Antonio Montoya and Soledad Casias

Antonio Montoya lived in El Coyote in the late 1800s. He married Soledad Casias; and they had many children (as shown below) - one of which was a child named Josefa who married Doroteo Valdez.

Antonio b. 1842 d. 5 Jun 1902 and Soledad b. 1850 d. 26 Feb 1912 lived in an Adobe house ESE of the main town called El Coyote which around 1900 came to be known as Lucero. The grave of Antonio has not yet been found, however, the grave of his wife Soledad was found in the mountain graveyard about one half mile North of the road. As you travel toward Lucero from Rainsville, you will see an old abandoned adobe houses on your left (South of the road) believed to be the homes of Jesus and Julian; stop here and hike about one half mile to the North. You should see a rock wall that is about two feet tall. In here and just outside are the graves of Soledad, a brother Jesus and his wife Filomena. Here is the view looking south from the cemetary, and over the land (the valley area mostly obscured by trees) once owned by Montoya family members.

The known children of Antonio and Soledad (children in brown are possibilities, which have not yet been proven) are:

Hilaria - born 1860 Note: the 1860 census spells the name Gabina Maria - born 1864 or 1865 Jesus - born 1865 Julian - born 1867 Josepida - born 1869 (aka Josefita or Josefa) Teresa - born 1875 Lupita - born 1878 (aka Lupe or Guadalupita) Amado - born 1879 Carlos - born 1883

Hilaria married Theodoro Vigil abt 1879 Jesus married Filomena S. abt 1889 Julian married Barbara Sandoval on 14 Jan 1895 Josefita married Jose Doroteo Valdez on 1 Feb 1889 Teresa married Cresencio Cruz between 1895-1909 Lupita married Francisco Sisneros in the 1890s

NOTE: Other census information lists the children differently as well as the ages.

See the 1860 census record showing the family in El Llano, Mora County, New Mexico
See the 1870 census record showing the family in El Coyote, Mora County, New Mexico

Parents

Cousin Gina spoke with her Aunt Celia (Sisneros), who said that the info on Soledad and Antonio's parents is correct and that Maria de la Luz Casias was Soledad's sister. She also said that Antonio was a judge and lawyer as well as a politician, trader and farmer. He was very vocal on land rights for the people of Mora county.

Children

Relatives

Teresa
Teresa (b. 1875, d. 1918) married Crencencio Cruz (b. 1882, d. 1918) in 1904, NM. Both died in an influenza epidemic in New Mexico. Teresa's brother Julian raised children: Victoria (b. 23 Mar 1908, d. 15 Jul 1969) married Elias Riveria (b. 16 May 1907, d. 17 May 1998) on 12 Dec 1927 in Mora county, NM. Both are buried in Cheyenne, WY. Victoria and Elias had a child named Cleo Rivera (b. 1930, Guadalupita, Mora, NM) who married Teodocio Lucero Jr. in Greeley, CO.

More on the Cruz lineage from Dion Cruz (dion-cruz@msn.com).
Roberto Cruz married Emma Rivera, b. 1911, in Mora, New Mexico Her Brother was Elias Rivera who married Victoria Cruz (Crecencio and Teresa's second child). Double cousins were born Robert Cruz was born in 1906 also In Mora NM. They had one son my father Robert Cruz his father Robert Cruz died in a mining accident at the age of 34, in Gilman Colorado on September 24 1940, 7 days before my Father was born my Dad was born premature and only weighed 3 pounds but he still survived. Emma never remarried. She died in 1977 at age 66. My father died at age 44 1985. That is why I am very interested in finding any Cruz descendents. Both Robert's were only sons and I am also a only son. I recently found a Crencencio Cruz in the 1880 Census with a brother named Adelaido Cruz born in 1887 in Mora NM.
Please email if you are related. Thanks!

Lupita
Note: It is remembered that Lupita was the area mid-wife. She is known to have delivered Mabel Maestas (one marvelous aunt), and is believed to have delivered many of the children of Amadeo Maestas and Antonita Valdez (daughter of her sister Josefa). Lupita is also remembered as a small, jolly-like lady. She and her husband Francisco Sisneros (m. 1898) are shown below.

My aunts remember Celia Sisneros, and I may add more information about her (as well as others) in the future.

If you wish to help provide information or photos about Antonio's children, or his grandchildren, please contact me.

E-mail me at home at gerry_benner@yahoo.com

Or, snail mail me at:
13007 Clayton Ct.
Thornton, Colorado 80241-2010

See you at a future reunion, and THANKS!! to cousin Gina for providing the above photographs as well as dates and family stories. We have a much better web page because of these inputs.

Back to Juan's Main Genealogy Page

Back to Amadeo and Antonia's Web Page

Go to Mora County Census Information

Here is a picture from about 1904, which was taken either in El Coyote or Ojo Feliz. Sorry for the poor quality.

It is believed the individuals in the picture are (back row - left to right): Jesus Montoya, Julian Montoya, Pedro Montoya, Jose Doroteo Valdez with his son Sam, Benino abt age 14, Felomina and baby.
In the front, we think it's Jusuesita, Julianita, Barbarita and a daughter, Encarnician Narajos (Doroteo's mom), Domitilia, Soledad Casias (Antonio's wife), Afelia, Josefa Montoya (Doroteo's wife), Maria Adelia Valdez, Alcario or Lupita's son (can only see his feet and arms), then Lupita and a baby (possibly Cipriana), then Antonia Valdez (age 9 or 10), Salome (age 13), and Duvuehen (age 3?). Whoops! Epifanio (abt age 10) was to the right, but he got cut off in my picture. Click here to see him.

If anyone has a better spelling or a correction to the above, please let me know.

Thanks!

... Gerry

Other web pages of interest

A historical look at El Coyote (aka Lucero) as it is now.

The Juan Mestas Main Page

Map of the El Coyote Area in approx. 1860