still be lacking in political representation but not in cultural influence and economic power. Hispanic purchasing power will reach a trillion dollars before the end of the decade and continues to rise rapidly each year, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. 

This future for America can be overwhelming to some Americans not yet comfortable with the inevitable diversity to come. Yet, changes are abundant all around us. America has long been a multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural nation, and our battles over inclusion and acculturation have transformed our identity. Now Latinos will be leading the way to the next important demographic transformation in America. 

Hispanics are changing America and forging our new future. Business, entertainment and political success will be tied to the Hispanic community of 2004 and far into the future. Those who embrace the evolving cultural makeup of America will help lead our nation into the future and will benefit from its transformation. 

Jorge Ramos is the anchor of Noticiero Univision, a national Spanish-language news program. Adam J. Segal is director of the Hispanic Voter Project at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington. 



Culture Clash Daunts Hispanic Women
By Staff Reports, The Battalion; 
 
The late-night cramming, comprehensive exams and esoteric lectures can make college stressful enough, but for Mexican-American women in college, having to balance the disparate values of two different cultures may be an additional and significant source of stress, says Linda G. Castillo, an assistant professor in Texas A&M University's Department of Educational Psychology.

In a recent study of nearly 250 Mexican-American female college students, Castillo, along with colleagues Collie W. Conoley and Daniel F. Brossart, examined the influence of discomfort with white American values and beliefs on the students' perceived distress and found that it may partially explain the low number of U.S.-born Mexican-American women who graduate from college.

This discomfort -- referred to as "white attitudinal marginalization" -- suggests that it is possible for bicultural individuals to be integrated into white American culture behaviorally but at the same time not incorporate traditional white American values into their belief system, Castillo notes.

The resulting dissonance translates into greater perceived distress for these students. Studies have shown that balancing gender role expectations with the pursuit of higher education can drain their emotional reserves and lead to distress, depression and anxiety, she says.

"This study underscores the importance of addressing psychosociocultural issues in supporting Mexican-American women in college," she says. "To provide relevant services to Mexican-American college women, counselors may need to attend to both attitudinal and behavioral aspects of acculturation and culturally traditional support systems."

For Mexican-American females -- a group that has the lowest college rate (5.3 percent) when compared with Puerto Rican, Cuban-American and Central and South American women, according to the U.S. Census -- this cultural divide can be a great one.

Mexican-American values, she explains, are characterized as being centered on the family with family unity and loyalty highly valued. Cooperation rather than competition is considered appropriate and willingness to sacrifice on behalf of the group is highly esteemed.

In contrast, white American culture is characterized by individually centered values that emphasize uniqueness, independence and self-assurance. Independence and autonomy are highly valued by white American culture, she explains.

In addition to analyzing the effects of white attitudinal marginalization within the cohort, Castillo and colleagues assessed the influence of other factors such as acculturation, family support and income on the students' perceived distress, finding marginalization and family support to be two previously unidentified predictors of distress among female Mexican-American college students.

The relationship between family support and distress, Castillo explains, is consistent with well-documented findings that Mexican-American college women rely on family support to deal with college-related stressors.

In 2002, the last year for which national statistics are available, Latinas headed 470,344 firms that employed nearly 198,000 people and generated $29.4 billion in sales, according to U.S. Census figures. And Latina-owned businesses account for the greatest share of women-owned firms in six states: New Mexico (20 percent), Texas (18 percent), California (17 percent), Florida (16 percent), New York (14 percent) and Arizona (13 percent).

Latinas control 8 percent of all female-owned U.S. businesses - and no small-business ownership segment is growing faster, according to a study by the Center for Women's Business Research in Washington, D.C.  Between 1987 and 1996, the number of Latina-owned businesses grew by 206 percent, compared with 47 percent for all businesses, according to the study.

"When I think about Latinas and business, it's like the title of that Dr. Seuss book, 'Oh, The Places We'll Go!' " gushed Cynthia Cassano, 50. "There's no limit to what Latina businesswomen can do." Cassano grew up in Fresno, the daughter of migrant field workers. She said she climbed up through athletics and academics, earning a track scholarship to Fresno State before transferring to California State University, Sacramento, to graduate with a degree in social work.

Eventually, Cassano started a private practice working with abuse victims. Her firm was so successful that she took time off to attend McGeorge School of Law to specialize in mediation. These days Cassano is an administrator for the Crowley Children's Fund, which subsidizes programs for at-risk children. She also works with other charitable organizations, including the United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and People Reaching Out.

Cassano said that Latinas face cultural barriers to success, but she believes that those obstacles are crumbling, one woman at a time. "You have these first-and second-generation Latinas growing up and seeing their family working in the fields with no amenities, no health care," Cassano said. "Those women start thinking about the future and they say, 'I'm not going to let this happen to my family.' "

But sometimes, she said, making that decision means swimming against a traditional Latino culture that downplays the value of women in the workplace. "It's really been in the last 10 years that I've been seeing more and more girls telling papa - and mama, too - that they're not staying in the kitchen," Cassano said.

That boiling caldron of old values vs. new, and the character required to overcome both ethnic and gender stereotypes, means that Latina entrepreneurs cannot be defined only by statistics. Their lives have been shaped by Latino culture, and their business practices reflect these deeply imprinted values, experts say.

"Latinas have always been very strong behind the scenes," said Ricardo A. López, president of Hispanic Research Inc., an East Brunswick, N.J., marketing research company that specializes in the U.S. Latino market. "In the Hispanic culture, the female has always been responsible for keeping the family unity and imparting the revered Latino family values."

The traditional Latino male depends on the woman for his emotional and family support, López said. And the traditional Latina depends on the man for her physical and financial security, community and political know-how, business education, and even the ability to communicate in English.

"But in their acculturation, Latinas are learning to be more independent," he added. "The combination of being the strong emotional anchor in their families, coupled with their new independence, has resulted in very motivated and effective business entrepreneurs."

Another secret to the success of Latina entrepreneurs may be that they're older and wiser. The median age of the U.S. Hispanic population is nearly 10 years younger than the entire population - 25.9 years compared with 35.3 years, according to the 2000 census. But the census profile of the average Latina business owner skewed significantly higher - 48 years old.

The largest bridge near my hometown, Sleepy Hollow, New York is the legendary Tappan Zee Bridge. It is one of the most exhilarating drives across New Yorks Hudson River. Latino Literature represents that exhilarating connection to the teaching, appreciation and literary analysis of American and British classics. The link of one to the other not only makes sense but also provides the needed context and helps students (especially Latinos) to make a personal connection to the text before driving across the more formal academic literary highway.

Carlsen and Sherill (1988) have collected reading autobiographies from teachers and have shared excerpts in a book titled, Voices of Readers, an interesting collection of testimonies about reading habits. Generally, most respondents stated their love for reading occurred in spite of what was done in schools. Some developed their appreciation of literature in school, but it usually did not occur until very late in high school or even in college. It seems that schools have accomplished just the opposite of what they intend to do: they have turned students off from reading.

Instead of a process where professors control and limit writing aims and objectives, students contribute to the writing experience by providing personal reactions and insight. Latino/a literature exposes students to issues such as language, education, family, values, sex, self-esteem, self-acceptance, conflicts in identity, varied approaches to race, domestic violence and the preservation of culture and art which provoke students to make their own reactions and responses to literature. Latino/a literature in the English classroom is an alternative to the teaching of literature and a tool that will prepare students for reading and writing in high school and beyond. It is the steering wheel to motivation and reading comprehension.

In the English classroom, students feel a lack of personal involvement, especially with isolated writing assignments. Latino/a Literature is filled with every day common events, characters and situations and establishes the bridge between reading and writing which connects students to ideas and themes. It is like seeing themselves in a mirror and assessing what, where, how and why they are who they are while developing reading and writing skills necessary to enter and succeed in college. How can students interact with their writing when their choices of literature are far away from their every day reality? Our teens today are open to options. It is our responsibility as teachers, administrators, parents and educational advocates to provide them with the keys to their educational experience. 

Manuel Hernandez is the author of Latino/a Literature in The English Classroom
To purchase an autographed copy, contact the author: mannyh32@puertoricans.com
787-355-0099
mannyh32

Bernardo de Galvez

225th Anniversary of Spain’s Entry into the Revolutionary War

 La Campana
Quarterly Publication of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
123 East Canon Perdido Street
Post Office Box 388
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-0388

The Winter 2003-4 features an article by George Obern on the Galvez Project, with photos of the October 12th event in Long Beach. The Spring 2004 includes an addendum of the project.  

Photo, cover of the Spring 2004 issue, front of the church at Mission San Miguel Arcangel, December 25, 2003, three days after the San Simeon Earthquake. Note the cracks. Photo by Michael Imwalle.

Copies of the publication can be ordered from the Santa Barbara Trust for $5. an issue.

George Washington and the Mission
By Gerald J. Miller
Quarterly Newsletter of Mission San Juan Capistrano, Summer 1996, Vol. 2, No.2

No, he didn't sleep there, but George Washington and his colonial revolutionaries have a definite connection with Mission San Juan Capistrano.

1776 was a good year for founding. It saw the founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano and the founding of the United States of America, as American colonists declared their independence from Britain. Both founding’s been not without their difficulties. Mission San Juan Capistrano was, in fact, twice founded. It had been started in 1775, crude buildings set up, a cross planted and bells hung up to summon the indigenous population to a new way of life. It was short-lived as news of Indian attacks elsewhere caused the padres to break camp, bury their bells and beat a hasty retreat to San Diego. It was found a year later (1776) by the tireless friar, Junipero Serra, Father of the California missions.

Meanwhile, back on the eastern seaboard of our great American continent, secessionist colonists were discovering that Mother Britain was not about to let recalcitrant American colonials go their own way. The Revolution had become a struggle for power between Britain and America. Colonial possessions had become the economic blood of mercantilist England where foreign trade was the strength and riches of the kingdom. American colonies showed signs of self-determination, which became increasingly worrisome because of their extraordinary growth throught out the 18th century. New forms of regulation and taxation meant to control the colonies caused the struggle for power to explode into the open. At that point, the colonies had to wrest the power from Britain before they could face the question of what to do with it.

Following the circumfusion of the American Revolution, the Spanish missions in California engaged in vigorous trade with the new country. Mission San Juan Capistrano’s records report trading in hides, tallow, and wine, and that American ships were provisioned with fresh water and food supplies.
As president of the new nation, George Washington was grateful for Spanish support from those faraway missions basking in the sun on the western edge of the great American continent.

SURNAME: Canales

LAS ARMAS DE LOS 
DE LOS CANALES DESCRIBEN ASÍ:

CANALES

            Hubo en España diferentes casas solares de este apellido, sin relación entre ellas, siendo una de las más antiguas la que radicó en el lugar de Canales, -cuyo nombre tomó-, del hoy partido judicial de Murias de Paredes, en la provincia de León, seguida de la que está enclavada cerca de Villafranca del Bierzo. De ambos lugares, se ramificaron ramas por toda la Península Ibérica.

También hubo un asentamiento muy principal en Uncastillo, Zaragoza, al que perteneció don Pedro Canales, nacido en 1720, que se encuentra empadronado entre los demás infanzones en la localidad referida.

En Cataluña existió un noble solar de esta estirpe en la población ilerdense de Guisona. A él perteneció don José Canales Cruels, Coronel de los Reales Ejércitos, llegado al mundo en Barcelona el 20 de agosto de 1678, quien después de presentar las correspondientes pruebas de su nobleza de sangre, fue admitido en la Orden Militar de Santiago, el año 1707. Era hijo de don José Canales Fermí y de doña María Cruels Semane, ambos de la dicha Guisona.

Don Francisco Canales Gacio, Barberá y Cabestany, natural de Reus, Tarragona, vistió el hábito de la Orden de Calatrava en 1691, ante cuya institución nobiliaria hizo patente su calidad.

Ante la Sala de los Hijosdalgo de la Real Chancillería de Valladolid, litigaron por el reconocimiento de sus preeminencias, los siguientes miembros de esta familia vecinos de los lugares que se indican:

Don Andrés de Canales Cea, León, 1613; don Antonio y don Melchor de Canales Sahagún, León, 1544; don Melchor Canales, Sahagún, 1577; don Diego de Canales. Barrios, Tierra de Saldaña, Palencia, 1586; don Diego de Canales, Almanza, León, 1611; Rodrigo Canales. Quintana del Monte, León, 1624, y el Capitán don Diego Canales de la Cerda. Sevilla, 1588.

Ante el Santo Oficio de la Inquisición, demostró su “limpieza de sangre” en 1789, don Pedro Canales y Mérida, natural de Aldea del Río, Córdoba, a fin de obtener el cargo de “Familiar”.

Doña Josefa Canales y Castellón, Pérez y Bolea, natural y originaria de Cartagena, Murcia, demostró su legitimidad, cristiandad y nobleza en 1827, ante la jurisdicción castrense española, con la finalidad de contraer matrimonio con el Subteniente de Infantería don Francisco Castellano López.

El Alférez don José Joaquín de Canales, desempeñó el cargo de Regidor de la ciudad de MonterRey, en el Nuevo Rey de León en 1788, y don Blas Canales, posiblemente pariente el anterior, fue poblador de San Nicolás de Agualeguas, en 1708, de donde llegó procedente de la villa de Cerralbo.

Don Francisco Canales y Gacio,Barberá y Cabestany, natural del “Can” de Tarragona, de la villa de Reus, importante mercader de la ciudad de México, dejó de existir aquí el 24 de abril de 1694. Testó ante el escribano Martín del Río, el 21 de dicho mes nombrado albacea a su esposa doña  Juana de VillaSeñor y Lomelí.Así aparece en el padrón de 1689, con notas adicionales del doctor Rubio Mañe ,y se sabe que fue admitido en la Orden Militar de Calatrava,en 1691.

En el censo que se efectuó en 1753, figura don José Canales, español, comerciante, casado y con cinco hijos, residiendo en la calle de Ortega.

En 1798, don Pedro Antonio Canales, era Cirujano del Regimiento de Infantería de Puebla; en 1804, don Antonio Canales, casado con doña Joaquina Gómez, era Visitador de las Rentas Reales de Polvora y Náipes, y el Capitán don Manuel Canales, Ayudante del Castillo de San Juan de Úlua, en 1805.

ORANGE COUNTY, CA

"Sharing our History Visually"
SHHAR Quarterly, June 5th
Orange CO.  Fair needs volunteer
Mendez vs. Westminster Schools
NARA CD includes Mendez data

Davy's Last Stand*

48" X 72" oil by Henry Godines*

SHHAR Quarterly, no cost  

"Sharing our History Visually"

June 5th

Orange Family History Center
674 S. Yorba 

Henry Michael Godines
will present a slide presentation of his paintings. 
The theme most commonly associated with Henry's subjects   
are in the area of military history, 1800s to the present.  
This is the first time that the public will be able to see Godines' complete works.
View 20th century aviation and maritime examples at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~hgodines/

Yolanda Ochoa and Steve Hussey
We will also enjoy a visual family history display combining a very recent trip 
Ayotlan, Jalisco and the pedigree information of the Luna family.
Yolanda Ochoa and her husband Steve Hussey are artists in the area of web design. 
They are the creators of SHHAR's new beautiful website.  
http://www.SHHAR.org


Schedule
Beginners/social            9-9:30 AM
Meeting begins             9:30-10 AM
Guest Speakers        10-11 AM
Networking workshops     11-12 AM

For more information, call 714-894-8161

They are currently working on a second edition with greatly expanded content.

For more information, contact Paul Wormser, Director of Archival Operations, NARA
949-360-2640.

ORANGE COUNTY DEMOGRAPHICS 
(2000-01 Studies)
Sent by  Joe Bentley JOSEPH.BENTLEY@LW.com

Principal Cities (34 total): Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Niguel Hills, Niguel Woods, Orange, Placentia, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Santa Margarita, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda

Population: 3 million

• White: 64%
• Hispanic: 30.8%
• Asian: 13.6%
• Black: 1.7%
• LDS 1.7%
• Polynesian/Native American: 1%
• Foreign born: 30%
• Language other than English spoken: 41%
• Households: 1 million
• Persons per household: 3.0

• Median age: 33.3
• Under age 5: 7.6%
• Under age 18: 27%
• Over age 65: 10%
• Birth rate: `6.5/1,000 persons
• Death rate: 5.8/1,000 persons

• Female: 50.2 %
• Male: 49.8 %

Median Income/household: $60 K (per capita = $27 K)

• Persons below poverty level: 10.3%
• Unemployed: 3.0%
• Civilian workforce: 1.5 million

Anaheim has been chosen to host
 the 25th Annual State Convention 
of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 

 For more information go to www.CAHCC.com, or call
1-800-299-6033

Mechelle Lawrence is the new director, the first woman to hold top position. While serving the past seven years as economic development manager of the City of San Juan Capistrano, Lawrence was the city's official liaison with the mission, overseeing the permit process that covered the preservation of the Great Stone Church vestry dome.

During her 12 years on the city staff, she coordinated development of the the city's first Historic Preservation Strategy, which outlines a plan for more than 22 historically-significant, city-owned sites and structures.  She is credited with securing the $140,000 donation needed to build a state and cultural proscenium in the Historic Town Center Park.  Another of her accomplishments was the management of many community programs, including the San Juan Summer Nites Concert series and the downtown street-lighting project.  The city's official website was also under her direction.  Receiving about 550,000 visitors a year, Mission San Juan Capistrano is the third most popular tourist attraction in Orange County, following Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. 

Source: Federation of Orange County Historical Organizations Newsletter
 Vol. 24, No. 1 January, February, March, First Quarter 2004

First published in 1931 in the Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California as part of the celebration marking g the city's 150th anniversary of its founding by Spain on September 4, 1781.  Originally printed in a limited edition for members of the Society, the 1931 edition has long been out of print.  Copies rarely come o the book market for sale, so it is a scare historical item.

The commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Zamorano Club and the 1`20th anniversary of the founding of the Historical Society of Southern California, the two organizations banded together to produce a revised and updated version of the 1931 publication.

Like its predecessor, the revised edition is bilingual, the original spanish documents are reprinted in full with English translations.  This is the heart of the book.  In addition more recent scholarship has been dully incorporated in this revised edition to replace the odler historical treatment of that signal 1781 event.

This revised edition seeks to offer an accurate account of the actual founding of the Spanish pueblo as well as its founding name, La Reyna (Reina) de los Angeles (Queen of Angeles).  The latter has been a matter of contention from the outset.

The founding documents also reveal in detail the high degree of planning that went into the establishment of the pueblo and the careful recruitment of the pioneering settlers, including basic biographical detail for each family.  The Reglamento which provided the details of governance and administration of the pueblo is an impressive document.

Unlike most American settlements which were founded in the westward movement of the nation, Spain carefully crafted and planned its settlement policy.  Los Angeles was a planned community from the outset, a harbinger of what became vogue for towns in the latter part of the 19th and 20th century.  Spain was ahead of its time in urban planning.

A few copies are available from Adrian Allen who deals in hard to find historical books.
323-654-2383
Sun Dance Books
1520 N. Crescent Heights
Hollywood, CA 90046-2406

Old Garcia Estate: Trouble Between Daughter and Servant Over Furniture
Los Angeles Times, Mar 20, 1897

When old Francisco Ignacio Garcia died last Tuesday at the ripe age of 117 years, he left behind him some small effects in the shape of furniture and clothing at his house, No. 629 New High street. His daughter, Senora Dolores de Aguilar, having consulted the landlord of the house, J. S. Redona, went yesterday to take away the things, but was met there by a Mexican named B. Guzman, who had waited on old Garcia for several months previous to his death. Guzman claimed that half of the effects were his, given him by his late master for his services. Redona, the woman's adviser, just then came in and constituted himself the woman's champion. Hot words followed and Officer Fowler stepped in just as the two combatants were about to slaughter each other in the old Castilian style.

A partial peace was restored, Guzman departed from the house, and Senora de Aguilar went to consult a lawyer about getting letters of administration for the meager estate.



Pedro Sepulveda, Old Spanish Don Closes Long Life
Los Angeles Times, May 12, 1916

One of the Last of Past Regime, Pedro Sepulveda Leaves Sixty Descendants, Including Sons and Daughters, Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren

Don Pedro Sepulveda, one of the last of the old Spanish dons of California, died Wednesday morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. Benjamin, No. 1329 West Thirty-fifth place.  Senile decay was the cause of the death, the old man having passed the 88th year of life.

In early days here, Don Pedro was on of the wealthy land owners.  His father bequeathed him considerable property, which now comprises portions of Los Angeles and other nearby communities.  Don Dolores Sepulveda, who came from Spain and Mexico, with Don Jacinto Reyes and Don Demesio Dominguez, owned a vast territory stretching from Calabasas almost to Ventura, and from the mountains on the east to the Pacific on the west.

The man who died here Wednesday was father of a large family.  He had six sons and five daughters, all of whom are residing in or around Los Angeles.  In addition to the daughter, at whose home he lived during the declining years of his life, his other daughters are Mrs. J. Ruiz, Mrs. Y. Valdez; Mrs. H. Smith and Mrs. J. Ballard.

The sons are Deputy Sheriff J. S. Sepulveda, P. J. Sepulveda, Henry, Vicente, Simerse and Luis Sepulveda.  Thirty-six grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren are also descendants of the dead man.  the body of Mr. Sepulveda is at the undertaking parlors of Robert sharp and Son on South Flower street.  Funeral services will be conducted at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning from the Cathedral of St. Vibiana.  Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery.

Mrs. H. B. Douslin, Scion of Old Spanish Family, Succumbs at Home,
Los Angeles Times, Jul 3, 1931

Josefa Bandini Douslin, scion of one of California's foremost Spanish families died at her Los Angeles home, 154 North New Hampshire avenue, yesterday.  She was the granddaughter of Don Juan Bandini, one-time owner by grant of the King of Spain of much of the land now occupied by Los Angeles and a considerable amount of surrounding territory, especially that lying east of Los Angeles river and including Santa Fe Springs.

Mrs. Douslin had been ill about seven months and the end came quietly yesterday about 8:15 a.m. with her daughter, Mrs. Jack Buchanan, and husband, H. B. Douslin, at her side.  It was due to cancer.

Mrs. Douslin was born in San Diego sixty-three years ago.  She and her husband lived here about six months of the year, spending the other six months at his place in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Her death leaves Juan Bernardo Bandini of Ensenada as the sole survivor of the family of Jose Maria Bandini and his wife, Theresa Arguello Bandini.  Jose was a son of Don Juan.  Mrs. Douslin was related to the Sepulveda, Dominguez and other old Spanish families.

Senorita Tranquilina Sepulveda, member of old Spanish clan buried today
Los Angeles Times, Dec 28, 1931

Funeral services will be conducted this morning for Senorita Tranquilina Sepulveda, last surviving member of the immediate family of Don Jose Andres Sepulveda, who died after a short illness Christmas Eve at the home of her grandnephew, Laurence Vander Leck, in Altadena.  Short services at the Cunningham and O'Connor chapel, 1031 South Grand avenue, at 9 o'clock, will be followed by a requiem mass at the Plaza Church at 10 o'clock.  Interment will be in the Mott family vault at Calvary Cemetery.

Senorita Sepulveda was born here eighty-two years ago and was baptized at the Old Plaza Church, the event being the occasion for a week of festivities, for she was a veritable princess of early day California, being related by blood or marriage to almost every prominent Spanish family in Southern California.

Her grandfather, Francisco Sepulveda, came here in the service of the King of Spain and was the grantee of the Rancho San Vicente, extending from the Pacific Coast at Santa Monica to what is now Beverly Hills.  Her father was the grantee of the Rancho San Joaquin, now Irvine ranch in Orange county, and was a leading citizen of his time.  The late Judge Ygnacio Sepulveda, father of the Princess Pignatelli and one of the first judges to sit on the Superior Court bench in Los Angeles county, was her brother, and her sister was the late Mrs. Thomas D. Mott, long prominent in the social life of the city and still remembered for her activity in charitable and church work.

Upon the death of her parents, Senorita Sepulveda became a member of the household of Mr. and Mrs. Mott, and when they passed on she took up her residence with her niece, Mrs. Henry Vander Leck at San Juan Capistrano.

The pallbearers at her funeral today will be Thomas D. and John G. Mott, nephews; Laurence Vander Leck, grandnephew; Lorenzo Palanconi and John O. Forster, cousins, and Isidore B. Dockweiler, who had been her friend for more than sixty years.

Ralph F. Sepulveda, member of pioneer family, succumbs
Los Angeles Times, Apr 20, 1941

Life Span of 83 Years, Covering Southland's Growth From Village to Great Metropolis, Ended by Death.  A life span of 83 years, covering the growth of Southern California from a group of large Spanish land grants to a thriving metropolitan area, ended with the death yesterday of Ralph F. Sepulveda, member of one of the city's earliest pioneer families.

Sepulveda, who lived at 145 N. Burlington Ave., died at General Hospital after an illness of several years.

Five years after his grandfather, Francisco Sepulveda, was given a grant of 30,000 acres, Ralph was born in the adobe house in the center of the estate. 

The Sepulveda ranch house, which stood until six months ago at the bottom of a hill between the shopping center of Westwood and the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles, was originally the center of the former village of San Vicente.  This same house was torn down to be re-erected for historical purposes on the U.C.L.A. campus.  A few lines of adobe are still remaining on the site.

The son of Jose del Carmen Sepulveda, one of the sons of Francisco, Ralph grew up and aided with work on the rancho.  There were 15 brothers and sisters in his own family, four of whom are still living.

LONG INTERPRETER

The brothers and sisters still living, all in Los Angeles, are Lula Sepulveda, Mrs. Josephine Bacon, Fred J. Sepulveda and Joseph A. Sepulveda.  More than 50 years ago, Ralph Sepulveda went to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad and remained with it for more than 25 years.  Thirty-one years ago he became one of the official court interpreters for the county.  He remained in that capacity until ill health forced him to retire in 1935.  Six months ago his wife, the former Delphine Varales, who was a member of another pioneer Los Angeles family, died.

CALIFORNIA

       Joseph C. Peralta
       Cristobal A. Ramirez
       Concepcion Avila de Ruiz Migrant Youths Explore with Video 
California/Puerto Rico
Autorbiography of Paul Edgar Trejo
The Many Manuel Butrons 

Major William E. Cordero was the 
first Santa Barbaran killed in Vietnam,
buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Major William E. Cordero
 Received  the Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart, Air Medal, National Defense, Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campai

Historia de la Familia

CORDERO
Baja to Alta California
By
William E. CorderoII
wcordero@lawa.org

In 1768, at the Royal Presidio of Nuestra Senora de Loreto in Baja California, Mariano Antonio Cordero (second generation) enlisted in the service of his country, Spain.( 1 )   Mariano was a "soldado de cuera" (leather jacket soldier). Mariano was eighteen at the time of his enlistment and was mostly likely schooled by his father, Miguel, he too a soldier for Spain. Miguel Cordero (first generation) had been a soldier for Spain since before 1733 and assigned to the Esquadra del Sur, with its headquarters at Todos Santos, on the southern west coast of Baja California.( 2 )  Miguel married Angela Nunez before 1733.( 3 )  Mariano was born in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California around the year 1750. ( 4 )  Mariano had two brothers, Francisco and Joaquin Ignacio, also soldados de cuera.

Prior to the Gaspar de Portola Expedition of 1769, Miguel Cordero was an integral part of the expulsion of Jesuits in Baja California. Although the expulsion was most likely predestined, Miguel because of his years of service was one of five soldiers who gave declarations to Captain Rivera y Moncada and Lt. Fernandez de Somera on September 16, 1766, regarding the behavior of the Jesuits. ( 5 ) Miguel gave his age as 60 and was called literate ( 6 ); and his responses to the interrogation were hardly an indictment of any wrong doing by the Jesuits.

In 1771, Mariano Antonio Cordero along with nineteen other soldados de cuera, five cowboys, 60 mules and Captain Rivera y Moncada left the Presidio de Loreto in Baja California on a long arduous journey to the Royal Presidio at San Diego de Alcala in Alta California. On July 18, 1771, Mariano received his first issuance of supplies in Alta California at the Presidio de San Diego.( 7 ) Mariano remained at San Diego for several years, a soldier in a new world, where the Kumeyaay Indians attacked the mission and presidio on several occasions. Mariano was listed as a padrino (godfather) and soldado de cuera in the baptismal records at Mission San Diego in 1773.( 8 ) The 1775 census lists Mariano at San Diego.( 9 )

In the year 1775, Mariano was transferred to the Presidio of San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey. It was while at the Presidio de Monterey that Mariano met his future wife, Juana Francisca Pinto, daughter of Corporal Pablo Pinto. It was the year 1776 and the Anza Expedition had arrived, March 10^th, from the Royal Presidio of San Ignacio de Tubac (present-day southern Arizona) at the Presidio de Monterey on their way to colonize San Francisco. Mariano (age 26) and Juana (age 13) exchanged wedding banns on November 28, 1776; and without any disapproval of the marriage, Fray Francisco Palou married them on January 07, 1777. Theirs was the first marriage listed in the book of marriages at Mission Dolores, San Francisco (Libro de Casamientos de San Francisco). Mariano and Juana enjoyed a healthy marriage, having eight children in the span of twenty-eight years. ( 10 )

On October 4, 1781, Jose Moraga at San Francisco listed Mariano as Cabo (Corporal) in a report.
( 11 ) In 1787, Mariano was listed as Corporal at Presidio de San Francisco.( 12 ) Mariano retired briefly, November 1, 1789, only to re-enlist October 01, 1790, for a brief period at the Presidio Santa Barbara and retire again by 1791. ( 13 ) Mariano made his living as a sastre (tailor) in his retirement years in Santa Barbara.( 14 ) Juana Francisca Cordero died April 02, 1814, age 48. Mariano remarried January 30, 1816, to Maria Gertrudis Juana Lucinda Alverez, and they had two children together. Mariano died November 18, 1821, age 71, and was buried at the Mission Santa Barbara.( 15 )

Miguel’s legacy would live on in his children and children’s children. Mariano’s sons would also become soldiers albeit for another country, Mexico. During the time of independence from Spain, Mariano's sons worked as soldiers in the new militia for Mexico at the pueblos of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and at Santa Ines.

The grandson of Mariano, Juan de Jesus Antonio Cordero (fourth generation), was born June 31, 1831. He would volunteer for the 1^st Battalion Native Cavalry, California Volunteers, Company "C", as a Private during the Civil War. Company "C" was made up of the best horseman around the Santa Barbara County area and served from August 10, 1864 to May of 1865. They were stationed at the Drum Barracks in Wilmington, Los Angeles County. ( 16 ) Although the 1^st Battalion Native Cavalry, Company "C", saw little to no action during the Civil War, they were definitely a deterrent to any Confederate or Indian uprisings in the Southwest.

During the time from the end of the Civil War to the end of the century, bandits roamed and robbed civilians. Stories of bandits like Joaquin Murieta and Solomon Pico had many of the Santa Barbara citizens scared and on guard. Estanislado Cordero (fifth generation), son of Juan de Jesus Antonio Cordero, was a very smart and shrewd business man, as a sheep shearer, contracting his services to the rancheros around Santa Ynez, Las Cruces, and Los Alamos, had a plan to outsmart any would be robbers. Estanislado had the daily money earned sewn into the lining of a heavy overcoat worn by his young son, Adolfo (sixth generation), who would walk to the stage coach station, and catch the coach to Santa Barbara, where his mother, Petra Martinez Cordero, would "unsew" him out of his overcoat. In telling of the tale, many years ago, Adolfo would laughingly say in Spanish, "I was told to act like a dumb kid, dumb enough to wear a heavy overcoat on a hot day."

              Estanislado Cordero

4 Generations of Cordero’s in 1959
back row-Bill, Walter, Adolph & Bill Jr.

Miguel Cordero
    Mariano Antonio Cordero
    Juan de Jesus Cordero
    Juan de Jesus Antonio Cordero
    Estanislado Cordero
    Adolph Cordero
    Walter Gaspar Cordero
    William Edward Sr. Cordero
    William Edward Jr. Cordero

In the following years, many Cordero’s served in the military of the United States of America. Some wore the uniform of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. While others assisted the war efforts at home. Walter G. Cordero (seventh generation), son of Adolfo Cordero, was a blacksmith by trade, taught by his father. Walter was commissioned by the U.S. government to build ships at Bethlehem Steel in San Pedro, Los Angeles County, during World War II. Adolfo Cordero is credited with the ornamental iron work at the Santa Barbara Court House. And, Walter Cordero has his ornamental iron work all over Santa Barbara, i.e. El Paseo, Hope Ranch, Montecito, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Mission Santa Barbara, etc.

The son of Walter G. Cordero, William Edward Cordero (eighth generation), dreamed of one day flying jets for the U.S. Air Force. After graduating from Loyola University (ROTC) in 1957, 1^st Lt. William E. Cordero, went to flight school in Mission, Texas. With a wife and a newly born infant (William E. Cordero II, ninth generation) in hand, Lt. Cordero moved the family to Waco, Texas in 1960, where Lt. William E. Cordero graduated from Navigator School in 1961. Eventually, with the looming prospect of war in Southeast Asia on the horizon, Lt. William E. Cordero would be sent to the war in Vietnam. After completing an extended tour of war in Vietnam, Captain William E. Cordero, volunteered for one last mission on June 19, 1965. Like so many of William E. Cordero’s ancestors before him, duty to country, to protect and to serve was a way of life. Capt. William E. Cordero’s plane would be missing in the jungles of Southeast Asia in Laos for the better part of four years. If not for a recon group happening by the wreckage of his B-57 bomber in 1969, he might still be missing. During the four years of being listed as Missing In Action (MIA), Captain Cordero made rank to Major. Major William E. Cordero, first Santa Barbaran killed in Vietnam, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 46 in Arlington, Virginia. For the gallant service to his country, Major William E. Cordero received the following medals; Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal, National Defense, Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campaign (posthumously). ( 17 )

Since Miguel Cordero, there have been ten generations in the family line leading to my children (Britt-DeAnna and Liam Anthony). As with many of the other original families of California, our heritage is rich in its history, serving under three flags, from soldados de cuera, militia, ranchers, and every other walk of life that made California what it is today, the greatest state in the Union.

2 Listed on 1733 Loreto Payroll. AGNM, Californias 80, exp. 53, ff. 442-443.

3 Listed on 1733 Loreto Payroll. AGNM, Californias 80, exp. 3, ff. 19-24.

4 Information given in 1790 re-enlistment at Santa Barbara.

This brief family biography is dedicated to all my ancestors, 
especially my beautiful daughter, Britt-DeAnna, who on March 19, 2004, 
was the victim of a tragic motorcycle accident and lost her life at the tender age of 21.

Left to right-Mary, Bill, Liam & Britt

The Chronology
of a 
Soldado de Cuera~  

Mariano Antonio Cordero

California's Famous Rancho System

Born in 1748 in Sinaloa, Mexico, Nieto accompanied the Portola-Serra expedition to Alta California in 1769 but, when Father Serra dedicated the Mission San Fernando Velicata in northern Baja California, he was left there to guard the site. he later served at the Monterey presidio in 1773, in San Luis Obispo in 1774, and in San Diego in 1777; he was still garrisoned in San Diego at the time of his petition.

By 1784 Nieto was married to Maria Teresa Morillo of Loreto and had one son from this union; over the next years, five more children were born. he constructed a swelling for his family in a fertile valley southwest of the present city of Whittier, stocked the land with horses and cattle, and cultivated corn and wheat. In the 1790s, accused of infringing upon Mission San Gabriel lands, Nieto's holdings were reduced to about 167,000 acres. Upon his death in December 1804 at age 56, his property was jointly held by his four surviving heirs. It was not until 1834 that the Mexican Governor Jose Figueroa permitted a formal division of the estate, and the ranchos Los Alamitos, Los Cerritos, Los Coyotes, Santa Gertrudis, Las Bolsas and Palo alto were established. Daughter, married to Guillermo Cota in 1805, received the 27,054 acre Rancho Los Cerritos.

Rancho Los Cerritos Review, Winter 2004
For updates Log-on to http://www.rancholoscerritos.org

    

     Migrant Youths use Video to Explore
   Social Issues

    Un Soldado Mexicano
    a Tu Voz video

Jose Espinoza learned how to handle a video camera as a participant in the project. Un Soldado Mexico is one of almost 60 videos produced, shot and edited by at-risk youth in San Diego County as part of Tu Voz, a Communities Speak project that provides video training to youth historically neglected and negatively portrayed the media and then packages the videos for screenings in schools communities and on television.;  the project ahs involved more than 90 youths, many of whom, like the Sanchez sisters, come from migrant families, in a 100-mile area that extends from Santa Ana to San Ysidro

Working in collaboration with the Migrant Education Program of the San Diego County Office of Education, the Media Arts Center began holding 12-week, hands-on video production workshops with migrant youths at high schools in North San Diego County.  From the onset, the goal of the workshops reached beyond the teaching of video skills. Media Arts Center Executive Director, Ethan Van Thillo wanted young people to see that they could play a direct role in shaping their communities by using video as a tool for change.

Source: California Council for the Humanities, Spring 2004

Spanish California Obituaries
Source of Information, gathered and extracted from the Los Angeles Times obituaries 
by Karla Everett  EverettKA@bak.rr.com
Visit the California Spanish Genealogy website  http://www.sfgenealogy.com/spanish

[[ Editor's note:  I find these obituaries fascinating from their comments of land grant ownership to the gradual infusions of non-Hispanic names into the families. Also, one questions in the first item, the presence of a William Gelabert, identified as a native of Spain who served with Commodore Sloat.  ]]


William Gelabert, Another Pioneer Gone
Los Angeles Times, Feb 28, 1882

Stockton, Feb. 27. - William Gelabert, a native of Spain and a pioneer of Stockton, died this morning, aged sixty years. He served in the navy and was with Commodore Sloat at the capture of Monterey in 1846, and was one of the party that raised the first American flag at Monterey. The funeral will be conducted by the Pioneers.
 
Senora Guadalupe Peralta Dead
Los Angeles Times, Sep 6, 1890

San Jose, Sept. 5. - Senora Guadalupe Peralta died in Santa Clara tonight at the age of 95 years.  She was the youngest of nine children of Don Luis Peralta, who in his lifetime owned a grant of land which covered Oakland, Alameda, Fruitvale and San Leandro and vicinity.

Grandson of Grantee in Bay Region Dies, Joseph C. Peralta
Los Angeles Times, May 30, 1929
 
Oakland, May 29. - Joseph C. Peralta, 81 years of age, a grandson of Don Louis Mario Peralta, original grantee of the King of Spain of most of the land now occupied by cities on the eastern slope of San Francisco Bay, died here today after a short illness.  His famous ancestor first came to the San Francisco Presidio in 1776 as a Spanish soldier, and later commanded a garrison at Pueblo San Jose, where the city of San Jose now stands.

Cristobal A. Ramirez, Builder of Famous Adobe Succumbs
Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1937

Santa Barbara, March 28. - Cristobal A. Ramirez, 93 years of age, pioneer of Santa Barbara, who built the famous adobe that bore his name, will be buried tomorrow morning in Calvary Cemetery following funeral services at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.  He died last night after a brief illness.

Senora Concepcion Avila de Ruiz, Elderly Native of City Dies
Los Angeles Times, Dec 2, 1937

Senora Concepcion Avila de Ruiz, link to the early Spanish rule in California, died yesterday at the family home, Rancho Tajauta, in Watts.  Her death came within six days of her eighty-fifth birthday, December 7.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 
PAUL EDGAR TREJO

PART I, THE SPANISH MEXICAN HERITAGE

Spanish Bluecoat, Manuel Butron

The Catalonian Volunteers and The Founding of Monterey
On Monday April 16, 1770. Father Serra sailed north from San Diego on the San Antonia to find Monterey Bay. Simultaneously, Portola also started North for Monterey with a land party. With Serra on board the San Antonio were 12 Catalonian Volunteers. Accompanying Portola on the land expedition to Monterey were another 12 Catalonian Volunteers under the command of Lieutenant Pedro Fages and 7 Soldados de Cuera. This latter group literally means, "Soldiers of Leather", a name acquired from the leather vests they wore to protect them from Indian arrows. Joseph P. Sanchez in his definitive work, "Spanish Bluecoats" states that though 12 Catalonian Volunteers were with Serra at the founding of Mission San Carlos de Monterey, he only mentions one by name, a Corporal Pericas. However, others named as being at Monterey with him were Sargent Juan Puig, Corporal Manuel Butron, Antonio Montana, Domingo Aruz, Antonio Yorba, Francisco Cayuelas, Francisco Portella, Andres Auguet, and Domingo Malaret. You can infer that these latter were all privates. Francisco Portella died in Monterey on April 24, 1774, Andres Auguet died in Tepic, Mexico on September 29, 1774, and Domingo Malaret died in Tepic on October 2, 1774. Manuel Butron would be buried at Carmel Mission on January 5th, 1793.

On Thursday, May 24th, 1770, Portola arrived at Monterey Bay with the land expedition.  On Thursday May 31st, 1770, the San Antonio with Father Serra entered Monterey Bay. On Friday June 1st, 1770 the sea and land expeditions were reunited and planned the founding of the Presidio-Mission of San Carlos de Borromeo de Monterey. On Saturday June 2nd, 1770, Serra landed at Serra’s landing. This was on a small beach on the west side of the present day Fisherman’s Wharf. This landing is now commemorated by a monument in a small city park immediately above the landing site. The next day, Serra proceeded to search for and adequate site to establish a mission. On Pentecostal Sunday, June 3rd, 1770, Serra established the Presidio-Mission of San Carlos de Borromeo de Monterey, the present site of the San Carlos Cathedral.


Manuel BUTRON AND JUNIPERO SERRA*
Since the life of Manuel Butron was so intertwined with that of Father Junipero Serra in many ways, it is perhaps appropriate to consider it briefly. It is apparent that their friendship began when they were together in Mexico, before the expedition to Alta California. As previously noted, Manuel Butron was born about 1727 at Molina, Valencia, Spain. His parents were Joe Buitron and Josefa Ros, both of Rafa, Origuela, Spain. *Although the family name was Buitron, I will use the common usage of Butron throughout this work.

From the early Mission San Carlos Baptism Registers at the Diocese of Monterey, I find that Manuel Butron is godparent to many of the Indian baptisms conducted by Father Serra.

Baptismal Font at Mission Santa Cruz

The First Land Grant  
With Father Serra’s assistance Manuel Butron obtained the first private land grant in California. At FatherSerra’s request, Military Commander and Governor Fernando de Riviera y Moncada granted a small parcel of land to Manuel Butron. This comprised a small parcel of 140 varas at the mouth of the Carmel Valley. This is about 460 square feet, or a plot of land about 22 feet by 22 feet. Very small, but enough for a small house.

Further Comments of Serra
In 1772, Father Serra felt it necessary to return to Mexico City to consult with Governor General Bacarelli on the progress of the Missions in Monterey and Carmel, on matters he felt vital to the success of the Missions. As it turned out, this meeting was the most important to the future success of the entire Mission movement. He was accompanied by a 10 to 12 year old Indian boy who he had previously baptized at Mission Carmel. It has been speculated that he took the boy with him so that on his return the boy could report to the tribes on the wonders of the white man’s civilization.

On Monday August 24th, 1772 Serra departed by land for San Diego enroute to Mexico City. He is accompanied by Father Jose Cavaller, Pedro Fages, some soldiers, and Juan Evangelisa the Carmel Indian boy (10-12 years old) as noted above, who had been baptized and named by Serra at the Carmel Mission on March 19th, 1771.

Serra and the Indian boy arrived in Mexico City at the Franciscan San Fernando College on Saturday, March 13th, 1773. On orders from the Viceroy, Antonio Maria Bucareli y Ursula, Serra drafted a thirty two point Representacion (Petition). The document outlined California needs and problems, if the Missions were to survive, and provided input for a new Reglamento (Regulation). Effective July 1st, 1774, the new Reglamento increased the supply line of food and improved it’s distribution, provided for the expansion of the mission system, redefined the presidio-mission relationship and control (this was one of the most important), placed Indian welfare exclusively under mission control, and encouraged Mexican emigration to California. And also most important, one of these requests was the permission of the Spanish soldiers to marry Indian women.

Also at this time, Serra obtained removal from office as Military Commandant, Pedro Fages. Viceroy Bucareli selected Francisco de Riviera de Moncada as the new Monterey Military Commandant.

From Mexico City Serra departed in mid September 1773 for his journey back to Carmel. Serra sailed from Baja California on the new Frigate Santiago (date unknown) and arrived in San Diego on Sunday on Sunday, March 13, 1774. He then proceeded overland en route to Monterey. On May 6th, 1774 Serra and the Indian boy Juan arrived at Mission San Antonio, and arrived back at Monterey on Wednesday May 11th, 1774, after and absence of nearly two years. Fathers Crespi and Palou greet them, Father Palou having relocated to Mission Carmel after the Franciscan transfer of the Lower California Missions to the Dominicans 1773.

MARGARITA DOMINGUEZ AND Manuel BUTRON
Margarita Domingez was an Esselen Indian. This tribe occupied a very small area near the mouth of the Carmel River. She was from the Village of Tucclnet, or Rancheria de Tucclnet, alias Rancheria de Santa Theresa. The priests called all Indian Villages Rancherias and gave them "alias" Spanish names. The Village of Tucclenut was located about a league (2.2 to 4.4 statute miles) up river from the Carmel Mission. The Padres took many of their early converts from this village, probably because it was so close to the Mission and easily accessible.

Margarita was baptized twice, the first time at her Indian village of Tucclenut on January 7th, 1773, as being "In danger of death". This baptism is extremely difficult to read, as the page is so old and faded and nearly illegible, but her name appears to be written as Margarita Maria Adulta. Her age is given as about 14 or 15 years, daughter of dead gentile parents, both native of the village of Tucclenut, alias la Rancheria de Santa Theresa, " on the banks of the River Carmelo, about one league up river from this Mission". She was baptized "in this same Rancheria and given the name Margarita Maria, "daughter of a gentile father and father dead." This baptism is found in Monterey Baptism Book 2, 1770-1790, Number 32. The baptism is signed by Friar Juan Crespi

No mother is given in the baptism, so we must assume her mother was a gentile Indian.

Margarita was baptized a second time on February 22nd, 1773, but this time at the Mission. Since she had been previously baptized, this entry is very short, and appears on the same page as her previous baptism, and is given no additional number. However, in this baptism she is given "the Sacramental and consecrated oils" with the other ceremonies "ordered by this church, and given as godfather the soldier Juan Jose de Dominguez of the Company of California." The baptism is again signed by Friar Juan Crespi.

It was after this baptism that Margarita took the surname of her godfather, and was know thereafter as Margarita Dominguez. 

Marriage of Manuel Butron to Magarita Dominguez
n May 20th 1773, Manuel Butron married the Esselen Indian girl Margarita Dominguez at Carmel Mission.This marriage was conducted in accordance with the rules as set down by the Sacred (Holy) Council of Trent (1545-1563). As indicated in the marriage entry, they began the marriage process on April 4th, when they presented themselves before Friar Jala Buelia and declared their intentions. After the "solid" presentation was given to the couple by Friar Jala Buelia, as to their duties to each other, the witnesses Don Francisco and Francisco Cordero, both Soldados de Cuera , were appointed, and detailed instructions were given to these witnesses as to their duties. This was followed by the customary three days of admonitions (announcement of the marriage banns) and three days of festivities on three consecutive Sundays, as dictated by the before mentioned Sacred Council of Trent. The groom was veiled as he was gentry, but not the bride, as she was Indian.
It is interesting to note that in this marriage they name Margarita’s father as Eene Rnuto and mother Gentile of the Rancheria Zucudnot (Tucclnet).

The First Private Land Grant In California
With Father Serra’s assistance Governor Fages granted the first private land grant in Alta California to Manuel Butron and his Indian wife Margarita Dominguez. This was a small piece of ground at the mouth of the Carmel River of 140 varas (about 462 square feet, or a plot of about 21.5 feet by 21.5 feet).

Death of Manuel Butron
Manuel Butron was buried at San Carlos de Carmel on January 5th, 1793, with great pomp and ceremony. Junipero Serra died August 27th, 1784. One of Serra’s last requests was that his "Tio" be buried near him. Thus Butron was buried 8 years and 4 months after the death of Serra. He was buried on the holy side of the church about half way up to the alter.

As one enters the church of the Carmel Mission, 
there is a memorial plaque to Manuel Butron
 inside the door in the floor, on the left side of the entry way. 

The person responsible for the commissioning of this marker was Mr. George Wilfred Kukar, of San Jose, CA.. George is the son of Guadalupe Butron and Jacob Kukar whose parents were from Austria. Guadalupe Butron was the daughter of Manuel Butron IV, and my great aunt, Juanita Gabriela Garner de Butron. Juanita’s grandparents were Francisca Butron and William Robert Garner of Monterey.

Manuel Butron and Margarita Dominguez had two children : 
    1. Manuel Joseph Butron  Born: April 8th, 1776, probably in Monterey  Baptized: April 9th, 1776, 
        at Mission San Carlos de Monterey.
    2. Sebastian Joseph Butron Born: Probably in Monterey on January 19th, 1779
        Baptized: January 20th, 1779, at Mission San Carlos de Monterey.  More on Sebastian Butron
        later.

    1. Manuel Joseph Butron
       Married: Maria Ygnacia Higuera at Mission Santa Clara January 30th, 1794. She was born  
       February 
       10th, 1778, and baptized May 13th, 1778, at Mission Santa Clara. Her parents were Manuel 
       Higuera  and Maria Antonia Redondo. Maria Ygnacia was *buried July 6th, 1844 at Mission San
       Juan Bautista  Death of Manuel Joseph Butron .  Manuel Joseph Butron was buried February 12th,
       1842. at Mission San Juan Bautista.  

It has been my experience that death records are traditionally the most unreliable of all the records. Her death was not recorded in the Monterey County records, an oversight not uncommon.

I have a copy of a document found in our archives at the Diocese of Monterey that Colton signed, and William Garner notarized as his secretary. Garner was a man of many talents. He was a rancher, lumberman, interpreter, and wrote for the local newspaper "The Californian" published in Monterey between August1846 and May 1847. This was in addition to the letters he wrote to Eastern newspapers encouraging American settlers to immigrate to California.

Probably the best primer on Robert William Garner is the book "Letters From California, From Our Special Correspondent William Robert Garner" Edited, With A Sketch Of The Life And Times Of Their Author", by Donald Monroe Craig. (Published by University of California Press 1970). The most authoritative article on Garner’s death was the article published in the "The Californians" magazine by Forest Melrose Clingan in the SEPT/OCT issue in 1992. This magazine, is long defunct, but I have the magazine and can produce copies for interested parties for the cost of duplication and postage and envelope. Anyone interested should contact our editor Mimi Lozano Holtzman.

Maria Clotilda Garner de Gonsalves
                           1846-1933

Maria Clotilda was born April 27th, 1846, in Monterey, and baptized May 17th, 1846, at Monterey. 

She died November 27th, 1933, at age 87 years, 6 months, and 10 days in San Francisco, California. Clotilda married Manuel Maximo Gonsales (Gonsalves) at Mission San Carlos de Monterey on April 20th, 1862. Manuel Maximo died in Monterey on July 17th, 1898, at age 70, and is buried in the Catholic Cemetery. This couple had 11 children. Manuel Maximo was very prominent in Monterey.

At the Larkin House in Monterey, CA, 
December 24th, 1908

On her mother’s side, Valeriana’s grandfather was Julio Maria Vasquez (1792-1841), and her grandmother was Maria Brigita German (1776-1846). Julio Maria and Maria Brigita were married at Mission San Carlos de Monterey on January 26th 1812. Valeriana’s great grandfather ( Maria Brigita’s father) was Isidora German (1755-1829) and her great grandmother mother was Maria Manuela Ochoa (1764-1838). On the other side (Julio Maria Vasquez’s parents), her great grandfather was Jose Antonio Vasquez (1770- ??) and her great grandmother was Maria Isabel Cortes (1774-1794). It seems obvious from the above, that as with most families of early California Hispanic heritage, everyone is related to everyone else. I have in my linage: German, Ochoa, Vasquez, Cortes, Garcia, Lugo, Garibay, the Indian Maria Beatrice, Manuel Butron and the Indian Margarita Dominguez, Higuera, Redondo, Garner, and Trejo. My heritage reminds me of the old Heinz food moto, "57 varieties".

Julian Trejos

THE TREJO-LOPEZ- GARNER CONNECTION

Tibo Santos Trejo, 16 years old
1894

VIII. MARTA (MARTHA) TREJO  
Born: April 29, 1879, in San Luis Obispo CA
Baptized: August 3rd, 1879, at Mission San Luis Obispo  
Died: April 17th 1905, in San Luis Obispo, at age 26, of tuberculosis.  At the probate of her mother’s estate, Marta was instrumental in identifying all her mother’s Trejo and Lopez children. She had on illegitimate son by her step father Jesus "Papa" Lopez. See page 14.

IX. JUAN DE DIOS TREJO   
Born: March 8th, 1881, in San Luis Obispo, CA 
Baptized: June 25th, 1881, at Mission San Luis Obispo  
Died: Probably in Alaska, date unknown Juan de Dios was reputed to be "fast liver", a gambler of some talent, and was slightly crippled. He went to Alaska during the "Klondike gold rush" of 1898-1902, and was never heard from again.

DESCENDANTS OF TIBO (SANTOS) TREJO AND MARIA CLOTILDA GARNER

Earliest Children of Santos Trejo and Clotida Garner: Top Row: Left to Right:
Ernest (Dad) 10 years, Hank Thomson, Friend 13 years, Fred 11 years

Bottom Row: Left to Right:
Rosa 3 years, Alexander 1.5 months, and Josephine 6 years

           

       CHILD NUMBER 1: PETER WILLIAM TREJO:  
               Born: December 19th, 1901, in San Luis Obispo   
               Died: July 11th, 1902, in San Luis Obispo   No church record of baptism or death was
                          found. This information was from the San Luis Obispo County records.

        CHILD NUMBER 2:  ALFRED ANASETTO TREJO  
               Born: April 17th, 1903, in San Luis Obispo   
               Baptized: May 4th, 1903, at Mission San Luis Obispo  
               Died: August 16th, 1970 in Livingston, CA   
               Married: Geneva Leocadia Damaso on February 27th 1933, at Mission San Luis Obispo.   
                  Geneva’s Parents: John Damaso and Rose Martines  Geneva baptized December 29th,
                  1916, at Saint Joseph’s church in Cayucos, CA.
                  CHILDREN OF ALFRED ANASETTO TREJO AND GENEVA DAMASO
                         1.  Maurice (Morris) Alfred Trejo 
                              Born: June 9th, 1938, in San Luis Obispo   
                              Baptized: October 9th, 1938, at Mission San Luis Obispo 
                              Died: LIVING 
                              Married: Velia Evangelina Chacon on December  21st, 1957, in Merced, CA   
                                      Velia Chacon born : August 16th, 1939, in Los Angeles, CA 
                                      Veila died: LIVING

                             Children of Maurice Alfred Trejo and Velia Evangelina Chacon
                                    I. Morris Alfred Trejo Junior 
                                              Born: October 7th, 1965, in Merced, CA 
                                              Died: LIVING
                                   II. Jean Frieta Trejo 
                                              Born: February 25th, 1947, in Merced, CA 
                                              Baptized: Merced, CA 
                                              Died: Living
                                              Married: 1. Dennis McLaughlin, November 26th, 1963, in Merced, CA
                                              Children Of Jean Frita Trejo and Dennis McLaughlin
                                                         (1) Karen McLaughlin  
                                                                     Born: December 4th, 1964, in                                                                      Baptized: Merced, CA
                                                                     Died: LIVING
                                             Married: 2. Robert Atwood in Merced, CA
                                             Children of Karen McLaughlin and Robert Atwood
                                                         (1)  Trisha Jean Atwood 
                                                                      Born: October 26th, 1984, in Merced, CA 
                                                                      Baptized: Merced, CA
                                                         (2) Ashley Christy Atwood 
                                                                      Born: April 15th, 1989, in Merced, CA 
                                                                      Baptized: Merced, CA
                                      III. Patricia Rose Trejo 
                                            Born: February 15th, 1957 in Atwater, CA  
                                            Baptized: Merced, CA 
                                            Died: LIVING
                                            Married: 1 James Moberly   No children this marriage
                                            Married  2 Patrick Thurlby in Merced, CA
                                            Children of Patricia Rose Trejo and Patrick Thurlby
                                                        (1) Rose Carmen Thurlby   
                                                                    Born: January 20th, 1983   
                                                                    Baptized: Merced, CA
                                                         (2) Debra Thurlby  
                                                                     Born : October 23rd, 1984, in Atwater, CA   
                                                                     Baptized: Merced, CA

        CHILD NUMBER 3: ERNESTO AMBROSIO TREJO
                Born: December 7th, 1904, in San Luis Obispo, CA   
                Baptized: March 28th, 1905, at Mission San Luis Obispo   
                Died: October 25th, 1995, in San Jose, CA   
                Buried: October 30th, 1995, in Oak Hill Memorial Park, in San Jose, CA   
                Married:* Eldana Lucille Shelton, February 7th, 1924, in Stockton, CA   
                              Eldana Lucille Shelton was born March 20th, 1908, in San Jose, CA   
                              Eldana’s parents were Sylvester Shelton and Carrie Blanch Yoakum de Brien.  
                              Eldana died May 1st, 1995, in Monterey, CA, buried in Mission Memorial Park, in
                              Seaside, CA   * Eldana detested her name, and adopted the name "Dorothy"
                              which she used all her life. Eldana would remarry Glen David Berwick on
                              September September 6th , 1930, in Monterey, CA.
               
                CHILDREN OF ERNEST AMBROSE TREJO & ELDANA SHELTON

                       1. Ernest Santos Trejo 
                                  Born: August 30th, 1924, in San Jose, CA  
                                  Died: October 13th, 2000, in Portland, Oregon. 
                                  Buried in the Willimette National Cemetery, near Portland, Oregon. Ernest had 
                                          his surname legally changed to Berwick, the name of our stepfather, and
                                          is buried as Ernest Berwick Married: Never married
                       2.  Paul Edgar Trejo   
                                  Born: October 31st, 1926 in San Jose, CA 
                                  Died: LIVING
                                  Married: 1. Ruth Emilia Holley, September 13th, 1946. at the University of
                                                   Southern California Chapel, Los Angeles, CA  Ruth Holly Trejo de
                                                    Holland died September 23rd, 2003, in Sunnyvale, CA
                                  Married: 2. Kathleen Ruth Wessel in Saratoga, CA,  August 13th, 1989   
                                                    Kathleen Ruth was born in Vincennes, IL, January 2nd, 1949 
                                                    No children in this marriage.
                                 CHILDREN OF PAUL EDGAR TREJO/ RUTH EMELIA HOLLEY
                                          1. Leslie Lee Trejo 
                                                     Born: September 22nd, 1947, US Naval Hospital, Long Beach, CA
                                                     Died: LIVING 
                                                     Married: Miami Yang, in Reno, Nevada, July 13th, 1974  
                                                                  Miami born in Ti Tei, Tiwan, Republic of China
                                                                  Died: LIVING Children of Leslie Lee Trejo/ Miami Yang
                                                                         1. Natasha Trejo
                                                                                     Born: March 24th, 1976, in San Jose, CA
                                                                          2. Ruthie Trejo
                                                                                      Born: October 26th, 1981. in Quincy, CA
                                                                          3. Tammy Trejo
                                                                                      Born: August 31st, 1985, Monterey Park, CA
                                           2. Catherine Ann Trejo  
                                                        Born: January, 6th, 1949, US Naval Hospital, San Diego, CA
                                                        Married: Edward Collins, July 31st, 1973, at Watsonville, CA
                                                                     Edward Collins Died June 4th, 2001, in Santa Clara, CA
                                         CHILDREN:CATHERINE ANN TREJO/EDWARD COLLINS
                                                        1.. Oceana Collins 
                                                                     Born: May 26th, 1973, in Santa Cruz, CA
                                                                     Married:1. Todd Gjertsen in Los Altos Hills, Sept 1991
                                                                     Children of Oceana Collins and Todd Gjertsen
                                                                                (1) Onyx Moon Gjertsen 
                                                                                            Born: August 17th, 1992, Eugene, OR

                                                                     Married: 2. Rick Zeleznik, Watsonville, CA , May, 1988
                                                                     Children of Oceana Collins and Rick Zeleznik
                                                                                 (1) Ki Zeleznik
                                                                                            Born: May 10th, 1999, Watsonville, CA
                                                                                  (2) Quin Zeleznik
                                                                                             Born: June 20th, 2001, Watsonville, CA
                                                                                  (3) Rowan Zeleznik 
                                                                                       Born: August 27th, 2003, Boulder Creek CA

        CHILD 4:  ROSANA (ROSA) TREJO
         Born: April 16th, 1906, in San Luis Obispo, CA 
         Baptized: June 26th, 1906, at Mission San Luis Obispo 
         Died: November 29th, 1918, in Betteravia, Santa Maria CA 
         Buried: Catholic Cemetery, South Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, December 1st, 1918 
                 Note: Rosa Trejo died of influenza in the great epidemic of 1918, that swept the world
                 claiming thousands of lives. It was brought to this country from France by soldiers returning
                 from WW-I. She was laid to rest along side her mother Maria Clotilda who died November
                 28th, also from the flu. See page 16.

        CHILD NUMBER 5:  JOSEPHINE ELIZABETH TREJO
        Born: February 23rd, 1908, in Betteravia, Santa Maria, CA 
        Baptized: June 7th, 1908, at Saint Mary’s Church, Santa Maria, CA 
        Died: October 15th, 1974, in Tulsa, Oklahoma
        Married: 1. Keeney Rodriquez, April 5th, 1924, in Moro Bay, CA, Justice of the Peace: 
                         R. Tossini, Approved by Judge J. Driscoll Keeney Rodriquez Born: September 12th,
                         1899 in Oso Flaco, CA  Kenney Died: October 15th, 1985, in San Luis Obispo 
                        Buried: Catholic Cemetery, South Higuera  St., San Luis Obispo. 
        Married: 2. Lester Creekpaum March 1955, in Tulsa, Oklahoma  No Children This Marriage

                    CHILDREN OF JOSEPHINE TREJO AND KEENEY RODRIQUEZ
                            1. Albert Keeney Rodriquez, 
                                       Born: June 29th, 1924, at Coon Creek (Morro Creek) near Morro Bay, CA
                                       Died LIVING 
                                       Married: Christine Dorothy ___, at San Luis Obispo on______. 
                                                     Dorothy Died: November 5th, 2001, in Cupertino, CA, 
                                                     Buried: Skylawn Memorial Park, San  Mateo, CA 
                                                      Children: Adopted Dorothy’s son from a previous marriage:____
                           2. William Lester Rodriquez 
                                        Born: Nov  29th, 1925, at Coon Creek (Morro Creek) near Morro Bay, CA
                                        Died: LIVING
                           3. Kenneth Orville Rodriquez  
                                         Born: Nov 5th, 1927, at Coon Creek (Morro Creek) near Morro  Bay, CA

     CHILD NUMBER 6:  ISREAL RAYMOND TREJO
              Born: November 28th, 1911, in Betteravia, Santa Maria, CA 
              Baptized: December, 1911, at Saint Mary’s Church, in Santa Maria, CA, 
              Died: February 7th, 1977, in Los Osos, CA
              Buried: Los Osos Valley Cemetery, February 10th,1977.  
              Married: *Gladys Katherine Brooks, October 16th, 1933, in San Luis Obispo
                         CHILDREN OF ISREAL TREJO AND *GLADYS KATHERINE BROOKS
                                 1. Donald Ray Trejo 
                                            Born: March 5th, 1934, in San Luis Obispo 
                                            Died: August 31st, 1963, in San Luis Obispo, under mysterious
                                                    circumstances. 
                                            Married: Lorrain Gray, 1953, in San Luis Obispo
                                                        Children of Donald Ray Trejo and Lorrain Gray
                                                                 1. Donald Robert Trejo 
                                                                             Born: February 14th, 1954, in San Luis Obispo
                                                                 2. Donna Elain Trejo
                                                                              Born: October 16th, 1955 in San Luis Obispo
                                   * Note: Gladys Katherine Brooks would later marry Isreal’s uncle..

       CHILD Number 7:  ALEXANDER ELWIN TREJO
                Born: January 28th, 1913, in Betteravia, Santa Maria, CA, 
                Baptized: May 27th, 1913, at Saint Mary’s of the Assumption Church in Santa Maria, CA, 
                Died: June 21st, 1952, in Downey, CA, in a fire at work. 
                Buried: City Cemetery, Riverside, CA
                Married: Deloras La Rea Kimmenau, October 3rd, 1933, at Mission San Luis Obispo
                             Deloras was born June 18th, 1917, in San Francisco,CA. Her parents were William
                             John Remeo Kimmenau and Acki Lila Sheradin Mann. Deloras 
                             Died: LIVING
                             CHILDREN OF ALEXANDER ELWIN TREJO AND DELORAS KIMMENAU           
                                     1.Elwin Luis Santos Trejo 
                                              Born: April 19th, 1934, in San Luis Obispo, CA  
                                              Baptized: June 20th,  1934, at Mission San Luis Obispo,
                                              Died: Broken Bow, Oklahoma, on May 20th, 2001, 
                                              Married:  Roberta Jean Piercall, 1955, Riverside, CA 
                                                           This couple had three children.
                                      2.Kenneth Lee Trejo 
                                               Born: February 5th, 1936, in San Luis Obispo CA, 
                                               Died: LIVING  
                                               Married: Phyllis Jean Kopke, June 28th, 1959, Rising City, Nebraska . 
                                                            This couple had four children
                                      3. Josephine La Rae Trejo  
                                                Born: March 20, 1939, in San Luis Obispo, CA,
                                                Died: Living
                                                Married: Clarence Raymond Cox, May 15th, 1959, in Riverside, CA 
                                                              This couple had three children.
                                     4. Shirly Ann Trejo
                                                Born: October 12th, 1942, in San Luis Obispo, CA, 
                                                Died: LIVING
                                                Married: Thomas Jefferson Rollins Junior. September 28th, 1956, in
                                                             Quartzsite, Arizona. This couple had five children

       CHILD NUMBER 8: LINCOLN TREJO 
               Born: February 12th, 1915, in San Luis Obispo
               Died: LIVING  
               Married: 1. Consort Johnnie Kendricks Johnnie died in San Jose, CA
                           CHILDREN OF LINCOLN TREJO AND JOHNNIE KENDRICKS
                                  1. Linda Marie Trejo 
                                            Born: March 1st, 1952 in San Jose, CA 
                                            Died: April 26th, 1971, In San Jose 
                                            Married: Victor Juarez in San Jose
                                                         Children of Linda Marie Trejo and Victor Juarez
                                                                1. Suzette L. Juarez 
                                                                            Born: May 24th, 1969, in San Jose, CA
                                                                2. Antonio Juarez 
                                                                             Born: November 17th, 1970. in San Jose, CA
              Married 2. Ellie Lenz, October 17th, 1959, in San Luis Obispo, CA  No children this marriage

THE MANY MANUEL BUTRONS
Prepared by Paul "Pablo" Trejo

Manuel BUTRON I

               1. Born about 1727 in Molina, Valencia, Spain
               2. Married the Esselen Indian girl Margarita Dominguez, from the Rancheria of Tucclnet,
                   at Mission San Carlos de Monterey, on May 20^th, 1773.
               3. Manuel Butron was buried at Mission San Carlos de Carmelo on January 5^th, 1793
               4. Margarita Dominguez died January 25^th, 1815, and was buried in the cemetery of
                   Mission San Carlos de Monterey

Children of Manuel Butron and Margarita Dominguez

              1. Manuel Joseph Butron
              Born: April 8^th, 1776, in Monterey
              Baptized: April 9^th, 1776, at Mission San Carlos de Monterey
              Died: Buried February 12^th, 1842, at Mission San Juan Bautista
              Married: Maria Ygnacia Higuera, at Mission Santa Clara January 30^th, 1794
                            Maria Ygnacia Higuera Born: February 10^th, 1778, in Santa Clara, CA
                            Baptized: May 13^th, 1778, at Mission Santa Clara
                            Died: Buried July 6^th, 1844 at Mission San Juan Bautista
                            Children: This couple had 14 children

             2. Sebastian Joseph Butron
             Born: January 19^th, 1779, in Monterey
             Baptized: January 20^th, 1779, at Mission San Carlos de Monterey
             Died: Buried May 14^th, 1843, at Mission San Juan Bautista
             Married: Maria Antonia Amesquita December 30^th, 1807, at Mission Santa Clara 
                           Maria Antonia Maria Antonia Baptized Sept 5^th, 1791, at Mission Santa Clara
                           Maria Antonia Died March 29^th, 1831, Buried March 30^th, 1831 at Mission
                           San Juan Bautista  Children: This couple had 11 children

Manuel BUTRON II

Manuel Butron II is Manuel Joseph Butron above

Manuel BUTRON III

               Manuel Salustiano Butron
                          1. Son of Manuel Joseph Butron and Maria Rita Higuera
                                      Born: June 9^th, 1823
                                      Baptized: June 10^th, 1823, at Mission San Juan Bautista
                                      Died : Death date uncertain. Best estimate at age 50 in 1873, or age 60
                                                in 1883 on Rancho Natividad
                                      Married: Maria Antonia Buelna October 27^th, 1845 at Mission San Carlos
                                                de Monterey
                                                Maria Antonia Buelna 
                                                Born: 1820 from her death record, probably Monterey or Soledad Z                                                 Died: In Castroville, CA, at age 69, where she received the
                                                Sacraments and was buried at Mission San Carlos de Monterey on
                                                August 6^th, 1889. (Monterey Deaths 1872-1913, page 174)
                                                Children of: Manuel Salustiano Butron and Maria Antonia Buelna 
                                                This couple had 13 children, possibly more, baptized at Mission
                                                San Carlos de Monterey and Mission Santa Clara

Manuel BUTRON IV

                 Manuel Butron IV
                            Born: Probably in Castroville or Monterey
                            Parents: Manuel Salustiano Butron and Maria Antonia Buelna
                            Baptized: Our Lady Help of Christians Church, Watsonville
                            Baptized: October 2^nd, 1867
                            Born: June 27^th, 1867
                            Married: Guadalupe Gabriela Garner at Castroville, CA, February 2^nd, 1889
                                          Guadalupe Gabriela was born March 18^th, 1870, in Castroville., and
                                          baptized at Mission San Carlos de Monterey on March 19^th, 1871.
                                           Her parents were Ignacio Garner and Valeriana Garcia
                                           Guadalupe died May 11^th, 1933, in Santa Clara
                            Manuel Butron IV died in Castroville or San Jose in 1930s ( will send)
                            Guadalupe Gabriela died May 11^th, 1933, in Santa Clara, CA

Manuel BUTRON V

                 Manuel Butron V
                            Manuel A. Butron
                            Born: July 2^nd, 1892, in Castroville
                            Baptized: August 25^th, 1892, at Our Lady Of Refuge Church in Castroville, CA
                            Married: Never married
                           Consorts: 1. Hattie
                                           2. Sarah
                           Children: No Chidren

END OF Manuel BUTRONS

NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

 El Paso,  Texas

Puzzled, I looked more closely and noticed that at the head or in the middle of the circles some had little crosses, metal or wood, a few had a plaque, such as the one above. It read El Nino, Raul Ponce, a star and a word that starts with F . . followed by 1919, next row, a cross and Mayo 6, 1917.  Underneath, Recuerdo de sus Padres.

Jane C. Sanchez sanchezj@writeme.com 
13301 Sunset Canyon Dr., NE 
Albuquerque, N.M. 87111 
Phone: 505 294-5598 
Fax: 505 294-5393 

Abbreviations Used in this Book
AGI: Archivo General de Indias, Seville 
AGM: Archivo General Nacional, México 
SANM: Spanish Archives of New Mexico 
HR: New Mexico Historical Review

Table of Contents
Introduction 
Recopilacion de leyes de las Indias 
Laws Promulgated from 1680 to 1753 
Laws Promulgated from 1754-1782
The Plan of Pitic and Related Material, 1778-1789
Laws Promulgated from 1786 to 1799
Laws Promulgated from 1800 to 1820
The Land Laws of Mexico
Water Law
Glossary
Bibliography 

INDIGENOUS

2200 E. Red River, Victoria, Texas 77901
www.museumofthecoastalbend.org
Annette Musgrave 361- 582-2436

Thursdays at the Museum of the Coastal Bend
"Native American Trade Networks"
By
William C. Foster

VICTORIA, TEXAS On Thursday, May 20 at 12 noon and 7 PM author and historian William C. Foster will present a program about the Native American trade networks which existed in the central and southwestern United States between 1500 and 1700. Foster’s talk is based upon his extensive research of French and Spanish expeditions as well as knowledge of the pre-history of early inhabitants of the region. Foster will address the diffusion of plant and other goods as well as the actual routes that were used.

Foster, a prominent historian of the early French and Spanish expeditions to Texas will be

signing copies of his latest book, The La Salle Expedition on the Mississippi River: A Lost Manuscript of Nicolas de La Salle, 1682, which was released in January of this year. For more information about the book, please refer to http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/books/salle2.html.

Museum of the Coastal Bend, page 2 of 2

The program at the Museum of the Coastal Bend continues a series of talks related to the history of the Coastal Bend region that will be held monthly on Thursdays at the new Museum of the Coastal Bend at The Victoria College. The programs feature historians and archeologists with new research contributions to history of the Coastal Bend.

These programs are open to the public and free with museum admission. Adult admission is $3.50, senior citizens $2.50 and The Victoria College/UHV students are free. The museum is located at 2200 East Red River on the campus of The Victoria College. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM.

BLACK

Buffalo Soldiers

The Black Mexico Homepage
Afro-Mexicans of the Costa Chica

http://www.afromexico.com/    
webmaster: Bobby Vaughn's
Sent by Yolanda Ochoa  motherredcaps@yahoo.com

The purpose of this website is to introduce readers to the culture and unique experience of Mexicans of African descent.  If you are like most people, you probably have never heard of Afro-Mexicans and are completely unaware that they exist. If you fall into this category, this page will hopefully be quite a learning experience for you.  As a cultural anthropologist, I am interested in how issues of race, color, and nationalism make the Afro-Mexican experience what it is, today, and hopefully, I can come to some general conclusions as to larger issues of race and ethnicity. Perhaps the question most central to my thinking about the topic could be expressed succinctly as: "How do black people in Mexico understand and live their black identity?" This question fascinates me primarily because issues of blackness and race are rarely talked about in Mexico, and the black population is extremely small there. 

However, over and above my research interests, the people of Mexico have treated me with such kindness, respect, and genuine affection over the last 10 years, that I carry with me a genuine joy to be doing what I am doing. I endeavor to present the story of Afro-Mexicans in the most respectful way I know how. I therefore refuse to exoticize or caricature the people who have meant so much to me.

The site is designed to be introductory, with a brief historical overview of African slavery in Mexico, a discussion of the Costa Chica region -- which is where most black Mexicans live today --, as well as some photographs I've taken. I hope you enjoy the site and I welcome your comments. 

Also, I should add that I am not a specialist in African American genealogy, Black Seminoles, or African Americans in the southwestern United States,  links for resources are included, plus photos and much more. 

SEPHARDIC

Sephardi Report, Vol.1, No.1
American Sephardi Federation and the Sephardic House
 

TEXAS 

In other words, "It was duller than dishwater!" says Castillo Crimm, an associate professor of history at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. 

Castillo Crimm knew she had a great story to tell about Martín de León and his wife, Patricia de la Garza, who left Mexico for the rugged Texas frontier in 1801, and went on, with their children, to establish family ranches in South Texas and the town of Victoria in 1824. 

"I said, "It's got to be narrative history,'" she recalls. "If people are going to read it, I've got to get rid of the numbers and make it something readable." 

Castillo Crimm took the facts that she unearthed from deeds, court records, tax rolls and wills and added her intuition to bring three generations of the family to life in "De León, a Tejano Family History," published by the University of Texas Press. 

The author will read from her book at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Guadalupe Bookstore, 1301 Guadalupe, inside the Guadalupe Theater. A book-signing reception will follow. 

Other than Stephen F. Austin, Martín de León was the only empresario who completed his colony as he promised, Castillo Crimm says. "And then the family itself is fascinating because they split over the Texas Revolution. Some of them refused to have anything at all to do with the revolution and yet some of them supported the Texians and actually fought." 

Castillo Crimm, a Mexican native who came to the United States with her family as a teenager in 1963, began investigating the de Leóns' history in 1987. At the time she was working on her doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin under Nettie Lee Benson, a renowned scholar of Mexican history. 

"She was the one that got me started on Martín de León. She had just become interested in Mexican Texas, and so she was the one that convinced me that I should get involved in studying Mexican Texas," Castillo Crimm says. "Of course, everybody tells you, 'Oh, well, they're Mexicans. Of course they don't have any records.' Well, they do." 

While few diaries and letters by Tejanas and Tejanos are available, Castillo Crimm was able to use official records to reconstruct the lives of the de León family. 

"Patricia de la Garza's will is such a wonderful jewel of information, because in it she literally dismissed her eldest son and leaves everything to the rest of the kids and leaves the debt that he owes her — a thousand dollars — to the other kids to collect. When you start looking at that, you start thinking, 'My heavens! What a story!'" Castillo Crimm says. 

She spent 15 years on the book, rewriting it over and over to eliminate elements that were bogging the story down. 

Castillo Crimm filled out the details of the family's life using "logic and common sense." For example, when Francisca, the youngest child of Patricia de la Garza and Martín de León, lay dying after childbirth, Castillo Crimm writes that her sisters placed the baby in her arms. 

"I have no source whatsoever for that, but I said it," Castillo Crimm says. "A lot of times you have to make assumptions. That's why this book is what we call narrative history. It's much more than just dry details. It is stretching what I absolutely can prove, but when you look at human nature, you have to assume something. To me, that's what makes history fascinating." 

She jokes that she has invented a whole new footnote — NSW, that's "No source whatsoever." And should her fellow scholars get angry at her, " Ni modo!," she says. Oh, well! 

(VOA photo - G. Flakus) 

Tony Tristan, Patti Tristan and their 13-year-old daughter Alicia

Loretta Martintez Williams

Former state Senator Carlos F. Truan gave the South Texas Archives and Special Collections, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, his papers upon his retirement. Because the collection includes over 1300 archival document boxes of materials it has taken us almost three years to process it.  To officially open the Collection we asked professors from various departments on the TAMUK campus to have students write term papers using the materials. From those submitted we selected the nine best papers and asked the authors to read them in during a Carlos F. Truan Symposium on April 15, 2004. We have published the proceedings of that Symposium (see table of contents below) and they are now for sale at $10.00 a copy (includes postage).  Checks should be made payable to: South Texas Archives.  Send orders to: Cecilia Aros Hunter, South Texas Archives and Special Collections, MSC 197, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX   78363.

We would also like to announce that the papers are open and available for use should any researcher be interested.

The papers of the Honorable Carlos F. Truan are a substantial and important collection of over 1100 linear feet of historical documents that  reveal the how a young Mexican-American man grew up to be a political activist, working within the “system” to help bring equality and justice to the socially and economically disadvantaged of South Texas.

Legislation authored, sponsored, co-sponsored, or supported by Truan during his thirty five years serving in the Texas State House of Representatives and Texas State Senate, and the supporting research, can be found in this collection.  The documents include background for his work on legislation for International Trade, especially on NAFTA, on health care issues, veterans’ issues, and education at all levels.  Files for correspondence on bills introduced into the legislature, constituent needs and concerns and special projects are included.  Especially significant was the work that he did to introduce the first Bilingual Education bill that served as a model for other state laws on the topic.

Senator Truan began his political career when he was elected to serve in the Texas House of Representatives in 1968. He became a part of the “Dirty Thirty,” a group of Representatives who forced an investigation of government wrong-doings in the early 1970s.  When he subsequently moved to the Senate he was also a member of the “Killer Bees,” who left the Senate floor and used parliamentary procedures to stop government business and prove a point.  Their tactics were recently used by a group of Texas Legislators who fled the State Legislature to stop redistricting in the State.  Ultimately, Truan rose to be Dean of the Texas State Senate.

The papers the Senator collected while serving in the Texas State Legislature reveal insights into the politics of South Texas and the large Hispanic community that is beginning to emerge as a political force.  As Hispanics have grown into the nation's largest minority group, with Mexican-Americans being the largest single group within this diverse group, they are a group whose votes are increasingly courted.  Studying Carlos Truan’s papers will give students of history, politics and social concerns, a glimpse of how, at least, one person learned to compete in the dominate Anglo society while retaining a culture and language that he was taught to love and appreciate.

Carlos F. Truan Symposium, April 15, 2004, CONTENTS
 I. REFORM
Youthful Passion to Political Activism: Carlos F. Truan, The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the Rio Grande City Civil Rights Hearings By Diane H. M. Garcia
Carlos Truan’s Involvement in the “Dirty Thirty” and “Killer Bees”, By Estanislado (T. J.) Gonzales
Carlos Truan and the Killer Bees”: Great Outcome After Good Judgment,, By Ariana A. Campos

II. CONTROVERSY
State Sentor Carlos Truan’s Aid in Acquiring  the U.S.S. Lexington, By Kendra G. Taylor
Carlos Truan and the Issue of Abortion, By Maribel Hernandez
Texas Birth Registry: Carlos Truan and the Attempt to Decrease Birth Defects in the Rio Grande Valley By Joshua Rene Garcia

 III. HEALTH & EDUCATION
Carlos Truan and Bilingual Education: “A Fight for Educational Equality”, By Erica Olivarez
Carlos Truan and the Crusade Against colonias in the Texas Border Region, By Eduardo Villarreal
Carlos Truan and Texas Child Care Legislation,  1973 to 1975, By Cadi L. Lusk
The Carlos F. Truan Collection, by Cecilia Aros Hunter and Elda N. Ayala

 SOURCE: Cecilia Aros Hunter mailto:kacah00@tamuk.edu 

The Charreria/Mexican Rodeo
Sunday May 23, 2004

Spanish and Mexican Documents,
Corpus Christi Public Libraries, Local History
http://www.library.ci.corpus-christi.tx.us/lhdocuments.htm
Sent by Paul Newfield  pcn01@webdsi.com

Chapa: The First Four Generations: Chapa genealogy prepared by Mr. Norman P. Brown. Colony of Nuevo Santander. Much of South Texas and parts of northern Mexico comprised the Spanish settlement, Colonia de Nuevo Santander. 

Colony of Nuevo Santander: Much of south Texas and parts of northern Mexico comprised the Spanish settlement, Colonia de Nuevo Santander.Corpus Christi resident Edna Brown provided the English translation of the original 18th century census and related documents of José de Escandón's exploration and settlement of this area.

Early Maps: View the following maps: Captain Alonso de Piñeda's map of the Gulf of Mexico (1519); South Texas coast (1766);Nuevo Santander (1792); Indians of Tamaulipas (1943).

Historia Del Nuevo Reino De Leon (1577-1723): Major work on early Northern Mexico history.  English translation by Edna Brown. 

Corpus Christi Public Libraries     805 Comanche     Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Tel: (361) 880-7000       Fax (361)  880-7005    Email:  library@ccpl.ci.corpus-christi.tx.usLast Update: September 2003     ©2003  Corpus Christi Public Libraries      Text Version 

SIXTH: I declare as my property one stone house and a one room stone house adjoining the house in which I live. My husband does not have any interest, not even in the slightest particular, in these buildings because I inherited them from my deceased mother. In the same manner I inherited the land on which my home is built as well as the solar adjacent to the two stone houses, and it has 34 varas frontage, all of which is built upon and its depth is 51 varas. I call the attention of my heirs to these facts for their guidance.

The building material for the house in which I live, but not the material of the living-room and other one-room house I have mentioned, was purchased by my said husband with his own money during our marriage. So, before he may take possession of the portion for which he paid, that is, the building material of the house, he must reimburse my said heirs for the value of 14 gold rings of my jewelry which he sold to Cayetano de la Garza; the gold band set with emeralds which he said he sold to Concepcion de Estrada for 20 pesos; some silver bracelets embossed with gold which he sold to the first wife of the late Bustillos; the part of the house which was my share of the inheritance from my mother, that is, the house which now belongs to the heirs of the late Francisca Rodriguez and finally the value of several other articles which he sold, without my consent, in order to gamble. 
This property came into his hands when we were married, all of it inherited from my deceased mother. For this reason a short time ago when he believed that he had suffered a fatal wound, he confessed in one of the clauses of the last will and testament which he made in that belief that he did not have any right whatever to claim half the building material of this said house, which he might have claimed, since the jewelry of his malversation which he had converted without my consent was worth as much if not more that the cost of his share of the said building material. Those who can testify to these facts are Angel Navarro and the school master, Juan Bautista Sanchez, because they were witnesses of his last will and testament. I declare this to be true.

I leave one blue Mexican shawl made of cotton to be sold to pay part of the debt to the Virgin of Sorrows and the Lord of Miracles. I also leave a pair of fine cotton home for the same purpose.
I own one metal mortar for kitchen use, one candle holder of the same metal, a bronze crucifix and another crucifix from Rome, one statue of our Lady of the Rosary, two chests of which I will the large one to my daughter Maria Ignacia, and the other, which is smaller, to Maria Antonia; two metates which I also bequeath to the same two daughters as a reward for the love and great pains they have taken to make me comfortable during my illness. The little three-legged iron pot and two old boilers I leave to Maria Josefa. I declare these articles as my own.

The old copper kettle and spit belong to my husband, the table, bench and candelabra which are in the house I leave to my daughter Maria Josefa because her husband left them with me. I direct that these bequests be fulfilled.

I have made a free gift and donation inter vivos so my daughter Maria Antonia of my interests in the land of the solar, formerly owned by Francisco Xavier Rodriguez which I inherited from my late mother; and now as a means of increasing her share I bequesth to the said Maria Antonio one gold cross set with emeralds and to Maria Ignacia I leave five strings of genuine pearls with a little gold vross as these two daughters have shown so great devotion and tenderness toward me in all my afflictions. I direct that this chance be observed.

I declare that I paid to my grand-daughter Maria Luisa five pesos which my husband owed her, with a thin sheet which rightfully was his property. The bed I leave, just as it is, to my said husband. I direct this to be done.

After probate of my will and payment of all the debts described in my will, as to the residue of my property (to which I add a reliquary filled with relics), rights and interests I name and appoint as my sole and universal heirs my said four children so that with the utmost harmony they may partition that estate into equal parts among them, and may they use it and enjoy it with the blessing of God and my own, I direct this clause to be observed.

I hereby name and appoint as my executors and administrators, first Jose Antonio Maria Saucedo, and second, my son-in-law Thomas de Arocha, to whom I give jointly and severally in solidum the necessary power and authority which is required by law to enter in possession of my estate as if it were their own, and do whatever is necessary for the purpose of discharging their duties with which I burden their consciences.

I, Gavino Valdez, the Vicar curate and Ecclesiastical Judge of this city and its jurisdiction, certify that I know the testatrix and that I witnessed the making of this her last will and testament which she executed in her sound mind and full understanding, and to validate it, I signed it with two witnesses to my acts. The testatrix did not sign because she did not know how to write, but she made a sign of the cross. 

Likewise the Instrumental witnesses who were requested and summoned by the testatrix signed this document. They were Ignacio Lucero, Mariano de Urena and Jose Arreola all residents of this city, the place where this will was excecuted, June 11, 1802.
In witness whereof, I signed it,
Bachelor Gavino Valdez
[Rubric]
Mariano de Urena
[Witness;] [Witness]
Ignacio Maria Luzero, Jose de Arreola
[Rubric] [Rubric]

Sent by Angelita Hernandez  Garmondez@aol.com

I wrote this as a speech I intended to give on the "El Dia De Los Muertos" at "The Rancho Grande Cemetery." That is why I titled it The Speech not given.  

                                     The Speech Not Given by Isabel Rodriguez

This special place is a history of our people, for us to remember them by and to cherish, and they live on in spirit.  The hardships our families endured, the prejudices, and the loss of life. Can anyone imagine what they would think seeing us here today, interracial marriages, with there children and grandchildren standing together as one family.

We can live anywhere we want, buried in any cemetery next to any race, because segregation does not exist anymore! Yes, people, some of you here have probably never heard of such a thing. I have, he has, she has. In our town of Paducah, that's the way it was. I guess we all accepted it at the time, but that cemetery is kept up by the town of Paducah, and that is a good thing. which brings me back to The Rancho Grande Cemetery.

This land was donated by several farmers, to the people who worked for them. They donated 16 acres for ever and ever to the people who worked and lived here at The Rancho Grande. They had housing, school, and a place to be buried, when they died, and that was great. Through the years some good people have taken care of this place where our ancestors toiled the land, grew vegetables, and cotton, raised cattle. This farmers did a great deed for our ancestors, but through the years this beautiful place has lost most of the land that was donated. The cemetery has decayed and there is zero funding from the city, county, or state. We must continue it's upkeep for them, for us, and for our children. At that time they came in wagons to a place of promise, with housing, work, food, and safety.

I want to thank the families who helped in the financing of the fence, the families who helped in making this a historical cemetery, and to the Hernandez family. Angelita and her husband Frank, their daughter Elizabeth, sons Cecilio, Raymond, Chris, Mike, Angel, and Juan. She is an awesome amazing person, who because of her illness wanted to leave something to her family (children) she had no money so she gave them us, she gave them you. Her research found all of the documentation and history of the cemetery. She found the history of our ancestors, and found family we lost touch of, and family we never knew we had, or met before.

I am so proud of our great-grandfather Alejos, and great-grandmother Angelita for coming here to better themselves, for now this beautiful place on top of this small hill, surrounded by black oak trees, and hog apple trees, vines growing on the fence, is a place we can all come to visit in it's peaceful existence.

The Legendary General Antonio Canales, Folk Hero, Patriot, or Villain

© By John D. Inclan fromgalveston@yahoo.com

Edited by Bernadette Inclan   

Viola Otilia Cavazos CANALES, circa:1926

Bernadette Inclan and Sons, Stephen M. Coindreau and Brian R. Coindreau

EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

LOUIE DOMINGUEZ: AN AMERICAN HERO
By 
Donna S. Morales and John P. Schmal

ERMINIO DOMINGUEZ:  IN THE SERVICE OF HIS COUNTRY
By 
Donna S. Morales and John P. Schmal

EAST COAST

Sent by by Deborah Gonzalez  dgewc@fdu.edu

New Jersey now ranks among the top 10 states in the country in terms of its Hispanic population. Among them are many newcomers with limited or no English language skills who have immigrated to the United States from throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and Latin America. 

MEXICO

Como Buscar en familysearch
Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico 
Los Principales Terratenientes
       Tapatios en los Albores del
       Siglo XVII

Zirahuén, Rincón Michoacano
Armando M Escobar Olmedo
Morelia, Michoacán, marzo de 2004

Terminamos nuestro recorrido por el bello Zirahuén y antes de regresar a Morelia, con una vista de la imagen del Santo Cristo de la capilla lateral de la Parroquia del lugar, con un fondo ricamente tallado en madera (de la que abunda en la región). No nos queda mas que decirles, ¡los esperamos en este bello rincón michoacano.

INVESTIGACIONES GENEALÓGICAS by Luz Montejano

ARMENDÁRIZ (Chihuahua, México)

CORDERO (Chihuahua, México)

CORDERO (Edo. de México, México)

ESCALANTE (Medina-Sidonia en Cádiz, Andalucía, España - Puebla, Cd. de México, México)

LÓPEZ RAYÓN (Maravatío en Michoacán, México)

MONTEJANO (Zacatecas, Jalisco, Chihuahua, México)

MONTIEL (Huelva, España - Tamaulipas, México)

PÉREZ-GRANILLO (Tlaxcala, Sonora, Chihuahua, México)

PEVEDILLA (Lugar de Escobedo, Valle de Camargo en Burgos, España - Cd. de México)

SILVA (Querétaro, México)

SONÍ (Hidalgo, México)

TORRES-GUERRERO (Michoacán, Cd. de México, México)

TRASVIÑA Y RETES (España - Chihuahua, México)

UGALDE (Querétaro, México)

URANGA (Tolosa en Guipúzcoa, España - Chihuahua, Puebla, México)

URIBE (Errigoitia, Bilbao en Vizcaya, España - Cd. de México, México)

VEGA, DE LA (Lugar de Carraza, Villa de Laredo en Burgos, España - Chihuahua, México)

VERA (Tarazona en Zaragoza, España - Querétaro, México) (presentación de prueba)

ZAVALA (Guanajuato, México)

ZURIA o SURIA EN MÉXICO (Foyos en Valencia y Madrid, España - Cd. de México)

Maximillian 
and 
Carlota 
Grand Opera 

http://www.grandopera.com

Sent by George Gause :ggause@panam.edu
Source: John Inclan fromgalveston@yahoo.com

Irish Troops on the Mexican Side
For information, go to the Catholic church publication:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/hogan.htm

Publicado 17 de mayo de 2004 
en "Odiel Información"

LA PRIMERA HUELGA.

Muchas veces, repasando la historia, te encuentras con noticias que casi no puedes creer. Por ejemplo, ¿sabes quien provocó la
primera huelga en Norteamérica?. Pues fue un español en el verano de 1766, se llamaba Pedro Romero de Terreros y había nacido en mi pueblo, en Cortegana, en 1710.

Emigró a América donde vivía su tío Juan Vázquez de Terreros que tenía negocios en Querétaro en la Nueva España. A los tres años de llegar murió su tío y heredó sus bienes, que tampoco eran muchos, pero como era un hombre emprendedor y que no se arredraba por nada, inició primero su carrera política a nivel local y posteriormente adquirió una mina de plata, que le produjo toda su fortuna, tanto que se decía que era el hombre mas rico de toda América en aquel tiempo.

Era muy caritativo y le gustaba ser alabado por su pueblo, por lo que rodeaba todos sus actos de parafernalia, para que se conociera todo lo que hacía para la comunidad.

Las minas de Don Pedro, producían enormes cantidades del noble metal, lo que permitía a su propietario pagar unos salarios en los que se incluían parte de los minerales extraídos, que los propios mineros vendían o comercializaban.

Pero cuando llegó la hora de reducir costes, en junio de 1765, redujo los sueldos en un 25%, aunque él seguía entregando para las organizaciones religiosas y políticas, las mismas donaciones, lo que exaltó a los mineros e iniciaron "rebelión" que hoy le llamamos huelga, pero que entonces como no existía esa palabra. Huelga no se introdujo en el diccionario hasta 1884.

Los ánimos se alteraron mucho y el propietario de la mina, para no ceder ante la reivindicaciones de los mineros, se retiró a su Hacienda y dejó que intervinieran los políticos para castigar a los rebeldes, aunque su reputación si quedó dañada.

Angel Custodio Rebollo  

Como buscar en familysearch

Por Salvador Cabral Valdés
scabral@ancestros.com.mx

Ing. Agr..Zoot.

Pagina Personal

Heraldica y Genealogia Cabral Valdés

La  iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los últimos días,  tiene una pagina dedicada exclusivamente a la búsqueda de ancestros, que se llama,  http://www.familysearch.org/   y en donde aparecerán  barias opciones  pero  las de  mejores resultados son la buscar(search) y aparece una relación de búsquedas como;

All  Resources

Aquí encontramos toda la siguiente información, en forma  general,

Ancestral File, Census,  International Genealogical Index, Pedigree Resource File, US Social Security Death Index, Vital Records Index, Search Family History Web Sites.

 

Ancestral File  y Pedigree Resource File.

En estos dos temas encontramos buena información, incluso algunos pequeños árboles genealógicos, pero lo malo que no tiene el gedcom, sin que tiene que comprar los discos.

 

International Genealogical Index,  Vital Records Index.

El primero es el mas completo, tiene mucha información, y en el Segundo tiene información interesante porque trae incluido a los abuelos, así que uno avanza mucho con esta información,

 

En estos dos lugares, es donde podemos manejar los batch, o el numero del film, y a buscar ancestros.

Donde se escribirá el apellido, el país y el estado donde buscamos, y nos saldrá una lista con todas las personas  que tengan el  apellido  que estamos buscando, pero  sale una selección de 5000 nombres como máximo o los que existan en el estado, la búsqueda esta dada por Film, y por batch, en el batch salen  todos los apellidos por municipio si son de Jerez, podemos pone el batch J600804 o el  K600800  en los cuales aparecen en unos puras mujeres y en otros puros hombres, también aparecen puros matrimonios en los batch

M600801 o también C600801 que son puros bautismos.  a continuación los batch, los film de algunos municipios de Zacatecas que se están investigando

CARIBBEAN/CUBA

INTERNATIONAL 

A todos ellos les he dedicado anteriormente unas líneas en mi pequeña columna, pero de quien no he dicho antes nada es de Juan Martínez de Vergara, que era natural de Gibraleón, y su padre que era natural de la Villa guipuzcoana de Vergara, que también se llamaba Juan Martínez de Vergara, cuando vino a Gibraleón se casó aquí con Isabel Alonso, vecina de la población y se quedó a vivir por estas tierras donde nacieron sus hijos.         

HISTORY

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and it's Guard 
Sent by Bill Carmena JCarm1724@aol.com

Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels of the Third United States Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why? Answer: 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why? Answer: 21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1.

3. Why are his gloves wet?  His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?  No, he carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face, and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed? Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the required physical traits of the guard? The honor is limited. Soldiers who apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall. Their waist size cannot exceed 30".

Other requirements of the Guard:

They must commit 2 years of their lives to guard the tomb. They live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. They cannot swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way.

After TWO YEARS, the guard is given a wreath insignia that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 such pins presently worn. The guard must obey the rules of the guard for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.

The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.

During the first SIX MONTHS of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis

{the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY ensuring that his uniforms are ready for sentinel duty.

The Sentinels Creed

"My dedication to this sacred duty is total and wholehearted. In the responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter. And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection. Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability. It is he who commands the respect I protect. His bravery that made us so proud. Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance."

More Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknowns The marble for the Tomb of the Unknowns was furnished by the Vermont Marble Company of Danby, Vt. The marble is the finest and whitest of American marble, quarried from the Yule Marble Quarry located near Marble, Colorado and is called Yule Marble. The Marble for the Lincoln memorial and other famous buildings was also quarried there. The Tomb consists of seven pieces of rectangular marble:

Four pieces in sub base; weight Â- 15 tons One piece in base or plinth; weight Â- 16 tons One piece in die; weight Â- 36 tons One piece in cap; weight Â- 12 tons.  Carved on the East side (the front of the Tomb, which faces Washington, D.C.) is a composite of three figures, commemorative of the spirit of the Allies of World War I. In the center of the panel stands Victory (female). On the right side, a male figure symbolizes Valor. On the left side stands Peace, with her palm branch to reward the devotion and sacrifice that went with courage to make the cause of righteousness triumphant. The north and south sides are divided into three panels by Doric pilasters. In each panel is an inverted wreath. On the west, or rear, panel (facing the Amphitheater) is enscribed:

HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD

The first Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a sub base and a base or plinth. It was slightly smaller than the present base. This was torn away when the present Tomb was started Aug. 27, 1931. The Tomb was completed and the area opened to the public 9:15 a.m. April 9, 1932, without any ceremony.

Cost of the Tomb Â- $48,000 Sculptor Â- Thomas Hudson Jones Architect Â- Lorimer Rich Contractors Â- Hagerman & Harris, New York City Inscription Â- Author Unknown (Interesting Commentary)

The Third Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer has the responsibility for providing ceremonial units and honor guards for state occasions, White House social functions, public celebrations and interments at Arlington National Cemetery and standing a very formal sentry watch at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The public is familiar with the precision of what is called "walking post" at the Tombs. There are roped off galleries where visitors can form to observe the troopers and their measured step and almost mechanically silent rifle shoulder changes. They are relieved every hour in a very formal drill that has to be seen to be believed. Some people think that when the Cemetery is closed to the public in the evening that this "show" stops. First, to the men who are dedicated to this work, it is no show. It is a "charge of honor." 

The formality and precision continues uninterrupted all night. During the nighttime, the drill of relief and the measured step of the on duty sentry remain unchanged from the daylight hours. To these men, these special men, the continuity of this post is the key to the honor and respect shown to these honored dead, symbolic of all American, unaccounted for, combat dead. The steady rhythmic step in rain, sleet, snow, hail, heat, cold, must be uninterrupted. Uninterrupted is the important part of the honor shown. Recently, while we were sleeping, the teeth of hurricane Isabel came through this area and tore hell out of everything. We had thousands of trees down, power outages, traffic signals out, roads filled with downed limbs and "gear adrift" debris. We had flooding and the place looked like it had been the impact area of an off shore bombardment. The Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high winds, to ensure their personal safety.  

THEY DISOBEYED THE ORDER!  

During winds that turned over vehicles and turned debris into projectiles, the measured step continued. One fellow said "I've got buddies getting shot at in Iraq who would kick my butt if word got to them that we let them down. I sure as hell have no intention of spending my Army career being known as the damned idiot who couldn't stand a little light breeze and shirked his duty." Then he said something in response to a female reporters question regarding silly purposeless personal risk.... "I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's an enlisted man's thing." God bless the rascal... In a time in our nation's history when spin and total b.s. seem to have become the accepted coin-of-the-realm, there beat hearts - the enlisted hearts we all knew and were so damn proud to be a part of - that fully understand that devotion to duty is not a part-time occupation. While we slept, we were represented by some damn fine men who fully understood their post orders and proudly went about their assigned responsibilities unseen, unrecognized and in the finest tradition of the American Enlisted Man. Folks, there's hope that the spirit that George S. Patton, Arliegh Burke and Jimmy Doolittle left us... survives. On the ABC evening news, it was reported recently that, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabel approaching Washington DC, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of  the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They refused. "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment; it is the highest  honor that can be afforded to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930. Be very, very proud of such soldiers in uniform!

FAMILY HISTORY

Natalie Myres and Scott R. Woodward observe 
a step in processing samples for DNA testing.
Church News, week ending April 24, 2004

There are just two steps to take to become a Group Administrator of a Surname Project:

1.  Find out if a Surname Project exists for your surname. Click on the link below to search our database of Surname Projects: http://www.familytreeDNA.com/surname.asp

2.  If a Surname Project hasn't been established for your surname, then use the email contact below to establish a Surname Project, or to discuss establishing a Surname Project.
bcg@familytreeDNA.com    Send your comments, suggestions, tips, questions, and tell us about your Surname Project to: editor@FamilyTreeDNA.com. We hope you enjoy this issue. Dexter

If you have fellow genealogists, friends, family members, or participants in a Surname Project who you think would enjoy receiving our monthly newsletter, Facts & Genes, send them the link below, where they can get a free subscription:  http://www.familytreeDNA.com/fgregister.asp

If you missed any of the past issues, they can be found online at http:www.FamilyTreeDNA.com.  Click on the link below for the past issues of Facts + Genes:
http://www.familytreeDNA.com/facts_genes.asp?act=past 
Any issue of the newsletter can be printed or downloaded from our site.

Family Tree DNA is providing the hosting for these web sites at no charge. Your web site will have an address which you can send to others or post on mailing lists, inviting people to visit your web site.
A web site is a very important tool to both recruit participants as well as to keep participants informed of the results of your project.  Having a web site adds credibility to your Surname Project, and should improve your recruiting results.

Even if you have a web site hosted somewhere else, you may want to consider either replacing it with a web site at Family Tree DNA, or having a second web site.  The advantage of a Family Tree DNA web site is the time savings when new results are returned from the lab.  With a Family Tree DNA web site, no action is required to add these results to your web site.  The results are automatically included.  

As a Group Administrator, you want participants for your Surname Project. On the other hand, the potential participants want to know what's in it for them.  What's in it for them are the benefits, which must be effectively communicated to the potential participants.

As a Group Administrator, you are probably quite interested in family history research, and quite enthusiastic about utilizing DNA testing for genealogy.  Most likely, the majority of potential participants may not be as interested in family history research, and may not see the benefits from participation.  A key element to recruiting participants is to identify the benefits and then communicate the benefits.

REPRINT POLICY:
We encourage the circulation of "Facts & Genes" by newsletters and lists providing that you credit the author, include our copyright information (Copyright 2004, Family Tree DNA), and cite "Facts & Genes" http://www.familytreeDNA.com/facts_genes.asp as the source.

SSDI has other limitations: It lists only deaths the SSA found out about from beneficiaries' survivors, and it excludes people with certain occupations, such as railroad workers. The good news about SSDI is you can search it for free online. And once you've found someone in the SSDI, you can request his SS-5 Social Security application form from the SSA (visit http://www.ssa.gov/foia for instructions).

You’ll find the SSDI at these Web sites:
* Genealogy.com Family Finder: http://www.genealogy.com
* FamilySearch: http://www.familysearch.org
* Family Tree Legends: http://www.familytreelegends.com
* RootsWeb: http://www.rootsweb.com

Excerpted from Finding Your Famous (& Infamous) Ancestors by Rhonda R. McClure (Betterway Books, $21.99), available online at http://familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70604.

ARCHAEOLOGY

• Cancuén, an even later classic palace dated to after A.D. 765, has yielded information about upheavals before the Maya collapse. An altar stone appears to record a treaty between warring kings in the twilight of the classic Maya.  Project head Arthur Demarest of Vanderbilt suggests that the city's ruler, Taj Chan Ahk, skillfully maneuvered for power even as the Maya headed for collapse.

MISCELLANEOUS

English "transliterations"
Sent by Carlos Villanueva latino-business@yahoogroups.com
Source: Eric Rojo

English language signs throughout the world collected by Foreign Service people.

Cocktail lounge, Norway : LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

At the Budapest Zoo : PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.

Doctors office, Rome :  SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES

Hotel, Acapulco : THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE.

Information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner, Japan : COOLES AND HEATES : IF YOU WANT CONDITION OF WARM AIR IN YOUR ROOM, PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF

Car rental brochure, Tokyo : WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN
TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOUR.

Sign in men's rest room in Japan : TO STOP LEAK TURN COCK TO THE RIGHT

In a Nairobi restaurant : CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

On the grounds of a private school : NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.

O n a highway, Canada: TAKE NOTICE : WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

On a poster at Kencom : ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP.

In a City restaurant : OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO.

On a mental institution building : MENTAL HEALTH PREVENTION CENTE.

A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer : DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS

In a maternity ward : NO CHILDREN ALLOWED

In a cemetery : PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations : GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant : OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Tokyo bar : SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.

In a Bangkok temple : IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN EVEN A FOREIGNER IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

Hotel room notice, Chiang-Mai, Thailand : PLEASE DO NOT BRING SOLICITORS INTO YOUR ROOM.

Hotel brochure, Italy : THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE.

Hotel lobby, Bucharest : THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE.

Hotel elevator, Paris : PLEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUES AT THE FRONT DESK.

Hotel, Yugoslavia : THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

Hotel, Japan : YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery : YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.

Hotel catering to skiers, Austria : NOT TO PERAMBULATE THE CORRIDORS IN THE HOURS OF REPOSE IN THE BOOTS OF ASCENSION.

Supermarket, Hong Kong : FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT SELF-SERVICE

From the "Soviet Weekly" : THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY 15,000 SOVIET REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.

In an East African newspaper : A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS.

Hotel, Vienna : IN CASE OF FIRE, DO YOUR UTMOST TO ALARM THE HOTEL PORTER.

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest : IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Hotel, Zurich : BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

An advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist : TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS.

A laundry in Rome : LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

Tourist agency, Czechoslovakia : TAKE ONE OF OUR HORSE-DRIVEN CITY TOURS. WE GUARANTEE NO MISCARRIAGES.

Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand : WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?

The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong : GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE.

In a Swiss mountain inn : SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE-CREAM.

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen : WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

On the door of a Moscow hotel room : IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST VISIT TO THE USSR, YOU ARE WELCOME TO IT.

You Live in California when...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2 The high school quarterback calls a time-out to answer his cell phone.
3. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
4. You know how to eat an artichoke.
5. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
6. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.

You Live in New York City when...
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.
3. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
4. You think Central Park is "nature".
5. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
6. You've worn out a car horn.
7. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.

You Live in Maine when...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.

You Live in the Deep South when...
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "Ya'll" is singular and "all ya'll" is plural.
3. After five years you still hear, "You ain't from 'round here, are Ya?"
4. "He needed killin' " is a valid defense.
5. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty Jean, etc.

You live in Colorado when...
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.

You live in the Midwest when...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"

You live in Florida when....
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.