Gallegos

Status

While researching records related to the city of San José del Parral, Nueva Vizcaya (now Hidalgo de Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico), Gerald J. Mandell extracted historical and genealogical information about the Gallegos family (ONMF: 31). He shared some of his research with the editors of the Vargas Project (University of New Mexico) who included the material in the footnotes of By Force of Arms: The Journals of don Diego de Vargas, New Mexico, 1691-93, John L. Kessell and Rick Hendricks, editors.

Mandell's research extends the known lineage of the Gallegos family by two generations as follows:

Luis Gallegos de Terrazas, identified as a freighter, was married with Pascuala de Rueda. This couple had three sons: Alférez Diego Gallegos (born circa 1600), Antonio Gallegos and Juan Burruel de Luna. All three brothers were involved in silver mining at the mines of Parral.

Alférez Diego Gallegos, a rancher and miner, was married with Catalina de Rivera. They were the parents of José Gallegos (probably the son of this name baptized on 22 March 1657, Parral), and Antonio Gallegos, the progenitors of the Gallegos family of New Mexico.

Researcher: Gerald J. Mandell

Source: By Force of Arms: The Journals of don Diego de Vargas, New Mexico, 1691-93, John L. Kessell and Rick Hendricks, eds. Gerald J. Mandell, Research Consultant, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1992: 438 n. 45.

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In 1656, at San José del Parral, Nueva Vizcaya, Capitán Alonso Morales García brought a suit to collect 333 pesos against Alférez Diego Gallegos, father of New Mexico settlers José and Antonio Gallegos (ONMF: 31; BFA: 483 n45). The document mentions "cathalina de Ribera mujer legitima del alferes diego gallegos vezo de este Rl…" ("Catalina de Ribera legitimate wife of Alférez Diego Gallegos, resident of this Real…"). As part of the investigation into this suit, the "bienes" (possessions/goods) of Gallegos were inventoried. Most of these goods were placed in the custody of Nicolás de Rivera, most likely a close relative of Catalina's. In his response to the suit, Gallegos wrote the following information which identified his wife's parents:

…como yo El alferez Diego Gallegos vessino del Rl y minas de San Joseph del parral de la jurisdicion de la nueva viscaya digo que por cuanto al tiempo ysason que se trato y conserto cassamiento entre mi y Cathalina de Rivera mi legitima mujer hija legitima de Franco miguel difunto y de maria de ortega…

(…that I, Alférez Diego Gallegos, resident of the Real and Mines of San José del Parral of the jurisdiction of Nueva Vizcaya, state that during the time that I contracted and joined in marriage between myself and Catalina de Rivera, my legitimate wife, legitimate daughter of Francisco Miguel, deceased, and María de Ortega…)

Researcher: José Antonio Esquibel

Source: El Archivo de Hidalgo del Parral, 1656B, frames 1034-1043 (El Capitán Alonso Morales García contra el Alférez Diego Gallegos, vecino deste Real) microfilm copy from the collection of the New Mexico State University Library, Las Cruces, NM.

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Diego Gallegos, the father of José Gallegos (ONMF: 31), made his will at San José del Parral on 27 June 1657. In this will he declared he was a native of La Ciudad de Guadiana (Durango), the legitimate son of Luis Gallegos and Pasquala de Ruada (instead of Rueda, as previously documented), both deceased and who were residents of Guadiana. He further stated, “I declare that I am married and veiled according to the order of Our Holy Mother Church with Catalina de Rivera, my legitimate wife, and during our marriage we have had and procreated four legitimate children named Ygnacio, Diego, Joseph, and María, our legitimate children who are alive.”

This information confirms the names of the siblings of José Gallegos, one of the progenitors of the Gallegos family of New Mexico. Curiously, Antonio Gallegos (ONMF: 31), identified as a brother of José by Chávez, is not named as a child of Diego Gallegos and Catalina de Rivera. It could be that he was not yet born and that Catalina was pregnant at the time her husband made his will. Another possibility is that Antonio was a natural son of Diego Gallegos. Chávez’ original source that identified José and Antonio as brothers is deserving of another close look. Chávez cited B.N.M., leg. 2, pt. 3, ff. 356.

Researcher: Robert Martínez. Narrative Summary: José Antonio Esquibel

Source: Archivo Histórico del Parral, Reel 1656B, Frame 642

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Diego Gallegos and Josefa Gutiérrez (ONMF: 179) had these other children not mentioned in Origins of New Mexico Families: María Bárbara Gallegos, española, baptized. 31 December 1744, San Buenaventura de Cochiti, with Cayetano Lucero and María Salas as padrinos; and Diego Gallegos, a soldier in Santa Fe, a farmer by occupation, 5'4" tall, age forty-three when he enlisted on 5 December 1759 in place of Francisco Ortega. The younger Diego Gallegos was described as having black hair and eyebrows, a round face, swarthy skin, a sharp nose, and a heavy beard. He signed by mark. He served as a soldier for twenty-six years and died at the Presidio de Carrizal on 18 December 1785.

Agustín Gallegos and María Montaño, not treated in Origins of New Mexico Families, were married 15 June 1735, San Felipe de Neri Church in Albuquerque. The witnesses for this union were Capitán José Gonzales and Francisca García. Agustín and María, appear in the 1750 Albuquerque Census as: “Gallegos, Agustin, Spanish, soldier, age 31; wife María Montaño, Spanish, age 31; three children: Bárbara, 14; Thomas, 11; Martin, 9; Barthola, Indian servant, 16” (Olmsted, Spanish and Mexican Censuses of New Mexico, 1750-1830, p. 75, entry number 32).

The following information is known about the children of Agustín Gallegos and María Montaño. Bárbara Febronia Gallegos Montaño was baptized 31 March 1736, Albuquerque, and her padrinos were José Montaño and María Cuellar, who were very likely related to María Montaño, possibly even her parents. Martín Gallegos Montaño, age twenty-nine in 1761, married Leonor Gonzales Bas, age fifteen, the daughter of Antonio Gonzales Bas and Josefa Varela (AASF, DM 7 May 1761, no. 10). Antonio González Bas and Josefa Varela are treated in Origins of New Mexico Families (page 190), but there is no mention of their children. Leonor González Bas is an addition to Origins of New Mexico Families.

Researcher: Yolanda Romero Chávez

Sources: AASF, Roll 4, Cochiti, Baptisms, 1736-1775.; AASF, Roll 1, Albuquerque, Baptisms, 1706-1736; Virginia L. Olmsted, “Spanish Enlistment Papers of New Mexico 1732-1820,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 67, Number 4, Dec.1979 by Virginia Olmsted, CG.; Virginia L. Olmsted, G.R.S., Translator and Compiler, Spanish and Mexican Censuses of New Mexico, 1750-1830, Albuquerque: New Mexico Genealogical Society, 1981, p. 75.

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GALLEGOS (Gurulé)

Last will and testament of Elena Gallegos, 1 May 1730

The name of Elena Gallegos is still known to many people today in New Mexico. The large tract of land that she acquired by sale in 1716 became known as the Elena Gallegos Land Grant during the mid-late 1800s. Today, most of her land, which stretched from the banks of the Rio Grande near the village of Alameda to the Sandia Mountains, is part of the City of Albuquerque. A parcel of land at the foothills of the Sandia Mountains is now Elena Gallegos Park.

No approximate year of birth has been ascertained for Elena Gallegos. Most likely she was born just prior to or soon after the Pueblo Indian revolt of 10 August 1680. She was a native of Bernalillo and her parents were named as Antonio Gallegos and doña Catalina Baca in her prenuptial investigation record dated 1699, Bernalillo. Curiously, Antonio Gallegos and doña Catalina Baca were not accounted for in the census made in early 1693 of the exiled New Mexico families intending to return with Governor Vargas. The household of Antonio's brother, José Gallegos, was enumerated in this census and only lists his wife, Catalina Hurtado, and their five sons. In addition, there is no listing of any Gallegos household in the cattle distribution census made by Governor Vargas in May 1697. In short, it is still not known how and when Elena Gallegos and her brother Felipe Gallegos came to reside in the Bernalillo area.

In 1699, Elena Gallegos sought to marry Santiago Grolé (also known as Jacques Grolet), a native of La Rochelle, France, who was born about 1663 (Chávez, "NMR," 87-88, DM 1697, no. 12, Santa Fe; and Chávez, ONMF, 193). A careful review of a copy of the original prenuptial investigation record clearly shows that Santiago Grolé named his parents as "Ybon Groleé" and "Marie Odoin" (DM 1699, no. 8, Bernalillo, San Felipe). It has been previously cited that the surname of Santiago's mother was "Odom" (Chávez, ONMF, 193). In her last will and testament, Elena Gallegos declared she had been married with Santiago Gurulé for twelve years, indicating that Santiago died around 1712. According to her last will and testament, Elena Gallegos directed that she be buried by the font of Holy Water in the church of San Felipe de Neri in Albuquerque.

In 1716, Elena Gallegos purchased a large tract of land from Diego de Montoya, which he had received from the crown in 1694. This particular tract of land has become known as the Elena Gallegos Land Grant. Records concerning this land grant and many others have been preserved among the collection of land grant records that are part of the Spanish Archives of New Mexico. These records are part of the Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Series I (SANM I) and can be accessed on microfilm. A copy of the last will and testament was one of the important documents collected in regard to the Elena Gallegos land grant. Researchers will often find this and other land and personal family papers in the land grant records. In addition, many of the original Spanish documents are transcribed and also translated into English.

The last will and testament of Elena Gallegos is dated 1 May 1730. The revised English translation presented here is based on a copy of the original Spanish version and the first English translation. A copy of the original Spanish version is found in SANM I, Roll 38, fr. 764-66, and the first English translation is found on frames 823-24 of the same roll.