Castaneda Family Reunion Family History

August 7, 2010 (April 27, 2011)

This is the history of the Castaneda Family. We are direct descendants of Gregorio Castaneda. Gregorio was a son of Margarito Castaneda was an only son of Esteban

Castaneda who came to the new world with Hernan Cortez and landed in Veracruz, Mexico.  Many who accompanied were assigned to the northern sections of what is now

Mexico, Texas and other territories which included California. Esteban was granted land south of the Rio Bravo, now the Rio Grande River, This land was given the Ranch of Colombia, which developed in to a little town, was originally granted to Esteban by the Queen of Spain as was the custom and power accorded to the old Kingdoms to grant the land occupied by the officers now in the New World, now New Spain, at that time.

When Margarito inherited the land of Colombia, he and other land owners decided to join to found the town of Nuevo Laredo as Laredo, Texas became the only city in the

state of Texas on the Rio Grande Border now established in Texas. So, Don Margarito became one of the founders of the newly formed City, and also became the first Mayor, or Presidente Municipal.

Don Margarito and his wife had three children, who were, Gregorio, Gonzala, and Antonia. They resided in Nuevo Laredo all their lives. Don Margarito died in the early part of the 20th century.  Gregorio, as the only male carried on the name of

Castaneda. Gregorio married Teofila Garcia and had several children together; they were Genaro, Gregorio Jr., Alberto, Alfonso, Francisco, Enrique, Margarito, and

Maria.

During the Revolution in Mexico, Gregorio brought his young family to Laredo, Texas and they all became U.S. citizens.  The move was sudden during the evening due to the revolution.  We were told one of Margarito’s predecessors was murdered along with the whole family, including the children.  Decision was made to move to Texas so they arrived in a covered wagon carrying only possessions they could carry with them.  When they left Mexico, they left their family inheritances so not to raise suspicion among the revolutionaries.

As they grew up all of Gregorio's sons and only daughter remained and settled in Laredo, Texas.  Living descendents from Gregorio's children are from Genaro -Maria de la Luz, who resides in Del Rio, Texas. Gregorio Jr. -Gregorio 111. And Alberto -all are deceased.  From Alfonso -Altagracia, oldest living descendent who resides in Laredo, Texas, Maria (Mary) who resides in Laredo, Texas, and Lucia Cruz, who resides in the Houston area, and Alfonso Jr. who also resides in the Houston area.  From Francisco -Guillermo, second oldest living descendant, resides in Laredo, Texas; Teofila, resides in San Diego, California, Angelina, resides in Del Rio, Texas, Francisco Jr., resides in Kingsville, Texas, and Gilbert, who resides in League City, Texas. From Enrique –Pete, recently deceased, lived in Laredo, Enrique Jr., Ramon, Lupe Santos, Estela Lopez, all reside in Laredo, Texas. From Margarito -Belia, resides in San Antonio, Texas and Bertha Castro, reside in Laredo, Texas.

The next generation of Castaneda's' will be listed individually by each family member.

Our Grandmother is Altagracia Castaneda. 

Her first son was Luis Olvera from her marriage to Nieves Olvera.  Luis married Carmen Valdivia and had four children, Luis Olvera, Jr (Louie), Maria Teresa Olvera, Amalia Olvera Lendman, and Patricia Michelle Olvera Dart.  Louie was married to Debra Sanchez which ended in divorce, he never remarried.  They had a daughter named Tiffany Nicole Olvera Lee.  She married Keith Lee and they had a daughter Jazmin Mechel Lee, who died at 5 days old.  Later they had another daughter, Issyara Lee.  Luis Olvera, III is not married but has two sons, Luis Olvera IV and Phillipe Rodriguez Olvera.  Amalia (Molly) married Louis Antonine Lendman and later divorced.  They have two children, Elizabeth Diane Lendman Holcolmb who married Zachary Michael Holcomb; and John Dodson Teeter Lendman.  Maria is unmarried but a very supportive aunt who helps raise all the Grandchildren.  Michelle married Todd Stephen Dart which also ended in divorce, and is currently unmarried.  They have two children Lance Wesley Dart and Renee Erin Dart.

Part of the Conociemento de Familia Olvera

My father loved the Air Force and was a part of who he was and how he identified himself.  My parents were always very proud to identify us as an Air Force family to whoever we met.  It was the bond that helped them bridge the gap with almost everyone they met, even strangers.  My Dad was proud of serving his country.   It provided a good life for him and my Mom, Carmen.  It even helped them provide for us children, Luis, Jr. (Louie), Maria, Amalia (Molly) and me, Michelle.  The running joke was that if the Air Force wanted the military men to have a family, they would have been issued one during basic training.  Although, my parents met a few years after he had became an airmen.  He was stationed at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas when they met.  My mother was a native of Topeka.  She worked full time as a salesclerk at a drug store when they met.  She had dropped out of high school to get married to someone else, but when those plans fell through; she decided not to return to high school.  She enjoyed the “freedom” that came with earning a paycheck.  She said she had grown up too much to go back to being a “high school kid.” 

     Her paycheck helped pay for her younger brothers and sister to attend the local Catholic high school.  Everyone in the family who worked pooled to their money together to help pay for their tuition.  The “story” was that my Mom was so ornery and always in trouble at the school office that the school banished the entire family from attending the local high school; so my uncles claim.  My Mom had the ability to say whatever was on her mind at the time and not care how the other person reacted.  She did say she would enjoy irritating her teachers for entertainment and because she was “too much of a tomboy to know any better.”  My mother continued to work off and on until I was in high school as a sales person.  She never wanted to get her GED, and was probably one of the most intelligent people I know.  She always kept up on what was going on in the daily news and the weekly San Antonio City Council Meetings.  My Dad, Luis, also left high school early.  He chose to obtain his GED and he enlisted in the newly organized Air Force (formerly the Army Air Corp) so he could help defend our country’s interest in the Korean War.  After basic training he was given career education in food service in addition to his professional military education (PME). 

     Currently, the Mexican American community is the fastest growing ethnic group in America. Mexican communities have strong family ties, more likely to live in close proximity to each other, and have a strong work ethic.  According to my Aunt Maria Estefana Olvera , my Grandfather Nieves Olvera used to say that if you didn’t have a job you were a bum.  He immigrated to Chicago from Nuevo Laredo during the mid 1930s.  He was employed at a steel forging plant when he retired.  When he was established, he sent for his mother so she would no longer have to continue her work as a housekeeper/nanny which she maintained since her husband (my Great Grandfather) died during the time he worked as a migrant worker.  My Grandfather was two years old when his father died and my Great Grandmother never remarried. Just like today’s single mother, my Great Grandmother was the sole provider for herself and my Grandfather during the early 1900s.  My Grandfather moved to Chicago, Illinois after he and my Grandmother, Tana were divorced when my father was a year old, about 1935.  She still lives in Laredo, Texas as a widow/homemaker.  Both of my Grandparents remarried and had a second family.  Both sets of my Grandparents arrived to this country hoping to move away from political and economic unrest as a result of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920).

According to my Aunt Mollie Valdivia Cervantez, my Mother’s oldest sister, their father Ramiro Valdivia, Sr. came to this country to work for the Union Pacific Railroad making railroad ties.  He moved to Topeka, Kansas with his parents and uncle.  They heard the railroad company was looking for workers from other family members who were already living in Topeka.  He met my Grandmother, Jennie when he moved to Topeka.  She was adopted by his cousins so we don’t know a lot about her life before then.  We do know she had an older sister that was adopted by another family in the Mexican community so the girls could stay somewhat together.  My mother said she was born in Mexico, but my Aunt said she moved to Topeka from Phoenix.  I recently discovered she was born in Texas from Ancestry.com.   She was living with her adopted family by 1930.  Aunt Mollie did mention her father was a full blooded Indian and her mother was a Mormon Missionary from Utah.  We assume she went to Phoenix by request of her church.  She lived alone with her children so we figured my Grandfather did not leave his Indian tribe to travel with the family.    No one talked about her much because she left the family when my Mother was 12 years old. 

My Grandfather raised seven children without a wife, he never remarried. The ladies of the community helped keep watch over them as they grew up.  My Aunt Mollie said she quit school when Grandma left so she could take care of her brothers and sisters since she was the oldest.  She took care of six siblings ranging from 13 years old to under one year old when she herself was only 14 years old.  She is currently a retired preschool teacher who has earned her Associates Degree in teaching and the mother of six  children. 

Olvera, Spain

I found the following information about Olvera, Spain.  I know wikipedia is not the best reference, but it did have some good information so I'm including it.  I first heard of Olvera, Spain when I took Spanish I at St. Mary's University for BA.  It was mentioned in a story I was asked to read aloud in class.  I was shocked and surprised, happily, I never thought about the beginnings of our surmane up to that point.  We did visit Olvera Street when we visited Los Angeles when I was little, I thought it was "cool."

Olvera, Spain: http://www.andalucia.com/province/cadiz/olvera/home.htm

Wikipedia of Olvera: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olvera

The Valdivia Family as told by Ameila Valdivia Cervantez

Grandpa Valdivia, Juan Eliseo, was my Dad's Father.  His Mother was Mercedez Romo and his second wife was Rosa Valdivia.

My Great, Great, Grandfather came from Spain.  My Great, Great, Grandmother came from France.
They came to Mexico and met there and were married.  It may have been about the time of the Mexican Revolution with France.  He father was sent to Mexico by his employer.  We also have a Grandfather who was from Ireland, same situation.  [My Mom said he was a six foot, red headed Irishman, hmm the height went to Aunt Mollies' boys who are around the six foot mark, we're small.]  After the men stayed in Mexico after being sent by their employers they married local Mexican women and settled in Mexico.  That's where our family started.  Some were also Indians from Mexico and that's how we ended up with a mixed family. 

My Mother's (biological) side came from New Mexico, not Arizona.  That is just where she was living when she was adopted by Grandma and Grandpa Valdivia.  My parents were cousins but by adoption, not birth.  We do not have any background on my Mother's family.  We do know her Father was American Indian and her Mother was a Mormon Missionary from Utah.  They had a boy and two girls. We assume she spoke her native Indian language and English because of her mother.  We do know she was not allowed to speak Indian language or she would be spanked by her Valdivia "family."

[My Mom mentioned there was also twins who were infants.  Great Grandma died of Tuberculosis and because she was nursing the babies they died too.  Grandma, aunt and uncle were little at the time and they stayed with the dead bodies until a male friend of their mother's came to check up on them.  The children were taken to the church where notice was sent to other parishes about their situation.  Somehow the Valdivias found out about them.  The children were separtated, the boy was given to one family and he died within the year of his adoption. My aunt and Grandma were sent to different families in Topeka, Kansas to families in the same neighborhood so they could be together.  However, Aunt was loved and cherished and Grandma was adopted to be a Mother's Helper, or family servant, depending upon how politically correct you want to be.  She was not treated as nicely as her sister and was not allowed to see her outside of school.  Aunt Mollie said those Valdivias were kind of snobby and had "airs" but she never figured out why.  She and my Grandpa had an arranged marriage because my Grandpa Valdivia sponsored my Grandpa Ramiro to come and work at the railroad in Topeka.]

My Dad came to the U.S.A. and worked for the Union Pacific Railroad.  He married my Mother in 1931, she was 18 years old and my Dad was 27 years old.  He later became a citizen of the U.S. 
He died July 1968, he was 63. 

They had 9 children:
Amelia (Mollie) Valdivia Cervantez, who had 6 children
Eloisa Valdivia, no children
Carmen Valdivia Olvera, 4 children (Me)
Bauldeio Valdivia, no children
Daniel Valdivia, 3 children
Ramiro Valdivia, Jr., 2 children
Maria Guadalupe Valdivia, no children

My Mom left the family when we were young, I was 14 years old.  She remarried to Eleno Favarez.  They had a daughter named Martina, who had a daughter.  There was another boy born before she married Eleno. [A boy named David Valdivia who died accidently when he was two years old.]

Aunt Mollie later told me she quit school when Grandma left, which would be about 8th grade.  Aunt Mollie later went back to get her GED and she currently has an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education.  She is a retired Head Start teacher.

My Lineage

Olvera Family Tree as of May 2, 2011 (with one on the way for the Lee family)

From KI Sawyer AFB to Faial Island Azores

As of May 2, 2011

As I began this blog I mentioned that I spent this semester researching my family lineage.  I thought it would be harder than it was, I am greatful to the Mormon church archives for their recordkeeping.  I never thought I would find answers to where we come from as a family.  My sisters and I are happy with the results.  My next project is to try and find more information about my Grandma Jennie and her biological parents.  I could continue trying to find answers, but at some point I need to pause to complete this assignment.

Family countries and languages:

Father: USA:  English; Mexico: Spanish; Brazil: Portugese; and Horta, Faial Island, Azores: Portugese.
Mother:  USA: English; Mexico: Spanish; and France: French; Ireland: Celtic.
My Children: USA and England: English, Germany: German, Poland: Polish (Paternal Grandparents).

So within my family I have discovered many languages I didn't know my ancestors spoke.  I do not know anyone on either sides of my biological or marital family that speaks the following languages:
Portugese, French, German, Polish, or Celtic.  About 75 percent of my family speaks Spanish and English and are able to read in both languages.  25 percent of us do not speak Spanish, for whatever reasons my cousins and siblings chose not to pursue the language.

A few of us have made an effort to try to learn Spanish as an adult, with the help of high schools and colleges.  I would refer to myself as somewhere between emergent and intermediate Spanish speaker.  I understand more than I can speak.  I usually struggle to remember vocabulary.  Reading Spanish is easier for me because I can take my time when I translate.  If I don't know a word I look it up in my Spanish/English dictionary or through translate function on Google.

My children have taken Spanish classes throughout elementary school as we have traveled.  However since they do not have the opportunity to practice, both say they have forgotten many of the words...but these are children who have trouble remembering what they had for lunch....
My son took three years of Latin in high school and is very proficient.  My daughter took German her first year of high school and Latin for two years.  She enjoys translating German print when we visit New Braunfels or Fredericksburg.  She chose German because she knew her father's Mother and Grandparents spoke German since that is where they emigrated from to this country.  Their father speaks better Spanish than I do, he is better able to translate and remember vocabulary.  My family would enjoy their "White" mijo.

When we speak of various languages one that I like to is music.  Musical notes and lyrics create their own language and not everyone can "read" music.  I can because of my many choir years, but my sisters can not; they sing by "ear" where they match the notes based upon their sounds and they depend upon the piano to play their notes for them.  Singing together in church choirs was one memory I am fond of now that I am an adult.  My sister Molly still sings in our church choir, but Maria and I enjoy sitting in the pews being her audience.