I am providing this information to anyone interested in the Tarango family from Candelaria Texas and at the same time I am re-entering the quest to find the origin of my Great Grandfather's missing family. All of the information here was obtained through personal interviews with my Great Grandfather's sisters Lilia and Enedina when they were still alive. Some of this information was also provided by my Great Grandmother Petra Perez. Most recently, information about the Kilpatrick family was provided by Bettie Greffett, grandaughter of Remigia Tarango. I also utilized the Mormon Church's marriage and baptismal records on microfilm as well as Presidio County Census Records. I will try to post any updates or new discoveries here on this site. I will also try to correct any mistakes at the top of the line since that is what we are trying to make clear. There are several Tarango familes that descend from Candelaria and Chihuahua. According to information obtained from several sources, it is believed that there were two different Tarango families that lived in the Candelaria/Ruidosa area. These two families may be connected at a higher point. However this connection could exist up to 5 generations back. This makes for a difficult and confusing journey for us all, since the amount of records and resources are limited. The challenge is sorting out the connections. Please forward a link to this site to any Tarangos that you know that may be interested in helping find the missing pieces.
May God bless you,
Rico B. Enriquez
3866 Blossom Lane
Odessa, Tx. 79762
(432) 552-7079
email: enriquezusmc@yahoo.com
Tarango Surname History including Coat of Arms
Tarango & Orosco Family Group Sheets and Pedigree Charts
Photographs of Candelaria and Family Photographs
Enriquez Family Genealogy: Maverick & Val Verde County
The family line of Simon Salgado Tarango decends from
Jose Maria Tarango and his second wife Maria Ignacia Enriquez who lived in Rosales Chihuahua, Mexico. Their son Juan Joseph de Jesus Tarango married Maria Susana Acosta and they had Jose Guadalupe Candido Tarango who married Petra Mendoza. Thier son Jose Hermenegildo Ramon Tarango married Maria Salgado and these were the parents of Simon Salgado Tarango. Hermenegildo Ramon Tarango who was a son of Jose Guadalupe Tarango who was a son of Juan Joseph de Jesus Tarango who was a son of Joseph Maria Tarango and Maria Ygnacia Enriquez. All of this information is supported clearly in Catholic Church records.
Hermenegildo Tarango & Maria Salgado
Hermenegildo and Maria Salgado first lived in Julimes, Mexico where their children were born. Maria died when their children were still young. Hermenegildo later married Maria Antonia. This family crossed the Rio Grande in 1897. Hermenegildo was not the only Tarango in Candelaria at the time. His uncle Preciliano had crossed as well and had his own family there too. There were several brothers and sisters of which I do not know all of the names. This may be where the connection to some of our families exists. Hermenegildo and his first wife raised three children in the Julimes area. Their names were Jesusita, Remigia and Simon. When their mother, Maria Salgado died, the family moved to Candelaria. Hermenegildo didn't own his own land at first and worked as a ranch hand on Milton Favor's ranch closer to Ruidoso, 10 miles south of Candelaria. According to Bettie Greffett, Hermenegildo would regularly visit Valentine, Texas to sit in the thermal baths near there. He had a skin allergy that plagued him most of his life and he would go there once a year. It was here that he met Juan Brito, a methodist minister, who would later marry his daughter Remigia.
Hermenegildo bought his first acres of land from a man named W.B. Pruett. His uncle Preciliano and several cousins bought their own pieces of land as well. At first, it seemed strange that the Tarango's had bought all of their property from this one man. Upon interviewing Hermenegildo's grandaughter, Lilia Tarango, the reason was clear. Tia Lilia mentioned that W.B. Pruett had married one of Hermenegildo Tarango's daughters, Remijia. This seemed very astonishing because no one had ever spoke of this marriage or the children that would have been born or their families. This would all change as I came into contact with our not so distant cousin, Bettie Greffett, grandaughter of Remigia and Juan Brito.
Remijia Tarango Pruett, Drucilla Brito, & the Kilpatricks
Remijia Tarango was first married to a man named Juan Brito. According to family members, Juan was a Methodist minister in Shafter, Texas. Remijia and Juan Brito had three daughters: Armita,Juanita,and Drucilla Brito. According to Drucilla's daughter, Bettie, Remijia had attended a convent school in Julimes, Chihuahua. Remigia's daughter, Drucilla, married Jim "J.J." Kilpatrick. He was well known throughout Chihuahua and Presidio County. According to his daughter, Bettie, he was the sheriff there for some time. J.J. also owned a trading store there in Ruidosa as well.
In 1912 a whirlwind of violence was unleashed all along the Presidio Border area. J.J. Kilpatrick Jr. shot and killed P.S. Boyd in Candelaria on February 12, 1912. P.S. Boyd was an army soldier and the shooting occurred in a bar. This man had been taunting and harrassing J.J.'s father. J.J. surrendered himself to the custody of the law. On Feb 17th, 1912 he was allowed bond, which he made. His uncle, H.H. Kilpatrick said the shooting was an act of self defense. He was later acquitted. A revolution was simmering in Mexico and no one on either side of the Rio Grande seemed to be too interested. J.J. Jr. however, moved his family out of Mexico to Candelaria after his ranch in Chihuahua was raided. His wife Drucilla, wanted the children to be educated in the United States and wanted a safer environment for them. J.J. decided to sell all of his cattle and holdings from the Chihuahua ranch. He had to close this sale and purchase in Ojinaga. He had been drinking in bar owned by a man named "Reyes." He checked into a hotel room to rest from such a long and tiring journey. J.J. Kilpatrick would always smoke in bed. Exhausted from a heavy day of work, he fell to sleep with a lighted cigarrette in his mouth. The matress he was on caught on fire. At the age of 35, J.J. Jr. lost his life in this Ojinaga hotel fire in March, 1929 from smoke inhalation. There has been some speculation by family members that this may have been a murder instead of an accident. Yet, we will never know. Drucilla was pregnant with her youngest child. Her mother Remijia helped her take care of these children.
According to family members, Remigia was a devoted Methodist with this conversion strengthening more possibly, from her marriage to W.B. Pruett who was also a judge, school teacher, and Methodist. Remijia died in Fabens, Texas on November 27, 1954. She was burried in Evergreen Cemetery in El Paso. J.J. and Drucilla's daughters were Bettie, now (Bettie Greffett), Hilda, Martha, and Drucilla. Martha and Hilda have since passed away. Bettie and Drucilla now reside in Tuscon Arizona. J.J.'s only son was J.J. Jr. who now resides in Houston Texas.
Remijia daughter Juanita married a man named Jack Edmonson. Her other daughter Armida married Nathan Fuller. They all lived in and arround Candelaria, Valentine, Fabens, and El Paso, Texas.
All of the Presidio and the Candelaria area was a hotbed for violence in the early 1920's. Mexican rebels were at large along the Rio Grande throughout the spring and summer of 1929. Border Patrolmen kept close watch over the river trails from Presidio to Candelaria and to Ruidosa, as well as the river farms all along the valley.
More about Hermenegildo Tarango and his children
Hermenegildo was a hard working farmer, planting and harvesting cotton and raising cattle. The Presidio 1900 Census indicates that he was also a merchant selling grocery goods. While his three children were still young , he lost his first wife and later remarried to a woman named Maria Antonia. They had a child named Antonio Tarango. All of the marriages and baptisms, from this point on may have been at the little church Mission del Sagrado Corrazonde Presidio in Candelaria. Hermenegildo and his new wife continued to raise the children in Candelaria. They were all taught early in life to work hard for money and to always have a strong business sense. His grandaughter, Lilia, mentioned that he was burried in Valentine TX. and had two sisters burried in Fabens, TX.
Simon Tarango
Simon Salgado Tarango & Inez Orosco de Casas
Simon Salgado Tarango.
Simon Tarango was my great great grandfather. He married Inez Orozco, on February 23, 1901 in Marfa, TX.
They raised three boys and four girls in Candelaria. Their names were: Lilia, Elisandra, Simon, Adolfo, Enedina, Benjamina and Alfredo. This family first lived in and arround Shafter, TX, where most of the children were born. Simon Tarango opened his first grocery store there when the silver mines were booming at their strongest. According to Census records he sold "dry goods." The family later moved to Candelaria, TX. It was there that Simon built a huge house on a small hill, east of town, overlooking the Rio Grande Valley. Simon opened the first general store in Candelaria. It was right in front of his house and he became one of the most influential men in the area.
According to his son Adolpho Tarango, in Joyce E. Means book Pancho Villa Days at Pilares, General Pershing had visited with Simon at his store during the Revolution. One can only imagine the type of conversation they had.
Simon's daughter, Lilia, mentioned that Simon was a lover of music and played the piano and accordian for many years. She said that he would play for her when she was a little girl. Simon died on October 7, 1947 and was burried in Marfa, TX. Simon Tarango Jr. is burried right next to his father.
Las Hijas de Don Simon: Enedina, Elisandra, & Lilia Tarango
Lilia Tarango
Enedina Tarango
Adolfo Tarango
Adolfo Tarango- managed and owned a pool hall/dance hall in Candelaria. It was originally owned by his father, Simon. Adolfo married Belen Mendoza. Tia Lilia told me that her brother Adolfo was quite a character and that one time he actually used the restroom in the corner of the dance floor while he was drunk. They told him he couldn't do that kind of thing in public. He responded that he could do anything he wanted to because it was his place and he owned it. No disrespect meant to any of the family members here. This is just what was told to me by his sisters, my tia Lilia and her sister Enedina. They would have known better than anyone.
Murder and Discontent among the Tarangos, Mendozas, and Perez families
Upon further interviews with Tia Lilia and my Great Grandmother Petra, I discovered that there had been a rift between my Great Grandfather Alfredo and his brother Adolfo for a good reason. Alfredo used to play violin in a band with his brother in law Juan Perez. Juan shot and killed Bellen Mendoza's brother, Demitrio Mendoza, the son of Anastacio and Josefa Mendoza. This killing caused a blood feud between the Mendoza and the Perez family. Juan went into hiding for several years in Colorado and finally returned several years later with a different name, Enrique. This killing, according to Petra Perez, was over Demetrio's jealousy of Juan who was several years younger. Demetrio was a married man from Barstow Texas who farmed in San Antonio. Demetrio was was jealous of the fact that Nieves Barragan, a woman from Candelaria, was always chasing the 16 year old Juan Perez. Demetrio confronted Juan and Alfredo on horseback
while they were on their way to Casablanca to play some music. Everyone carried pistols in those days for safety and protection. Demetrio, apparently pulled out his pistol and so did Juan, kiling Demetrio and starting a huge feud. Alfredo gave Juan some money and
advised him to hide out. Juan never returned to the Candelaria area. He fled to Colorado and lived their for several years working with a small Catholic Church
in Denver as a groundskeeper. He would return to Texas several years later under the name Enrique Perez. A more devestating effect of this killing was the fact that Adolfo and Alfredo and their families would seldom have anything to do with eachother.
Simon Tarango Jr. (Simoncito)
Simon Tarango Jr.was born September 19, 1918, in Shafter, TX. He married Consuela Nunez on Sept. 3, 1939 in Presidio county Precinct #6. In 1942, Simon joined the U.S. army and served with 1204 Area Service Unit in World War II. He died on January 28 1952 and was burried right next to his father Simon Tarango in Marfa, TX.
Alfredo Tarango
Alfredo Tarango was the youngest of the brothers and was well loved by his mother and father. They had given him money and property and expected him to follow in his father Simon's footsteps. In 1920, Alfredo was 17 years old and fell in love with a fifteen year old girl named Petra Perez. She came from a very poor family, the daughter of Leon and Sylvestra Perez. It was obvious that Simon and Inez did not approve of their relationship. They refused this relationship from the beginning. Some of the reason may have been because of the killing of Demetrio Mendoza by Petra's brother Juan. Alfredo was so in love that he decided to ellope with Petra.
He sold some of his land and possessions before deciding to leave with Petra and gave a large sum of money to his mother Inez to hold for him until he was ready to take it. Alfredo had decided to sneak off and get married to Petra Perez against the will of his parents. He planned to leave one night and packed his suit case with fresh clothes for his journey. While he left Simon's house to take care of other business, his mother, Inez, decided to unpack his clothes for him and fill his suit case with heavy rocks. Alfredo was in such a hurry to get married to Petra that he didn't notice the weight of the suit case and discovered the rocks when it was already too late. When he returned from his elopement with Petra, he asked for the money. To his surprise, his mother refused to give him anything and a cold relationship followed for several years between Alfredo and his parents. Alfredo and his new wife Petra would continue to live in Candelaria, where most of their children were born. They had eleven children: Otilia, Delia, Beatrice, Leonila, Angelina, Hilda, Alicia, Alfredo I, Alfredo II, Elias, and Raul,"Rudy." Alfredo and Petra finally decided to leave Candelaria for good. Petra and her children went with her sister Elisandra and her husband to Midland in a Model-A Ford. Alfredo would join them later and open his own grocery store in Mineola St. in Midland, Texas. They all lived in the house behind the grocery store there on the street which is now called Lamesa Street. The house was built right near a large drainage ditch that looked almost like a river when it rained.
For over forty years, Alfredo operated his grocery store in Midland, Texas. he developed cancer in his throat and had to have his voice box removed. Most of his grandchildren still remember the sound of his estranged voice that would come out of the small handheld amplifier that he would hold up to his throat. Even though his voice sounded mechanical, his words were very clear to his family. Like his father, he was a lover of music and used to play the violin and the piano as well. His violin now rests in a glass case in the house of Beatrice Abalos Terrell.
My closest memory of my great grandfather Alfredo comes from the many times that I was able to spend by myself as a young child of seven in his small store on Lamesa St. I would sweep the floors for candy the same way all of the grandchildren would, the same way my own mother would have done when she was a child. I remember his strong hatred for "gringo's" as he would call them. he was an outspoken man and would always have a wild story about Pancho Villa or his days in Candelaria at his dinner table. In the 1980's he had a severe stroke that left him paralyzed in bed for the rest of his life. He spent 10 long years holding on to life in a small room of his house with a respirator and the assistance of his family. He finally died Jan 18, 1996
Los Oroscos
Inez Tarango de Orosco & Maria Orosco de Casas
Antonio Orozco married Ignacia Dominguez in Chihuahaua Mexico near 1840. They raised a son by the name of Juan mata Orozco. he was born in 1847 and married Luisa Casas in 1870 in Camargo Chihuahua at Santa Rosalia Catholic Church. Luisa was the daughter of Lusano Casas and Patricia Nunez. Luisa was born in 1850 in the Valle de Zaragoza, in Chihuahua Mexico. Juan Mata Orozco and Luisa Casas moved to the United States in 1877 and had eight children: Inez, Intocino, Luis, Augustin, Maria, Clara, Guadalupe, and Erminia. During their first years in Texas they lived and worked in Justice Precinct #5 on Milton Favor’s ranch.
Augustin married a woman named Juanita. They had five children, in order of age: Manuel, Juan, Librando, Andres, and Ramon. Augustin’s wife died of unknown causes. He later married Luciana Navattete, the daughter of Felipe Navarrete and Marcelina Jasso. their children were: Luisa, Rosa, and Antonio.
Clara Orozco married Mickey Welsh, the mail carrier from Valentine to Candelaria. Mickey was killed during the Villista's raid on Brite's Ranch. They had warned him to leave the area, and when he didn't, he was killed like the others. His throat was slit by a Villista named Renteria, otherwise known as "pegleg." He was hung upsidedown by his feet when Clara was taken to identify his body. Clara Orozco Welsh later married Leon Lopez.
Luis Orozco, Clara's brother, took over the mail delivery route when Mickey was killed. was a joker and would tell many stories. he would buy fruit from Ft. Davis and sell it all over the surrounding areas, mostly apples and chile. He married a woman named Elvira and they raised five children: Elvira, Enriqueta, Eloisa, Erminia, and Luis Jr. young Elvira married a Cipriano Alvrado and raised three children: Emma, Cipriano Jr. “Samuel” and, Socorro. Louis Jr. raised Samuel Alvarado.
Inez Orozco de Casas was born 1/20/1880 in Chihuahua Mexico Near the turn of the century, she met Simon Salgado Tarango, the son of Hermenegildo Tarango. They married and settled in Candelaria. They raised three boys and four girls: Lilia, Elisandra, Benjamina, Simon, Adolfo, Enedina, and Alfredo. During an interview in Presidio, I asked Inez’s daughter, Lilia about her mother Inez. She told me that her mother was a lover of life and living a pleasureable one at that. She loved mariachis and dancing till the night was over. Inez Tarango de Orozco died 10/15/1968 and is burried in Visalia California. Her last place of residence before she died was in Lugo California
Here are some photos of my family and also of Candelaria
An arial view of Candelaria, Texas in the early 1900s
The Elementary School House in Candelaria 1920s
Grave marker of Nicholas Tarango
The Church
One of the remaining Tarango homes
Tio Adolfo's Dance Hall
Inez Orosco Tarango and all of her children except for Alfredo Tarango. She was blind when this picture was taken in California.
Alfredo Tarango (My Great Grandfather)
Alfredo Tarango
Alfredo Tarango and Alfredo Jr. (Tio Chito)
Alfredo & Petra Tarango in Midland Texas
My Grandmother Leonila Tarango 19 years old in Midland
Petra Tarango & Beatrice Abalos(my mother) in front of Tarango's Grocery store in Midland, Texas
An old map of Presidio county and the entire region
Tarango Family Crest from the oldest known Tarango family in Spain
Some Useful Links:
Presidio County Online Resources and Records
AOL's Hispanic Genealogy Website
Genealogy of Mexico Surname DNA site
Mexico Related Genealogy Sites
Tarangos in the mid-1700s
