The baptismal record for my great grandmother Alcaria (dated March 14, 1858) is a little mysterious because her last name is given as Valencia and she is said to be the legitimate daughter of Ramon Valencia. Above his name is written Pablo Barbero in a different hand. The mother's name runs off into the margin of the microfilm, but looks like Maria Martiana. Above that name is written Cruz Valencia. The baptismal record gives the paternal grandparents as José Valencia and Maria Tomasa Ribera and the maternal grandparents as Pablo Ortega and Francisca Ortiz. Though the document is in Spanish, a note in English reads, as far as I can tell: B. Alcaria Maria. Names above are of the uncle and aunt; not the names of parents of girl(??). This makes it look as if Pablo and Cruz were not actually Alcaria's parents. (LDS 0016894).

Alcaria's descendent Leroy Garcia has written to me: "I was going through some of my old records and was reading the information in 'Rancho Pancho'. I have a copy of the record of the marriage of Ramon Ribera with Matiana Ortega on 10 February 1858. The father of Ramon is given as "el difunto" Miguel Ribera and Tomasa Valencia. Testigos were Prudencio Garcia and Anastacio Borrego. If your records on Ramon Valencia and Martiana Ortega are correct, this would mean that Ramon adopted his mother's name presumably because he never knew his father because he died before he was born. AASF # 89, February 1858. His father, Miguel Ribera must have been born before or about 1828. This would also explain why Tomasa also went by the Ribera name in some other church records. What I am speculating now is that Martiana and Ramon had a child (Alcaria) that she gave up for adoption by Cruz Valencia. There is a Miguel Ribera listed in the Santa Fe Census for 1823 married to Juana Garcia, his age is 46 and his wife is 40. He is listed as a carpenter. They are the 71st household and Maria Francisca Ortiz and Jose Eldifonso Ortiz was living in the 82nd household with their father Antonio Ortiz. Miguel Ribera could have married a second time to Tomasa Valencia before 1858."

An archival report dated April 14, 2006 helps confirms the thesis that Alcaria's parents were Ramon and Matiana. The report concerns the house inherited by Alcaria's daughter Lourdes. It is where Alcaria died and Adelina Ortiz was born.

The report reads (NB there are some errors in the research) : "In the 1860s through the 1880s, there was much buying and selling of properties in the area around the subject property. Beginning with 1860, the deeds suggest that the block of property south of what is now Palace Avenue and east of Arroyo de los Sais was owned by Vicente Ortega primarily on the north and Jesus and Ramon Carillo, primarily on the south, each living in houses located centrally, but north of the Acequia de la Guardia. With the death of Ortega, his property was divided, occupied, and bought and sold by his heirs, several of whom were married daughters named Maria. The heirs, including the spouses, that lived in or added units in the compound at some time appear to be at least Luciano Ortega, Jesus Labadie and Maria Francisca Altagracia Ortega, Ramon Valencia and Maria Matiana Ortega, Bernardo Sais and Maria Francisca Ortega. Maria Guadalupe Ortega and Santiago Ortega appear to be the daughter and son of Luciano. The units occupied by Labadie and Sais appear to be the oldest or at least are mentioned in an 1866 deed. This deed shows Jesus Labadie and Maria Francisca Altagracia Ortega de Labadie selling property to Matiana Ortega (the wife of Ramon Valencia, though he was not named as such in the deed. (SFCD Book J-1, p. 406).... Note that while an adjoiner to the property is Francisco Ortiz, this appears to be another Francisco Ortiz, not the owner of the subject property. He is probably the father or husband of Maria Francesca Ortiz who is later shown owning a lot adjacent to the subject property on the west. The Francisco Ortiz who was an ower of the subject property is shown by the US Census as lving in 1870 with his parents in the Cerro Gordo area. An 1874 deed shows Ramon Valencia and Maria Matiana Ortega de Valencia buying property from Bernardo Sais and Maria Francisca Ortega de Sais (SFCD Book D-1, pp. 318, 319).... the house in which Francisco and Alcaria Ortiz and Josina Howland came to live is shown as casa de Ramon Valencia Matiana Ortega. ... No deed has yet been found showing that the Valencias, who owned the property as early as 1874, or any others sold the subject property to Francisco and Alcaria Ortiz.... The US Census records and other documents provide some clues as to the change in ownership. In 1880 Francisco Ortiz was living with his wife Alcaria Barbero de Ortiz and children in the Cerro Gordo area next to his parents, Jose E. Ortiz and Juana Maria Romero de Ortiz (follow this link for a description of this house). The 1890 Census shows the family living on the subject property. Francisco died sometime before 1914 (SFCD, Book P-1, p. 182 with Alcaria Ortiz continuing to live on the property with some members of her family. Mrs. Howland stated that her grandmother gave or sold the house and garden lots to her mother, Lourdes Ortiz Howland, after the 1924 death of Lourde's husband, James G. Howland.... The River Improvement map shows that the property was owned by F.V. Ortiz as late as 1929 though the County deed records have no deed for a change in ownership. Mrs Howland said that Frank V. Ortiz was her uncle, a school teacher.... The properties on which the house was located were eventually deeded to Josina Trujillo, who at some time after 1960 began to use her given last name of Howland.... The US Census of 1860 and 1870 indirectly show information about the owners of the land.... Four persons, including Ramon Valencia were listed as carpenter, one was a blacksmith, Bernardo Sais was a mason, and Francisco Ortiz, in 1870, called himself a stone cutter."

Based on the above information, I now assume that Alcaria considered Cruz Valencia and Pablo Barbero her parents, to the point of adopting their last name, but that her actual parents were Matiana Ortega (Alcaria's husband's niece) and Ramon Valencia. All the family members I have consulted seem to think that this is a reasonable assumption and don't seem to consider it too surprising. It is to be noted that Pablo Barbero seems to have died between 1858 and 1860, when Cruz is listed as a widow in the census.

Matiana was just turned 19 when Alcaria was born was born on March 10, 1858 and so was almost young enough to be the daughter of her sister Cruz Valencia, who was born to José Valencia and Tomasa Riberia in about 1824 in Santa Fe and died on December 28, 1901 in Santa Fe. Matiana and Ramon served as godparents for at least four of Cruz' and Pablo's grandchildren.

According to the Santa Fe Baptisms book, 1939-1851, p. 1: Maria Martiana Hortega was baptized on February 25, 1839 and was born the day before. Her father was Pablo Hortega and her mother Francisca Ortiz. Her paternal grandparents were Pablo Hortega and Francisca Herrera and her maternal grandparents were Antonio Ortiz and Gertrudis Roibal. Her godparents were Ygnacio and Rosario Sanchez.

Jose Antonio Ortiz married to Maria Gertrudis Roibal about 1810. Maria Gertrudis Roibal was the daughter of Matias de Roibal and Juliana Quintana (may be Feliciana Quintana) She was born about 1785. This Jose Antonio Ortiz enlisted in the Santa Fe Presidio the 14th of September 1808 at the age of 28 (his birth date would have been about 1780. His parents are listed as Jose Antonio Ortiz and Juana Rosalia Lopez. He is from Santa Fe, is a farmer, and 5'-4" tall and has black hair, beard, and eye brows, and has blue eyes. Blanco Rosado Complexion and small pox scars. (SANM II Reel 16, Frame 637)

 The 1823 Census of Santa Fe, page 150, #82, barrio de San Francisco, lists Antonio Ortiz (40), head of household with his wife Maria Gertrudis Ruibal (38), and his occupation is listed as a farmer. Children living in the household are: Jose Pablo, 20; Jose Antonio, 16; Maria Apolonia, 15; Francisco, 12; Jose Ildefonso, 10 (our lineage); Maria Francisca, 8; Jose Rafael, 6; Maria Leonarda, 4, and Jose Pedro, 2. The older sons are also listed as farmers. Blas Ortiz, the brother of Jose Antonio Ortiz, was living next door and his mother Juana Rosalia Lopez was living nearby and at that time was a widow of 67 of age. The Valencias and his godparents, Pablo Sena and Gertrudis Valencia, were also living nearby.

Antonio Ortiz and Maria Gertrudis Roybal were padrinos to the child Jose Albino Valencia, son of Juan Valencia and Maria Carmen Garcia de Alviar. The paternal grandparents are Nerio Valencia and Maria Rafaela Lucero. And the maternal are Juan (Antonio) Garcia de Alviar and Maria Luisa Rivera. The father of the maternal grandparents is Luis Felipe Rivera and the mother is Polonia Petra Olguin y Pena.

Children of Jose Antonio Ortiz and Maria Roibal are: Jose Eldifonso (Alfonso) Ortiz, b. January 26, 1811, Santa Fe; Maria Francisca Basilia Ortiz, born April 16, 1812; Jose Rafael Ortiz, born September 23, 1813 (married Maria Encarnacion Carrillo); Maria Leonarda Ortiz, born April 15, 1815 (She married Pablo Moya); Jose Pedro Ortiz, born April 29, 1817; Jose Pablo Ortiz, born about 1803; Jose Antonio Ortiz, born about 1807; Maria Antonia Ortiz, born about 1808; Francisco Ortiz, born about 1811.

 According to the Great Data Base, Pablo Ortega and Maria Francisca Bacilia Ortiz (who was the sister of Alfonso Ortiz, Alcaria's father-in-law) had a daughter Martina, born in about 1838

In his book Santa Fe Shadows Whisper, p. 53, Waldo Alarid writes of Marina Placida Ortega, "the daughter of Pablo Ortega II and Francisca Bacilia Ortiz. Pablo Ortega II, born about 1796, son of Pablo Ortega I and Francisca de Herrera, married Francisca Bacilia Ortiz, daughter of José Antonio Ortiz and Gertrudes Roibal in 1828. José Antonio was brother to Blas Ortiz, father of Rafael Ortiz. Pablo Ortega II and Francisca Bacilia Ortiz' children were: 1) Juan Nepomeceno (1828); 2) Juan Bautista (1830); Altagracia (about 1834); Maria Placida (about 1835); 5) Luciano (about 1837); 6) Martina (about 1838)."

Alarid continues to write (p. 53) that the known "children of Pablo Ortega I and Francisca de Herrera were: 1) Pablo II (1796): 2) Maria de la Soledad (1805) married Juan Vigil in March 1826. He was the son of Domingo Vigil and Francisca Alarid; 3) Maria Petrona (about 1806) married José Pablo Rivera in March 1827. He was the son of Juan Rivera and Maria Gertrudes Bieta; 4) Maria Guadalupe (1807); 5) Santiago (about 1808); José de Esquipula (1814); 7) Francisca (1815) married Bernardo Sais in January 1855. He was the son of Thomas Rafael Sais and Pascuala Bustamante; 8) José (about 1818); 9) Blas (about 1800) described as a soldier, 5'1", tall, black hair, swarthy skin, married Maria Paula Martinez. She was the daughter of Diego Martinez and Rafaela Luna."

(According to the "Spanish Enlistment Papers 1732-1830," published by Virginia Olmstead in the National Genealogical Society vol. 67, Sept 1979-June, p. 301, Blas Ortega was the son of Pablo Ortega and Francisca Herrera of Santa Fe. He was a Farmer, 5'1". Black hair and eyebrows, swarthy skin, straight nose, scar on thumb and on index finger of left hand. Dated Nov. 1, 1816.)

Matiana Ortega Balencia is buried in Rosario Cemetery sect. 194. She died January 1, 1908 at the age of 68. Her tombstone is in good condition and is the same kind as Cruz's.