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Cristobal de Villalpando or Cristobal Gallegos?


By gpf13 - Posted on 26 March 2012

There is a Cristobal de Villalpando who lived in Asientos in the 1700s whose identity is puzzling. He had several children with Petra Dolores de Castillas (or del Castillo), who I believe was also known as Petra Dolores Fonseca.

I did not find a marriage record for Cristobal de Villalpando and Petra Dolores de Castillas. I found the death/burial record for Cristobal de Villalpando on 10 Apr 1772, Asientos, but unlike many of the period, does not name his parents.

I found two marriage records that suggest possibilities:

Xptoval Ricardo Gallegos, s/o Joseph Gallegos and Juana Antonio de Villalpando, married 20 Sept 1746, Asientos, to Petra Dolores Castilla, d/o of Antonio Castilla and Efigenia Dolores Fonseca. In the Informacion Matrimonial, Cristobal says he is 19 years old; and incorrectly names his father as Francisco.

Joseph Gallegos, s/o of Francisco Gallegos and Francisca Guevaro (or Guerrero?) married 5 Feb 1731, Juana Antonia de Villalpando, d/o Thomas de Villalpando and Maria Sotelo.

Cristobal Gallegos and Petra Dolores Fonseca had a child, Joseph Cayetano, baptized 14 Aug 1747, in Asientos. I did not find other children for this couple.

Cristobal de Villalpando and Petra Dolores Castilla (Castillo) or Fonseca had several children in Asientos as follows (the double surnames show how Petra's surname varies):

(i) Antonio de la Cruz de Villalpando Castillo, christened 11 May 1749 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos,
(ii) Joseph Antonio de Villalpando, born abt 1751/56. He married on 20 Aug 1776 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos Maria Agustina de la Luz Lopez, daughter of Pedro Fermin Lopez and Anna Gertrudis Gutierres.
(iii) Vitorino de los Dolores de Villalpando Fonseca, christened 13 Apr 1752 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos
(iv) Maria Michaela de Gordiana de Villalpando Castillas, christened 1 Jun 1754 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos She married (1) on 11 Jun 1773 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos Josef Maria Mendez, son of Santiago Julio Mendez and Mara Sepherina Ribera; (2) on 4 Nov 1776 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos, Josef Miguel de Sierra, son of Francisco Miguel de Sierra and Juana Pasquala de Medina.
(v) Joseph Brigido de Villalpando Castillas, christened 3 Aug 1756 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos
(vi) Joseph Silbestre Mariano de Villalpando, christened 19 Jan 1761 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos
(vii) Maria Marciala de Villalpando Castilla, christened 17 Jul 1763 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos
(viii) Joseph Francisco Christobal de Villalpando Castillo, christened 9 Nov 1765 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos
(ix) Maria Gertrudis de Villalpando Fonseca, christened 18 Jun 1769 in Nuestra Señora de Belén, Asientos

The godparents of some of these children are other Villalpandos. I've notice that many of the godparents of the Asientos Villalpandos were Villalpando relatives (often the same person); perhaps this is to strengthen family ties.

The marriage records cited above suggest that Cristobal was quite young when married. The IM says he was 19, but if I have his parents right, he was quite young when married, and overstated his age. I have noted that the stated ages in the IMs tend to be off, sometimes saying the person is older (as in this case), or younger.

I think that Cristobal Gallegos and Cristobal de Villalpando are the same person, with Cristobal changing his surname to that of his mother after the first child, Joseph Cayetano Gallegos, is born. I think Villalpando was a prominent family in Asientos, as later members were styled Don or Dona. This would have made the bonds between Cristobal the the other Villalpandos stronger.

Petra Dolores used both Castilla/Castillo and Fonseca; with Fonseca being her mother's surname.

I do not have definitive information supporting this conclusion, and wonder in any NR member might have additional information to support or disprove the conclusion.

George Fulton