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Oh, bless you Joseph, Don't let us in our eagerness overwhelm you. I did vote that we keep the group open to only those that are researching the three states, since my brick walls went up there (also one in your other group). I like that you have the stipulation that all new members be approved by you and that you ask, prior to you accepting them, that they send you a file of their current research to prove they are not just fishing. Besides your other group I have joined Jonathan's "all Mexico" group, so if I have questions about Durango or Southern Chihuahua, I can go there. He has access to every film and book, etc. in the main FHC respository, so his group can fill in some blanks for me there, I hope. I did not realize that Nueva Galicia, of which our area was only a part, was so huge an area. I am going to try and get myself a map of it, then superimpose it on a current map of Mexico. As for brick walls, your persistance has paid off. Dr. Armand Hammer (a noted millionaire who helped others) said, "When I work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, I get lucky". Ray Croc of McDonald's fame, also said "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you work, the luckier you get". I've noticed that most of my brick walls have been broken down when I get a surge of energy or insight into a lead and spend hours and hours on it. I still have a few brick walls to break down, but I count myself lucky that I have been able to develop family trees going back mostly to the 1700's but some to 1598. I am also retired and can devote as much time as I want to this hobby. As for the name "ranchos", the concept of "ranchos" has been hard for my brain to wrap around. It is well-known in Mexico or to those born there, but since my father left there in 1913 and never referred to them or spoke much of his life there, it has escaped me. I first heard of the term in the Jerezano group, which I still belong to but rarely look at since it has become more a forum for young Mexicans with their provincial rivalries between the existing "ranchos" in Jerez and focus on their dueling "bandas" whose rabid fans end up in vulgar name-calling, etc. I used to try to get them to talk about their ancestors or historical buildings, etc, but they are not in the least interested, and they are there in the middle of all that glorious history. Also, my husband's family of university-educated professionals in Mexico sneered at anything that smacked of "ranchero". When I visited them in Mexico City, I told them how disappointed I was that their homes looked just like the homes in the US. There was nothing ethnic in them, no serapes, no pottery, etc. They told me pointedly that people in their circle think such things are "ranchero" and they don?t care for them. They were very European and snobbish and agnostic even though I have traced their ancestry in Mexico back to the 1600s (they probably came with Cortez). In their homes and when we went out they preferred continental cuisine, but did take us to some restaurants that served typical Mexican food. However, the red sauce was hotter than anything I had ever had. They chided me for not eating what the babies in the high-chairs were eating (red hot enchiladas), ha., ha. My husband doesn't like any ethnic décor either. He likes the sleek super-modern, clean lines like Japanese, etc. I would love to decorate the house in the pueblo style of my mother's New Mexico ancestors, but even my mother didn't like that. She liked "shabby chic" American country style, and that is what I have ended up with since I inherited much of her things. Well, I ramble as usual. Bless you again, Joseph, for everything you have done for us. It is really more special than you know. We really appreciate it. Emilie Garcia Port Orchard, WA --- ----- Original Message -----
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