Valdez Family of New Mexico: Maternal Genealogy

By Robert D. Martínez

José Ruiz de Valdés, native of Oviedo in Asturias and the son of Francisco Ruis de Valdés and Maria de Casso, married María Hernández de Medina Cabrera of Mexico City, daughter of Alonso Hernández and Josefa de Cabrera. The banns of matrimony were recorded in Mexico City on 16 April 1690.[1]

Hernández – Medina

María Hernández de Medina Cabrera’s parents, Alonso Hernández and Josefa de Cabrera, were married on 6 November 1667 in Mexico City.[2] From this record we learn Alonso was the son of Lucas Hernández and Francisca de Medina. In researching the deeper maternal genealogical roots of New Mexico’s Valdés family in Mexico, the following marriage record was located in the marriage documents for Mexico City[3]:

En 29 de oct<ubr>e <1634>  
Lucas Her<nande>z, nat<ura>l desta ciudad, hijo de Gonzalo Gutt<ierre>z y de Petrona Her<nande>z  
Con  
Francisca de Medina, nat<ura>l desta ciudad, hija de Luis de Medina y de Violante Lopez  
   
29 October 1634  
Lucas Hernández, native of this city, son of Gonzalo Gutiérrez and Petrona Hernández  
With  
Francisca de Medina, native of this city, daughter of Luis de Medina and Violante López  
   

From this record we learn the parents of Lucas Hernández were Gonzalo Gutiérrez and Petrona Hernández. We also learn Francisca Medina’s parents were Luis de Medina and Violante López.

Cabrera-Sánchez

From the same marriage record of 1667, we learn the parents of Josefa de Cabrera were Tomas de Cabrera and Gertrudes Sánchez. The marriage record for Tomas de Cabrera and Gertrudes Sánchez was located at the Santa Veracruz Church in Mexico City[4]:

20 Sep 1646  
Tomas de Cabrera, vez<in>o desta d<ic>ha vec<inda>d, hijo de Manuel P<ere>z y de Ynes de Cabrera  
Y a  
Xetrudes S<anche>z, n<atura>l del Pu<ebl>o de queretaro, hija de Fran<cis>co Lucas y de Maresa P<ere>z  
   
20 September 1646  
Tomas de Cabrera, resident of this community, son of Manuel Pérez and Inés de Cabrera  
With  
Gertrudes Sánchez, native of the town of Querétaro, daughter of Francisco Lucas and Maresa Pérez  

This record reveals the parents of Tomas de Cabrera were Manuel Pérez and Inés de Cabrera, and the parents of Gertrudes Sánchez were Francisco Lucas and Maresa Pérez. Gertrudes was a native of Querétaro, Mexico. Some internet sources read the father of Tomas de Cabrera as Manuel Gutiérrez, but from the second marriage record for Inés de Cabrera, the name is clearly Manuel Perez[5]:

2 Marzo 1631  
Geronimo de Arellano, vecino desta ciudad, viudo de Maria de Roa, residente al presente en el pueblo de Ascapulcalco  
Con  
Ines de Cabrera, viuda de Manuel Perez, residente en el dicho pueblo  
Testigos: Anton Martin y Hernando de Figueroa  
   
2 March 1631  
Gerónimo de Arellano, citizen of this city, widower of María de Roa, presently a resident of the pueblo of Ascapulcaco  
With  
Inés de Cabrera, widow of Manuel Pérez, resident of the same pueblo  
Witnesses: Anton Martín and Hernando de Figueroa  
Josefa de Cabrera, wife of Alonzo Hernández whom she married in Mexico City on 6 Nov 1667, was baptized in Mexico City:[6]:  
   
Josepha  
En quinse de noviembre de mill y seis Sientos y quarenta y ocho con lisen<ci>a del Cura seminario Baptise a Josepha, hija de Tomas de Cabrera y Gertrud<is> Sanchez Sabaranca; fue su padrino Francisco Estebes  
D<o>n D<octor> Christoval Gut<ierre>z de Medina [rubrica]  
Antonio de la Vega [rubrica]  
   
Josefa  
On the fifteenth day of November of 1648 with license of the weekly priest I baptized Josefa, daughter of Tomas de Cabrera and Gertrudes Sánchez Sabaranca; her godfather was Francisco Estévez  
Sir Doctor Cristobal Gutiérrez de Medina  
Antonio de la Vega  

From Josefa’s baptismal record, we learn another surname of the family, Sabaranca.

The following marriage record at Mexico City gives some clues and information about the Cabrera family[7]:

 

6 Abril 1631
Juan Martin, natural de la Villa de Ayamonte en Castilla, hijo de Anton Martin y de Caterina Gonzalez
Con
Clara Perez de Betancor, natural de dicha ciudad, hija de Geronimo de Orellana y de Ynes de Betancor
Testigos: Cristobal de Medina, Andres Arias, y Luis de Solis
 
6 April 1631
Juan Martín, native of Villa de Ayamonte in Castile, son of Anton Martín and Catarina González
With
Clara Pérez de Betancur, native of this city, daughter of Gerónimo de Orellana and Inés de Betancur
Witnesses: Cristobal de Medina, Andres Arias and Luis de Solis

 

Anton Martín was a witness to the second marriage of Inés de Cabrera to Gerónimo Arellano/Orellana in March 1631.

One month later, in April 1631, the son of Anton Martín married Clara Pérez de Betancur, daughter of Gerónimo Orellana and Inés de Betancur. It is intriguing that Gerónimo Arellano would marry Inés de Cabrera in March, then be listed a month later as the father of Clara, and the mother being listed as Inés de Betancur, and not Cabrera. Is Clara actually the daughter of Manuel Pérez and Inés de Cabrera Betancur? It seems to be the case, as Clara married only a month after her mother was remarried to Gerónimo de Arellano.

As we will see, Inés de Cabrera also used the surname Betancur.

The following record is the baptismal record for Inés de Cabrera, wife of Manuel Pérez and mother of Tomas de Cabrera:[8]:

Ynes
Y en treinta de abril de seisci<ento>s y seis años bapt<is>e a ynes, hija de Antonio Lopes y de m<ari>a de Cabrera de Beta<n>cor, su mujer fueron sus pa<dri>nos diego perez y dona Anna Perdoma de Beta<n>cor
Lic. Aug<usti>n P<ere>z de r<odrigue>z [rubrica]
 
Ines
And on 30 April 1606, I baptized Inés, daughter of Antonio López and María de Cabrera de Betancur, his wife. Godparents were Diego Pérez and doña Ana Perdoma de Betancur
Lic. Agustin Pérez de Rodríguez [rubrica]

María, mother of Inés, used the dual surname Cabrera de Bétancor. This confirms Inés’ use of both surnames harkens back to her mother. It follows that Alonso López and María de Cabrera Bétancor are the maternal grandparents of Tomas de Cabrera.

Alonso López and María de Cabrera had four more children baptized in Mexico City[9]:

21 Sep 1599
Maria, hija de Antonio Lopes y de Maria de Cabrera, su mujer
Pad: Francisco Ruis y doña Ynes de Betancor
 
11 March 1601
Ana, hija de Anton Lopes y de su mujer doña Maria de Cabrera
Pad: Mateo Gorge y Mariana Salacar
 
4 Sep 1603
Agustina, hija de Antonio Lopez y Maria de Cabrera
Pad: Baltasar Ruis Luis y doña Ines de Betancoso su mujer
 
8 Jan 1608
Melchora, hija de Antonio Lopez y de Maria Cabrera Betancor, su mujer
Pad: Diego Perez de Alcola y doña Mariana Abanica

From these records we learn Lucas Hernández was the son of Gonzalo Gutiérrez and Petrona Hernández. Francisca de Medina, wife of Lucas Hernández, was the daughter of Luis de Medina and Violante López. We also extend the Cabrera line: Tomas de Cabrera was the son of Manuel Pérez and Inés de Cabrera, and Gertrudes Sánchez was from Querétaro, and the daughter of Francisco Lucas and Maresa Pérez. Inés de Cabrera also used the surname Betancor and was the daughter of Antonio López and Maria de Cabrera Betancor. Also, many of this family’s madrinas, or godmothers, carry the surnames of Betancor and Perdomo as well, which points to roots in the Canary Islands.

María Manuela Medina, daughter of Alonso Hernández and Josefa de Cabrera and sister of María Hernández de Medina, married Miguel José Laso de la Vega at Mexico City on 19 July 1693. Therefore, the above genealogical data also applies to the Vega y Coca maternal line as well.

Notes:

 


[1]. Jose Antonio Esquibel and John B. Colligan, The Spanish Recolonization of New Mexico: An Account of the Families Recruited at Mexico City in 1693 (Albuquerque, NM: Hispanic Research Center of New Mexico, 1999), pg. 386.

[2]. Ibid. pg. 387.

[3]. Marriage record for Lucas Hernández and Francisca de Medina, 29 October 1634, Mexico City, Asuncion Sagrario Metropolitano, Informacion Matrimonial de Españoles, 1624 – 1652, LDS # 0035254, Image 290.

[4]. Marriage petition for Tomas de Cabrera and Gertrudes Sánchez, 20 September 1646, Mexico City, Santa Veracruz, Matrimonios de Españoles 1568 – 1666, LDS #0035848, Image 880.

[5]. Marriage record for Gerónimo de Arellano and Inés de Cabrera, 2 March 1631, Mexico City, Santa Veracruz, Matrimonios de Españoles 1568 – 1666, LDS #0035848, Image 481.

[6]. Baptismal record for Josefa, daughter of Tomas de Cabrera and Gertrudes Sánchez Sabaranca, 15 November 1648, Mexico City, Asuncion Sagrario Metropolitano, Bautismos de Españoles 1640-1645, 1647-1652, LDS #0035171, Image 736.

[7]. Marriage record for Juan Martín and Clara Pérez de Betancur, 6 April 1631, Mexico City, Santa Catarina Virgen y Martir, Matrimonios 1589-1639, 1664-1671, LDS #0036027, Image 318.

[8]. Baptism of Inés de Cabrera, 30 April 1606, Mexico City, Asuncion Sagrario Metropolitano, Bautismos de Españoles 1590 – 1611, LDS #0035168, Image 451.

[9]. Mexico City, Asuncion Sagrario Metropolitano, Bautismos de Españoles 1590 – 1611, LDS #0035168, Images 204, 234, 325, and 534.

 

Valdes family genealogy; research and writing of Robert D. Martinez

Mascareñas-Acostas Family:Maternal Genealogy