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Her Name is Mariana Jimenez
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
Last year March 27, 2013, I wrote an article, "A Little Girl Named Mariana."
To summarize, Mariana was about two years old when Father San Vitores and his entourage docked in the Mariana Islands. She was one of the first to be baptized and was baptized on the ship by Father Luis Medina. What was not clear was the identity of her father Pedro, who took her aboard ship on June 16, 1668. The two primary conflicting information found in manuscripts regarding Mariana's father, was his ethnicity (Filipino versus Spanish) and his last name (Calungsod versus Jimenez).
So it turns out that her father indeed was Pedro Jimenez (sometimes spelled Ximinez in manuscripts). Pedro was a Filipino that survived the Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion shipwreck of 1638. Unlike other survivors of that shipwreck, who eventually made their way back to the Philippines, Pedro decided to settle in the Mariana Islands. Unfortunately, I have yet to find the name of Mariana's mother.
Sidebar...In September 1990, National Graphic published quite a story on recovery and salvage of the Concepcion.
References:
Rodrigue Levesque. 1995a. History of Micronesia, A Collection of Source Documents, Volume 4 – Religious Conquest, 1638-1670. Levesque Publications: Quebec, Canada
Augusto V. de Viana. 2004b. In the Far Islands: the Role of Natives from the Philippines in the Conquest, Colonization and Repopulation of the Mariana Islands. University of Santo Tomas: Manila, Philippines.
Governor Carlos Garcia Camacho
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
Governor Carlos Garcia Camacho
1924-1979
One of the many things Governor Camacho did during his term as the first elected Governor of Guam visited our Chamorro people serving the military. He was well known for his Vietnam visits.
This particular photo was from the San Diego Union newspaper as he visited the "Guam Platoon" Marine recruits prior to their graduation from basic training.
Although he was supportive of the military and national interests, he was also concerned of Guam's past history of being a major battleground of World War II and a key staging area for the Vietnam War. He made efforts to try and get Guam to not depend on the military supporting the economy.
During that time, Guam was also experiencing a boost in the economy resulting from investments from Taiwan, Japan and Australia.
In addition to his desire for economic expansion, Camacho had hoped to see a political evolution for Guam that might lead to statehood.
Below is a copy of the 1972 article from the Dallas Morning News of Camacho searching for potential industries for Guam.
Jesus Palomo Cruz aka Jimmy Cruz
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
Jesus "Jimmy" Palomo Cruz: 1923-1979
In my random search and findings I came across this 1946 Dallas Morning Star article on "Jimmie Cruz" to add to the Chamorro Roots Genealogy Project. What I am not 100% certain of if he is the same person as Jesus "Jimmy" Palomo Cruz. With what little the article had "Jimmie" and his family it seems like an almost perfect match that they are the same person. I am hoping that someone related to him can confirm the identification of the 1946 picture of Jimmie as being Jesus Palomo Cruz.
It's unusual that I come across the nickname Jimmy in place of Jesus. So I am curious as to how his nickname may have come about.
Tun Jimmy was one of several Chamorro men who enlisted in military service prior to World War II, and was away during the invasion and occupation of Guam by the Japanese. Having served in the military I can only imagine the mental strain and anguish one goes through while fighting war at another location and not being able to fight and defend the home front, where other family members are being held captive.
After Tun Jimmy retired from service he made his way back home. Several internet searches on his name have led me to learn that he was the owner of the former Pirate's Cove in Ipan until his death in 1979. Today the venue is known as Jeff's Pirate Cove.
Sources:
Dallas Morning Star, March 20 1946
Guampedia, http://guampedia.com/resettlement-patterns-under-american-rule/
Guam Pacific Daily News, September 5, 1979: http://jeffspiratescove.com/politics/page12.pdf
Database Update 17 June 2014
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
The database has been updated and has grown from 313,973 to 315,532 names.
Josefina Pangelinan: Queen of the 1919 Guam Industrial Fair
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- Written by: Bernard Punzalan
Before the annual Guam Liberation festivities was the Guam Agricultural and Industrial Fair that was first held in 1917 and was intially held during the 4th of July timeframe.
The third Guam Industrial Fair was held from July 3-5, 1919 at the Plaza de Espana. Josefina Pangelinan was crowned the Queen after receiving 135,304 votes while her closest competitor was Josefina Davis who trailed by 20,958 votes.
I found these photos that were provided from Marvin Ainsworth's Collection, courtesy of Guampedia.com:
Additional Sources:
Pacific Profile (December 1964)
Report of the Guam Agricultural Experiment Station 1919 (February 17, 1921)
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