Juan Gerónimo Torres

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ¹⁴⁷⁰
"Don Juan Gerónimo Torres owned a tract of forty acres in El Sabinal and another field of about the same size in Belén. His livestock included ninety-one cattle, eighteen goats, eleven oxen, and eleven horses. For care of the animals and cultivation of crops he could call upon eight male servants, who resided in seven cottages which were appraised at 21 pesos altogether, and an inventory made in 1849 revealed that each owed Don Juan (Geronimo) an average of 30 pesos. In other words, they were bound to him in a status of debt servitude.

"Typical of many dons, he held an appointment as deputy alcalde, in his case from 1821 to 1827 and again in the 1830s. He was atypical, however, in that he preserved carefully his official documents, which have been handed down in the Torres family in Socorro. They afford revealing glimpses into his personal affairs and into the legal milieu in which he functioned.

"When Don Juan (Gerónimo) died in I84k), in his testamento was a request that he he interred in a robe of the Order of St. Francis. That meant that he had taken a vow to observe the rules of the Third Order, which was an organization sponsored by the Franciscans for enlisting support of prominent laymen in their missionary work."

Lynn Erwin Perrigo. Hispanos: Historic Leaders of New Mexico (Kindle Locations 212-235). Kindle Edition.

• Census: Méxican, 1827, San Antonio del Savinal (Sabinal), Nueva México. ³³
Juan Gerónimo Torres, María Josefa Chaves, Bisente Pino, Juan Tórres, Juan Ysidro Torres, Rita Torres, Ana Maria Torres, Rafael Ribera, Doretea Torres

~Mexican Census, p. 252

• Tax Record, 1835. ³¹
Juan Geronimo Torres is listed as the head of the household on the Belén, Nuevo México tax list of 1835.

• Records and Notes. ²⁶⁹
Juan Gerónimo Torres is given as the Alcalde Mayor of Sabinal in a petition of 1829.

~The Spanish Archives of New Mexico, Vol. I, p. 122

• Military Service, 4 Nov 1819. ³² Savinal (Sabinal today) was establish in 1741 and it was the southernmost New Mexican colony at the time.
New Mexico's colonies had been a target of attacks by Apache, Navajo, Commanche and Ute attachs. There were always too few Spanish soldiers to ward off these attacks, so the Spanish settlers and Pueblos formed citizen milita groups to protect their settlements.
Juan Geronimo Torres is listed as the Lietenant of the third Company of the second Squadron on the Review of Militia, Mayoralty of Belén (including Juan's home of Savinal), November 4, 1819.

Review of Militia, Mayoralty of Belen, November 4, 1819
3rd Co. of the 2nd Squadron

Lieutenant:
Don Juan Geronimo Torres
2nd Lt.:
Don Juan Jesus Chaves

Sergeants:
Francisco Chaves
Rafael Baca

Corporals:
Jose Antonio Pino
Manuel Pino
Carbineers:
Antonio Jose Torres
Bison Sais

Transcribed from "Rio Abajo: Prehistory and History of a Rio Grande
Province" by Michael P. Marshall, et al. New Mexico Historic
Preservation Program, Santa Fe, 1984, pp. 262-263.

• Military Records: Munster Roll, 1836, Sabinal, New México, Republica de México.
Among the list of "Nombres Caballeria" are:

Juan Geronimo Torres
Juan Torres
Rafael Armijo (son of Salvador Armijo)
José Armijo (son of Salvador and father-in-law to Juan Torres)

[Source Citation: New Mexico State Records Center and Archive; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Mexican Archives of New Mexico; Item Location: 1836 - Box #2 MANM, Serial #10195]

Juan had married María Josefa de la Concepción Chávez, daughter of Juan Jóse Chávez and Ana María Aragón, on 13 Aug 1811 in Belén, Valencia, New México Territoy ²⁴⁸. (María Josefa de la Concepción Chávez was born in 1795 in Sabinal, Valencia, Nueva Méjico, Nueva España ²⁴⁸.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Diligencias Matrimoniales. ²⁴⁸
1 Aug 1811 - Belen Diligencias Matrimoniales : Juan Geronimo Torres (14), son of Juan Torres and Rita Garcia, : and Maria Concepcion Chaves (16), daughter of José Chaves and Ana Maria Aragon. - Witnesses: Mariano Aragon (40), Jose Antonio Tafoya (46) : 1811 Aug 1 #31, Belen, V10 P1902 CR

~ Roots Ltd., Diligencias Matrimoniales, p. 1902

• Marriage Record. ⁴⁶
18 Aug 1811, Don Juan Gerónimo Torres married to Doña Josefa de la Concepcíon Chávez.

~Tomé Marriages, p. 40