Linda,
I too have a Valencia ancestor on my mother's side. Also I too am one
of that last generation of our culture that can understand Spanish although I am
not fluent in it. I never had any children, but if I had, I guess they
would have married out of the culture as have just about all my nieces and
nephews, and so have lost their ethnicity and don't share our feelings for
things Mexican. Maybe our ancestors feel this loss and are anxious for us
to get the history down and pass it on to those we leave behind.
Emilie Garcia
Port Orchard, WA ---
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----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 09, 2005 10:58
AM
Subject: [ranchos] Unsolved mystery
Thank you Emilie for talking about this subject. I find it
heartwarming that so many group members are willing to share
their
'extra' help in finding the records for our ancestors. People
who
don't do genealogy find our passion for finding ancestors
strange.
My sister said I am a genealogy addict, I told her I was
just passionate
about finding all those who got me here in this day
and time. There
are times when I don't get much sleep because of
dreams that ultimately
open doors to more lines or names.
In doing records I find it's much
easier to find the Spanish
ancestors than the Indio or Mulato lines due to
a lack of last names
sometimes. I found that my Espanol ancestor
Guadalupe Mendez
married a Mulato woman, Francisca Valencia in 1833.
Francisca
haunted my dreams until I decided to pursue her lines. I took
her
Rolon ancestor back to about 1660 and found them in and out of
slavery. I was proud when they were free in 1680 and inslaved again
in
1715 with my "love child' direct ancestor, Georje Rolon, born to
another
female slave Gertrudis Antonia Alcaras. George married a
Mestisa in 1738
so their children became free, I cried again. After
doing all I could with
this line the door for my Gutierrez ancestors
opened and I was taken from
Jalisco to Michoacan where I found
hundreds of records taking that line
back to about 1690.. I will
never take those dreams lightly again..
If the ancestors want to
help me rediscover our families heritage I will
always be open to
their help. Doing genealogy is not just collecting
names and dates,
the history and stories that emerge from the records
gives our
ancestors a reality that makes me feel great joy and pain as
their
stories unfold.
Im my case I am the last generation that
understands or speaks any
Spanish at all and that is truly limited.
I feel with my genealogy
work my decendants have a chance 100 years from
now to understand
the blood that flows through their veins. I do
believe I was chosen
to bring my families lines to light again, just as
many of you have
been for your lines.
Linda in
Everett
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