I had previously detailed some of my ongoing research on my paternal grandmother Consuelo Marín (Chávez) Stoltz (21 Dec 1904-29 Sep 1969) and her mother, Simona Balderas Marín Chávez (1 Dec 1881-2 Oct 1960)1

Until now I had been stymied in discovering any birth records for my grandmother in Zaragosa, Coahuila, or for her other siblings born to Simona’s first husband, who we knew as Carlos Marín, whose reputation passed down in family lore is less than savory. Consuelo’s Marín siblings who were later adopted by the devoted Simon Chávez were my great aunt Aurora (16 Dec 1903-28 Oct 1979) and great uncle Carlos (4 Nov 1906-28 Jan 1994).

Unable to find any birth record for Consuelo, I had often searched for any records of Aurora and Carlos. But apparently a record scanned in 2014 had been recently indexed, and today I was able to find Aurora’s baptismal record for the Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Torreón, Coahuila, on 6 Jul 1904.2 According to the record, she was born 16 days before the baptism, which would have been about 20 Jun 1904 rather than Aurora’s generally accepted birthdate of 16 Dec 1903.

Record from Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Torreón, Coahuila

This is most certainly Aurora’s baptismal certificate. Her mother is stated as Simona Balderas, daughter of Juan Balderas and Refugio Rocha. But here is where the breakthrough comes: her father’s name is not Carlos, but Mercedes. We have his parents to continue research: Silverio Marín and Felipa Rodriguez. And if we were wondering why we could not find a marriage record of Simona Balderas and Mercedes Marín, the answer lies in the baptismal record: Aurora was a hija naturál, born out of marriage, rather than a hija legitima.

So greetings, Mercedes Marín. Well met, sir. You are not the first scoundrel I have researched in my family history. Let’s see what your history holds for us.

Notes

  1. A newly discovered record of her birth provides a new birth date some 7 years earlier than other records.
  2. FamilySearch, México, Coahuila, registros parroquiales, 1627-1978, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Bautismos de hijos naturales 1900-1918, image 287 of 1750.

2 comments on “An important Marín breakthrough for the Chávez and Stoltz families

  • Interesting! I was looking through some old family books and my dad George Chavez (son of Carlos Chavez) had a make shift family tree in the family book and he put Mercedes Marin in it. That name rings a bell!

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