Nueva Vizcaya Census 1757: Pueblo Camargo

In 1757, under the direction of Agustin de Ahumada y Villalon, marquis de las Amarillas and viceroy of New Spain, Captain Jose Tienda de Cuervo of the Royal Dragoons began a census of the New Spain province of Nueva Vizcaya. On July 12, 1757 he arrived in the town of Camargo to continue his commission. Upon arrival his first order of business was to have the missionary priest Fray Juan Bautista Garcia Resuarez minister of the mission Senora Santa Ana de Camargo and the settlement to serve as a witness to the proceedings and to vouch for those giving testimony. A roll of names was called and they appreared giving testimony of their possessions. The census revealed the original 41 families had increased to 95 and now totaled 637 persons with possessions consisting of 6050 horses, 512 mules, 68 yokes of oxen, 71,700 sheep and goats (minor livestock), 2621 head of cattle and 270 donkeys. An inspection of the mission was undertaken once the census of the settlement was complete. The mission containted 77 Tareguanos, which were led by a chief named Juan Antonio and a sub-chief named Mateo. 56 Pajaritos were counted and they were led by chief Francisco Benito. 58 Venados were counted and they were led by chief Juan Grande. 33 Tejones were counted but their chief was unnamed. 23 Cueros Quemados were counted and they were led by chief Juan de Dios. The total "heathens" counted at the mission amounted to 243.

Unfortunately, of the persons enumerated during this census there were no Chacon's or Villanueva's.

Memories of Evelia Chacon Caracena: We Came to the United States in the Winter of 1919 (Continued)

My father bought a good wagon that would hold the few things we could take that we would need to start a new life in the United States. He also bought two good horses to pull the wagon. The plan was to first go to Chihuahua, then to Juarez and finally crossing the border into the United States and settle in El Paso. I remember that the wagon had a false bottom and in that false bottom my mother put a big box that had all her treasures, dishes, family pictures, her wedding dress, and many other things that meant something to her that she just could not leave behind. To hide the false bottom my father put a mattress on the bed of the wagon and we all sat on the mattress.

Those who were to make the trip to El Paso were my father, my mother, my mother’s sister Lupe, my mother’s niece Choloe, who was the daughter of a sister who died, me—I was six years old, my brother Hector who was four, my sister Natalia who was three, my sister Dalmaria who was two, and my sister Berta who was only three months old and made the trip in my mother’s arms.

We traveled at night because my father was afraid we would be seen by Pancho Villa and his murderous bandits; I’m sure we would have been massacred had we been found. It took many days for us to travel from Camargo to Chihuahua. During the day my father would find a safe place that was out of sight for us to rest. Likewise, he would find a place to hide the wagon and horses. Then my father would keep a lookout for bandits while we tried to stay quiet; it must have been a harrowing experience for my parents but for us children it was a great adventure.

When we got to Chihuahua we stayed with family. My father consulted with his cousins about the whereabouts of Pancho Villa and his bandits. After several days, when my father was sure the way north was bandit free, we began our trek to Juarez. Once again we traveled only at night, following the same daily route we had during the first leg of our escape. Our wagon ride to Juarez took much longer that it normally would have had we been traveling during the day, and our entire trip took I think three or four week to cover the one hundred sixty or so miles between Camargo and Juarez.

When we finally reached Juarez my father contacted some of his family that lived there but we did not stay with them because there was so many of us—three adults, a teenager—I believe Choloe was fifteen or sixteen, four little children and a baby. We spent the next ten days in a boardinghouse while my father made arrangements for us to cross the border into the United States. I remember we had to have our pictures taken, one with our parents, then one with our mother, then one with our father, and then several others. I remember it took a long time to get the photographs. After we got the photographs my father went to the immigration office in El Paso where he had to pay a passport fee; it was eight dollars for anyone over fifteen years of age.

We were finally given permission to cross the border into El Paso, and on that day we had to take a shower at the immigration office, the men having to go to the right and the women having to go to the left. We showered with water that was laden with disinfectant and had a strong smell of Chlorine. I guess they wanted to make sure we did not bring any bugs into the United States.

We had to leave our wagon and horses in Mexico and since Tio Nicolas did not bring a wagon to pick us up my father had to make arrangements to leave the box with my mother’s treasures at the immigration office, telling the immigration officers he would be back the next morning with a wagon to get it. We all then walked to Tio Nicolas’ house, where we stayed for two or three months.

The next morning my father went back to the immigration office to get my mother’s treasures but the box was gone; and none of the immigration officers knew anything about the missing box so my mother's treasure was lost. I remember my mother crying, lamenting the loss of her treasure.

My father was able to quickly find a job in El Paso because he was bilingual, being able to speak, read and write in both English and Spanish. My father went to work for Swartz Importing, where he worked for the next fourteen years.

Memories of Evelia Chacon Caracena: We Came to the United States in the Winter of 1919

My grandfather Jose Librado Chacon had died so his sons took over the family ranch. My uncle Jose Maria ran the family’s wet and dry mills, which ground corn and wheat to make flour. My father managed the family cattle ranch and my other uncle, Tibursio Chacon was the butcher.

Pancho Villa and fifteen or twenty of his bandits came to Camargo looking for guns and money. They naturally went to the village businesses and made their demands. There was neither at the mills; this infurated them because they were sure Jose Maria was lying to them so they killed him, and burned the mills to the ground. Then they took Jose Maria’s corps, as well as several other men they had killed and hung them in the town’s main plaza so everybody could see what would happen to them if they did not give the bandits what they wanted.

When my father Jesus and his brother Tibursio learned of Jose Maria’s murder they decided it was time to leave Mexico. My father planned to move us north to the United States because one of my grandfather’s brothers, Tio Nicolas Chacon, lived in El Paso, Texas. He had married Maria Ochoa, whose family lived in El Paso. The Ochoa’s must have been well off because Tio Nicolas never worked but he always had money. My father said that Tio Nicolas was a Soldier-of-Fortune. Tio Nicolas and Tia Maria had one child, Refugio, who was born to them when both were middle-aged.

I remember it was Tio Nicolas that met us when we finally came across the border to the United States.

Genesis

On a windswept February in the Chihuahuan Desert town of Camargo at the Mission Santa Rosalia de Camargo Jesus Chacon and Victoriana Villanueva were united in marriage. They both have long since completed their mortal sojourn but their descendants live on and desire to know more about them; this Blog is a manifestation of that desire. As it is difficult to know genealogical absolutes the conclusions set forth herein represent a plausible history of the origins and members of these families. Accordingly, this work should be viewed as a work-in-progress. The hope is that it will elicit from family, friends and fellow family historians insights and information that help in the quest of a family history.