Wordless Wednesday

Above the baptismal font,Mission San Juan Bautista,CA.

I Spent Some Money Today

I don't have enough family photos,to much moving around as kid.So I have taken to adding the occasional postcard or old photo off eBay,or from antique stores, to my family history.I have imagines of main street in towns I lived in as a child in the same time period.Postcards of buildings and town's in the time frame my ancestors lived there.I even found a old postcard of the hospital I was born in!It's a fun,inexpensive way to add some image pizazz to your family history. Till today,I was bad,very,very bad.I did not have any stereo views before.And it showed the interior of the Mission church that multiple family members of mine have been baptized,married and buried from.It's pretty rare I think.It better be.When I get it I will post it for everyone to see.I am glad I got it though,rare or not.I have always loved walking in the church of San Juan Bautista.Knowing my ancestors walked on the same adobe tiles imprinted with coyotes paws,touching the font they were baptized in,making the same final walk their earthly bodies were carried on to the cementerio.I loved that place even before I knew for sure that it was part of me.I will treasure the picture.Even if the price was dear.

Genealogy Happy Dance Time!

I am going to try and get this thing off the ground.I have to write about my great news of two days ago.I had finally got around to posting on http://www.sfgenealogy.com/spanish/index.htm mailing list asking if anyone else was researching the surname MOTA.This was my dads paternal grandmothers maiden name.It is not a common Spanish/Mexican surname and I have not been able to place my great grandmother Susan Mota in the census before 1880.So all I knew was she was born abt.1862 in May, in California,and spoke Spanish.She married a Sicilian immigrant and was in Gilroy by the 1890's.I had found mention of a Mota in Bancroft and figured she might be a granddaughter of his.
Well a researcher of California family's came up with her full name,baptism and birth date, place and her family!It is most certainly her!I am very excited!And amazed at how many early California lines my father is descended from.Now I need to order the film to look at her baptism and make a real effort to find her on the 1870 census now that I will have some other info. to use in the search.
I want to try and find her marriage record as well.Susana Delfina Ruiz de Jesus Arroyo was born May 21,1863 and baptised June 14,1863 at Mission San Juan Bautista.