Manuel Garcia Parejas ~ Will 1763

I, Manuel Garcia Parejas, native of the villa of Tembleque, Archbishopric of Toledo, resident of Nuestra Señora de Soledad del Rio Arriba, find myself sick in bed.

I was married and veiled to Ysabel Vicene Lorano, deceased from which marriage we had one child who also died.

I declare that at present I am married to Rosalia de Beitia, from which marriage we have no children.   I also declare that when I married my said wife, I brought no property whatever and that my said wife had a house, agricultural lands and other chattels.

I declare that I owe don Bernardo de Bustamante, Captain of the garrison of Guajuquillo, whatever is shown in his account book, which is the considerable sum of 1,000 pesos, more or less.

I declare that I owe don Ygnacio Gutierrez of Chihuahua, 477 ½ pesos.  I say I owe them, because they are being collected from me by the said don Ygnacio, although in my conscience I find I do now owe this, because when don Gabriel Donda and don Juan de Mayoral delivered the irrigated land which belonged to don Diego de Lacaran, I was compelled, while I protested that I had no use whatever for it, and all the money that they gave me was applied on the development and for the men working on said irrigated land without my ever attempting anything.

I owe don Jose Solano of Chihuahua 16 ½ pesos.

I owe don Clemente 16 chamois skins.

I declare that I ordered by letter from don Fernando Zeballos some large Mexican knives and what I received were 12 and a small quantity of moth-eaten ____, which I ordered returned as I never had asked for it and it was in bad condition and therefore unmarketable, and the tobacco he mentioned in his letter I did not receive either.

I declare to have 116 chamois skins of all sizes, three white buckskins, five thick buckskins; eight packsaddles, fully equipped; five harness; three and one half load of white buckskin sacks; a leather coat; a gun and a shield; a saddle with an iron stirrup, spurs and bridle; seven horses, two mares; six mules and among them one female mule; a used clock; the barrel and lock of a gun without a stock; a piece of serge.

I declare that Paula Martin owes me a buckskin; Pedro Mora a buckskin; Patricio, half-breed Indian a buckskin; Juan Antonio, Indian from Aviquiu, two bridles and two large Mexican knives; Joseph Miguel de Archuleta, three pesos in chamois skins; Juan Marques, six pesos in tomatoes; Julian Bejil, eight pesos in chamois skins; Gregorio Martin, eight pesos in chamois skins; Thomas Padilla, six pesos; Miguel Beitia, ten pesos; Paulin de Beitia, two pesos; the Rev. Father Fray Andres Garzia, 81 pesos and two reales; Antonio Martin, the friar, 11 pesos; Antonio de Beitia, two chamois skins; Diego Moquine, four pesos and a Mexican knife; Jose Rodriguez, 30 pesos; Jose Zamora, 13 pesos and because I do not recall the account with Juan Antonio, Indian from Aviquiu, I order it liquidated.  Diego Cain two small pieces of canvas; Juan Ygnacio Mestas, two pesos; Xtoval Salazar, two pesos; Matias Lujan, five pesos; Salbador Duran, soldier, two pesos; Francisco Sanches, eight pesos; the Indian Tuque, two chamois skins and two small pieces of canvas; Pedro Antonio Martin, a bull, a bridle and knife, and two pesos of chocolate; Juan Largo of Santa Ana, one pesos; Diego Gallegos, four pesos; Alverto Valverde eight chamois skins, I mean pesos; Diego Cauyque, two pesos, Xtoval, servant of Carlos Lopes, two pesos, Jose Delgado, five pesos; Domingo Montoya, ten pesos; Domingo, I mean Salbador Baldes, a white buckskin; he may agree to five chamois skin; Diego Marques, two pesos; don Thoribio Ortiz, 28 chamois skins at two pesos each, twelve at twelve reales and ten at one peso each; don Jose Ortiz, six pesos in reales; Antonio Garzia de la Mora, a packsaddle equipped; Pedro Martin, two chamois skins.  All this aforesaid of which the skin is not specified but in the number of pesos must be understood to mean chamois skins.  ____ three chamois skins; Jose Romero three pesos.

In consideration of the fact that I owe that which is declared and that the above mentioned is owed to me together with what I have, I declare that if it is not sufficient to cover all of my debts, my said estate shall be divided pro rata among my creditors.

I declare that the property brought by my wife when we were married has not been mentioned because I have no right whatsoever to it and in accounting may belong to her.  I name her as my sole heiress.

I appoint as my administrators the Military Lt. Pedro Martin and second the Military Ensign Domingo de Benavides.

I declare I have made a codicil in Spain, but no other testament. I revoke and annul it now and consider this my only testament be valid.

April 15, 1763, Manuel Garcia Pareja, Joachin Garcia de Noriega, Carlos Fernandez, Antonio Jose Garcia de la Mora.

References:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Roll 2, Twitchell 359, Frames 964-968.

©Henrietta M. Christmas