Diego Romero husband of Barbara Montoya ~ 1714-1743 Land

Lands belonging to Diego Romero measured on May 5, 1743 a share falling to the widow, Barbara Montoya.  Bound on the east from the hill, a small white flat which is on the same slope and at the foot of the said hill as far as the boundary of Andres Romero, which runs from east to west and from north to south as far as the very Hot Spring and a little wood which in in front of the spring and from there, the mountain which is in front as far as the middle road.  I transferred to the elder son, Andres Romero his share and that inheritance of his mother, Maria de San Jose (Diego’s first wife), deceased and then all the three brothers are bound by one another.  Afterwards, Francisco Xavier Romero entered into the same and after that Antonio de Atencio who received the same for his wife, Ana Maria Romero.  They all signed content.  Francisco Guerrero, Jose Terrus and Juan Domingo Paez Hurtado.

In 1714, Diego Romero, a resident of Taos, appear before you and exhibit a design of a brand at the margin of this petition, in order that when being permitted by you, I may be entitled to the use of the same on all my livestock and horses as also recover all livestock with said brand, which has not been sold or given by me, or any person authorized by me. Anyone without the right to use the brand and if caught, should be criminally prosecuted, punished and fined.  Diego Romero.

On August 5, 1724 at Santa Cruz, the retired Alferez Cristobal Torres, Alcalde Mayor of said la Cañada appeared Juan and Sebastian de la Serna, residents and legitimate children of Captain Cristobal de la Serna and Josefa Madrid, both deceased, stating that their mother sold a portion of farming land, which her father was granted by His Majesty at the valley of Taos.  Their brother Ignacio de la Serna is out of the country and they sign for him.  The lands were formerly owned by Captain don Fernando de Chavez and deed said tract to Diego Romero for the sum not mentioned.  Jose Ph. Madrid, Cristobal Tafolla, Francisco Aban Rivera. 

At Taos on October 29, 1746, Antonio Atencio and Maria Romero, resident of Taos, do sell to Antonio Duran de Armijo, a two-storied house, which consists of eight rooms, also 2,000 paces of farming land.  Bounded on the east the acequia nearest the land and farthest from the pueblo, west the river of the said pueblo, north the camino real and south the first corn land of Francisco Xavier Romero, for the price of 200 pesos of the land and was paid by one squaw and four cows and calves.

References:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Roll 8, Twitchell #240, Frames 618-732.

©Henrietta M. Christmas