by Noel Shafi
April, 2019
Abstract
This paper examines the profile of a well-known member of the Núñez family from Baitoa, Santiago, Dominican Republic. A short biography of Baldomero Antonio Núñez-Franco is written, with a focus on his immediate family, agricultural tradition, the social and political context of his lifetime, and family narratives on his personality, proverbs, and poetry. Noel Shafi is a second-greatgrandson of Baldomero Núñez.
Early Life
1873. Baldomero Antonio Núñez de Franco, also known as “Mero” or “Papa Mero”, was born circa 1873 in Baitoa, Santiago, Dominican Republic, an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea. He was from the Cibao, or the northern valley. He was the son of Jose Maria Núñez (1825-1895) and Bernarda Franco (c. 1835 - bef. 1917). He was their youngest child. Baldomero was raised in a large family of at least 11 children. Including 7 boys and 4 girls. His family is believed to have lived in Baitoa since the 18th century. His father was a farmer. They owned land in La Lima, Baitoa. Some of his paternal ancestors were from Catalonia, Spain.
Midlife
1874-1890. Baldomero lived during a period of time which historians refer to as the second republic of the Dominican Republic (1865-1916). This was a time when Spain had withdrawn from the country, reconstruction was taking place, and imminent power struggles ensued, with towns being ruled by local strongmen who acted as provincial governors. Baldomero lived under great political instability characterized by military coups, and multiple, short-lived presidential administrations. The Cibao region in which he lived had a culture of nationalism and liberal ideology, in comparison to the Spanish loyalist and conservatism of the southern region and national district of Santo Domingo.
Baldomero was a farmer, like his father. He owned and maintained his own property and land in La Lima, Baitoa. He cultivated some local crops and cared for domestic livestock. He was known to cultivate tobacco and sugarcane, two of the most profitable crops in the Cibao region during that timeperiod. He mostly engaged in local commerce and trade. His descendants reported that in his early years, he would use an ox to plow the field. He would also visit Santiago on horseback. One secondary source reported that Baldomero once recited:
“que triste de Mero Núñez volver a pueblo otra vez,
tanta agua y tanta niebla, y tan tarde que se fue”.
Premarital Relations: Maria del Carmen Peña
1891-1893. Mero had premarital relations with Maria del Carmen Peña. Carmen was a daughter of Ambrocio Pena and Maria del Carmen Valerio. The Peña-Valerio family were from La Zanja, Santiago. Carmen was also a sister of Bertilia Peña. Bertilia Peña was the wife of Felix Núñez, his older brother. Mero and Carmen were not legally married. Carmen was born in the Santiago region in the 1860s. Mero had relations with Carmen prior to his first marriage with Rosalia.Baldomero and Carmen had at least 2 children together:
Maria Josefa “Maruca” Núñez-Peña (03/19/1892-aft. 1917)
Ana Rita Núñez-Peña (05/21/1893-04/19/1983)
The following is a summary of marital information for the Núñez-Peña family:
Ana Rita married Jose Abraham Núñez on December 8, 1915
Maria Josefa married Jacobo Núñez on February 13, 1915
First Marriage: Rosalia Hernandez-Espinal
1893-1908. Baldomero married Rosalia Hernandez-Espinal on September 9, 1893 in the Civil Office, and on September, 26 1893 in Saint James the Apostle Cathedral. This was their first formal marriage. Baldomero was 20 years old at the time. This means that Baldomero was born around 1873. Rosalia was 21 years old, although the marriage certificate erroneously states she was 18. She was born in 1872. Rosalia was the daughter of Raymundo Hernandez and Micaela Espinal. The Hernandez-Espinal family was originally from El Jobo, La Vega. Mero’s father, Jose Maria Núñez, died in 1895. His mother, Bernarda Franco, died sometime after 1895 and before 1917. One of his eldest sisters, Maria Dolores Núñez, died in 1896. She was the first to die from his generation. Most of Mero’s siblings were alive in 1900. Notably, on July 26, 1899, Ulises Hilarión Heureaux Leibert, the Dominican President, was assassinated in Moca by tobacco merchants.
1894-1908. Baldomero and Rosalia had 7 children:
Maria Adelina De Jesus Núñez-Hernandez (09/22/1894-c. 1957)
Petronila Amalia Núñez-Hernandez (08/09/1896-09/06/1992)
Jose Liberato Núñez-Hernández (09/02/1902-09/27/1989)
Eusebio Antonio Núñez-Hernández (10/03/1903-10/27/1998)
Felicia De Jesus Núñez-Hernandez (11/28/1905-10/08/1990)
Saturnino De Jesus Núñez-Hernandez (11/28/1905-c. 1985)
Miguel Antonio Núñez-Hernández (04/16/1907-12/03/1980)
The following is a summary of their marital information:
Maria Adelina married Manuel Batista in 1916.
Petronila Amalia married Jose Gabino Perez circa 1920s.
Jose Liberato married Maria Zeofila Coronado on 01/29/1925.
Eusebio Antonio married Julia Antonia Franco circa 1920s.
Felicia De Jesus married Epifanio Jerez circa 1920s.
Saturnino De Jesus married “Puña” Diaz circa 1920s.
Miguel Antonio married Maria D. Rodriguez on 06/04/1930.
One of the proverbs that Mero would tell his children and grandchildren was:
“A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda”
This proverb translates into “God helps those who rise early” or “The early bird gets the worm.” Tragically, Baldomero’s first wife, Rosalia, died while her children were grade-schoolers (i.e. 5-12 years old) circa 1908. Her cause of death is unknown. She is probably buried in Santiago.
Second Marriage: Ana Matilde Rufino-Rodriguez
1909. Baldomero remarried with Ana Matilde Rufino circa 1909. Ana Matilde, also known as “Mamella”, was the daughter of Gregorio Rufino and Balbina Rodriguez. The Rufinos were from Santo Cerro. Ana was born circa 1869 and died on 10/12/1960. Mero and Mamella lived together in Baitoa. This was Baldomero’s second marriage after being widowed from his first wife.
1910-1915. Baldomero and Ana Matilde had 3 children:
Anacaona Núñez-Rufino (04/19/1910-11/27/1983)
Jose Maria Núñez-Rufino (01/16/1912-07/22/2002)
Rafael De Jesús Núñez-Rufino (01/15/1915-02/27/1991)
The following is a summary of their marital information:
Ana Caona Núñez-Rufino married Agustin Fernandez-Santos.
Jose Maria Núñez-Rufino married Ana Virginia Núñez-Acosta.
Rafael de Jesus Núñez-Rufino married Carmen Santos, and
later, had a long-term relationship with Altagracia Duran-Alba.
1916-1935. Mero was known to be a lifelong laborer. He was an experienced agricultural worker, but was also known to have been a skilled carpenter. His youngest child, Rafael de Jesús Núñez-Rufino, once reported to his children that Mero constructed his own house, and a local school on his own property by hand.
Baldomero and Matilde later separated in the 1930s. Matilde relocated to Santiago de los Caballeros to live with her daughter, Anacaona Núñez-Rufino. Baldomero remained in Baitoa as a single man for a short amount of time.
1936. Baldomero relocated from Baitoa, Santiago, to Montellano, Salcedo, to live with his eldest son, Jose Liberato Núñez, and daughter-in-law, Maria Teofila Coronado circa 1936. He was known to ride his horse from Montellano to Baitoa on a yearly visit to his sons in his hometown of Baitoa, including Eusebio Antonio Núñez and his extended family. Eusebio was also involved in agriculture and livestock.
Based on secondary sources, Baldomero was known to reflect on country life through proverbs and poetry. Some of his rural proverbs were also futuristic. He once declared:
“se llegará el tiempo que todos estaremos enredado de alambre”
This translates into “the time will come when we will all be tangled in wire”, which is in reference to the emerging complexities of land ownership and man-made boundaries in the countryside
(Nelson Del Rosario, personal communication, March 4, 2019).
Late Life and Death
1930s. During this time period, the new generation of the Núñez family continued to follow the agricultural tradition of their forefathers, cultivating tobacco, sugarcane, and coffee beans.
His oldest son, Jose Liberato, constructed a shack for Mero across the street, so that he can have his own sleeping space. Liberato was a longtime alcalde (mayor) of Montellano; he was also a carpenter and farmer. Liberato likely learned these skills directly from his father who specialized in these trades. The Núñez family were to known to consume traditional Dominican meals, including arroz (rice), frijoles (beans), with carne de res (beef), pollo (chicken), cerdo (pork), ensalada (salad), and sancocho (Caribbean beef stew). Mero was known to have a healthy appetite, and would often eat chicharrones de cerdo (pork chunks), queso (cheese), batata asada (roasted potato) and yuca (cassava) at nighttime in his shack.
Mero was described by his grandchildren as being jovial. Even in his old age, he was often observed attending family parties and reunions with a sociable personality. Other grandchildren
described him as being traditional in the way he socialized with youngsters, with the expectation that they bend on their knees to ask him for his bendicion (or blessing) upon greeting him.
1940s. Several grandchildren recalled how Baldomero reacted during the Dominican Republic earthquake of Sunday, August 4, 1946. Baldomero was visiting his son Eusebio, in Baitoa. On that day, the family was inside his son’s home, when suddenly, the ground started shaking. Baldomero frantically told his children to run outside, remarking afterwards,
“Esto fue una cosa grande!”
Translation: [This was a big deal!]. During this same time period, Mero was also mesmerized by seeing an modern airplane flying over the sky for the first time in his life, reciting in a poem:
“¿Cuando volverá mirar los aeroplanos volando?”
Translation: [“When will I watch the airplanes flying again?”] (as recounted by his youngest son, Rafael de Jesús Núñez-Rufino).
1950s. According to narratives from his grandchildren (most of whom acted as primary sources of information to the author), Baldomero was a vivid storyteller. He was spiritual and claimed that he would speak to the dead. He claimed to have used prayers to throw brujas (witches) off their broomsticks midair.
He was also a poet. And he known to recite folk poetry spontaneously. His poetry reflected local customs, acquired wisdom, and personal grief. In his poem on the death of his first wife, Rosalia, Baldomero would recite:
“aunque triste lo he pasado, conforme siempre seré.”
Translation: [“Although I’ve been sad, I’ll always be.”] His short rural poems were characterized by sentimentality and country life. His poetry was an oral tradition that was used by him as a form of proverbial expression, social entertainment, and artistic therapy.
He talked about wandering with his brother Martin, who encountered some men in the field who told them about a botija (jug) that was used to put away money and buried underground. They went to take out the jug, but a spirit began talking to Martin, because he was drinking or drunk. Baldomero and Martin were unable to take it out and left the scene after being unable to outdo the spirits. Mero would often tell stories of supernatural encounters with ghosts on the rural countryside. These stories were likely reflections of folklore. He would often say to the spirits:
“Que me den una botija!”
1950s. Baldomero was observed waking up at 4am every morning, and reciting the “Ave Maria” [Hail Mary] prayer out loud in the in the middle of the countryside, in such a way that even his neighbors could hear him (Elena Coronado, personal communication, 2019). After prayers, Mero would feed his chickens corn, and then eat whatever fruits he could pick out from his son’s field. He would go to sleep around 7pm. Early to bed, early to rise.
1954. On August 22, his last day alive, Baldomero had coffee with his son and daughter-in-law, Jose Liberato Núñez and Maria Teofila Coronado. He had told them he was not feeling well that morning. He was not bedridden and was fairly active. He was still walking. He died suddenly in the afternoon, possibly of a heart attack or complications from advanced age.
Baldomero Antonio Núñez de Franco died on Sunday, August 22, 1954 at 4pm in Montellano, Salcedo, Dominican Republic. He was about 81 years old. His death was reported to the Civil Registry office in Montellano. Baldomero Antonio Núñez-Franco is buried in Montellano Municipal Cemetery in a family mausoleum.