by J. J. Bowden
Cristóval Crespín, a resident of Santa Cruz, petitioned Governor Juan Ignacio Flores Magollón for a grant covering the surplus lands near the junction of the Rio Grande and Chama rivers remaining after the issuance of the grants which had been requested by Salvador de Santistievan and Bartolome Lovato. In support of his application, Crespín stated that he and his widowed mother were one of the families which Governor Diego de Vargas had recruited in the Zacatecas, Mexico, for the resettlement of New Mexico in 1693. Since his mother had not received any land, he had been forced to join the Army to earn a livelihood and for the next fourteen years he served the King. In 1714, he was seriously injured in an accident and given a disability discharge from the Army. He requested the Governor to reward him for his long faithful service by granting him a tract of farm land for the support of his large family. Crespín closed his petition by requesting the grant be made jointly to him and Nicolas Griego. On August 29, 1714 Governor Mogollon granted the request and ordered the Alcalde of Santa Cruz to place the grantees in royal possession of all the surplus lands after allocating four fanegas of corn planting land to Santistievan and two for Lovato. The grant was made, however, subject to the condition that the grantees settle thereon within six months. Pursuant to a public notice given the day before, Alcalde Sebastian Martin surveyed the grant on August 31, 1714, and delivered possession of the following three tracts to the grantees. The tracts were described in the Act of Possession as being bounded as follows:
First Tract
On the north, the acequia madre; on the east, the lands of Salvador de Santistievan and Nicolas Valverde; on the south, the Chama River; and on the west, the Chama River up to where the acequia madre begins.
Second Tract
On the north, the Angostura of the mesa along the Chama River; on the east, the lands of Bartolome Lovato; on the south, the hills; and on the west, the Chama River.
Third Tract
On the north, the lands of Bartolomé Lovato; on the east, the Chama River; on the south, the lands of Antonio de Salazar up to where the Rio Grande and Chama Rivers join; and on he west, the hills.
Nicolas Griego commenced opening some fields and constructing an irrigation system on the grant in April, 1715, but Crespín having been attacked with a prolonged illness was unable to settle upon the grant or assist him in the development of the land. About this same time, Joseph Trujillo, a tenant of Bartolome Sanchez, commenced grazing some livestock on the grant. This prompted Crespín to petition Governor Magollón for the revalidating of the grant and a one year extension for the settlement of the grant. On November 25, 1715 Magollón issued a decree in which he recited that he knew that the allegations contained in Crespín’s petition were true, extended the time for the settlement of the grant for a year, and ordered Trujillo to tear down his corrals and vacate the land.[1]
For the next century and a half, the records are silent on the status of the grant. On the last day on which suit could be filed under the Act of March 3, 1891,[2] Jesus Crespín instituted an action[3] against the United States in the Court of Private Land Claims for the confirmation of the 3,000 acres grant. The case was set down for trial on June 13, 1898. Only four months before, the Court had recognized the Bartolome Sanchez Grant which covered all of the grant. The plaintiff undoubtedly realized that he would be unable to prove to court that the grant had not been recalled by Governor Felix Martinez on January 13, 1716 as a result of this investigation of all of the grants which conflicted with the Bartolome Sanchez Grant.
Therefore, he advised the Court that he no longer wished to prosecute his claim. Thereupon, the court dismissed his petition and rejected the claim.[4]
[1] Archive No. 167 (Mss., Records of the A.N.M.).
[2] Court of Private Land Claims Act, Chap. 539, Sec. 12, 26 Stat. 854 (1891).
[3] Crespin v. United States, No. 232 (Mss., Records of the Ct. Pvt. L. Cl.).
[4] 3 Journal 395 (Mss., Records of the Ct. Pvt. I. Cl.).
Cristoval Crespin Grant; J.J. Bowden’s research on land grants