Familia Gonzalez

[Emilio Tomas]

Mi great-grandfather, Juan Gonzalez del Cueto, was born in Collía, near Arriondas in the 1850s. I actually have a copy of his baptismal record (not with me) noting his parents and grandparents, Juan Gonzalez de Granda and Jose Gonzalez, respectively. How far back can I take this? I've tried to get copies of birth/baptismal records for the last two but have found it nearly impossible. Any hints?
Also, the Gonzalez de Argandona family was prominent in Pendas and its coat of arms forms part of the municipal arms. Are these families interrelated given the relatively small pupulation today and 150 years ago? Thanks.

[Sweeney]

For tips on getting records from Spain check the following link:

http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=268

You may want to first search for your great great grandparent's death certificates. If he died after 1871 the record may be in the Civil Register. You can order those documents online or by mail. From the death certificate you can usually discover the approximate year of birth for your ancestor and what town he or she was from. You can then write the local church and ask for a baptismal record.

[Loredo]

As all the people you are looking for were born before 1870 you can't expect to find their birth certificates in the Civil Record. Your only source are the Parish Records.

As you go deeper in your genealogical tree you'll realize two facts: most of your ancestors were born in a very small geographical area but not all of them belong to the same parish.

For the ancestors born in the Collía's parish you should expect to find baptismal records as early as 1646, i.e., you can go 6 generations back from Juan González del Cueto. All these books are located in the Archivo Diocesano in Oviedo.

Kind Regards,
Miguel.

[Emilio Tomas]

Gracias Miguel, for your kind response. You are right about my ancestors; they all lived within a very small geographic region.
My great grandfather, Juan Gonzalez del Cueto was born in Collía on December 27, 1853. His baptismal certificate lists his parents as Juan Gonzalez de Granda and Maria del Cueto Cofiño, both of Collía. His grandparents, Jose Gonzalez and Pedro del Cueto, are listed as being from Pendás. These two villages are indeed very close to each other.

Based on population trends and the fact that Parres currently has some 6000 people in the entire municipality, there could not have been too many people living in these two communities in the eaarly to mid 1800s. One question you might be able to answer concerns lineage. I understand that there are two Casa Solares in the vicinity, one at Cobiella and one in Bada which both have the Gonzalez coat of arms engraved. Are the Gonzalez's from Parres originally from either (or both) of these houses?

Also, how do I go about retrieving baptismal records from the Diocese of Oviedo? Is there someone I could contact that would do this initial research for me?

Thank you, Emilio T. Gonzalez

[Terechu]

Emilio, I would suggest you contact the parrish first, they keep copies of all documents as far back as the 17th and even 16th Century.

Parroquia de San Martin
Calle Argüelles 40
Arriondas - Asturias
Spain
Att. Sr. Cura Párroco

This parrish should cover Collía, Bada, Pendás and Cofiño. By the way, you must be related to half the population of the Parres district.

For the Diocesis of Oviedo, go to

http://www.iglesiadeasturias.org/
and then click on the mailbox symbol.

As to the coats of arms, you must realize that they were given to one member of a particular family for his adhesion to a local aristocrat, who in turn had raised an "army" to aid a king/queen in a particular battle that had been won. It usually implied that those rewarded would also get a plot of land for their bravery. Thus, many young men who wanted to start a family and had no land of their own, chose this course which could either make them well-off or kill them.
The coat of arms was only inherited by his direct descendants, not the whole family.

Take care
Terechu

[Loredo]

Emilio,

Terechu is right when suggesting you to start contacting the parishes because this is the first logical step. In my previous mail, I forgot to say that I had checked in the guide for the Archivo Diocesano that the old books from Collía parish had been sent to Oviedo. The only books you should expect to find now in the parish are the so-called "living books" (i.e., books containing data that people could ask for on a regular basis). As a rule, when a parish has sent the books to the Archivo Diocesano, you should expect to find there books from 1900 onwards. although it is possible to find older books if they are still in use.

Regarding Pendás parish you can also find the books in the Archivo Diocesano. The oldest baptismal book for this parish starts in 1676.

You should follow Terechu's link to contact the Archivo by e-mail.

Kind Regards,
Miguel.

[Emilio Tomas]

Does anyone have any info on the villages of Collia, Pendas and San Martin de Bada, all in Parres?

[Terechu]

Check out the site below. On the right side of the screen there's an index that reads: Poblaciones. Scroll down and you'll find all three villages. There are no pictures of those villages yet, but all three are mentioned, to include the population, highest hill/mountain, etc.

http://www.vivirasturias.com/asturias/t ... index.html

Cheers
Terechu