La Gaceta de Puerto Rico

I learned about something not long ago that has really come to value in my research. The Library of Congress has digitally uploaded newspaper articles from a newspaper that ran on the island called "La Gaceta de Puerto Rico". The articles run as far back as the mid 1800's to early 1900's. The link to this can be found by clicking here. 

 

It took me a minute to figure out how to navigate their site but, now I have it down.  Once you are on the website, under state choose "Puerto Rico" & in the  search engine besides that enter a name into the search option. I searched many names & found two that have articles about my specific ancestors. 

The first one I found was this one below on my 2nd great grandfather Juan E. Torres Galves & his younger brother Jose Antonio Torres Galves. 

The Translation reads: 

Don José Ramírez Alonso, Judge of first Instance of the City of Caguas and its judicial party

I hereby notify: that don Nicolás Quiñones Cabezudo, neighbor of the aforementioned (city) has filed a motion requesting the recommendation or inclusion of the neighbors of Hato Grande, don Zenón Muñoz Lopez, don Dionisio Gonzalez Lopez, don Eleuterio Lozada y Millán, don Abdón del Valle Rosario, don Juan Eugenio Torres Galves & don Jose Antonio Torres Galves in the electoral census, and since this petition was accepted, with the exception of don Abdón del Valle Rosario, the publication of this intention is ordered, so that the aforementioned constituents or anyone who wishes to oppose the inclusion, may appear to verify it within ten days after this edict appears on la Gaceta Oficial.

In Caguas on the 26th of August 1895.

I was pretty excited about finding this. I'm not positive as to why my 2nd great grandfather & his younger brother were selected to be among those on the electoral census. It must have had some value to it since it was published. Maybe it will be something I can find out later on by researching more about the towns history. 

The second article I found is about my great grandfather named Francisco Jimenez Lajara. 

 Translation to this one is: 

Don Inocencio Gomez, whose whereabouts are unknown, so that within 9 days he should show up before the court to make a declaration in the criminal case against Francisco Jimenez Lajara for injuries to Don Antero Tarazona.

Given in Caguas on the 27th of October 1884.

I couldn't find any more information about the criminal case they are referring to in this. I wish I knew more, but for now it looks like he harmed another guy bad enough for some reason that lead to criminal charges. 

Neither one of these articles tells me more then I already knew about either of them, but still...it's another peek into their lives. Another small glimpse into what life was like for them. I still have more names I want to search for.  

For anyone researching their ancestors in Puerto Rico I would recommend searching La Gaceta. You just never know, whether big or small, the mention of their name can be so helpful. 

Rafaela Torres Torres

This is another 2nd great grand aunt of mine. 

Her name is Rafaela Torres Torres.

  
I discovered Rafaela a while ago but just recently I got to see my first photo of her. I've examined this photo very closely & can see such a strong resemblance in Rafaela & in her younger sister Agripina. You can see & learn more about Agripina here. 

Rafaela was born on December 1, 1893 in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. She is 1 of 12 children born to Juan E. Torres Galvez & Ramona Torres Masa. Her parents were first cousins & at first this was something that made me uncomfortable. As I  continued to search, I noticed & read from other Puerto Rican genealogists that cousins marrying was very common for this time. Puerto Rico is a small island. Most people didn't travel far outside of their home towns & so they married who they knew, & sometimes who you knew happened to be related to you. I hope to write more about this in a separate post but for now I'll leave it at that & get back to Rafaela. 

Records tell me that Rafaela's mother Ramona, died on Rafaela's 12th birthday. Her older sister, who is also my great grandmother Maria Ana was the oldest daughter in the family at that time. I assume she helped raise Rafaela & the rest of her younger siblings still living at home. 

In 1916, at the age of 22, Rafaela marries for the first & only time in her lifetime.  She marries a man by the name of Mateo Galarza Cabre. Mateo is 8 years older than Rafaela. What makes him so interesting to me is that Mateo's father immigrated from Spain to Puerto Rico in 1866. Mateo is the first person on my tree that I've discovered that doesn't have deep Puerto Rican roots on both sides. 

Together Rafaela & Mateo have 6 children together. The names of their children are: 
-Aida Galarza Torres 1917-1933
-Rafael Galarza Torres 1921-?
-Rosalia Galarza Torres 1924-?
-Antonio Luis Galarza Torres 1925-?
-Juan Benito Galarza Torres 1928-1988
-Zoila Galarza Torres 1930- living

After 18 years of marriage together, Rafaela's husband Mateo passes away in 1934. I was told that after this Rafaela was so heartbroken that she wears black dresses for the rest of her life. This explains why the only photo I have of her, she is dressed in black. This small detail into her life, is one of the only ones I know of. I admire her committed loyalty to her late husband. This says so much about her to me. I would of loved so much to meet & chat with her. 

I don't know much more about Rafaela, except I know she was very close to her 2 younger sisters Agripina & Joaquina. There was even a time when her sister Joaquina also becomes widowed, & her & Rafaela move in together. 

Lastly, records tell me that in 1983, at the age of 89, Rafaela dies of heart failure in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

Agripina Torres Torres 1899-1977

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever. It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything."
-Aaron Siskind

The photo of the woman centered above, is my great grand aunt. Her name is...

Agripina Torres Torres. 

Born on October 1, 1899 in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. Although, I think she was born a few years before this date was recorded. From what I've gathered she falls some where towards the end of the 12 children born to Juan E. Torres Galves & Ramona Torres Masa whom were cousins (I will write more about them in a later post). At around 7 years old her mother dies. I assume her older sisters (including my great grandmother) helped raise her & her siblings till she marries in 1919. Census records tell me that Agripina may have attended formal schooling. Sometimes she says she has, other times not. She is bilingual & can read & write so this leads me to believe that she did attend school. I was told today from a distant cousin that English was actually her first language, which is a surprise to me. Possibly the first language of some of her other siblings as well. Today I also learned some new information about Agripinia's husband, who is named Jorge Roque Cuevas. Like most newly married couples back then, they marry young. She is about 19 & he is about 22.  Jorge is noted on census records as being a "Torcedor" which I've learned is a highly skilled & trained cigar roller in Gurabo. By 1935 I suspect they have hit  some martial issues. I suspect this because Jorge is living alone, while Agripina is on her own with their children. In 1938 they loose 2 sons within 1 month of each other. José Anibar Roque Torres dies in May at age 12. Then Ernesto Ivan Roque Torres dies at age 5 in June of the same year. I can only image how incredibly heartbreaking it must of been for them to loose two of their little boys in such a sort span of time. I also learned today that my suspicions about their martial problems was right. Sadly this story gets worse before it gets better. Their separation & eventual divorce was lead by infidelity. Turns out Jorge had started a successful cattle farming business with a friend named Conception Mangual Sierra. They sold milk, beef & traded cattle all over the island. Conception dies sometime after the business takes off. He asks Jorge to look after his wife & 3 children. Jorge looked after his wife a little too well because she becomes pregnant with Jorge's son. In the same time this is going on Agripinia is also pregnant with her last child from Jorge. Agripinia & Jorge's mistress are both carrying sons at the same time. I can only imagine the drama that unfolded once this was revealed. They must divorce soon after this because by 1938 Jorge legally marries Hermenegilda Aponte  Ortiz, who was the former wife of Conception. 

By 1940 Agripina has been divorced for a few years. She lives as a single-mother to 4 of her remaining children. Also living with them is her ex-mother-in-law, whom is widowed.  I find it interesting that her mother-in-law chose to live with her rather than with her own son that lives in the same town. No one is working in their home by 1940 except her only daughter named Carmen Delia as a seamstress. I was told that Carmen was a successful seamstress to the local military base on the island. She mended parachutes, uniforms & other miscellaneous military materials. This is a photo of what Carmen Delia looks like below.

Isn't Carmen beautiful? 

Sometime in the late 40's or early 1950's Agripina moves with her children to Manhattan, New York. From this time forward she alternates living in New York City & Puerto Rico.

Agripina dies in 1977 at around the age of 77 in Caguas, PR. I was told she was kind, a devoted Catholic & had a habit of making meals for families in her community that she knew were sick or struggling in some way. She never remarried but instead devoted the rest of her life to her children & grandchildren. This distant cousin of mine described Agripina as "a good woman". It made my heart so happy to hear this about her. Agripina lost her mother early in life, looses 2 of her little boys back to back. On top of this, the hurtfulness she must of felt from her husband's unfaithfulness must of really ached. This was a woman that left everything she knew behind in Puerto Rico (including a free plot of land she inherited from her parents) in order to give her children what she believed would be a better opportunity, a better life.  Throughout it all, Agripinia remains faithful, keeps strong to her religious Catholic roots & moves forward. She sounds very brave. I respect her so much for doing all the good she did despite all the trials that came her way. It makes me wonder how much of this was also installed in Agripina's older sister, who is my great grandmother Maria Ana. I don't have any photos of Maria Ana, so when I first saw the photo above I immediately wondered how much Maria Ana & Agripinia reassemble each other. Sadly this photo of Agripinia is the only tangible thing I have to my great grandmother. Hoping to find more some day soon.

Agripina & Jorge together have 7 children. 6 boys & 1 girl. Their names are below. 

Julio Roque Torres 1917-1985 
Jorge Roque Torres 1920-1990 
Carmen Delia Roque Torres 1923-2007 
Jose Anibar Roque Torres 1926-1938  
Juan Antonio Roque Torres 1929-1998
Ernesto Ivan Roque Torres 1933-1938 
 Oscar Roque Torres 1936

Maria Ana Torres Torres

For the longest time the only thing I knew about my grandfather's mother is her name which is... 

Maria Ana Torres y Torres. 

I knew this because this is the name that appears on my grandfather's death certificate. With some digging I found her marriage record, than her death record. My father has no memory of her & I soon found out it was because she died from anemia when my grandfather was just 3 years old. Chances are my grandfather probably had no memory of her either.

Her death record says she died at age 30 in 1916. I am very curious to know what went on in her short 30 years of life. 

What I do know is that,  Maria Ana was 20 years old when her mother passed. Aside from this, I also know her marriage record says she was married in 1912 at the age of 26 to a widower named Primitivo Rodriguez Cuevas. Primitivo was about 21 years older then Maria Ana. He also already had 5 children from his previous marriage.  Some of those 5 children, were still living with him at the time him & Maria Ana were married. What I find interesting is that Primitivo's oldest daughter & his new bride were only 7 years apart. I wonder if this caused any friction in the home or if this was an advantage.

Maria Ana & Primitivo are married for 4 years. During this time they have 2 children, 2 boys. The oldest is my grand father named Antonio Rodriguez Torres born in 1914. After giving birth to her second baby boy Juan Ramon Rodriguez Torres, Maria Ana dies. She dies either giving birth or shortly after having him because on his birth record she is already stated as deceased.

Aside from this I know her parents names. They are Juan E. Torres Galvez & Ramona Torres Masa both from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. With this information I was able to locate her on the only census record she appears on which is the census of 1910. 

Here she is found living in Gurabo, with her father who is widowed. She appears to be the oldest sibling living in the home of 6 children. I assume, being the eldest daughter in a home with no mother she would of played the motherly-role of doing house work & helped raise her younger siblings. 

I couldn't help but notice the similarities in her home in 1910 to the home to moves into next with her husband Primitivo. Both are homes of working widows & both with children who need a mother. I wonder if the similarities is what attracted her to him. A familiar home setting in her same town. 

The 1910 census lists her younger siblings who are:

Andrés Torres Y Torres  1888-1930
Rafaela Torres Y Torres  1895-1983
Agripina Torres Y Torres 1899-1977
Joaquina Torres Torres  1899-1984
Rafael Torres Y Torres  1899

Although the census only names a total of 6 children in the home in 1910, I was able to locate records for some additional children not living there then. So according to all the births I was able to track down, Maria Ana's parents had a total of 10 children. The additional children I found are: 

Fernando Torres y Torres  1884-1960
Nemesio Torres y Torres  1887
Felipe Torres y Torres  1895-1983
Ramon Torres y Torres  1899

I recently found someone on Ancestry.com who has almost the same information for this family as I do. I noticed they even included a black & white group photo that I hope includes Maria Ana. Oh, how I would love to see her. Love to see any of them. I contacted them & am really hoping we can exchange our information & find out how we are linked.

Antonio Rodriguez Torres

"People who matter in our lives stay with us, haunting our most ordinary moments. They're with us in the grocery store, as we turn the corner, chat with a friend. They rise up through the pavement; we absorb them through our soles."

-Orphan Train

 
This is my paternal grandfather. 

 His name is Antonio Rodriguez Torres

Born March 1, 1914 in Gurabo, Puerto Rico

This is one of my most prized photographs.This is the only photo I have ever seen of him. Unfortunately he died before I ever got the chance to meet him. I'm so grateful to at least have this. I love this photo because my grandfather reminds me so much of my Dad. Everything from his smile, to his hands & even the way he is dressed.

Antonio was the first child born to his mother Maria Ana de Jesus Torres Torres. I haven't been able to locate Maria's birth record yet but according to her death record she was born in about 1886 in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. She married my great grandfather named Primitivo Rodriguez in 1912. After Antonio they have one more son together named Juan Ramon Rodriguez Torres born in 1916. I'm not positive but it was either at his birth or shortly after Maria gave birth to Juan Ramon that she passes away from anemia. Antonio would of only been about 2 years old when his mother passed.

According to census records my great grandfather does not marry again. This would mean that Antonio & Juan Ramon grew up without a mother. I've often wondered who helped raise them. I feel like there had to be a motherly figure involved that helped watch them while Primitivo went to work. 

Although census records show that Antonio did not attend school, unlike many around him at that time he was able to read & write. I was actually able to locate a social security application for him which shows his signature. It's cursive, neat & beautifully written.  

By June 1937 Antonio is 23 years old when he marries my grandmother Andrea Pabellon, you can read more about her here. I wish I knew how they met. I imagine since they both grew up in the same town that maybe they lived in close distance to each other or maybe they even grew up together.

In the 1940 census he is working in a sugar cane field. My father says this is where Antonio remains working throughout the rest of his life, cutting cane.

Antonio & Andrea stay married for the rest of their lives. However sometime before Antonio's death in January 1978 he becomes heavily involved in alcohol. My dad says sadly Antonio also separates from his wife (although they are never legally divorced) & lives with another woman. 

I asked my Dad to tell me what Antonio was like & he says that he was strict & hard on them when he was little. They had several confrontations where my Dad intervened because Antonio would hit my grandmother. This created a wedge between my Dad & him.

This is all I know of Antonio. I know there is so much more to him then what I've typed. I hope to one day learn more about him.