Last week, I posted on FaceBook an announcement seeking collaborators to work on connecting the Ignacio families. I had a couple of inquiries, but only one person that was interested, so now there is three of us working on this.
I am openly seeking collaborators willing to roll up their sleeves, research and share information on the Ignacio families.
My current theory (and this will likely change as we progress with more research) is that there are at least five (possibly six) main families on Guam that are descendants of a man named Rafael Ignacio who married a woman with the surname dela Cruz. Within oral family history it is generally understood that all Ignacio families from Guam are related. The most common family clan name (and the only one that I am currently aware of) for the Ignacio family is Manggåfan Pa'eng.
Current Collaborating Team
So far the collaborators on this effort are composed of: 1) Adam Nauta Llanes a descendant of Maria Ignacio and Prisco delos Santos; 2) Fay Castro Mesa, a descendant of Juan Ignacio and Maria Cruz; and, 3) me, a descendant of Maria dela Cruz Ignacio and Vicente (Jai) dela Cruz. It would be great to have a collaborative family representative from the other three families to help research, identify and connect our family relations.
Recent additions to the Collaborating Team since the release of this article:
4) Jesus Toves Chargualaf, a descendant of Ana Ignacio (b. abt. 1873) and Antonio Flores San Nicolas and Jose de Toves.
Records Review
In reviewing census and land records, it has become quite revealing that the Ignacio families were found clustered in three distinct areas on Guam from the 1800's up and through World War II: Pizarro Street, Agana, Anigua, and in Piti. These residential/farming clusters of the Ignacio family have led me to presume that many of their descendants were closely related and perhaps even first cousins.
Manuel Naputi Ignacio, Manggåfan Pa'eng
Tun Manet is a descendant of Ramon dela Cruz Ignacio and Tomasa Muna Aguon.
Contact me if you are interested in collaborating with us on the Ignacio family tree.
