Posts

Showing posts from March, 2016

Las Villas del Norte presentation

Image
Las Villas del Norte presentation TOPICS: Genealogy History Research POSTED BY:  CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM   MARCH 16, 2016 On Sunday, March 13, I made a presentation at Las Villas del Norte genealogy group in Mission, Texas. Click on the image below to see a video of the presentation. You will be sent to Las Villas del Norte website where you can play the actual video. Thanks to Moises Garza for the invitation and for recording and placing the video online.

Confirming land titles was not an easy process

Image
POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM MARCH 12, 2016 Confirmation of land titles during the early days of Texas involved a complicated process. The King of Spain made many land grants in South Texas prior to Mexico gaining its independence. During Mexican sovereignty, the state of Tamaulipas either confirmed these grants or made new grants of its own. After Texas became a country and then a state, it established laws by which landowners could confirm ownership. On December 15, 1826, Mexico adopted Decree No. 42 known as the colonization laws, which allowed foreigners to colonize vacant lands in the state, provided they submitted to the laws of the republic. This law defined a sitio as a square league or 25 million square varas , a vara being three geometrical feet. A labor consisted of one million square varas or 1,000 varas on each side of a square. Four years later, on October 28, 1830 the Tamaulipas Congress adopted Law No. 47. The Congress saw a need to increase the population in ...

1835-36 saw a number of grants made in Duval

Image
POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM MARCH 5, 2016 On October 15, 1835 Don Jose Antonio Gonzalez, a citizen of Camargo complied with requirements of the Colonization Law in regards to La Huerta grant, which was located in the jurisdiction of Camargo. He paid $46 12 1/2 cents and 11 grains which was the appraisal for 4.5 leagues of land, three labores and 125,000 square varas . A month later, on November 22, 1835 notice was given to adjoining landowners that title to La Huerta was being confirmed to Gonzales. The notice was signed by Jose Matias Ramirez, Provisional Alcalde of the town of Camargo. The transfer was completed on December 1, 1835 when Matias Ramirez took Gonzales by the hand walking to and fro over the tract of land. In a loud voice, Ramirez proclaimed that “citizen Antonio Gonzalez in the name of the free and sovereign people of Tamaulipas and by the authority in me vested I put you in judicial possession of four and a half leagues of land, three labores , and 125,000 squa...