Several Generations of Linens and Lace from Spain

 

Cleaning out a home after a death is a sad and nostalgic task.  When my mother-in-law recently passed away in Spain, we had to sort out everything in her apartment. We had to give away or throw away many item.  My husband brought home only a few items from her apartment.  He was not able to bring much because he could only bring what fit in his suitcases (and he paid for two extra suitcases). Some of those items were fragile (crystal glasses) and some were heavy (books) that needed padding so they wouldn't shift or break, so he wrapped them in the heirloom linens we found in the closet. Several generations of my mother-in-law's family owned this apartment. 

It turns out that these linens were quite beautiful, but a bit dingy from being stored a long time. Some looked brand new as if they were never used. I think the dry climate in Spain helped preserve them from mold or mildew spots.  I researched a bit on how to restore these handmade, delicate items.  We decided that we were probably going to use some of them, but my daughter and I didn't want all of them. Here is what I did to clean and store them:

The advice was to not use anything harsh like bleach or detergent.  I soaked them for several days in a bathtub filled with warm water and Oxy-clean.  This brightened up the linens and was not caustic.  Most of them were not stained, fortunately, just dingy from storage. The water turned yellow from the years of dust, so I changed the water daily that the linens were soaking in.   

To rinse them I used the hand held shower wand in the bathroom with warm water, and then put them through the short rinse only cycle in the washing machine.  This step would be skipped if the items were especially fragile, but most of what we had was in excellent shape and quite sturdy, even though we figured some of them were over 100 years old. 

Some of the items like tablecloths and bedding I ironed on medium heat while they were still damp.  They came out beautiful. This step could be skipped for very delicate items, or lacy doilies. 

An embroidered hanky!

Lace and crocheted items were air dried, some flat, and some on a drying rack

A very delicate hanky!  It was so fine you could see through it! 

An embroidered bedsheet

I spent several days washing, sorting, rinsing, drying and ironing dozens of pillow cases, napkins, bedding, and tablecloths.  I decided to keep only a few.  I really don't want these items to just end up stored in a closet for another 100 years.  I'm keeping just what I will use - a few hankies, some beautiful napkins, and some smaller items.  The rest I will share with my daughter, and then we will give away or sell the rest. I know that linens are not valuable or costly, but it seems a shame to just toss them or continue storing them.  

Here is the mystery. Some of the items are embroidered with "C M", which was my husband's grandmother's monogram - Maria Consuelo Martin (1908 - 2001) she was married in 1933 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, so she probably made a lot of these before her marriage. Her mother was Josefa Rivero (1884 - 1937), married in 1904 also in Villar de Ciervo, and some of these items came from her marriage.  There are also sheets and pillowcases with a mystery monogram (see below).  Maybe this is not a monogram?  Is it just an abstract design? Perhaps it is a design for the letter "G", which was Consuelo's husband (Jose Garcia (1908-1954))?  It could be an "S" for Jose's father Sebastian Garcia (1878-1962)? 

Temporary storage for the clean linens.

For long term storage I would recommend acid free materials. 

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Several Generations of Linens and Lace from Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 24, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/10/several-generations-of-linens-and-lace.html: accessed [access date]). 

Josefa Rivero 1884 - 1937 Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain

This photo is of Vincent's great grandmother, Josefa Rivero Gonzalez.

Josefa Rivero was born 23 October 1884 in the little village of Villar de Ciervo in Salamanca, Spain.  This village is directly on the border of Portugal - there is only a tiny stream of water dividing the two countries in this village.  She was the daughter of Manuel Rivero and Orofilia Gonzalez.  Her father was a "molinero" or miller.  They had four children:  Nicolas (b. 1877), Jerman (b. 1879), Juan Mamon (b. 1880) and Josefa was the youngest.

She married Manuel Martin on 23 January 1904 in Villar de Ciervo.  He was the son of Mateo Martin and Manuela Ventura, born about 1880 in Barcelona, Spain.  He was a cattle and sheep trader, and bred "toros bravos" or sporting bulls for bullfighting.  He had a farm in Villar de Ciervo and grew grapes for wine. They had four children Maria Joaquina (b. 1904), Nicolas Martin, Luisa Antonia (b. 1906), and Maria Consuelo (b. 1908) who was the youngest and Vincent's grandmother.

Josefa died on 17 November 1937 in Villar de Ciervo.  Manuel survived his wife by many years and died on 10 September 1971 in Villar de Ciervo.

This is the only photo I have seen of Josefa.  Below is a painting we own of the Martin house in the village of Villar de Ciervo.  It was painted from the rear of the house, not the street view.  About 20 years ago we visited this home, and bought the painting from the village pharmacist. It hangs in my office, right behind my desk as I type up this blog post on my computer.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Josefa Rivero 1884 - 1937 Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 21, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/04/josefa-rivero-1884-1937-villar-de.html: accessed [access date]).

Josefa Ribero Gonzalez Baptism Record 1884- Amanuensis Monday

This document was found at http://www.familysearch.org/ in the baptisms of the village of Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain.  The baptism record we wanted to see is the one in the top right hand page, for Josefa Ribero Gonzalez.

“En Villar de Ciervo, Diocesis de Ciudad Rodrigo y provincia de Sala

manca, hoy dia primero de octubre de mil ocho cientos ochenta y cua-
                                      noviembre
tro, Yo el infrascripto parroco de la unica iglesia de S. Agustin
bautize solemnemente a una nina que nacio a las doce de la noche del
dia veinte y tres del proximo pasado mes de este mismo ano, y se le
puso por nombre Josefa, hija legitima de mis feligreses Manuel
Ribero molinero de oficio y Orofila Gonzalez naturales de esta
poblacion; Abuelos paternos Jose Ribero y Agapita Serradilla esta
natural de Guadapero, y todos los demas de esta poblacion; maternas
Agustin Gonzalez y Ana Maria Garcia ya difuntos; fueron sus
padrinos Josefa y ?? Maurano solteros y de esta naturaleza y
vecindad, a quienes adverti lo que manda el Ritual romano y
testigos Bonifacio Santos y Santicopa? todos de esta naturaleza y
valera? y vecindad en la que para que conste lo firmo pre-
chon ? at supra - vorado octubre, no vale= bajo ?? Noviembre
                     Vicente Barruero”

Translation from Spanish to English

“In Villar de Ciervo [Village of the Deer], diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo and province of Salamanca, today the first day of October November of one thousand eight hundred eighty four, I, the undersigned priest of the only church of St. Augustine solemnly baptized a girl who was born at twelve at night of the twenty third day of the last month of this same year, and who was given the name Josefa, legitimate daughter of my parishioners Manuel Ribero, miller, and Orofila Gonzalez, natives of this village; paternal grandparents Jose Ribero and Agapita Serradilla, a native of Guadapero, and all the others of this village; maternals Agustin Gonzalez and Ana Maria Garcia now deceased; the godparents were Josefa and ? Maurano batchelors and of this area and village, to whom I advised the directions of the Roman ritual and as witnesses Bonifacio Santos and Santicopa? All of this area and ? and village and which I signed ? I erased October, no good, underwritten as November
                     Vicente Barruero"

A painting of the village of
Villar de Ciervo, Spain
with the steeple of San Agustin church

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Josefa Rivero is my husband’s great grandmother. She was born on 23 October 1884 in Villar de Ciervo and died on 17 November 1937 in the same village. She was married in the same church of her baptism, St. Agustin’s of Villar de Ciervo, on 23 January 1904, to Manuel Martin. She had four children, Maria Joaquina, born 1904, Nicolas, Luisa Antonia, born 1906, and Maria Consuelo, born 1908. The youngest daughter, Consuelo, was my husband’s grandmother.

If you know Spanish, you will see that the spelling is very old fashioned here:  Ribero=Rivero, vorado=borrado

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

A Soldier's Life- José García Rivero, Guardia Civil in Spain

Sebastián García and his family in Spain.
This photo was taken about 1914.
José is the little boy. His brother Joaquín
also became a Guardia Civil.

José García Rivero was born 28 November 1908 in La Bouza, Salamanca, Spain, and he died on 3 December 1994 at the military hospital in Madrid, Spain. His father before him, Sebastián García Muñoz (1878 - 1962) was a military man- a carabinero or national police officer. José became a Guardia Civil- another national police division with a more military organization. This was just on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, and the Guardia Civil became a symbol of Generalissimo Franco. The famous tricorn hats and uniforms are symbolic of the Guardia Civil. Although many Americans equate the Guardia Civil with Franco and the failed attempt at a coup of the Spanish government in 1981, the Guardia Civil have a long history of peace keeping in Spain and abroad. They lost seven members in the war in Iraq before the 11 March 2004 attack in Madrid caused Spain to withdraw from that conflict. Spain continues to send troops to Afganistan, which it believes is the center for the terrorists who caused the 11 March attack.

José as a young military cadet,
about 1925

15 October 1956
José with his wife and daughter
in front of the Royal Palace, Madrid

The dress uniform of a captain, 1971

José was my husband's grandfather. He went to a military academy and with his brother, became a Guardia Civil. He fought the Spanish Civil War in Navarra, along the French border. José attained the rank of captain, and was much respected in his neighborhood. I remember visiting Spain when he was still alive, and the men in the local pub would call him "Don José" out of respect.

My husband now has his grandfather's Guardia Civil uniform and medals. Two of his tricorn hats, his spurs and his sword are on display in our home in New Hampshire. I'm glad my daughter has memories of her Bisabuelo (great grandfather) and that we can remember his role in Spanish history. His service spanned serving a monarch and a dictator, and he lived to see Spain become a parlimentary democracy.

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Not So Wordless Wednesday- Found under a Washing Machine in Spain

While we were visiting my in-laws in Madrid, they gave us a list of things to do around the house. "Can you reach this lightbulb?" "Can you help flip the mattress?" etc. Just like my Mom does when we visit, but she's only an hour away. Then the washing machine broke, and when it was pulled away from the wall my mother-in-law found a small plastic envelope full of family photos. It's a good thing it was a plastic envelope! This was a small treasure trove of pictures, going way back in time. She gave the envelope to me, and I took it home to scan the photographs. Each was tiny- the size of passport photos, school pictures or wallet sized snaps. Here are a sampling of some of the photographs....

Manuel Martin (abt 1880 - 1971) My husband's great-grandfather

Probably photographed in the village of Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain

Josefa Rivero (1884-1937) Manuel's wife

Orofila Gonzalez - Josefa's Mother

(I have no dates for her, even though I have her parents and grandparent's names,

she was born in Villar de Ciervo)

Jose Garcia (1908-1994) Sargent in the Guardia Civil

my husband's grandfather, born in Bouza, Salamanca, Spain

Maria Josefa Garcia (my mother-in-law) in a school uniform

She was born in Orbaiceta, Navarra, Spain during the Spanish Civil War

Maria Josefa Garcia - as a young woman in Madrid

Maria Josefa Garcia- in her Iberia Airlines uniform in New York City

where she moved to after marriage in Madrid

(probably a photo from an ID badge)

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Copyright 2010, 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

Not so Wordless Wednesday, Villar de Ciervo

Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, 1915
click on photos to enlarge

My husband’s maternal grandmother, María Consuelo Martín Rivero was born in the village of Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain in 1908, just a few years before this photograph. She is probably in the photograph with her parents, but we are not able to identify any of the townspeople. The church is the parish of San Agustín. Even today, the village is tiny, and has only about 350 inhabitants. It is located on the Portuguese border.

The pharmacist in Villar de Ciervo, María Ángela Sanchez Sevillano, was a noted artist. She was born in Villar de Ciervo in 1944 and she died in 1997. We have several of her paintings, but I cherish her portraits of the village the most. These paintings hang directly over my computer as I am typing this. The first painting is the San Agustín church, and the second painting is the house where Consuelo was born.





Maria Consuelo Martín Rivero’s Family Tree:

1. María Consuelo Martín, born 11 November 1908 in Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, died on 29 April 2001 in the Hospital del Aire, Madrid, Spain; married on 8 September 1933 in Villar de Ciervo, to José Garcia, son of Sebastian García Muñoz and Maria Ribero Montero. He was born 28 Nov 1908 in Bouza, Salamanca, Spain, and died on 3 December 1994 in Madrid. He was a carbinero and a Captain in the Guardia Civil.
2. Manuel Martín Ventura, son of Mateo Martín and Manuela Ventura, born about 1880 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, died on 10 September 1971 in Villar de Ciervo; married on 23 January 1904 in Villar de Ciervo to
3. Josefa Rivero, daughter of Manuel Rivero Serradilla and Orofila Gonzalez Garcia, born on 23 October 1884 in Villar de Ciervo, died on 17 November 1937 in Villar de Ciervo. Four Children.

• 
  
  
  i.) María Joaquina b. 21 December 1904, Villar de Ciervo, d. 25 Oct 1989 in Barcelona; married on 29 September 1928 in Villar de Ciervo to Nicanor Zato.
  ii.) Nicolás d. 11 January 1966 in Tejares, Salamanca, Spain
  iii.) Luisa Antonia b. 13 June 1906 in Villar de Ciervo, d. 4 March 2004 in Madrid; married on 18 September 1930 to Joaquin Garcia Ribero.
  iv.) María Consuelo b. 1908

4. Mateo Martín, born in Vitigundino Salamanca, Spain, married to
5. Manuela Ventura, born in Barcelona?

• 
  
  
  i.) Manuel Martín b. about 1880
  ii.) Jose Martín

6. Manuel Rivero, son of José Ribero and Agapita Serradilla, born in Villar de Ciervo; married to
7. Orofila Gonzalez Garcia, daughter of Agustín Gonzalez and Ana María García, born in Villar de Ciervo.

• 
  
  
  i.) Josefa b. 23 October 1884, in Villar de Ciervo, d. 17 November 1937 in Villar de Ciervo; married Manuel Martin on 23 January 1904 in Villar de Ciervo.
  ii.) Jerman b. 22 May 1879 in Villar de Ciervo
  iii.) Nicolás b. 1877
  iv.) Juan Mamon b. 1 April 1880 in Villar de Ciervo, died 29 April 1891 in Villar de Ciervo.

12. José Ribero; married to
13. Agapita Serradilla, born 1800 in Guadaperro, Salamanca, Spain
14. Agustín Gonzalez, son of Ramon Gonzalez and Ynez Zamorreño; married to
15. Ana María García, daughter of Francisco García, (1776-1852) and Inocencia Bentura.

From the Baptism Records of Villard de Ciervo, LDS microfilm #1109489, and the Death Records of Villar de Ciervo San Agustín church.

For more information please visit http://www.elmolinero.com/fr1.htmThe website for the village of Villar de Ciervo, Salamanca, Spain, run by “El Molinero”, the local pub! There are photographs and some history, all in Spanish.

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo