Juan Nepomuceno Jacquez – 52 Ancestors/52 Weeks

 

Juan Nepomuceno Jaquez was born on April 6th, 1856 in San Pedro County, Colorado to Jose Eusequio Jacquez and Maria Francisca Vigil.

This is a great picture of my daddy, sitting in front of Juan Nepo’s headstone.  My dad made a special trip to the cemetery to see his grandfather’s grave, and I love that dad’s cigars are firmly in his pocket, a fresh cigar in his hand. I think my dad’s strong sense of family pride came from his grandfather.

Ha, I’ve digressed.

Juan N (Dad called him Juan N) was born in Colorado but by 1880 was living in Blumfield, New Mexico, in the Rio Arriba area. He was 26, his bride Ana Maria Lujan was 19, and they had a one year old daughter, Sara.

 

This is such a great picture of the Jaquez family. Here is Ana Marie Lujan, Juan N. (young lady between them is labeled as a servant) then the baby in her lap is my Great Aunt Celia, the little boy in the middle is Great Uncle Onofre and the little girl on Juan N’s lap is Great Aunt Lucy.  The notes at the bottom show this photograph was taken in approximately 1899.

This is his ancestry: His father is Jose Eusequio Jaquez, Grandfather Felipe de Jesus Jaquez, Great Grandfather Jose Julian Jaquez (son of  Maria Rosa Villalpando in my previous post).

While Juan was born in Colorado, on the 1860 Census we find him in Culebra, Taos, New Mexico Territory. His father is listed as Jose Eusequio Jaques, age 31, mother Francisca Vigil 28, and siblings Victoria Jaques, age 5, Juan Nepi Jaques, age 4, and Josefa Jaques, 9 months old.  His father is listed as a farmer.

In 1875 he married Ana Maria Lujan in San Pedro de Culebra, Costilla Parish, Colorado, USA. There seemed to be a lot of travel between New Mexico and Colorado and that was a tradition that continued for many years.

According to the Territory of New Mexico Report of the Secretary of New Mexico, the State Representatives for Rio Arriba County in 1907 were Diego Archuleta and Juan N. Jaques. Not the first time you will see those two names, Archuleta and Jaques, linked.

This picture hung in my dad’s home for years and is now hung in my living room.

In 1925 Juan N. and Ana Maria celebrated 50 years of marriage.

I think I love this picture the best. He looks so proud, so proper, and so pleased with themselves, as if we have been let in on a secret. His occupation is always listed as farmer and yet in these pictures they are dressed in their Sunday best, ready for their close ups. What a great looking family.

 

 

Look at this big bunch of grand kids he has, too. Everyone wanting to get in the picture.

Names are written around this picture, by I assume my cousin Tommy, looks like Juan N. is seated on the tail end of a pick up, surrounded by more grandchildren.

This is one of the most recent photographs I have featuring Juan N. I love this picture. It looks like it is from Aunt Dorothy’s wedding. They were married January 14, 1939. In the center, wearing a flower corsage, is Aunt Dorothy, holding her hand is Uncle Sam. Just behind him is my dad, behind my dad is Uncle Ernest (look at Aunt Elsie’s face directly between Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Sam). Next to Aunt Dorothy is Grandpa (Celestino) Jacques, then next is Grandma (Tonita) Jacques and next to her is Juan N. He came to California a lot, spending time with all of his children and grandchildren. Aunt Angie is at the top of the porch, Aunt Celia at the end of the porch, Aunt Della and Uncle Joe on the step above. Just behind Aunt Della is Uncle Eppie holding Perpie. Here is a different shot of the same day, more kids in the background.

This is another great picture of Juan N. here with his son Celestino, Grandsons Ernest and Eppie and Great Grandsons Ernie and Frank.

 

Juan Nepomuceno died on May 29, 1943 in Denver, Colorado. This is what he left behind:

This is only part of it, of course. This was taken at a Jacques-Jaquez-Jacquez family reunion in New Mexico.

I implore each of you, if you can, to ask your parents what they know of their history, where their parents came from, where they lived, who they loved and how they died. I promise you there are great stories buried in their history. Okay, I’m off my soapbox now.