Jean L'Archibeque ~ 1720 Estate

Inventory of the goods which appeared and the papers in possession of the said Francisca de Belasco, at the end and death of said Captain, Juan de Archibeque.

His dwelling house and the lands which surround it, with three cornfields, planted.

An old cart.

A ploughshare to till the ground.

Three wooden plough-points and three iron shovels.

An ax and a medium sized copper kettle.

An Iron griddle and a chocolate pitcher of copper and a large knife to pound meat.

Two old pack saddles without riatas or lances.

A suit of clothes, a waist coat, trousers, topcoat and another waist coat of red satin and some black silk stockings, which was what the deceased wore.

A silver salt-cellar, six spoons and six forks of the same.

A box, which opening it, contained within the following merchandise:  An all silk cloth which they call a “ropon,” seven Campeche blankets, a paper with 15 dozen waist coat buttons of silver thread, six and a half varas of narrow English linen, three pieces of Rouen Linen with 62 varas.

Another box, which on opening contained therein six Campeche blankets, 13 dozen and a half of women’s shoes.

Another box, which on opening it contained, one dozen and a half of pack saddle girths, two quires of paper and three pairs of shoes, sixty-eight bundles of tobacco and one of those was given to those who helped to untie the boxes and put on the lock.

The Papers:

A parchment wherein are the instruments and papers to the house and land and some others of the services of said Captain Juan de Archibeque and the books of memoranda and accounts of that which is owning to him, which are placed in a separate inventory. 

Another box, which forcing the lock because its’ key did not appear had the following:  a small white elk skin bag with 34 ingots of gold, large and small with weighed 66 pounds and 12 ounces.  Two sugar loaves which weighed 29 ½ pounds.  68 pounds of loose chocolate in said box and six pounds of those were given to said lady, Francisca as a gift, with its sugar for her consumption, because she asked for it, she is old and infirm.  The salt-cellar and the spoons and forks weighed three pounds and two ounces of silver. A brass mortar with its pestle, and two latten candlesticks.

Inventory of the papers found in the parchment:  A book which is not labeled, or quarter sheets of paper with 33 written sheets, wherein is the account by entries of that which the residents of this Kingdom owe to said deceased.  And it begins:  The Captain, don Ignacio Roybal owes for all accounts ten pesos, and it ends that the brick mason owes for a pair of shoes; two pesos, and said book has ten blank sheets.

Another book of the same size, dated, according to his notation, 1719 with 21 written sheets, wherein is the account of the servants, which begins in the first place, Hambrosio de Balbause was hired on the 9^th of July of said year and it ends that Pancho brought three pairs of socks.  And on said chest, which the last, another annotation is with says Joseph, the master mason, six and said book contains three blank sheets and the first one.

Another book of the same size with 18 written sheets which begins with “Joseph the harpist” four pesos worth of wine and ends with Chirstoval Garcia.

Another book of the same size and written sheets, pertaining to the account of the major and minor cattle and labeled “book wherein is listed the major and minor cattle, which Antonio Montoya shall deliver in the year 1720 by halves” and it ends “Juan de Archibeque has found fault with nothing” and it has two blank sheets with the first and the other have many divisions.

A memorandum on a quarter sheet of paper which beings “Hambrosio de Palbanoy was hired on the 18^th of July 1719” and ends one blanket, six pesos.

Another memorandum on a half sheet of paper, written on one whole side begins “That which my father-in-law, Juan Archibeque, has given me on the 8^th of July 1719 is the following” and ends four camp blankets, 16 pesos.

Another memorandum on a whole sheet of paper with one side written in parts, which begins “Antonio Martin, six pesos” and ends piñon, five. And on the other side, slightly marked which says “silk handkerchiefs, seventy” and ends and the eight.”

Another memorandum, “Antonio Trujillo, eight pesos” and ends “Juan Lucero, four and in the total 184 pesos.

One promissory note begins with Simon Moraga, resident of New Mexico say that I owe to Juan Archibeque, 63 pesos in silver and it ends “besides he owes me 22 pesos.”

Four deeds to the land and house of said deceased and two licenses, the one form the Most Excellent Sir, Duke of Alburquerque and the other of the Most Excellent Sir Duke of Linares and 12 letters and papers of little importance.

Signed Francisco Lorenzo de Casados, Diego Arias de Quiros, and Francisco Reano.

^Items kept coming out as the inventories were made such as elk skins and more clothing items he must have sold.  The initial list was done at the house in Santa Fe where the children's nanny took care of them over the years (Francisca de Belaso). 

* The children are noted throughout the document as Miguel Archibeque, Maria Archibeuqe from his marriage with Antonia Gutierrez, Juan and Agustin, both illegitimate children.  The dowry of Archibeque’s second wife, Manuela Roybal, was noted and her share of the community property was 417 pesos.  Miguel and Maria Archibeque both received 2,346 pesos and Juan was 545 pesos, and Agustin at 200 pesos.  The documents also show the dowry for Maria Archibeque when she married Francisco Casados at 1,126 pesos and four reales.

References:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Reel I, Twitchell #13.

©Henrietta M.Christmas