Don Ignacio Gonzalez de Inclan en Tejas Circa:1700's

[John David Inclan]

CAPTAIN JOSÉ DE URRUTIA
Commander of the Royal Presidio of San Antonio de Bexar

By John D. Inclan
Edited by Bernadette Inclan


Mexico became a country when it gained independence from Spain in 1821. However, for almost three hundred years it is New Spain and its citizen’s Spanish subjects. In 1835, the Mexican State of Tejas declares independence from the new nation of Mexico. Nonetheless, to this day, Spanish roots are deeply entrenched in the histories and composition of both Mexico and Texas. The political, military and powerful elite families from New Spain begin this history and this story.

Much data and legends exist on the Oil tycoons and the cattle barons of Texas. Nevertheless, these men are mere latecomers in Texas history. Under the leadership of the Silver Magnate, Governor Juan de Oñate, Spanish Colonization of what is now the United States began in 1598. Nine years before the English established the first settlement at Jamestown and twenty-two years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, this early trailblazer used his immense wealth to finance an entire entrada into New Mexico. This expedition included his son, Cristóbal de Oñate, then eight-years old and a commissioned lieutenant governor and captain general, the two Zaldivar brothers, Juan and Vicente, and Oñate’s nephews. Ten Franciscan priests carrying crosses fronted 400 men, many with their families. The encumbered cortege entered New Mexico, via El Paso, with two luxury coaches, belonging to Oñate, eighty-three wagons and seven thousand heads of livestock. Dressed in full armor plate, these first Europeans that settle New Mexico shape the destiny of what is now the American Southwest. Eighty-two years later, the descendents of these colonies flee the Albuquerque area in what history calls the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The refugees settle in El Paso and Monterrey, Mexico. The families of Duran y Chavez of El Paso, and, generations later, San Antonio, Texas, and the De Las Casas of Monterrey, New Spain, are portrayals in this flight. Of these two families, later generation ally by marriage to the Urrutia family. In addition, through the intricate web of allied families of Monterrey one finds numerous descendents of the Onate-Zaldivar family in the genealogy of the Captain’s descendents of the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

By the late 1600’s, Florida, Texas and the Southwest belonged to the vast empire of Spain. José de Urrutia and Diego Ramón, governor of Coahulia, New Spain from 1691 to 1698, exemplify the “movers and shakers” of this new land. These two influential men and their families settled in the region of Coahulia.

Captain José de Urrutia was born in the province of Guipúzcoa, Spain, on or about 1678. He and his brother Toribio came to the Americas before 1691. Little information exists on their early years in and about New Spain, but by 1691, Jose, a mere youth, accompanies Dón Domingo Terán de los Ríos, into an expedition into Texas. Terán had been in the Spanish service in Peru for twenty years. In 1681, he came to Mexico as a deputy of the consulate of Seville. Because of his successes in quelling Indian disturbances, his instructions included establishing seven missions among the Tejas Indians. At this time the Spanish military established a garrison near the Neches River, a boundary stream forming the county lines in what is now East Texas and the Louisiana border.

In the winter of 1693, the Tejas Indians turned hostile which forced the garrison into a tortuous withdrawal from Texas. It was on this fateful date that José de Urrutia met with an accident on the San Marcos River, (but which scholars now believe to have been either the Colorado River or the Navidad River). The San Marcos River flows southeast for seventy-five miles, forming the boundary between Gonzales and Caldwell counties, before reaching its mouth on the Guadalupe River, two miles west of Gonzales. Forced to remain among the friendly Kanohatinos, Tohos, and Xarames Indians that inhabited this area, Captain Jose and four soldiers remained for an extended period. He soon gained the respect of these tribes by quickly learning their languages and becoming intimately acquainted with their customs. This earned him the title of "captain general" and soon afterwards, he oversaw the activities of all the nations hostile to the Apaches Indians. Under his leadership, he conducted several extensive campaigns against the fierce and hostile Apache.

By the early 1700’s a band of “nomadic hunter and gatherers”, the Comanche, began migrating south and they showed up in the Texas panhandle and in New Mexico. It was this migration that would drive the Apaches out of the High Plains. Only after their arrival on the Plains did the tribe come to be known as Comanche, a name derived from the Ute word Komántcia, meaning "enemy". This fact alone tells the reader a great deal about these warriors. Like the Spaniards, the Comanche were a new addition to Texas. They came from Wyoming and had once been part of the Shoshone Indians. (The Comanche and the Shoshone share a common language). Historical data says that the Comanche acquired their first horses around 1680. It is interesting to note that in an ironic twist of fate, the Spaniards, in an earlier century, introduced the horse into the Americas. Once the Comanche had horses they learned to use them, thereby enabling this nomadic tribe to be more mobile in hunting and in warfare. As their migration continued, the Comanche used their skill with horses to strike swiftly and overcome their opponents. The numerous accounts of the depredations and murders inflicted by the Comanche on the local Indian population as well as on the Spanish featured prominently in the every day life of the settlers of San Antonio and its missions. The Comanche have distinguished themselves as the finest light cavalry in the world with the exception of the Cheyenne Indians, which out classed them. Even today, one can well imagine the Indian war cries that terrified my early ancestors.

By his own statement, Captain Jose claims to have lived amongst the Indians for seven years. When Captain José rejoined his countrymen remains unknown, but by 1696, he had returned to New Spain. There he held a prominent military position with the Spanish government.

To promote trade with the local Indians and the Spanish of New Spain, in 1714 a French cavalier, Lieutenant Louis Juchereau de Saint Denis, established a trading post that grew into the town of Natchitoches, Louisiana. It was a short time later that several overland highways met at Natchitoches, including the Natchez Trace from the east and the Camino Real (The King’s Highway) from New Spain. Natchitoches, recognized as the oldest permanent settlement in Louisiana, plays a major role in the histories of both Texas and Louisiana, and given notoriety by the filming of the movie “Steel Magnolias”. St. Denis presented himself to the Indians of East Texas and revealed his plan to go into Mexico. The Indians asked St. Denis if he would seek their beloved “captain general”. This illustrates how completely Captain Jose endeared himself to the Indians. St. Denis did go to Mexico and found himself under a “pleasant house arrest” while Spanish officials awaited instructions from Mexico City on what to do with “a foreigner bearing goods banned by Spanish mercantile restrictions.” The Spanish Crown enacted an order prohibiting entry of foreign traders or their merchandise into any Spanish territory. St. Denis, however, used this occasion to court and wins a promise of marriage to the Doña Maria Manuela de Sanchez Navarro. The beautiful Manuela, as referenced in numerous accounts, is the granddaughter of Dona Feliciana Camacho y Botello, and the step granddaughter of Major Diego Ramon. The union guaranteed St. Denis a successful outcome with the Spanish Viceroy, who later appointed him conductor of supplies for the planned Ramon expedition to Texas. In 1721, St. Denis became the commander of Fort St. Jean Baptiste, located near the mouth of Bayou Amulet. When Manuela died, April 16, 1758, the annals of Natchitoches record that she was the wealthiest woman in Louisiana. Northwestern State University of Louisiana now occupies the property of her estate. Throughout the parishes of Louisiana, the genealogist can find the descendants of the union between St. Denis and Sanchez.

Captain José married twice. The first occurred on January 7, 1697 to Doña Antonia Ramón. Doña Antonia was the daughter of Governor Dón Diego Ramón and the Doña Feliciana Camacho y Botello. The marriage ceremony performed at the parish church, Santiago Apostol, in the silver mining town of Monclova, in the state of Coahulia in Mexico. Captain José and Antonia had one daughter, Antonia, who later married Dón Luis Antonio Menchaca. The Menchacas settled in San Antonio, and in 1753, Don Luis earned the appointment and title of the commander of San Antonio de Bexar. They left their own unique mark in Texas history.

After the death of his first wife during childbirth, Dón José married the Doña Rosa Flores y Valdez; the daughter of Dón Juan Flores y Valdez and Doña Josefa de Hoyos y de la Garza Falcon. Dona Rosa’s families are descendents of the original Conquistadors of Coahulia and Nuevo Leon in New Spain. This marriage most likely took place in Saltillo. From the union they had four daughters and six sons, including a son named Turbico de Urrutia, who would later succeed him as captain of the presidio de Bexar. Their children, Rosa Micaela, married Dón Pedro Jose de Godoy; Cathalina, married Dón Jose de Plaza; Juana married Dón Ignacio Gonzalez de Inclán. When widowed, her second marriage was to Dón Pedro Mariano de Ocón y Trillo; Ana Gertrudis Josefina, married Dón Antonio Nicolas de Treviño Gutierrez; Captain Toribio de Urrutia, married Doña Ana Maria de Farias y Flores de Abrego and Doña Maria Josefa Flores de Valdez; Joaquin married Doña Maria Josefa Hernández Longoria; Pedro married Doña Gertrudis Flores y Valdez; Manuel died young and never married; Ignacio Cayetano married Doña Rosa Sánchez Navarro y Gomez; Miguel married Doña Clara Cantu.

On March 1, 1700, the new Governor of Coahulia was Dón Francisco Cuervo de Valdez a knight of the Order of Santiago. (He would later serve as the Governor of New Mexico). To help establish the Mission San Francisco Solano, Cuervo de Valdez commissioned Dón Jose’s father-in-law, Major Diego Ramón, now the former Governor, the commander of the presidio de San Juan Bautista del Rio Grande. Major Ramón commissioned other frontiersmen and together they enter the regions of Texas. This mission, the predecessor of the Alamo, was later relocated and renamed.

On July 23, 1733, Dón José now had forty years experience with the Indians of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Texas. He earned the commission as the Captain and commander of the presidio of San Antonio de Bexar. This post suited him well, for Dón José was the most knowledgeable on Indian affairs of all the New World Spaniards. His new residence was the old Comandancia that today is known as the Spanish Governors’ Palace in San Antonio, Texas. Of note: The Governor never resided there. This building always served as an administrative office or for official ceremonies.

From 1734 to 1738, a succession of Apache raids resulted in a great loss of lives and livestock. Situated in a volatile area, the inhabitants of Bexar lived in constant fear and some families moved into the boundaries of the city. The situation worsen to the point that in the winter of 1739 Captain Jose led a campaign against the Apache Indians in the San Saba region (now known as located in the Texas “Hill Country” and boasts the title “Pecan Capital of the World”). He reached in this campaign the same point that years earlier another Spaniard by the name of Dón Juan Antonio Bustillo y Ceballos had reached in 1732. This campaign momentarily defeated the Apache and brought a short period of peace and stability to the area. It would not be long after that the Apache and the Spanish would find themselves warring with the Comanche. In 1743, the first report of the Comanche was sent to the viceroy.

Captain Jose’s many connections in Coahulia, Nuevo Leon, and New Spain’s capital city Mexico (Mexico City) are acknowledged by the fact that he was a friend and confidant to the powerful Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo, Dón Joseph Ramón de Azlor y Virto de Vera and that he had a business venture with the merchant, Dón Juan de Angulo of Mexico City. On September 25, 1735, Captain Jose and Juan drafted a contract or a power of attorney (POA) where Jose had the authority to collect 350 pesos a year from 40 of his men’s salaries. Juan in turn would supply them with their necessary needs. This POA document, of particular interest to a genealogist, contains the roster of the soldiers that were garrison in San Antonio. An enthusiast can find housed in the Spanish Archives Collection at the Bexar County Courthouse a copy of the POA.

The San Fernando Catholic Church records of February 18, 1738 note that Captain José gave 100 pesos towards the construction of San Fernando Church. This church was named after the thirteenth century Spanish monarch, Ferdinand III. At eighteen years of age, the young king led his army to defeat the Moors and reestablished Christianity worship in Castile, Spain. In 1671, Pope Clement X canonized King Ferdinand III a saint. When founded in 1731, San Fernando church was the first Christian church west of the Mississippi River. The secular clergy administered the sacred rites under the jurisdiction of the diocese of Guadalajara, in New Spain. The monastic Franciscans administered prior spiritual care from the local mission, San Antonio de Valero. This new parish served the religious and civic events for the civilian and military populations. It became known as San Fernando Cathedral in later times.


Captain Jose’s property included holdings in Coahulia as well as in Texas. In San Antonio, Texas, Captain Jose and his family received a Royal Land Grant from the King of Spain. The land grants included water rights that went with the land and was measured by the number of days in which water could be used. The water was derived from the San Antonio River and one day of water was equivalent to 117 acres. (Even by today’s standards, this is quite a track of land). This grant was near what is now Military Plaza, between Houston and Commerce Street in San Antonio. A son-in-law, Dón Ignacio Gonzalez de Inclán, a native of Milan, Italy, (a duchy under Spanish domain) a soldier and cashier under the Captain’s command owned the property across the street from the Comandancia. On June 10, 1739, Dón Ignacio received his land grant (Spanish Deed #704 Bexar County Courthouse) located on the northwest corner of West Commerce and Flores streets. His widow, Doña Juana de Urrutia would later sell this property to Dón Diego Ramón Jr. This land with its adobe house would later pass to a kinsmen, Dón Luis Mariano Menchaca. Upon his death, the property passed to his widow, Doña Maria Concepcion de Estrada, and on her will of March 21, 1815, she bequest the property to her son, Dón José Maria Rodríguez. On her will was a clause which provided “one day of water” to be sold to defray her burial expense and the balance to be applied for masses to be said for her and her deceased husbands souls. This one story adobe landmark stood for two centuries before giving way for a commercial building that stands there today. The site remains as an abandoned five and dime store.

The Captain’s last will and testament is dated July 4, 1740, San Antonio, Texas. His will was witness by the Notary Public and Secretary, Dón Francisco Joseph de Arocha, and father-in-law to his granddaughter, Doña Maria Ignacia de Urrutia. He died in San Antonio on July 16, 1741. As mentioned previously, his son, Turbico de Urrutia succeeded him as commander.

The sons and daughters of the Urrutia and Ramon clans married and settled in Coahulia and Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. Later Generations also contributed in shaping the new Republic of Texas.

The flags from Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the Unites States have flown successively over Texas. Likewise, the intricate web of allied families of Coahulia and Nuevo Leon, found in Texas, comprise an interwoven community that irrefutably credits the Spanish conquests in providing the Hispanic origins.

[Terechu]

Hi John,
That was an interesting post. I already knew a little bit about the history of the Spanish communities of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona's. I met people with the Asturian surnames Terán and Toyos in Arizona who were descending from noblemen or soldiers who settled there in the early 1600's. (I presume you already know that your own surname, Inclán, is from the Pravia area of Asturias)

Below is a very interesting site on New Santander, founded by Cpt. José Escandón, a native of today's Cantabria. The librarians of New Santander have done a great job documenting the names of the Spanish founding fathers and their families.

http://www.webbheritage.org/slegacy.htm

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Hola John,
Qué mensaje tan interesante. Yo ya tenía conocimiento acerca de las comunidades españolas de Tejas, Nuevo México y Arizona. Conocí a gente apellidada Terán y Toyos en Arizona, descendientes de hidalgos o soldados asentados allí ya a principios de 1600 (supongo que sabrás que tu propio apellido, Inclán, es de la zona de Pravia en Asturias).

A continuación tienes una página web muy interesante de Nuevo Santander, fundada por el capitán José Escandón, nativo de lo que hoy es Cantabria. Los bibliotecarios de Nuevo Santander han hecho un trabajo extraordinario al documentar los nombres y apellidos de los padres fundadores españoles y sus familias.

Saludos
Terechu

[Terechu]

Sorry, John, maybe you don't speak Spanish. In that case check out this other site:

http://www.raullongoria.net/santander.htm

Terechu