The Baca / Douglas Genealogy and Family History Blog

30 August 2009

Joseph Dunn Obituary


My wife's uncle, Joseph Leon "Joe" Dunn died on Friday, August 21, 2009 in Peoria, Illinois. Please click on this link to read his obituary.

13 August 2009

Door Prizes at August 15th NMGS Meeting

We will be giving away door prizes at the August 15, 2009 New Mexico Genealogical Society meeting. Once again, Ancestry.com donated two books:

* "The Official Guide to Rootsweb.com" by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG, and Tana Pedersen Lord; and,

* "Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records" by Loretto Dennis Szucs & Matthew Wright.

Come try to win the door prizes, and then enjoy the two speakers we have scheduled that day: Dr. William Litchman and Dr. Wesley Sutton. As always, the program - and the door prizes - are free and open to the public.

The program begins on Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:30 AM

at:

Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM
(NW corner of Edith and Central)

09 August 2009

Additional Presentation at August 15th NMGS Program

Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:30 AM
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM
(NW corner of Edith and Central)


The New Mexico Genealogical Society

Special Announcement

After our regular program on August 15, 2009, (“Researching the Courthouse III: Vitals” by Dr. William Litchman, certified genealogist) the New Mexico Genealogical Society will present Dr. Wesley Sutton. He will speak for approximately 15 minutes on “Heritage Genetics of Spanish Americans in the American Southwest”.

Dr. Sutton collected DNA samples from New Mexicans in 2003 as part of his research for his Ph.D. dissertation. He will discuss his findings in a short presentation, and will answer questions from the audience.

Men and women of Spanish ancestry are encouraged to contribute DNA to Dr. Sutton’s ongoing study. This will be done through a simple check scrape using a cotton swab. Persons taking part in the study are requested, but not required, to bring a pedigree chart or other documentation showing your ancestry.

This is a group study. Individual results will not be discussed.

The August 15th program will begin with Dr. William Litchman’s presentation at 10:30 AM. Dr. Sutton will speak afterwards at approximately 12 noon that day. Please join us for both presentations.

03 August 2009

August 15, 2009 NMGS Program

Saturday, August 15, 2009, 10:30 AM
Botts Hall, Albuquerque Special Collections Library
423 Central NE, Albuquerque, NM
(NW corner of Edith and Central)




The New Mexico Genealogical Society presents

William Litchman, Ph.D.
Offering the Third part of his workshop

Researching at the Courthouse III:
Vital Records

Dr. Litchman presents the third part of a workshop that he began in 2007. This will be an in-depth exploration of vital records that are essential to genealogical research. He is a thorough researcher and an entertaining speaker. We are happy to welcome him back.


This program is free and open to the public.

For more information about our programs, please visit our website at http://www.nmgs.org/workshop.htm.

02 August 2009

August 1, 2009 - my mom's 75th birthday

Clockwise from top left: Robert C. Baca, Frances R. Baca, Janis Baca, and Cynthia Baca. The day of Janis' first holy communion.


My mom would have been 75 years old yesterday. Here are a few facts about her:


* Born Frances Rosaline Baca on 1 August 1934 in Socorro, New Mexico

* Married Robert C. Baca on 27 October 1954 at the San Miguel Parish, Socorro, New Mexico

* Had three children:


1.) Janis Marie Baca, born 23 March 1956, married Donn Schwartzenberg, had two children, one grandchild. Was killed in a car accident 9 December 2008 in the Alamo Reservation, New Mexico.


2.) Cynthia Baca, born 1958, married to Sam Gonzales, has three children, expecting two grandchildren in March 2010.


3.) Robert J. C. Baca, born 1968, married to Nancy Douglas. He has no children of his own. His wife has one child through a previous marriage.

There's much that I can say about mom, but let me try to say it in a few words.

Mom was a very loving and caring person. She was always taking care of her family. During the last years of my mom's life, my grandmother began showing signs of Alzheimers, my dad's health was getting worse (he died only a few months after my mother), and I was going through a divorce. She was there for us - and for many others. She always seemed to have unlimited energy.

My mom always said that she knew when something was wrong with one of her children. She said that if any of us were going through tough times, the backing of our photos on the wall would start falling out of the frame. Of course, I think her uncanny predictions had more to do with the fact that we were always having problems and the backings were continuously falling out.

I have a painting in my kitchen that reminds me of her. It shows a woman peeling a tortilla from a burner with her bare hand. I never understood how my mom could do the same thing without burning her hands.

Just now I thought I smelled her beans cooking on the stove. Man, I'm hungry.

Mom wasn't just a homemaker. She also worked at various businesses throughout her life. I remember her working at her mother's fabric store and my dad's accounting business. She taught Sunday school class for a short while (many of my classmates still remember her fondly.) She hated politics, but she was always helping out my father whenever he ran for any type office, whether it was Grand Knight at the local Knights of Columbus, or board member of the Socorro Electric Co-Op Board.

She tried to do her own business, too. She loved to do crafts, and so she tried to sell a few of them on the side. She never made much money, but I believe she had a lot of fun doing it.

Speaking of crafts, I remember every Christmas she was always making gifts. Whether it was crochet, pillows, or stuffed animals, she was spent all December making them. She would also bake cookies and cakes. Her favorite concoction was - excuse my Spanglish -"kake de jamon", which, although it roughly translates to "pig cake" or "ham cake", was really a chocolate bread made with lard. Okay, it wasn't very healthy, but, man, was it gooooooood!

So that was a brief description of my mom. I know it doesn't do her justice, but I wrote it quickly in order to get it out in this post. I love you mom and miss you.