Funny Photo from Spain - Vintage Family Photo Friday

What's going on here?  This funny photo from Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain was found in a cousin's family album.  It dates from the 1950s or 1960s. It is similar to other funny photos at this link:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/09/friday-funny-found-in-spain.html

We can only identify one of the men in this photo.  The man to the far right is Vincent's "Tio Joaquin" Joaquin García (16 January 1904 - 6 August 1975), brother of his grandfather, José Manuel García.

These types of photos remind us that our ancestors had fun, just like us!

--------------------

To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Funny Photo from Spain -  Vintage Family Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 25, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/10/funny-photo-from-spain-vintage-family.html: accessed [access date]).

Sebastián García (1878 - 1962) Photo Friday

Here is another digitized image from Vincent's cousin's collection.  This is Sebastián García, Vincent's 2nd great grandfather.  He was the son of Celestino García and Joaquina Muñoz, born 6 May 1878 in Fraga, Huesca, Spain, and died 22 June 1962 in Puerto Seguro, Salamanca Spain.  He married Maria Ribero on 9 April 1902 and they had three children:

1. Joaquín García, born 1904, married Luisa Antonia Martín in 1930
2. José García, born 1908, married María Consuelo Martín (yes, two brothers married two sisters!)
3. María Ascención García, born 1913, never married (this is Vincent's "Tia Chon")

Vincent's grandfather was Sebastián's second son, José.

Sebastián was a "carabinero" in Salamanca.  The carabineros were established in 1829 as a rural frontier guard and border patrol.   The village of Puerto Seguro was right on the Portuguese border.  Both of Sebastián's two eldest sons became carabineros during the Spanish Civil War.  In 1940 the carabineros merged with the Guardia Civil under the Franco regime. José García, Vincent's grandfather, was a Captain in the Guardia Civil until his retirement.

In the photo above the uniform would be greyish green. Some countries in South America still have a police force called carabineros, such as Chile's national police.

For more information about Sebastián García, see this blog post:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-garcia-family-photo-from-puerto.html  

---------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Sebastián García (1878 - 1962) Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 9, 2019, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/sebastian-garcia-1878-1962-photo-friday.html: accessed [access date]).

A Little Family History Book from Spain

This little book of family history was found in Vincent's cousin's house in Madrid, Spain among a box of vintage photographs.  When his children found this book they said "We have to show this to Heather!"   I'm happy to say that I already had much of this information from baptism records and other church records, but it is exciting to see this written in the handwriting of Vincent's ancestors. 

The first page appears to have been written by Celestino García.  He was Vincent's great great grandfather who was born 25 May 1851 in Barba de Puerco, Salamanca, Spain.  Celestino was in the military, so his children were not born in Barba de Puerco, but in the provinces of Huesca and Badajoz.  On the first page Celestino lists his four children: Sebastian (Vincent's great grandfather), Higinia, Serapio, and José Alejandrino.

I have transcribed the pages with the Spanish on the left, and my English translation on the right.

Sebastian nacio el dia 6 de Mayo                               Sebastian was born on 6 May 

de 1843 en el pueblo llamado Fraga                           in 1843 in the town called Fraga

probincia de Huesca Partido de Jura                           province of Huesca, part of Jura

----------------                                                               -----------------------

Higinia Dominica nacio el dia 28                               Higinia Dominica was born on 28

de Marzo del 1884 en el pueblo de                             March in 18844 in the town of

San Vicente Alexandaria Probincia                            San Vicente Alexandaria, province

de Badajoz Partido Albuquerque                                of Badajoz, part of Albuquerque

----------------                                                               --------------------

Serapio nacio el dia 14 de Nobiembre                        Serapio was born on 14 November

de 1889 en el pueblo de San Vicente                          of 1889 in the town of San Vicente

Probincia de Badajoz Partido de                                 Province of Badajoz part of

Albuquerque                                                                Albuquerque

-------------------------                                                    ------------------------

José Alejandrino nacio el dia                                       José Alejandrino was born on

26 de Nobiembre de 1891 en                                       26 November in 1891 in

San Vicente de Alcantara                                             San Vicente de Alcantara

Probincia de Badajoz Partido de                                  Province of Badajoz part of

Albuquerque                                                                 Albuquerque

[This page describes his wife's death date and names his children ]

Mi esposa murio llamada                                              My wife died called

Joaquina Muñoz Zato                                                    Joaquina Muñoz Zato

el dia 2 de Diciembre del                                               on 2 December in

1893 en el pueblo de San                                               1893 in the town of San

Vicente Probincia de                                                      Vicente Province of

Badajoz Partido de                                                         Badajoz part of

Albuquerque y me dejo                                                  Albuquerque and left me with

4 yhos que Son Sebastian                                               4 children who are Sebastian

Higinia Serapio y                                                            Higinia Searapio and

José Alejandrino y los                                                    José Alejandrino and 

apunto? el dia 29 de Diciembre                                      ????? on 29 December

de 1893 para que no se olvide                                        of 1893 so we won't forget her

[These pages appear to have been written by Sebastian, except that his death

was recorded by one of his children on the last entry]

Me case el dia 9 de Abril                                              I married on 9 April

del ano 1902 con Maria Ribero                                     in the year 1902 to Maria Ribero

Montero de edad 29 anos  4 de junio y                                             Montero age 29 ???? and

yo de 24 años el dia 6 Mayo                                         I was 24 years on the 6 May

Sebastian Garcia                                                           Sebastian Garcia

---------------------                                                          ----------------------------

Joaquin nacio el dia 16 de                                             Joaquin was born on 16

Enero de 1904 en el pueblo de                                      January in 1904 in the town of

Bouza probincia de Salamanca                                     Bouza province of Salamanca

Partido de Ciudad Rodrigo                                           Part of Cuidad Rodrigo

----------------------                                                         ----------------

José nacio el 28 de Noviembre                                     José was born on 22 November

de 1908, en Bouza Provincia                                        in 1908, in Bouza Province                  

de Salamanca Partido de Ciudad                                  of Salamanca part of Ciudad

Rodrigo.                                                                        Rodrigo

-----------------------                                                        ----------------------

María Ascención nacio el 31 de                                   María Ascención was born 13

31 de Mayo de 1913 en Bouza Provincia                     May in 1913 in Bouza Province

de Salamanca partido Ciudad Ro-                                of Salamanca part of Ciudad Ro-

drigo                                                                              drigo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mi padre Celestino Garcia                                           My father Celestino García

Espinazo fallecio a los 63 anos                                    Espinazo passed away at 63 years

de edad, en el dia 11 de Febrero de 1914                     of age, on 11 February in 1914

Mi esposa Maria Rivero                                               My wife Maria Rivero

Montero fallecio a los 71 anos                                     Montero passed away at 71 years

de edad el 28 de Enero de 1944                                   of age on 28 January in 1944

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mi padre Sebastián García                                           Sebastián García               

Muñoz fallecio el 22 de Junio                                      Muñoz passed away on 22 June

de 1962 a los 84 anos de edad                                     in 1962 at 84 years of age

Puerto Seguro (Salamanca)                                          Puerto Seguro (Salamanca)

[I'm not sure who wrote these entries, due to several different handwritings]

Mi hermano Joaquin                                   My brother Joaquin

murio el dia 6 de Agosto                            died on 6 August

de 1975 a los 71 anos de                            in 1975 at 71 years of

edad, a las 13 horas                                    age, at 1 o'clock 

del dia.                                                        in the afternoon

-------------------------                                  ------------------

José Garcia Rivero fallecio                        José Garcia Rivero passed away

 el dia 3 de Diciembre de 1994                  on 3 December in 1994

a los 86 anos de edad a                              at 86 years of age at

las 20:50 horas                                           8:50 o'clock [p.m.]

----------------------                                       -----------------------

Ascención García Rivero                          Ascención García Rivero

fallecio el dia 7 de                                     passed away on 7

Dicembre de 2002 a los                             December in 2002 at

89 anos a las     (despus de desayunar)      89 years at [blank] (after breakfast)

--------------------                                         -----------------------

Luisa Martin Rivero                                  Luisa Martin Rivero    [wife of Joaquin]                               

fallecio el dia 4 de                                     passed away on 4

Marzo de 2004 a los 97 anos                     March in 2004 at 97 years

----------------------                                     -------------------------

--------------------------

To Cite/Link to:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Little Family History Book from Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 4, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/06/a-little-family-history-book-from-spain.html: accessed [access date]). 

Photo Friday - 1938 Photo of "Tia Chon"

"A mis queridos hermanos,

y sobrinos en 

de cariño

               Ascensión

      38

     Puerto S[eguro]"

[English translation]

"To my dear siblings

and nephews in

with love

Ascension

           38

     Puerto S[eguro]"

I have posted several blog stories about "Tia Chon", Vincent's great aunt María Ascención García. She was the sister of his maternal grandfather, José García.  She was born 31 May 1913 in La Bouza, Salamanca, Spain and died 3 December 1994 in Madrid.  Tia Chon never married, and she spent many years as Vincent's nanny when he was growing up in New York City.

In this glamorous photo of Tia Chon she was about 25 years old.  Her parents, Sebastián García (6 May 1878 - 22 June 1962) and Maria Ribero (4 June 1873 - 21 January 1944), were from the small village of Puerto Seguro in Salamanca, near La Bouza, where Chon was born.

This photo was found among the family photos in my mother-in-law's cousin's house.  When we visited Spain last month he generously shared all the photos with us. We photographed some (lacking a scanner in Spain) and took some to scan at home.  The photos range from the late 1800s to modern times. 

Vincent and "Tia Chon" in New York City 1964

Other blog posts with photos of Tia Chon:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/03/photo-friday-bridge-in-new-york-city.html

and
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/03/easter-parade-1963-fifth-avenue-new.html

and also:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-hometown-historical-society.html

--------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Photo Friday - 1938 Photo of "Tia Chon" ", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 31, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/05/photo-friday-1938-photo-of-tia-chon.html: accessed [access date]).

The Garcia Family Photo from Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, including Great Grandfather Sebastian, born 1878

This photo was taken in the tiny village of Puerto Seguro in the province of Salamanca, Spain in 1953.   Today the population of Puerto Seguro is only 99 people.  My mother-in-law's family has lived in this village for generations, but when she was growing up she lived in Madrid and visited Puerto Seguro every August.  She had to get there by burro because there was a pass down a ravine and across a river that was accessible only by donkey!

from left to right

Luisa, Ascencion, Joaquin, Sebasian, Josè Manuel, Jose, Joaquin, my mother-in-law Maria Josepha, and her mother Consuelo. 

In this photo the seated man is Sebastian Garcia, born 6 May 1878 and died 22 June 1962 in Puerto Seguro.  He was Vincent's great grandfather, and my grand daughter's 3rd great grandfather!  In 1902 he married Maria Ribero.  They had three children you can see here - Joaquin born in 1904, Jose born in 1908, and Ascencion born in 1913.

The two younger boys are Jose Manuel and Joaquin Maria, son of Joaquin and Luisa.  The young woman, Maria Josepha, is the daughter of Jose and Consuelo.  

Sebastian Garcia as a military cadet, year unknown

Sebastian Garcia and his wife, Maria Ribero

with their children, Joaquin, Jose and Ascencion

about 1913 (the baby was born 31 May 1913)

Sebastian Garcia, in his elderly years,

photo from Puerto Seguro

----------------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Garcia Family Photo from Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain, including Great Grandfather Sebastian, born 1878", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 8, 2016, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-garcia-family-photo-from-puerto.html: accessed [access date]).

A hometown historical Society

A few months ago I wrote about the small village of Puerto Seguro, in Salamanca province of Spain, and their historical society's newsletter “Peña Rota”.   This little journal is always full of family photos, sometimes very, very old photos.  This is the village where my husband's paternal grandfather, and his ancestors had lived for centuries.  I had sent some family photos a long time ago to this town, and they are finally published in this month's “Peña Rota”.

You may remember some of these photos. I had written about the stories behind these pictures on the blog, too.  The photo labeled here as #1 is my husband's great grandfather Sebastian Garcia, his wife and children  José , Juaquin and Maria Ascencion (this is the "Tia Chon" from several blog posts last week.  You can read about it at this blog post link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/12/soldiers-life-jose-garcia-rivero.html

Photo #2 is Sebastian Garcia, with his children José (my husband's grandfather) and Ascencion (Tia Chon).

Photo #3 was featured at this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-spanish-civil-war.html 

My mother-in-law called us from Spain last week to express her surprise at seeing these photos in her copy of “Peña Rota”.   I had forgotten to tell her I had submitted the photos for publication since I had emailed them so long ago!  We had a good laugh over the phone together, and she said she was going to start calling cousins to make sure they all saw the photos, starting with the cousin standing next to her in photo #3. 

Does your hometown historical society print up similar newsletters?  Or the hometown of some of your ancestors?  This can be a valuable resource.  You are looking at page 4 of “Peña Rota” above, but take a peek below at page 5. They are asking for people to help identify the unknown subjects in this big group photo.  Having a website or newsletter allows the historical society to not only help you find photos and stories about your family, but it also allows you to help the historical identify people in photos, add to their collections, send in photos, stories and genealogies.  This is a very valuable genealogy resource.

Although the newsletter has identified most of the subjects
in this group photo, they are asking for help with some still unidentified

The Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain town website   www.puertoseguro.org

Click here to read my first blog post about Puerto Seguro's newsletter “Peña Rota”:

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/small-town-historical-societies-as.html  

----------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A hometown historical Society", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 1, 2013, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-hometown-historical-society.html: accessed [access date]). 

Harvest Time in Spain

My husband's grandparents were born in small villages in Spain.  Sometime after the Spanish Civil War they all moved to Madrid.  When we visit, we stay in Madrid, but sometimes we visit cousins who still live in those small villages.  His paternal side lives near Aranda de Duero in the province of Burgos, in the rich wine region known as "El Duero", near Rioja.  His maternal side lives in Salamanca, in tiny villages along the Portuguese border with names like Villar de Ciervo and Puerto Seguro.

While my mother in law was growing up in Madrid, they would sometimes visit the villages.  The most popular time for visiting would be August, when the harvest fiestas would be taking place.  Often there would be a bullfight and other very Spanish festivities in honor of the village patron saint.  The harvest would be going on, which was described to me as "La trilla", which took some figuring out to translate with out a dictionary.  In English this would be "the threshing" of the wheat.  Of course, grapes and other crops would be harvested at this time, too, but there seemed to be lots of photos of the threshing.

A picnic during the harvest
near Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, 1940s

Hungry men cooking in the fields

My husband's great aunt during the threshing
at Puerto Seguro, 1950s

My mother-in-law with her family at Puerto Seguro
sometime in the 1940s- four generations!

Puerto Seguro harvest time 1940s

These photos are a great example of family reunions, even though in Spain it was not considered a formal gathering.  It was just an annual event, and in the 20th century folks who had moved to the cities came back to the "pueblo" to reconnect at harvest time.  This reminds me very much of Old Home Day in New Hampshire.  These photos were scattered through my mother-in-laws photo album.  I had to pick through the more formal portraits, weddings, school photos and first communions, to find these precious photographs.  It was great discussing them with my mother-in-law and husband to find out what was going on in the photos, and identifying the family members.

If you have family or ancestry in foreign countries, perhaps you have found similar photos?

And so we continue to visit Spain in August!
This is my daughter in 2002 near Puerto Seguro,
in the tiny town of Villar de la Yegua.

----------------------
Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Small Town Historical Societies as a Genealogical Resource

One day at my mother-in-laws house in Madrid I saw an interesting journal in her mail.  It was “Peña Rota”, a little newsletter put out by the citizens and descendants of citizens of the town of Puerto Seguro in the province of Salamanca, Spain.  My husband’s grandfather had lived there, and his ancestors were from this town.  We had visited there several times, too. 

Peña Rota is the newsletter from the tiny
village of Puerto Seguro, Spain, population 99 inhabitants

This little bi-monthly journal is full of old photos, poems, essays and genealogical information.  There are death, marriage and birth notices from descendants all over Spain and the Americas, reporting how the person or people in the notices are related to Puerto Seguro.  There is a website associated with “Peña Rota” at www.puertoseguro.org.   This website includes history, photos, and a guest book where I was able to post questions and queries.   There were links to nearby villages with similar websites, which was valuable to me since my mother-in-law’s extended family came from many of the nearby towns.

Thus, without actually going to Puerto Seguro in Spain, I was able to find out much about the town history, the people and the area.  Combined with records found online at FamilySearch (all the baptisms, marriages and deaths going back 250 years) I was able to find many generations of family history.   

Here in the United States, I take advantage of local historical societies and their “inside” information as much as possible.  Usually I like to visit in person, but sometimes they are just too far away, or outside of New England, so I have to communicate via snail mail, email or social media such as Facebook.  Historical Societies have the inside scoop on their communities, so if you are wondering why you can’t find a birth record, or what churches were established, or if your ancestral home or family graveyard is still in existence, this is the place to start.

The Beverly Historical Society (Beverly, Massachusetts) has come to my rescue several times, with specific information that I could not find anywhere else.    When the factory three of my four great grandfathers had worked in was converted to an office park, the Beverly Historical Society was able to send me lots of information about its history.   When I had a query about an ancestor’s business in Beverly in the 1890s, they sent me an envelope full of goodies about him (newsclippings, ads, etc).  They have kept me in the loop by connecting me with other people who are researching the surnames in my family tree, and invited me to events even though I let my membership lapse.  They maintain a research library and exhibits, as well as several museum houses open to visitors.

Beverly is just one example, and there are historical societies, history museums, and local libraries all over New England, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Nova Scotia, Spain and Hawaii that have been equally helpful to me.

Here in Londonderry, the genealogical queries to the Londonderry Historical Society are passed on to me.  As the local person here in town, I do look-ups, and have access to the files at the public library.  I also know the other local people in town, especially those of the older generations, who might know the answer to your particular query, no matter how odd it might be.  I’m not unique. Nearly every town or county has a historical society or a historical commission, and can pass your query on to just the right person who might know the answer.

P.S.  Now my mother-in-law saves her issues of Peña Rota just for me.  I brought several home in my suitcase after our last trip to Madrid.  It was fun to have her point out cousins in the photos!

“History is not just something that happened long ago and far away.

 History happens to all of us all the time. 

Local history brings history home,

It touches your life,

The life of your family,

Your neighborhood,

Your community.”

Attributed to Thomas J. Noel, Denver, CO historian

----------------------------------------------

Puerto Seguro, Salamanca, Spain   www.puertoseguro.org

Beverly Historical Society      www.beverlyhistory.org

Londonderry Historical Society   http://www.londonderryhistory.org/

New Hampshire Historical Society   https://www.nhhistory.org/

Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire    http://www.historicalsocietiesnh.org/

Blog posts about visits and queries to historical societies:

Brookline, Massachusetts

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/07/amanuensis-monday-stirlingworth-cottage.html

Hampton, New Hampshire 

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/10/another-new-to-me-repository-of.html

Nahant, Massachusetts

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/10/nahant-historical-society.html

Nashua, New Hampshire 

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/08/genealogy-research-at-nashua-historical.html

Peabody, Massachusetts 

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/03/peabody-century-chest.html

Windham, New Hampshire 

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/windham-mystery-history-tour-2012.html

 ------------------------

Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

An English child born in a Spanish Village, 1811- Amanuensis Monday

A page from the baptism record book, San Sebastian Church, Puerto Seguro, Salamanca province, Spain
The bottom right baptism record is for an English child named Julian Smith
click to enlarge

I hope you are enjoying the record books and archival documents you use to research your family history.  Take time to peruse the other names and information in the papers.  Sometimes you will find interesting things that, although not directly related to your family, will help you to understand the location and time in which your ancestors lived.

I found this interesting entry in the book of baptisms for the village of Puerto Seguro, in the province of Salamanca, Spain. In 1811, and before the Spanish War of Independence (against Napoleonic France) this village was known as Barba de Puerco (literally "Pig’s Beard" in English)!  Puerto Seguro is located on the Portuguese border, and there were some fierce battles all along this region between English and French troops.

Transcription in Spanish:

“En el lugar de Barba de Puerco en dies y ocho dias
del mes de Diciembre de 1811
yo el infraescripto Cura Ecónomo de esta parroquia
bauticé solemenemente a Julian que nació el veinte
y tres de Septiembre en un Pueblo de Portu-
gal llamada Mallada Sorda, Obispado de Piñel, hijo
de Josef Smith, natural de Oxford jurisdiction de ---------
-------y de Ysabel Smith, natural de Stanmanheh.
Nieto paterno de James Smith y de Nancy Smith y Materno
de Eduard Smith y Ysabel Smith, todos de Reino de
Ynglaterra, fueron Padrinos: D. Manuel Alvarez y
Dña. Juana Hernández Escobar, Españoles y vecinos de de éste,
les advertí a obligación espiritual y parentesco. Fueron testigos:
Lucas Alamo y Juan Francisco Bernal, y en fe de ello yo firmo,
fecha ut supra
Manuel Escudero Corral.

los contenidos en esta partida son Yngleses y se bautizó a instancia de los Padres que fueron católicos"


The translation reads:

“In the place of Pig’s Beard on the 18th day
of the month of December of the year one thousand eight hundred eleven
I, the undersigned Cura Economo of this parish
Solemnly baptized Julian, who was born
The 23rd of September of this same year, in the town of Port-
gal called Mallada Sorda, diocese of Pinel, son
Of Josef Smith, native of Oxford, jurisdiction of ---------
And of Ysabel Smith, native of Stowmarket,
Paternal Grandson of James Smith and Nancy Smith, and maternal
Edward Smith and Ysabel Smith, of the Kingdom of
England, godparents are Don Manuel Alvarez and
Doña Jauna Hernandez Escobar, Spaniards and residents of this place
who were advised of their spiritual obligation and kinship. Witnesses were
Lucas Alamo and Juan Francisco Bernal, and in faith I sign
Date ut supra
Manuel Escudero Corral

The margin note reads: “the member of this entry are English and the baptized is from parents who were Catholics”

This entry was found in the book of baptisms for San Sebastian church, as I looked through it for the baptisms for my mother-in-law’s side of the family. First of all, what was an English family doing in “Pig’s Beard” in 1811 during the war? And why did they have some important Spanish citizens serve as godparents to their infant? There was a second English child in the same baptism book, listed on 21 December 1811, which made me think that this baptism was not a fluke. It appears that there was a close relationship between the British and the people of “Pig’s Beard”. I wonder if any of my husband’s ancestors knew some of these Englishmen.

With a little research I found that the British were involved in what they call the Peninsular War (1809 – 1814), the same war that the Spaniards call the War of Independence. In February 1810 the British had occupied “Pig’s Beard” and the French had undertaken a large effort to free the village and the nearby walled city of Ciudad Rodrigo. The Duke of Wellington was involved with this large campaign. By August the invasion of Almeida, Portugal had begun. “Pig’s Beard” was disputed between Spain and Portugal until the borders' treaty signed on 29 September 1864. In 1916 “Pig’s Beard” became the village of Puerto Seguro (literally “Secure Door”).

In the book “Dispatches of Field Marshall the Duke of Wellington, K. G.” [Volume 5 by Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, London, 1852, pages 3- 18] I can see that he was still sending letters from the area of Ciudad Rodrigo by 15 May 1811, during the time period of this baptism. Obviously, the British must have maintained a large force of troops to occupy the area. Perhaps Mr. Joseph Smith was an officer, and some leading citizens of “Pig’s Beard” (designated by the titles Don and Doña) served as godparents to his son? This book was found online at a Google Book Search and is entirely readable and searchable.

There are 4,193,113 images available at Familysearch.org for Spanish Church Records, 1500 – 1930. All are fully visible scanned images from parish church books. If your family comes from one of the following provinces (Albacete, Avila, Barcelona, Ciudad Real, Gerona, Murcia, or Salamanca) you will find this is a gold mine of information viewable from your own computer. There are many other records available online for Spain, or on microfilm you can view at your local history library. But this new group of online images is where I have been finding gold nuggets for our family tree this year.

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For more information:

http://www.puertoseguro.org// the village of Puerto Seguro website, with history, all in Spanish

http://familysearch.org/ The LDS church genealogy website

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

A Marriage Certificate from Spain

A page from the Barba de Puerco marriage records book

This week my husband was home for a few days with a torn bicep injury. I decided it was a good time to put him to work on his family tree. I needed his help to translate, because even though I know the basics of reading a baptism or marriage record from Spain, the good information is often in the little details added by the priest to the records.

And so, using the new records from Spain scanned into FamilySearch.org, we hit paydirt. My mother-in-law's family is from Salamanca, and a plethora of records from that province have been scanned. Her father's village of Puerto Seguro (formerly called Barba de Puerco "Pig's Beard!") and her mother's village of Villar de Ciervo have records going back to the late 1600's on line. We are still sorting through, and re-reading many of these records, but we added four generations to what we previously knew about her family tree. This brings the earliest know ancestor back to early 1700s. Stay tuned, we aren't finished yet!

The image above, top left corner, shows the marriage of Venancio Rivero to Noralia Montero in 1856. They are my husband's great great grandparents. Here is what we can transcribe so far...:

En el lugar de Barba de Puerco, provincia de Salamanca, originado y partido de diocesio de Ciudad Rodrigo en los once dias de mes de junio de mil ochocientos cinquenta y seis, habiendo prcedido las tres cononicas -----ciones que previene el santo concilio A------ esos tres dias festivos al ofertorio de las misas conventuales? y pasadoas mas de veinte y quatro horas sin que --------- impedimento alguno. Yo Francisco Claudio Garcia Casa sacerdote de pueblo dejose in facie ---- y vele a Venancio Rivero de estado soltero, y natural de este, hijo legitimo de Antonio Rivero y Ynez Martin con Noralia Montero, del mismo estada y naturaleza, hija legitima de Antonio Montero y Catalina Espinazo, todos de este vecinidad fueron aprobados a doctrina -------- confesion y comular, siendo testigos Mauelto Hernandez, Juan Fernandez y otros varios y porque lo firmo --- Franciso C. Garcia

translation:

Here in Barba de Puerco, province of Salamanca, Diocese of Cuidad Rodrigo, on the eleventh day of June eighteen hundred fifty six, ....I, Francisco Claudio Garcia Casa, pastor of the town .... Venancio Rivero, single man, native of here, legitimate son of Antonio Rivero and Ynez Martin with Noralia Montero, same state and birthplace, legitimate daughter of Antonio Montero and Catalina Espinazo, all of this town ....signed by the priest Francisco C. Garcia
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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo