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My Maternal Great Grandmother Carmen Salas; or was she a Salar?
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
I often wondered about my maternal Great Grandmother Carmen Salas’ parents. For many years I have been in search of her ancestry, which is why I am unable to find out her middle name; rather, her mother’s maiden name. Typically when I research names and come to a seemingly dead end, I tend to table any further research until new information arises. Later on, when new information surfaces, particularly with people with hard to find middle names, I have observed that many result in identifying people being born out of wedlock.
Family Lore
Such seems to be the case with Carmen. It took a while before one of my aunts finally confided in me in 2010, and told me that Carmen was born out of wedlock. Allegedly her biological father is “Tun Felis Torres,” recalled my Aunt. According to my Aunt, Carmen’s mother, was a housekeeper of a Torres family. She and her children resided in the Torres’ house and were pretty much not allowed to go outside.
Finding Carmen: Salas or Salar?
The earliest document I was able to trace Carmen was in the 1897 Census conducted by the Spanish government. According to this Census, she was 32 years old, married to Nicolas de Leon Guerrero and had two children at the time: Jose and Maria. The Census also indicated that they were living with Nicolas’ father (Matias de Leon Guerrero), mother (Maria Tello) and siblings (Maria, Juan and Rosa).
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Maga’låhi Toka’
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
Toka’ (spelled “Toca” in Fray Juan Pobre’s 1602 account) was a “native principal” who lived in Guaco, Rota.
Marjorie Driver. 1988. Fray Juan Pobre de Zamora: Hitherto Unpublished Accounts of his Residence in the Mariana Islands. Journal of Pacific History, Vol. 23, No. 1, 86-9, April.
(Note: As a reminder or in case you started following my research tidbits, many of our ancestors from the Mariana Islands are either nameless or are vaguely described with their name in historical documents. I have plans to one day publish an index names I do come across from the 1600 and 1700s. The photo above is not a picture of him; only a representation of him.)
FestPac Ready!
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
What we have, what we own, and what we will share....
The journey to FestPac included the first ever Festival of Chamorro Arts (FoCHA) in San Diego, CA sponsored by the Chamorro Hands in Education Links Unity (CHELU) back on January 16, 2016. FoCHA was the introductory event for the Guam Delegates selected from the diaspora (those residing away from our Islands).
During the morning part of FoCHA I presented an on-stage 15 minute overview of the Chamorro Diaspora. Later that afternoon, I conducted a 45 minute Chamorro Roots Genealogy Project workshop.
For FestPac, I will continue to lead and present these two events.
Part of our story is the Chamorro Diaspora story...My team (Vince Diaz, Sakman Mario, Trish Shook - Chief Editor and me) will be presenting a collection of these short biographical stories and video montage of Faces of the Chamorro Diaspora. This Chamorro Disaspora Seminar is scheduled for May 25, 2016, 9:00am - 5:00pm, University of Guam class (exact location TBD).
From June 2-3, 2016, University of Guam (Computer Lab), I will be facilitating a one and one-half day genealogy workshop titled, "Memorializing Our Family Roots." I have three special guest speakers who will be talking about their Chamorro genealogy work and efforts: Jillette Leon-Guerrero, Påle' Eric Forbes, and Anthony "Malia" Ramirez. This workshop will also include hands-on genealogy research for participants and then closing out with participants sharing their genealogy story.
So excited to be a part of and contribute to this grand and historic event!
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