Name:    Juan Mata Romero
 Death Event Date:    27 Dec 1943
Event Place:   Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Citing this Record:
"New Mexico Deaths, 1889-1945," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLB3-NR6 : 12 December 2014), Pablo Eugenio Romero in entry for Juan M. Romero, 27 Dec 1943; citing Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico, reference 5293, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Santa Fe; FHL microfilm 1,913,318.

                    Juan Mata Romero b. 1855 son of Pablo Eufemio Romero
                            m. 9 Jan 1880 Maria Antonia Rivera b. 3 June 1862

Juan Mata and Maria Antonia may have been married in Holy Cross Catholic Church, Santa Cruz de La Canada, Santa Fe but lived at San Ildefonso,

1. Jose Manuel m.  christened 02 Apr  1882
2. Maria Eugenia f. christened 04 Dec  1883
3. Maria Paula f.  christened  07 Apr 1887
4. Juan Ramon m. christened 14 Jul  1889  (my  Grandfather)
5. Norberto m.  christened  29 Mar  1891
I have not found death records for either Juan or Maria  as of  a 1930 Census record showing them living in Santa Fe, NM.  By 1942 Maria was no longer living by stories told to me by my mother. I was born in the house of my Great Grandfather Juan Mata Romero at 701 Dunlap St., Santa Fe in  7 Dec  1942 .

Decendents of Bartolome Romero (1528-1631) down to Jose Manuel Ricardo (Marquez) Romero (1772 - 1847) Son of Gertrudis Romero are clearly documented even though the father of Jose Manuel is unknown. Jose Manuel is documented as useing his Mother Gertrudis surname (Romero) and his close association with his Grandfather Jose Romero.

Historicaly the early Romero's in New Mexico were involved in military activities as well as regional politics. The later Romero's who I will post next were more actively involved in farming but may have been on occasion active in military and political life.

I will start this next phase of decendancy with my two time Greatgrandfather:

Pablo Eufemio Romero, Grandson of Manuel Jose.

Pablo Eufemio ROMERO

BAPTISM: 22 MAR 1829 3 days old Pojoaque

Paternal Grandparents: Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdes

Maternal Grandparents: Miguel Ortiz and Juana Sandoval

Father: Jose Rafael ROMERO

Mother: Maria Estefana ORTIZ

Family 1 : Maria Juliana VALDEZ

* MARRIAGE: 6 NOV 1846, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico [145981]

1. Jose de Gracia ROMERO

2. Jose Andres ROMERO

3. Jose Miguel Cleofas ROMERO

4. Florencio ROMERO

5. Josefa ROMERO

6.? ( Juan de Mata Romero ) married (Maria Antonia Ribera)

Origins Fray Chavez

Deligencias P. 1596 1825

Jose Rafael ROMERO

              BIRTH: ABT 1803, Cuyamungue, New Mexico

                                 Father: Jose Manuel ROMERO

                   Mother: Maria Paula VALDEZ

        Family 1 : Maria Estefana ORTIZ

        MARRIAGE: 16 AUG 1825

1. +Pablo Eufemio ROMERO

2. +Maria Rosa del Refugio ROMERO

3. Crisanto ROMERO

4. +Maria Juana Andrea ROMERO

5. Cresario ROMERO

6. Paula ROMERO

7. +Maria Encarnacion ROMERO

8. +Maria Candida ROMERO 

Manuel Ricardo Romero (?Marquez)  born about 1772 in New Mexico and died before  1847,  son of Juana Gertrudis Romero /
  father unknown.
.  He married Maria Paula Valdez May 02, 1792 in San Ildefonso, New Mexico, daughter of Juan Valdez and Maria Lucero.  She was born in San Ildefonso, New Mexico, and died before 1847 in New Mexico.

The following paper by Patricia Sanchez Rau best addresses the ambiguous status of Manuel Ricardo's unknown father.

Manuel Romero and Manuel Marques

Are they the same person?

By Patricia Sanchez Rau

Several years ago when I began my genealogy research, I concentrated my search in the Santa Cruz area where it appeared that the majority of my ancestors were from. My mother had quite a bit of information on the Ortiz family and had always told us that her four grandmothers had been related through the Ortiz side.

As you know, genealogy research has a backward progression; so I started going through Volume 3 of the Santa Cruz baptisms. I was very naive and after finding the first few entries I actually assumed it was going to be a very easy task. As the research progressed I encountered a very curious problem with the parents of Maria Alvina Romero and her brother Jose Rafael Romero, two of my direct ancestors who had married into the Ortiz family. Their parents Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdez had 10 known children.

1. Juana Maria Romero born May 22,1795 in Nambe, NM
2. Maria de la Encarnación born March 27, 1799 in Pojoaque, NM
3. Maria Albina Romero born about 1801
4. Jose Rafael Romero born about 1796
5. Maria Guadalupe Romero born 1816 Pojoaque, NM
6. Maria Ygnacia Romero born about 1815
7. Jose Maria Romero born Nov. 1808, Pojoaque, NM
8. Jesus Maria born April 24, 1806, Pojoaque, NM
9. Maria Venancia born Jan 20, 1804, Pojoaque, NM
10. Maria Basilia born April 14,1816, Pojoaque, NM

Going through the index of Santa Cruz Baptisms Volume 3, I listed all the page numbers where the name of Maria Paula Valdez appeared and was reviewing each page. On one entry it indicated the grandparents for one of the grandchildren as Maria Paula Valdez and Manuel Marques (instead of Manuel Romero). I just assumed that Manuel Romero had died and she had gotten married again and indicated that fact on my family group sheet. Then I found another entry at a later date with the grandparents listed as Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdez. Now I started thinking that there were two individual families instead of one. In order to separate them, I knew I would have to list each known child of Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdez and proceed from there.

By this time, I had found the Hispanic Genealogy Research Center and the Great New Mexico database. I wrote down the information on the Romero and Ortiz children including their spouses then began to recheck the information with the Santa Cruz baptisms so I could determine where the discrepancies occurred and separate the Manuel Marques Family from the Manuel Romero family. Instead of locating two distinct families, there were no entries for Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez as a separate family however, there was seven entries where the known children of Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdez were either listed as having Marques as a last name or listing grandparents as Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez. Listed below are the children and grandchildren of Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdez – where the discrepancies occur; I have listed the entire birth record and translation.

A. Jose Rafael Romero married Maria Estefana Ortiz daughter of Jose Miguel Cayetano Ortiz & Juana Sandoval on December 16, 1825 in Nambe, NM.

1. Pablo Eufemio Romero bapt. 3-22-1829, Pojoaque
2. Maria Rosa del Refugio Romero bapt. 8-1-1831, Pojoaque
3. Crisanto Romero
4. Maria Juana Andrea Romero bap.2-9-1834, San Ildefonso (listed on Pojoaque film 16870)
5. Paula Romero
6. Maria Encarnación Romero

B. Maria Alvina Romero married Jose Miguel Cayetano Ortiz (she was his second wife). They were married April 30, 1826. His first wife was Juana Sandoval. Miguel was the son of Gaspar Ortiz and Maria Francisca Martin. Maria Alvina Romero and Miguel Cayetano Ortiz have the following children:

1. Maria De La Paz Ortiz
2. Antonio Toribio Ortiz - 12-8-1828
3. Juana Maria Ortiz - 8-16-1829
4. Maria Antonia Ortiz - June12, 1831
5. Jose Ramon Placido Ortiz June 22,1832
6. Maria Eulogia Ortiz - March14, 1834
7. Maria Florentina Ortiz – 10-9-1835 – Her birth record was located in San Yldefonso even though she was born in Pojoaque. Her birth record lists parents as Miguel Ortiz and Albina Marques and grandparents: Paternal – Gaspar Ortiz and Francisca Martin; Maternal – Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Baldes. Godparents Jose Alexandro Gonzales and Maria Luisa Belarde
8. Maria Yldefonsa Ortiz - 2-2-1837
9. Jose Gabriel Ortiz – baptized at Santa Cruz on March 18, 1839 age 3 days – Vecinos from Pojoaque – to Miguel Ortiz and Albina Marques. Paternal Grandparents – Gaspar Ortiz and Francisca Martin(es) Maternal Grandparents – Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez. Godparents Manuel Rivera and Peregrina Pacheco of Santa Fe.
10. Maria de San Felipe Fernando Ortiz baptized 5-30-1841 at Santa Cruz child of Miguel Ortiz and Maria Marques. Grandparents: Paternal – Gaspar Ortiz and Maria Francisca Martin(es); Maternal: Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez. Godfather Mauricio Areva of Pojoaque.
11. Maria Ruperta Ortiz - 3-29-1843

C. Maria Guadalupe Romero married Jose Miguel Ortiz – son of Jose Miguel Cayetano Ortiz and Juana Sandoval. Maria Guadalupe Romero and Jose Manuel Ortiz have the following known children:

1. Maria Ramona Benigna Ortiz baptized Feb. 16, 1845
2. Jose Bitor Ortiz b. 10-18-1850 Santa Cruz – Grandparents named.
3. Jose Manuel Ortiz bt. 11-11-1846 baptized in San Yldefonso age 4 days Grandparents listed in this record.
4. Jose Sebero Ortiz – bt. 11-11-1846 age 4 days Santa Cruz –grandparents named in this record. Godfather – Miguel Quintana of Pojoaque
5. Maria Ramona Vitoria Ortiz bt. 12-22-1839
6. Maria Rufina Ortiz – bt. 6-4-1841 age 3 days daughter of Jose Manuel Ortiz and Maria Guadalupe Romero – record has the grandparents reversed – shows paternal as Manuel Marques (sic) and Pabla Valdez; maternal – Miguel Ortiz and Juana Sandoval.
7. Jose Julian Ortiz bt. Jan. 9, 1843 age 2 days son of Jose Manuel Ortiz and Maria Guadalupe Romero; grandparents listed – paternal Ga(illegible) Ortiz and Maria Paula Valdez – Maternal - Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez. Godparents Juan Jose
   
   
    
   1. Ortiz and Maria Altagracia Romero of Pojoaque. I believe the paternal grandparents portion of the record is incorrect
   
   
   D. Maria Ygnacia Romero married Pedro Ortiz – son of Jose Miguel Cayetano Ortiz and Juana Sandoval. No children are found for this couple in the Santa Cruz, Pojoaque, Nambe or San Ildefonso baptisms.
   
   
   E. Maria Gracia Romero married Juan Jose Ortiz – son of Gaspar Ortiz and Francisca Martin. Juan Jose is the brother of Jose Miguel Cayetano Ortiz. Maria Guadalupe Romero and Jose Manuel Ortiz have the following known children:
   
   
8. Maria Rufina Ortiz – bt. 6-4-1841 age 3 days daughter of Jose Manuel Ortiz and Maria Guadalupe Romero – record has the grandparents reversed – shows paternal as Manuel Marques (sic) and Pabla Valdez; maternal – Miguel Ortiz and Juana Sandoval.
9. Jose Julian Ortiz bt. Jan. 9, 1843 age 2 days son of Jose Manuel Ortiz and Maria Guadalupe Romero; grandparents listed – paternal Ga(illegible) Ortiz and Maria Paula Valdez – Maternal - Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez. Godparents Juan Jose Ortiz and Maria Altagracia Romero of Pojoaque. I believe the paternal grandmother listed on this record is incorrect.
10. Maria Ramona Benigna Ortiz –bt. 2-16-1845
11. Jose Manuel Ortiz bt. 11-11-1846 baptized in San Yldefonso age 4 days Grandparents listed in this record.
12. Jose Sebero Ortiz – bt. 11-11-1846 age 4 days Santa Cruz –grandparents named in this record. Godfather – Miguel Quintana of Pojoaque
13. Maria Ramona Vitoria Ortiz bt. 12-22-1839
14. Jose Bitor Ortiz b. 10-18-1850 Santa Cruz – Grandparents named.

F. Jose Maria Romero married Maria Estefana Gallegos daughter of Juan Gallegos and Ana Maria Salas. They are parents of the following children:

1. Juan Relles Romero
2. Juana Francisca Romero bt. 2-2-1840
3. Jose Demetro de Jesus Romero bt. 12-25-1844
4. Maria Desideria Benigna Romero bt. 2-13-1849 – Santa Cruz
5. Jose Andres Marques bt. 2-7-1847 in San Yldefonso age 3 days son of Jose Maria Marques and Maria Estefana Gallegos – paternal grandparents – Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez; maternal grandparents – Juan Gallegos and Maria Sandoval. Godparents – Francisco Garcia and Maria Rosa Marquez. I believe this record actually for Jose Maria Romero and Maria Estefana Gallegos.

A seed of doubt entered my mind. Especially after finding entries for Maria Alvina Romero where she is listed under two names Marques & Romero. I started wondering if Manuel Marques and Manuel Romero were one and the same person. The problem with an idea such as this; is that I couldn’t let it go. I kept looking for clues to see if I could find something to indicate that the two Manuels were one and the same person.

There was one book written about “The Ortiz Family” by Virginia Olmstead that I had heard of so I started asking everyone I knew where I could find a copy. Finally after many inquiries, I was able to purchase a copy of the book. On page 53 Ms. Olmstead lists a son of Miguel Ortiz and Juana Sandoval named Manuel who indicated during a land transaction that his father-in-law Manuel Romero was also known as Manuel Marques. Ms. Olmstead indicated that Juan Manuel’s wife was not named; but I felt that on the strength of that entry I should go back and research the family once more.

I concentrated my search in Nambe and Pojoaque, as that was where some of the Romero children had been born. This time, I searched for any Marques entry. I have been able to locate birth records for Jose Rafael, Maria Alvina, Maria de Altagracia and Maria Venancia, four known children of Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdes. The entries I located however, are for children of Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdes. The birth years for these Marques children coincide with ages known for Jose Rafael and Maria Alvina.

Record # On July 6, 1796, I baptized and put sacred oils onto Jose Rafael legitimate son of Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Valdez, landowners from this jurisdiction. Godfather was Jose Francisco Trujillo.

Record #2 In this parish of Our Lady of Pojoaque on March 6, 1807 I baptized solemnly a child named Maria Alvina legitimate daughter of Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Baldez. Godparents Mariano Trujillo and Andrea Lucero who accepted this obligation of spiritual parenting (unsure of rest of translation.

Record #3 – On June 13, 1811 I baptized a child, three days old that I named Maria de Altagracia Romero legitimate daughter of Manuel Marques and Maria Paula Baldez. Padrinos - Juan de Jesus Baldez and Maria Barbara Armijo.

Record #4 On Jan 28, 1804, I baptized solemnly and placed sacred oil and chrism on Maria Venancia, three day old legitimate daughter of Manuel Romero & Maria Paula Baldes, landowners from this parish. Godparents Rafael Martin and Maria Sisneros, landowners from Chama.

The other part that I noted that both in the HGRC database and all other sources is that no personal information was listed about Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdes. On one of the baptismal records of the Romero children it listed Manuel Romero as “Jose Manuel” Romero. I have searched all the communities for any information on a Jose Manuel Romero and to date have found no information.

In researching another branch of my family I ordered the book “The Descendents of Lucero de Godoy” by Margaret Buxton. The family I was researching was Marcos Lucero de Godoy and his wife Maria Antonia Gomez del Castillo. This family had a daughter named Maria Andrea Lucero married to a Juan Domingo Valdes. On pages 89 and 172 Margaret Buxton indicates that Juan Domingo Valdes and Maria Andrea Lucero had a daughter named Maria Paula Valdes married to a Manuel Ricardo Romero. Was this a coincidence? Marriage information listed indicated a marriage in 1792 in San Ildefonso.

Before going any further I checked the godparents listed on all the Romero children looking for clues that might establish any other family members for Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdes. On Maria Alvina’s birth record, the padrinos were Andrea Lucero and her second husband Mariano Trujillo. On the birth record of Maria de Altagracia, the padrinos were Juan de Jesus Baldes and Maria Barbara Armijo. This Juan de Jesus was a known son of Juan Domingo Valdes and Andrea Lucero as indicated on page 137 in the book “The Spanish Re-colonization of New Mexico” by Jose Esquibel and John Colligan. Generally, the tradition is that the grandparents would baptize one child and then some of the brothers and/or sisters might be padrinos for another child.

In checking San Ildefonso’s marriage records I have located the marriage record of a Maria Paula Baldes daughter of Juan Domingo Baldes and Maria Andrea Lucero and Manuel Ricardo de Jesus Romero son of father unknown and mother Juana Getrudes Romero on May 2, 1792.

The fact that there is no father listed for Manuel Ricardo de Jesus Romero might explain the usage of both the Marques and the Romero last name.

Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdez baptize their first known child in May 1795, which would indicate that they had to have gotten married at least in 1793 or 1794. Unfortunately the early films of San Ildefonso are practically illegible has probably prevented me from finding any other children this couple might have had.

I am not yet convinced that the marriage record listed above is indeed the same Manuel Romero and Maria Paula Valdez. There are quite a few indications that it might be the same people especially with the custom of having close family members baptize your children, then it is very likely that Maria Paula Valdez is the daughter of Juan Domingo Valdez and Maria Andrea Lucero.
if in at least one of the baptismal records of the children, Manuel would have been listed as Manuel Ricardo Romero. I leave this question open to some other researcher in the hopes that some other document will be forthcoming to finally resolve this question.

CONCLUSION: After researching this family for the past year I believe that Manuel Marques and Manuel Romero are one and the same person. There are too many instances when the interchanging of the names occurs to the same family members. The fact that I have located birth records for four of the known children of Manuel Romero being baptized using the Marques last name is an indicator that the names were used interchangeably.

Though our ancestors left us a multitude of records to help in our genealogy searches – there are still a great many dead ends and a lot of questions for researchers.

Juana Gertrudis Romero

daughter of Jose Romero and Nicolasa Trujillo

Juana,s husband remains unknown to date.

Juana Romero was born about (1741- )

Little is known about Juana Gertrudis. She was often included in church records as a Grandmother, Godmother or a witness to a baptism or a marriage in the Nambe, Santa Cruz de la Canada and San Ildefonso area of New Mexico. The reason for this is that her Son, Jose Manuel Ricardo (Marquez) Romero who achieved some stature as a soldier and as the Grandson of Jose Romero not to mention the fact that he was the parent to many children as was his Grandfather Jose.

JOSE ROMERO son of Domingo Romero Pedraza

Jose Romero Birth 1713 in New Mexico, United States
          Death 1784 in Pojoaque,
                son of Domingo Romero de Pedraza (1685-1720) and  Maria de Las Nieves Montes Vigil (1688-1750)

Jose married NicolasaTrujillo (1721-1800) in 1739

Children of Jose and Nicolasa:

    Juana Gertrudis (1741-)
    Maria Dorotea Teresa (1742-)
    Juan Bautista (1744-1780)
    Ynes (1745-)
    Gregoria (1750-)
    Alejandro Antonio (1751-1781)
    Maria Josefa (1753-)
    Jose Mateo (1754-1878)
    Mateo Cornelio (1755-1790)
    Maria Rosalia (1757-1780)
    Bartolome (1759-)
    Vicente Ferrer (1759-1814)
    Vicente Mauricio (1761-1829)
    Mathias (1763-1809)
    Pedro Antonio (1778-)

Domingo Romero de Pedraza son of Francisco Romero de Pedraza

Domingo Romero de Pedraza son of  Francisco Romero de Pedraza and Francisca Ramirez Salazar, was born in New Mexico and died in August 1720 at the Villasur Expedition, Nebraska.

Noted events in his life were:

Tool Distribution: 1704, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Military Campaign: August 1720, Villasur Expedition, New Mexico

Domingo married Maria Nieves Montes Vigil

Children from this marriage were:

                           i. Jose Romero

                          ii. Juana Teresa Romero was born about 1715 in New Mexico

Maria next married Jose Tenorio de Alba Y Corona, son of
Nicolas Tenorio de Alba and Maria de Rada on February 9, 1722 in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Link to the: Segesser Hide Paintings 

Wikipedia Link to: The Villasur Expedition of 1720

The Villasur expedition of 1720 was a Spanish military expedition intended to check the growing French presence on the Great Plains of central North America. Led by Lieutenant-General Pedro de Villasur, the expedition was overwhelmed in an attack by far more numerous Pawnee and Otoe.

Francisco Romero de Pedraza, born circa 1633-1635 in Santa Fe.

The second son of Matias Romero and dona Isabel de Pedraza was Francisco Romero de Pedraza, born circa 1633-1635 in Santa Fe.

My 3^rd Generation information is from the article

The Romero Family of Seventeen Century New Mexico Part 2

 by Jose Antonio Esquibel

The article in it’s entirety is in:

Herencia

The Quarterly Journal of the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico

Volume 11 Issue 3 July 2003

In October 1660 his brother-in-law, Captain Juan Lucero de Godoy was planning to travel out of New Mexico and named Francisco in his place to serve as regidor (town councilman) of Santa Fe and as escudero of his encomiendas. Francisco formally accepted the appointment as escudero on October 21, 1660, in Santa Fe. At about age twenty- five or twenty-six, these appointments gave Francisco Romero de Pedraza the early experience of serving on the Santa Fe cabildo and committed him to providing the military service required of encomenderos in the absence of Lucero de Godoy for which Francisco would receive a share in the encomienda tributary. Francisco was apparently effective in demonstrating his leadership abilities and was appointed teniente alcalde of Santo Domingo, a post which he held in 1664.

Francisco Romero de Pedraza was referred to as "an Uncle of Lucia Gomez Robledo, daughter of Andres Gomez Robledo. Actually, Andres G6mez Robledo was Francisco's first cousin. This is an example of the Spanish custom of referring to the children of one's first cousin as niece or nephew. Francisco Romero de Pedraza sought and obtained the hand of Francisca Ramirez de Salazar in marriage. Her parents are still not known from surviving historical and genealogical records. The next accounts of Francisco Romero de Pedraza and his family begin Pueblo Indian uprising of August 1680, at which time he, his pregnant wife, and four children escaped and settled at El Paso del Norte. Prior to the uprising, this family resided in the Rio Abajo region from where they fled south to EI Paso del Norte with other families under the leadership of Captain Alonso Garcia.

             On August 14, 1680, four days following the attack of Pueblo Indians, the survivors of the Spanish settlements of the Rio Abajo region were camped at Isleta Pueblo where a general account of the recent traumatic events were recorded. The group then proceeded southward to the Pueblo of Socorro where they found the Pueblo Indians to be peaceful and apparently not privy to plans to attack the Spanish citizens as organized by the northern Pueblo people. Under the guidance of Captain Alonso Garcia, the various military leaders gave their opinion on the course of action to follow. Unsure of the fate of the citizens of the northern Spanish settlements, and being fearful of further attacks, the council of military leaders, including Francisco Romero
de Pedraza, agreed unanimously to seek a place of safety by traveling further south in retreat.
              On September 15, 1680, Francisco Romero de Pedraza was referred to as holding the military rank of captain when he presented himself in a weakened physical state for a muster roll of soldiers, declaring he was ill with chills and a fever, but resolved to perform his duties "in the royal service of both Majesties."

He gave his age as forty-seven (b.ca. 1633) and declared he possessed neither horse nor saddle, and his only weapons were his own sword, dagger, carbine
and a leather jacket. He signed the record, indicating he was a literate person. Nine days later on September 24th, he was identified as a settler and soldier receiving a salary in goods equivalent to two hundred and fifty pesos, and was also given a ploughshare, an axe, and four iron hoes, as was provided to all the settlers. In this account, his age was given as forty seven (b.ca, 1634) and a brief physical description of Romero de Pedraza recorded described him as being "slender, with a turned-up nose, a little deaf.

On September 29, 1680, Alferez Francisco Romero de Pedraza with his wife, four children and three servants, were accounted for in a muster roll of surviving families. All he was able to claim as a soldier was a broken harquebus, a sword and a jacket, most likely the same leather jacket he claimed fourteen days earlier." To date, the names of his four children mentioned in this record have yet to be clearly identified. One of these children could very well have been Baltasar Romero de Salazar, born circa 1672-1674, Santa Fe.

In October 1680, Francisca Ramirez de Salasar gave birth to Graciana Romero, who was baptized at Guadalupe del Paso on October 22, 1680, with Francisco Xavier as her padrino. Francisco Xavier, an encomendero of New Mexico, was a native of Sevilla, born circa 1630, who had come to New Mexico in 1658. Xavier married Graciana Griego, for whom Graciana Romero was apparently named. The family of Francisco Romero de Pedraza and Francisca Ramirez de Salazar continued to grow. Their next child born in the EI Paso area was Domingo Romero de Pedraza (b.ca. 1686 - d. 1720).

The New Mexico colony struggled to subsist in the El Paso del Rio del Norte region. Early attempts to regain New Mexico failed and New Mexican families resolved themselves to remain in the EI Paso del Norte area where they established several small communities along the Rio Grande. Some families chose to leave and settle in areas further south. Francisco Romero de Pedraza and his family remained and endured the challenges and difficulties. Francisco also continued the family tradition of serving on the Santa Fe cabildo (town council). In October 1684 he held the post of notary of the cabildo at Guadalupe del Paso del Norte and he was still serving on the cabi/do in the 1690s, being alcalde of Santa Fe in 1694. The other member of the Romero family serving on the cabildo during this period was regidor Jose Telles Jiron, Francisco's brother-in-law. Also well-represented on the cabildo was another prominent encomendero family, the Anaya Almazan.

 With the arrival in 1691 of don Diego de Vargas as governor of New Mexico, a renewed hope for returning to Santa Fe was rekindled when in 1692 Vargas secured a diplomatic agreement with the Pueblo Indians, whose leaders accepted terms of peace. When Vargas ordered an accounting in late December 1692 of the New Mexico families willing to return to the north members of the Romero clan were among six of the first ten family households numerated, including Captain Francisco Romero de Pedraza, his wife dona Francisca Ramirez de Salazar and their two children, Graciana, whose age was given as twelve, and Domingo, whose age was given as 6 (b.ca, 1686). Also in this household was a thirteen year old girl named Maria, regarded as a dependent, and a servant, Juan, with his wife and two children.

Vargas recognized the need for additional families in order to assure retaining New Mexico as a kingdom of Spanish crown. Initially, Vargas sought to bring back the previous residents of New Mexico that resettled in the realms of Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Galicia. The conditions at EI Paso del Norte were consider so deplorable that even the consequences of disobeying a royal directive did not budge the former families of New Mexico from the safety and comfort they found further south. These families had no interested in returning to New Mexico. The only recourse Vargas could follow was to recruit non-native New Mexicans willing to be settlers. Vargas managed to entice some people from the towns of Zacatecas, Sombrerete, Fresnillo, and Durango with the prospects of receiving the privileges of pobladores, frontier settlers. To this end he recruited a small band of fifty volunteer settlers consisting of a combination of families and young single men and women. This group traveled with Vargas to EI Paso del Norte, arriving in mid-September 1693 and continued on to the abandoned Pueblo of Socorro because Vargas did not want this group mixing with the New Mexican families, whom
were regarded as being of a better social class. Among these settlers was a man named Francisco Xavier Romero, a native of the barrio de Nuestro Senora del Carmen in Mexico City, who married Maria de la Cruz, a native of New Mexico, on November 1, 1693, "en el Paraje de Socorro. They were the progenitors of their own distinct Romero family that lived in the area of Santa Cruz de la Canada.

At EI Paso del Norte, Vargas organized the New Mexican families willing to go to Santa Fe for the long expedition northward. The group left El Paso on October 4, 1693, and proceeded slowing on the old camino real, which was rutted by the run off of rain from lack of use over the course of thirteen years. The journey to Santa Fe was challenging, particularly due to the extreme cold and several snow storms. The combined group of New Mexican families and the recently recruited settlers consisted of approximately seventy families with about eight hundred people.
They arrived at Santa Fe in mid-December 1693, including Francisco Romero de Pedraza and his family.          .

The Tewa and Tano Indians occupying Santa Fe refused to surrender the town, representing a reversal in attitude from the previous year's agreement of peace that Vargas achieved. With his soldiers and the families camped outside the walled villa, Vargas attempted diplomacy. His efforts were futile. Concerned that the severe weather and diminishing supplies threatened to cause the death of more citizens the members of the Santa Fe cabildo called an open town council meeting on December 17, 1693, to ask for the opinion and the vote of citizens about the recourse to take. Captain Francisco Romero de Pedraza came forward to state his opinion:

 ... having heard the proceedings of the very illustrious cabildo, stated that it is his opinion ~ that the very illustrious cabildo, justicia, and regimiento should immediately be given possession of the casa reales where the apostate Indians have built their fortress and pueblo. Since they are natives of Galisteo, the lord governor should require them to leave, with the means most appropriate to the royal services, and if they do not agree, make them do so by force of arms. This is his opinion, and he signed it.

By December 24th as many as twenty-children died from illness and the "harshness of the weather." The stalemate in diplomacy came to an end when Vargas and his soldiers stormed the fortified villa on December 29th and regained the town through battle. The name of Francisco Romero de Pedraza does not appear in the signed documents of the Santa Fe cabildo in December 1693, but he did sign his name as a cabildo member in a document of January 1694. Romero de Pedraza and his family remained as residents of Santa Fe and were accounted for as leading citizens in May 1697, being recorded as the third household in the distribution list of livestock and other supplies. By this time, Francisco and his wife had another son named Antonio, who appears to have been born between January 1693 and May 1697. Francisco Romero de Pedraza held the post of alguacil mayor (chief constable) in 1702 and served as a member of the Santa Fe cabildo in 1701 and 1703.

Matias Romero (1597-1646)

The son of Bartolome Romero, Matias Romero (1597-1646) married  with Dona Isabel de Pedraza.

The following information on my next generation of Romero's is information from a article written by  José Antonio Esquibel, which was published in  “Herencia” The Quarterly Journal of the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico Vol 11 Issue 3 July 2003,  he states that Inquisition documents are the main source of recorded family memory for documenting the genealogy of 17th century New Mexico families.

Although Matias Romero came under scrutiny by the Inquisition for trading Indians, it appears that none of his immediate descendents came under any charges. These descendents enter the records as witnesses in Inquisition cases concerning their relatives, neighbors, and the governors. It is hoped that this study not only contributes to an understanding of the genealogy and history of the Romero family but also to an understanding of the family identity, family preservation, and the transmission of values in 17th century New Mexico.

Today the records of the Inquisition are the most valuable documents relating the 17th century New Mexico family memory and history. Fray Angelico Chavez read through numerous volumes of Photostat copies of Inquisition records to compile the first genealogical account of the Romero family of 17th century New Mexico which has since provided the pivotal juncture for additional research. In the past decade research in Spain turned up church records related to the family of Bartolome Romero the progenitor of the Romero family in New Mexico.

Matias Romero and dona Isabel de Pedraza were the progenitors of as many as forty- eight descendents born before the end of the 17th century. The Pueblo Indian uprising of August 1680 claimed the lives of 8 to10 members of this branch of the Romero family. From this current study are that the greater majority of individuals with the surname of Romero returning to New Mexico in December 1693 were grandchildren of Matias Romero and Dona Isabel de Pedraza. In contrast there is no documentation to confirm that any descendents of the brothers of Matias Romero -- Bartolomeo Romero and Agustín Romero -- returned to New Mexico in 1693 or soon after. The names of 12 grandchildren of Matias Romero are still unknown. Indications as such, it is very probable that several of the Romero individuals accounted for in the records of late 17th century New Mexico were descendents of Matias Romero and Dona Isabel de Pedraza. The exceptions are the few Romero people returning to New Mexico who were members of the family of Alonzo Romero a mestizo who lived and worked in the household family of Felipe Romero son of (Matias Romero).

 The genealogical information provided by Diego Perez Romero during his Inquisition trial in 1663 is most valuable for confirming the children of Matias Romero and Dona Isabel de Pedraza whose offspring at times used the extended surname of Romero de Pedraza. Initially fray Angelico Chavez logically associated Bartolome Romero de Pedraza and Francisco Romero de Pedraza as children of Matias and dona Isabel, and eventually was able to provide confirmation through verifiable documentation from pre-nuptial-investigation records.

In March 1631 fray Esteban de Perea, Comisario del Santo Oficio de la Inquisition, sought testimony from Matias Romero in a case against his brother in law, Gaspar Perez, but Romero only stated he knew nothing about the matter in question. He gave his age as 27 indicating he was born circa 1604, and declared he was a vecino of Santa Fe. It is apparent he was literate since he was able to sign his name. By 1631 Romero already held prominent military and social positions, serving as aguacil mayor (chief constable or High Sheriff) of Santa Fe and alfarez real (royal standard bearer).

Matias Romero also served as a rigidor (town Councilman) and alcalde ordinario of the Villa de Santa Fe before his death in 1646. Romero and his wife dona Isabel de Pedraza were the parents of four sons and two daughters, as identified by Diego Perez Romero in his statement about his family background in 1663. Perez Romero named his cousins in the following order; Pedro Romero, Francisco Romero, Bartolome Romero, Felipe Romero, Louisa Romero and Catalina Lopez Robledo aka Romero. The eldest of these children appears to have been Pedro Romero who was married with Petronila de Vera, a daughter of Diego de Vera and Maria de Abendano who also went by the name Petronila de Salas. There is still no additional historical information concerning Pedro Romero. He was apparently deceased by August 1680 when Petronila de Salas and her children were killed at Pojoaque by Pueblo Indians. It was estimated that eight to ten children of this family, including grown sons and daughters, were the victims of the assault.

MY ROMERO FAMILY LINE

Bartolome Romero (1528-1631)
Bartolome Romero
Son of Bartolome

Birth  04-06-1563 

Almaguer, Spain 

Death  1632 New Mexico

  Matias (1597-1698)
Son  of Bartolome

Francisco Romero de Pedraza (1635 - )

Son of Matias

Domingo Romero de Pedraza (1685 - 1720)

Son of Francisco

Jose Romero (1713 - 1784)

Son of Domingo

Juana Gertrudis Romero (1741-   )

Daughter of Jose Romero 

Jose Manuel Ricardo (Marquez) Romero (1772 - 1847)

Son of Gertrudis Romero

Jose Rafael Romero (1796 - 1861)

Son of Jose Manuel Ricardo (Marquez)

Pablo Eufemio (Eugenio) Romero (1829 - )

Son of Jose Rafael

Juan de Mata Romero (1854 - )

Son of Pablo Eufemio (Eugenio)

Juan Ramon Romero (1889 - 1962)

Son of Juan de Mata

Juan Jose Romero (1916 - 1986)

Son of Juan Ramon

Victor Eduardo Romero (1942-) aka- Eddie V.

My 1st generation ancestor to New Mexico, Bartolome Romero was a member of the Don Juan de Onate Expedition. My search for my ancestors started with information from my birth certificate and working back in time but I am now going to relate it from the past to the present.

The initial trek into New Mexico was led by Don Juan de Onate and the following is an excerpt from the full account that can be seen at this site. Onate Expedition

"...The governor, Don Juan de Onate, passed in review in full armor.That is to say, he had helmet, beaver, coat of mail, sword and harquebus; his horse was armed in buckskin, bullhide or calfskin. He appeared before Francisco de Esquivel, commissary, and reviewed and inspected the following soldiers and settlers to New Mexico, February 1597, January 1598 and reinforcements August 1600...."

In advance of the main party, Onate sent out a scouting party in search of provisions and supplies led by Captain Pablo de Aquilar. Details of this event are presented in a web site article at NMSU, "Cuartocentennial of the Colonization of New Mexico". To read the full accounting go to this site: The Aquilar Expedition

The List of Men who were part of the Onate Expedition, which included my 1st generation ancestor to New Mexico, Bartolome Romero, can be seen at this link: The Genealogy of Mexico, click and scroll down.

Bartolome Romero, native of the town of Corral de Almaquer in Castile, Spain, of good stature, swarthy, black beard, 35 years of age, Son of Bartolome Romero, with complete armor for himself and horse. Bartolome shows up in Onate annals initially with the title of, ALFEREZ but was quickly promoted to CAPTAIN after thier arrival in New Mexico.

Bartolome married Lucia Lopez Robledo, daughter of Pedro Robledo and Catalina Lopez, about 1596. (Lucia Lopes Robledo was born about 1573 in Espana, Iberia and died about 1625.) His children were Bartolome, Matias who married Isabel de Pedraza (my 12th generation Grandparents), Augustin, Ana, and Maria.

This post has come from my collection of extensive research to document my Romero Family line. Most comes from the hard work of many respected published Genealogist-Historians who have been so kind with assistance and sharing of their efforts.

Origin of the surname ROMERO

ROMERO

Definition: A pilgrim, one who visits a shrine. This nickname was originally applied to travelers from the western (Roman) empire who had to pass through the eastern (Byzantine) empire on their way to the holy land. According to the Instituto Genealógico e Histórico Latino-Americano, the Romero surname originated principally in the Spanish areas of Galicia, Aragón, Valencia, Catalonia, Andalusia and Castile. Romarin is a French version of this surname, while Romer is the German variation.

My DNA Test Results

Y-DNA Results

R1b1a2a1a1b4 (L21+ celtic origins)

mtDNA Results

Haplogroup - A

HVR1 differences from CRS

16111T 16223T 16290T 16319A 16335G

MY Maternal Grandparents

My Mothers Grandfather Seberiano Santana

( 1853 - 1931 )

My Mothers Father Francisco Santana

(1880 - 1924 )

I have recently made a connection through Ancestry.com that has allowed me to share photos of Maternal Grandparents I have never seen. This has also helped me to build more onto my family tree.

Memorial Mothers Day Wish

My MOTHER

Annie Romero

1913-1989

Founding of Santa Fe

The Founding and Founders of the Villa de Santa Fe

José Antonio Esquibel

The celebration of 400 years of history of the City of Santa Fe is a remarkable milestone and one which is deeply personal for those of us with ancestral roots in New Mexico . Many of our New Mexican ancestors lived in the Villa de Santa Fe at one time or another, some for many decades, and these individuals shaped its distinct and rich history. Unfortunately, much of that history no longer survives in the form of documents, and thus very little has come to light to help us understand what life was like for the early residents of the Villa de Santa Fe . Careful reading of archival documents is the primary means by which fragments of information are being pieced together to tell the story of early Santa Fe and its residents.

The founding date of Santa Fe remains a challenge to determine due to the fact that documents of that era are long lost.

Continued at: OLTHLRC

American Life Histories

American Life Histories

Federal Writers' Project

1936-1940

These life histories were compiled and transcribed by the staff of the Folklore Project of the Federal Writers' Project for the U.S. Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration (WPA) from 1936-1940. The Library of Congress collection includes 2,900 documents representing the work of over 300 writers from 24 states. Typically 2,000-15,000 words in length, the documents consist of drafts and revisions, varying in form from narrative to dialogue to report to case history. The histories describe the informant's family education, income, occupation, political views, religion and mores, medical needs, diet and miscellaneous observations. Pseudonyms are often substituted for individuals and places named in the narrative texts.

THE ROMERO CLAN of NEW MEXICO

The Romero Clan

A detailed history of the first three generations of the Romero family of seventeenth century New Mexico can be found in its entirety in issues of Herencia (Quarterly Journal of the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico). The Article researched and written by Jose Antonio Esquibel, is titled “The Romero Family of Seventeenth Century New Mexico.” Several excerpts of Part I are offered here:

The Romero clan of seventeenth century New Mexico was skillfully successful in acquiring land, office, riches, and associated privileges, which were sought by many people who came to the Americas. As the family grew, each generation was quick to take advantage of their privileged status and the available opportunities to expand their social and political influence and their economic prosperity. This is illustrated through strategic matrimonial alliances of the Romero children, and in the numerous military and civil appointments of the Romero men, such as alcalde mayor, alcalde ordinario, regidor, procurador, protector de indios, teniente, capitán, and sargento mayor. By 1660 the Romero clan held interest in almost a third of New Mexico’s encomiendas.

Clearly, a number of New Mexican citizens took unkindly to the forceful authority of the Franciscans in New Mexico. Men such as Gaspar Pérez (an in-law of the Romero), Luis López (a neighbor of the Romero), Juan Domínguez de Mendoza (an ally of the Romero), Deigo Pérez Romero, and Christóbal de Anaya Almazán (an in-law of the Domínguez de Mendoza), were deemed by Franciscan friars to hold heretical beliefs. In several of these cases public conflicts between these men and the friars were well-known and attested to by witnesses. Tipping the balance of power in favor of the Franciscans was a very potent tool to counter perceived disloyalties, namely the Office of the Inquisition. For example, Gaspar Pérez was of the opinion that the governor held absolute authority over the Franciscans, and he found himself denounced to the Inquisition by the friars.

The use of the Inquisition in New Mexico can be viewed as a strategic process of tipping the scale of political and economic control. This was certainly the case when governors of New Mexico denounced or supported the denunciation of their political enemies to the Inquisition and vice versa. As discussed below in regard to the suit against Diego Pérez Romero, his grants of encomienda were redistributed to other citizens and he was exiled from New Mexico, losing all privileges of social and military office and titles. He went from being an alcalde oridianrio of the Villa de Santa Fe, an encomedero, and a sargento mayor of New Mexico to a mayordomo of a hacienda, and was even shunned by his wife who refused to join him in exile.

The testimony of Diego Pérez Romero [before the tribunal of the Inquisition in Mexico City] offers valuable genealogical information on the first three generations of the Romero family in New Mexico. Of particular note are the clear genealogical links that can now be made between members of the Romero family that previously could not be confirmed, although logic dictated possible connections. This is particularly true for the Romero de Pedraza family and the Romero de Salazar family. Fray Angélico Chávez supposed that Bartolomé Romero de Pedraza and Francisco Romero de Pedraza were sons of Matías Romero and doña Isabel de Pedraza. As it turns out, the other children were Pedro Romero, Felipe Romero, Catalina Romero, and Luisa Romero, the wife of Juan Lucero de Godoy. This information now allows descendents of Felipe, Catalina, and Luisa to make the genealogical connection to the founders of the Romero family in New Mexico that has eluded researchers for many years.

Researcher: José Antonio Esquibel

Source: José Antonio Esquibel, “The Romero Family of Seventeenth Century New Mexico,” Part 1, in Herencia, Issue 1, January 2003, 1-30.

HISPANIC SURNAME DATABASE

The Great New Mexico Pedigree Database Project

click link: HGRC

New Mexico Land Grants

See this Link

TYPES OF LAND GRANTS

KINSHIPS

KINSHIPS ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin)

In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares a common ancestor (or ancestors). In modern usage, the term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term to describe the relationship (e.g. one's parents, siblings and descendants). The term blood relative can be used synonymously, and underlines the existence of a genetic link. A system of "degrees" and "removals" is used to describe the relationship between the two cousins and the ancestor they have in common.

KINSHIPS