In his last will and testament, Antonio de Beytia/Abeytia, son of Diego de Beitia and Catalina Leal, referred to “my son Nicolas,” who was apparently a natural son (Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I: no. 110: Last Will and Testament of Antonio de Beitia).
There is a question about whether this Nicolás Beytia/Abeyta was the same person as Nicolás Antonio Abeyta, español, who was born circa 1726 and was most often known as Nicolás Abeyta and Nicolás Velarde.
Nicolás Abeyta was married April 10, 1751, Villa de Santa Fe, with Leonarda Tenorio de Alba, daughter of Miguel Tenorio de Alba and Bárbara Tafoya Altamirano. At the time of this marriage, Nicolás was identified as a resident of the community of Río Arriba. He used the surname of Abeyta for many years and then on April 17, 1777, his surname was recorded as Velarde when a son of his by Leonarda Tenorio was baptized.
He was enumerated in the 1790 census of the jurisdiction of San Juan de los Caballeros as Nicolás Belarde, español, age 64, farmer, with his second wife, Rosa Martín, española, age 59 (b.ca. 1731).
The research evidence is clear that Nicolás Antonio Abeyta/Nicolás Abeyta was also known as Nicolás Velarde.
It appears that Antonio de Beytia (son of Diego de Beitia and Catalina Leal) may have had an illicit relationship with a Velarde woman. Researcher Marilyn Herrera Britton is of the opinion that Nicolás Abeyta was very likely a natural son of Manuela de Beytia since there is an individual named “Nicolas Antonio” listed in her household in the 1750 census of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad del Río del Norte Arriba (also known as Río Arriba). However, was “Nicolás Antonio” in Manuela’s household the same person as “Nicolás,” natural son of Antonio de Beytia. If so, then perhaps Manuela raised her brother’s son.
Marilyn Herrera Britton published her research findings in an article titled "Nicolás Antonio Abeyta (Alias Nicolás Antonio Velarde)," in Herencia, Vol. 20, Issue 2, April 2012, pages 9-31. This article includes an excellent compilation of the genealogy of the descendants of Nicolas and Lugarda. Herencia is the journal of the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico and a copies of back issues can be ordered using an order form from https://www.hgrc-nm.org/herencia.html.
Even with some deep research into archive documents, especially church records, there are yet no known records in which the names of the parents of Nicólas Abeyta/Velarde are named. He could have been the natural son acknowledged by Antonio de Beytia, or he could have been a natural son of Manuela Beytia/Abeyta, or perhaps he was one of the numerous individuals adopted by a member of the Beytia/Abeyta family.
DNA evidence is the next frontier of research into the Abeyta-Velarde family origins.
Summary by José Antonio Esquibel
Researchers: José Antonio Esquibel and Marilyn Herrera Britton