Cristobal Madrid ~ Will 1767

The will of Cristobal Madrid, soldier, in which he declares the chattels he has.

Declare I have six breeding cows, one two-year old heifer, four coming yearlings, and five oxen.

Declare that I have a four room house, and 150 varas in length and 60 varas in width of land.

Declare of having two spits, one large and one small, one axe, one adze, one chisel, one branding iron, one pan and one kettle.

Declare that I owe the town, to pay with my weapons and horse, and if there is anything owing me to be given to my wife.

I declare owing Thomas de Sena, ten pesos, and he owing me one two-year old heifer, and one to go for the other.

I declare owing the Lt. General three heifers and one sheep that will be a yearling in the spring.

I declare owing Juan Domingo Baca ten pesos.

I declare is my will which I have made before the Lt. of this royal garrison at the villa of Santa Fe, and also before the Sargento, Miguel Tenorio of this royal garrison of Santa Fe, and two witnesses.

Signed as Judge on the 21^st of December 1767, at the request of Christobal Madrid.

Phelipe Sandoval, rubric; Thomas Madrid, rubric; Miguel Thenorio, rubric; Diego Antonio de la Peña, rubric.

Reference:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Twitchell #579, Reel 3, Frames 1183-1185.

©Henrietta M. Christmas

Josefa Montoya ~ Will 1766

I, Josepha Montoya, daughter of don Salvador Montoya and doña Manuela Garcia de la Riva, deceased and a resident of this villa of Santa Fe, and a widow of Joseph Antonio Benavides, find myself sick in bed.

I was married to Joseph Antonio Benavides, deceased, and we raised six children who are:  Manuela, Xaviera, Gertrudis, Ygnacia, Antonio Gervacio and Juan Domingo; whom are the heirs of me and my husband. 

The ones of age and married:  Manuela married Antonio Lucero; Xaviera to Nicolas Garzia; Ygnacita is promised since childhood to Manuel Urioste.  The other three are with me and under my protection being of minor age.

I declare my home which I received from my deceased mother as inheritance.

I have three cows with calves which are in the possession of Antonio Lucero; one female burro and one small burro; I order they be given to my daughter, Xaviera.

I owe don Nicolas Ortiz three pair of hose, I order them to be paid.

I owe the son-in-law of Antonia Montoya six pesos, which I order to be paid.

I owe Estevan Rodrigues the schooling for my son.

I declare that Barthola Lopez owes me four pesos, I order it collected.

The Indian woman, Rosalia, owes me two pairs of hose, I order it collected.

Juan Estevan Baca owes me five pesos for making a pair of women’s skirts, collect four pesos as I owe him one peso.

I declare that Francisca, the wife, of Fragoso owes me four pesos, which I order collected.

I declare that Jose Manuel Apodaca owes me fourteen pesos, I order it be collected.

I declare that I owe Joseph Lozano one peso and four reales, I order it paid.

I leave my kitchen comal and one kettle.

My brother-in-law, Domingo Benavides, has two cows and two heifers, which is my property and not my deceased husbands.  The said cows upon the information of my brother-in-law, Manuel Benavides and Francisco Lujan, a neighbor, still exist. I order them collected and added to my goods.

I leave as my executor, my son-in-law, Antonio Lucero de Godoy. Signed this 3^rd of April 1766. 

Signed Francisco Guerrero, rubric; Francisco Xabier Fragoso, rubric; and Juan Francisco Niño Ladron de Guevara, rubric.

References:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Twitchell 569, Reel 3, Frames 1155-1157.

©Henrietta M. Christmas

Nicolas Mares ~ Will 1766

Will know all who read this writing that I, Nicolas Mares, a resident of this Villa of Santa Fe and of the kingdom of New Mexico and a soldier of the Royal Garrison; a legitimate son of Joseph Antonio Mares and Ana Antonia Rodriguez will, both deceased, and ill in bed but of sound judgment and complete memory.

I declare that I have been married according to the holy church to Josefa de los Reyes y Vargas for the past 32 years (m. March 28, 1737). During this marriage we had and reared 10 children who are the following: Lorenzo, Manuel, Luis Cristobal, Joseph, Maria de la Luz, Francisco, Estevan, Joseph Manuel, Juan Domingo and Nicolas.

I declare as my property the house of my residence consisting of four rooms; it is my will that said house and furniture be left to my wife into my daughter, Maria de la Luz, in equal parts.

I declare as my property the following lands: bounded on the East by lands of Santiago Garcia, on the West by lands of Marcos Apodaca, on the South by an acequia in the road which goes to the Hill, on the North by the acequia madre, and it is my will that the same be divided equally between my wife and children.

I declare as my property 23 breeding cows, six bull calves - two years old and seven calves one-year-old and also two yoke of oxen.

I declare as my property five mules.

I declare as my property eight horses, all weapons and covers, rifle, blunderbuss, sword, saddle and bridle, spears and cartridge belts.

I declare that Santiago Garcia owes me one cow and a calf.

I declare that Julian Chavez owes me one horse and I order that to be collected.

I declare that Tomas Ortiz owes me one peso in silver in order that it be collected.

I declare that Ygnacio Vargas owes me one ½ fanegas horse beans and ½ fanegas of peas.

I declare having delivered to Leonardo Gonzalez one cow and heifer one-year-old, and ½ fanegas of wheat in payment of a parcel of land that I bought from him, and which has not been delivered to me, and order that if the same is not received that the money be collected.

I order that Benito Armenta be paid 12 reales for the making of three large quilts.

I declare that I owe an Indian of Chile and adze in order said to be paid.

And to comply and fulfill this last will and testament I name and appoint as my administrators of my estate in the first place in this principle my brother, Joseph Mares, and second administrator, my wife, Josefa Vargas, to each of whom I shall give poor power and authority to carry it out.

I signed this on the same 10^th day of the month of January of this year 1766 in the presence of the Lieut. of this Royal Garrison, Don Tomas Madrid and in the presence of acting witnessed Juan Calletano Unanue and Joseph Miguel Garduño who signed. Not being able to write my name I asked Joseph Miguel Garduño to sign for me.

Nicolas Mares, rubric, Juan Cayetano Unanue, rubric, Thomas Madrid, rubric, Joseph Miguel Garduño, rubric. 

References:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Twitchell #567, Reel 3, Frames 1140-1144.

©Henrietta M. Christmas

Soldier, Cristobal Madrid ~ 1765 Will

I, Xptobal Madrid, soldier of this royal garrison of Santa Fe, being sick in bed, do make my last will and testament.

I declare that I was married to Francisca Herrera and from this marriage we had nine children, of whom seven are alive and two dead.

I declare as my property, my dwelling house which consists of four rooms, and piece of land that measures 125 varas in length and 60 in width.

I declare ownership of two tracts of land at La Cañada that my wife inherited from her parents.  One tract measures 350 varas in length and 15 varas wide, and the other tract measures 90 varas in width and in length from the road to the river.

I declare that my wife brought and placed in my possession, 16 head of cattle of all kinds, bull and heifer, calves and three horses, which I, my wife and my children consumed.

I declare I have eight cows and three little calves.

I declare the ownership of six horses.

I declare that I have in my possession all the equipment with nothing missing, that I used during the time I was in service to the King.

I declare that I owe Felipe Tafolla, three pesos.

I declare that I owe Juachin Leiva, six pesos.

I declare that it is my will that my dwelling house and furniture be left to my wife and we obtained said property during our married life and it is my will that my wife and children may enjoy the same with God’s blessings and mine.

I name and leave my wife and my son, Antonio Xabiel as my administrators.  This 9^th day of January 1765 in the presence of the Lt. Tomas Madril and Ensign don Francisco Esquivel, with two witnesses: don Francisco Esquibel and Joseph Miguel Garduño.

Signed, Thomas Madril, rubric; Jph Miguel Garduño, rubric; Fran^co Esquibel, rubric.

References:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Twitchell 560, Frames 1116-1119.  Also in the NMGS Journal, 39:4, December 2000 co-published with Virgnia Sanchez.

 ©Henrietta M. Christmas

Juan Jose Moreno ~ 1746 con't

Continued from December 13, 2013 post.

Also declare for my property 75 pesos in cash, 30 buckskins at 75 centavos each and 5 ½ pesos, due me by Juan de Gabaldon, as appears by a memorandum amongst my papers and I order to collect them as I paid the full amount.

Also declare to have trusted Manuel Olguin a resident of Santa Barbara, in the Town of San Felipe of the Real de Chihuahua, at the house of don Francisco Gomez, 10 pesos in cash; he paid me five and I order to collect the other five as I paid the full amount.

Also declare Juan Luis de Tafoya, a resident of El Paso, since the year that he went from El Paso with me to the old country, owes me 16 horses which had run away from me, as he gathered and sold them where he found them, as I am informed by letters received from the individuals of the places where they went; and also appear in a memorandum.  I order my executors to collect.

Also declare that Juan Jose de Rojas, resident of El Paso, owes me a barrel of wine for an embellishment of a room and a door curtain; if he should not send it now, I order my executors to collect it.

Also declare, that Jose Manuel del Castillo, alias the tailor, owes me five flasks of wine from the garden which he attends at Senecu, I order to collect them.

Also declare that don Bernardo Gonzales de Castro, resident of El Paso, owes me two leather jackets with their fixtures, I order to collect them.

Also declare that don Carlos Mirabal owes me 60 ewes and one horse, for which he remained indebted when we adjusted his account four years ago, I order to be collected.

I also declare, that the widow of Villalpando who resides at Embudo, owes me the balance due to me by her husband; the amount of 40 pesos, after deducting what he had paid; also two crowbars and a pickaxe which she has in her possession, I order to collect the balance due and also to claim the bars and picks.

Also declare, that Miguel el Chago, resident of Taos, owes me tan hides at two pesos each, balance do for a female Indian, also some odd dollars for some knives which I left in his possession, which he may state in his conscience how many they were, I order to collect them together with the hides.

Cristobal Tafoya, from Jacona, owes me six pesos for three colts which I sold him, I order to collect.

Also declare Juan Garcia de la Mora, to owe me a copper kettle which I sold him for eleven pounds and four ounces at two pesos, and not having agreed on the price, he agreed to return the same at Chihuahua, and I would return him two pounds of powder; I order my executors to collect the balance.

In the same manner, I declare for my property all the individuals which may appear by my books of accounts, and simple memorandum of what I may have given them, and when their accounts may be adjusted I order to collect what may be due me.

Also declare as my property, seven leather jackets with their fixtures.

Also I declare to have raised in my company and that of my wife, Antonia Roybal, my niece, the daughter of don Mateo Roybal, since her childhood and I have had her in my home, and for the love and affection which I have for her, it is my will to leave her he remainder of my property, 60 ewes and all her clothing.  It is also my wish that the ewes be delivered over to her father that he may increase them until the time that she may be married.  In the meanwhile, she will be maintained in the company of my wife in the same manner as we have supported her until the present time and I recommend to her that when she may get married, to marry with her consent and to an honest person of her qualities, which I hope she will execute.

I also bequeath from the remainder of my property to the Most Holy Virgin of Light, 300 pesos at current prices of the land for aid in the building of her chapel in this town.

I declare to have received, at the time when I married doña Juana Roybal, ten breeding cows, one bull and one yoke of oxen.  Said property, I declare belongs to her, for her parents gave it to her and I order my executors to separate the said property from the capital of my estate and deliver it to my wife.

I declare that it is my last will to leave my only and universal heir my said wife, doña Juana Roybal, who helped me to increase it and for the good care which she has taken of me in all my sickness, imploring her pardon in all those things and occasions which may have offended, during the time of our company.

I name as my executors, doña Juana Roybal, first and she will also be the guardian of my property, don Antonio Roybal, second and thirds, Mateo Roybal; fourth will be don Juan Francisco de Arroniz.

I the Governor, Captain General of this province, don Francisco Antonio Marin del Valle, with witnesses, don Vicente Jinso Rony Thobar and don Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco and Felipe Tafoya.   This will made in this villa, on 28^th January 1746.  Signed Francisco Antonio Marin del Valle, rubric, Juan Jose Moreno, rubric, Miguel de Alire, rubric, Francisco Javier Fragoso, rubric.

References:  Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I, Twitchell 552, Frames 1042-1056.

©Henrietta M. Christmas