The following two documents are baptism records for Bonifasio Serda and his brother Jose Esteban Serda (my ancestor) in the church of Nuestra Senora De La Soledad, General Teran, NL. The names of the parents are given as usual, but in these two records only, the names of the grandparents are also given. The baptism records of their siblings do not record grandparents, as that information was only recorded for a few years from about 1809 to 1812. This is especially significant because very early General Teran marriage records do not exist, and no marriage record for the parents, Jose Maria Serda & Maria Josefa Rios, has ever been found. These two documents are the only link to earlier generations.
In Bonifasio’s earlier record it show that he was legitimate, meaning their parents were married, and the information in the two records is consistent with each other.
Parents: Jose Maria Serda & Maria Josefa Rios
Father’s parents: Don Jose Francisco Serda & Maria Guadalupe Serna
Mother’s parents: Francisco Rios & Calletana Cano
Jose Esteban Serda
Nuestra Senora De La Soledad, General Teran, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
LDS film # 1389162 & batch C646441
15 August 1812
MARGIN: “No. 65. Estevan mestiso Po.”
“En esta ayuda de Parrochia del Valle de la Mota con quinse de Ag’to de Ochosientos dos, Yo el Bn. D. Jose Ang’l Cavasos B’se Solom’te a Jose Estevan Serda mestiso Po. de dies dias de nasido, hijo de Jose Maria Serda y de Josefa Rios de esta vesindad en el paso del Rio A.P. Jose Serda y Guadalupe Serna, M. Francisco Rios y Calletana Cano, fueron Padrinos Francisco Garsia y Consevsion Garsia aquienes adventi sus Oblig’on y Pa___ espiritual y para que conte lo firme — Bn. Jose Ang’l Cabasos”
NOTE: Record gives his age as ten days old, making his date of birth August 5, 1812.
NOTE: Po. means parbulo — a male infant. A.P. stands for abuelos paternos — paternal grandparents. A.M. stands for abuelos maternos — maternal grandparents. In the record above, the priest only wrote M instead of A.M..
NOTE: Mestiso meant mixed — about equal parts European & indeginous — and was the racial description of the child, probably based on looks. In the record for his brother Bonifasio, the race was indio in the margin but esp’a in the text — indian, then espanol aka European — two different races for the same person and with the same parents as Esteban, who was called mestiso.
Bonifasio Serda
Nuestra Senora De La Soledad, General Teran, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
LDS film # 1389162 & batch C646441
29 May 1810
MARGIN: “46 Bonifasio indio”
“En esta ayuda de Pa del Valle de la Mota en viente y nuebe de el Mayo, de hocho cientos dies, B.S. y Par___ S.S. Oli__ g __, a Bonifasio Serda esp’l de quinse dias nacido h. L. de Jose de la Serda y Ma. Josefa __ Rios aPP D’n Jose Fran’co de la Serda y Ma. Guadalupe Serna A.M. Fran’co Ryos y y Cayetana Cano, P.P. Hermenegildo ________ [Gimenes? Cisneros?] y Ma. Ygnacia Peres a qui ____ ad___ti sus obligacion del ________ espiritual y doctrina christiana y __ ___ Con__ la firma”
NOTE: Surname given as de la Serda, rather than Serda. Note that the grandfather Serda was given the courtesy title “Don.”
NOTE: Priest’s name illegible to me, as well as surname of first padrino. However, in General Teran, there was one christening in 1806 for a child of Ermenegildo Sisnero & Maria Ygnacia Peres; so the name seems to be Sisneros. In 1790, a Maria Ygnacia Peres was baptised in Montemorelos with parents Domingo Peres & Rita Cerna; so it seems as though Ygnacia Peres may have been a relative, possibly a even first cousin, of Jose Maria Serda, the father here.
NOTE: Race given as indio in the margin, but esp’l — espanol — in the text.
NOTE: His age was fifteen days old, making his date of birth the May 14, 1810.
