I, Cristoval Crespin, a citizen of this jurisdiction of the new town of Santa Cruz de la Cañada, and of the families that were recruited in the city of Zacatecas by the Marquis de la Brazinas in the year of 1693, for the settlement of this province of New Mexico, appear before your Excellency in due legal form and state;
In
this present year of 1714, I have remained in this province always serving His Majesty
as there has not been allowed to my mother, Juana de Ansiso, who acted as head
of the family, even a small lot of land to enable her to build a house, this
prompted me to enlist as a soldier at this military presidio, where I served 14
years, but having an attack of sickness and being unable to perform my duties I
withdrew the said enlistment some eight months ago.
Finding
myself with a large family, a wife and children, and having no land to
cultivate so as from the product I might gather there from to support my
family, I therefore, register the land adjoining that registered by Ensign Salvador
Santistevan and Capt. Bartolome Lovato, to the extent that there may be corn
and wheat growing land at the said place on the Chama river, which land is
uncultivated and unsettled and included in the public domain, and which I ask
in a grant from your Excellency, who will please grant it to me together with
the entrances with due respect exits.
I
declare in due legal form that this, my petition is not made in dissimulation
and as may be necessary, etc. Signed
Cristoval Crespin
Amendment
– I will state that the grant I apply for is that our two families, that is to
say my own and that of Nicolas Griego, may be accommodated; the available
portion of said land to be divided between the two in equal portions, and in
the form I ask the said grant… Cristoval Crespin
On
29 August 1714, granted whatever is left after granting four fanegas to Salvador de
Santistevan and Nicolas de Valverde, and the two fanegas with a house, lot and
garden which in their outskirts I granted to Capt. Bartolome Lovato, then
whatever land there shall remain I do, in the name of His Majesty... Signed Juan Ignacio Florez Mogollon, Roque de
Pinto
On
31 August 1714, Capt. Sebastian Martin, Chief Alcalde and War Captain, placed
Cristoval Crespin and Nicolas Griego in royal possession as required in the
grand made by His Excellency the Governor.
Having observed all the formalities, the land was granted. Boundaries are: adjoining the lands of Ensign Santistevan and
Nicolas Valverde, whom were directed to place landmarks on the west of the said
Chama River up to where the acequia madre will begin, on the south lands of
Captain Bartolome Lovato, the south lands of Antonio de Salazar and to where
the Chama joins the del Norte River; on the east the said Chama River and to he
west the hills. Signed - Sebastian
Martin.
A
year later, Cristobal Crespin is asking for an extension of the title to his
property as he has been very ill. He is
also complaining that Jose Trujillo has encroached on his land since he has not
been able to work on it. Trujillo is
told to demolish the corrals and vacate the property since the land was given
in royal possession to someone else.
Signed Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollon, November 25, 1715.
References: Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Roll 1, Twitchell #167, Frames 1167-1180
©Henrietta M. Christmas
Thank you so much for this post! Do you know how I could find out where this land grant was in a bit more detail?
ReplyDeleteThis area is near Hernandez right above today's Espanola. I don't see any other information on the land in the adjudicated records. But I would research Bartolome Trujillo, he had lands in that vicinity and might have purchased some of the Crespin property. Many of these types of grants were sold and the people moved out. Most of the Crespin's ended up in the Cochiti area.
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