Mrs. Filimon Baca's letters

Dear Lynda,
I don't know who you are but I know Lucy and Eliseo and the rest of your Aunts. But thanks for writing me. I am sorry I didn't answer sooner but I was out of town for a few days and didn't get the letter until now.

“Bless her heart, she felt so obligated to answer my letters and I was so unrelenting, she probably thought I was really demanding.”
About the information you want me to give you there is not too much I can give you but I will give as much as I can. I am going to give you the names of sons and daughters of José Antonio Bustamante. (I know) Their births but I don't know when they died. So you are welcome anytime you want to come and visit me and then I will give more about them because they are too many too write. Here they are:
My grandfather and my Grand mother (your great grandparents)
José Antonio Bustamante and Marillita Vallejos Bustamante.
The rest of the names are your aunts and uncles of your mother.
Danile Bustamante
Felicitas and María Angelita
José Catarino
George
Policarpio
Hipolito
María Ana
Francisco Antonio
and the triplets:
María Guadalupe
María Clara (your grandmother) and
María De los Reyes
I don't know when they died or were married either but when you come maybe I can give you more but it it’s hard to write as I am not good to write so I hope I gave you a little about it. I hope to see you, when you come to Albuquerque
Thanks for writing me.

“Poor lady, she keeps apologizing for not knowing.”
“Sounds like Grandma Lucy. She apologizes if it rains!”
“I guess I tried to be a bit less demanding in my next letter.”
Dec l8
Received your letter but I have been so busy that haven't got time to answer you. But thanks very much for your nice letter but I was hoping you would have come to meet you. Hope you can come and see us sometimes.
Well I can't give you much more information about what you ask me, the only thing is that all the brothers and sisters of your gramma are all gone. My mother was the last one to die. She passed away Nov 1953. That's the only one I can tell you more or less when she was married, of course, in those times I guess they didn't have any records et. My mother Felicitas married José S.Chávez Jan 20, 1881. I don't know the births and deaths of her parents maybe Tia Lola or Eliseo can tell you about them.
I am giving you the names of my aunts and uncles your Grama’s brothers and sisters, and who they married I don't know the dates.
Brothers Daniel Bustamante married Savina Torres and
Hipolito Bustamante married SavAna after Daniel died
George m. Casimira Saiz
María Bustamante married Severo Rivera
I don't know their marriage date either.
I can give you all the names of their children your mother's first cousins but I need a whole page to write the names, but if you want them I will give them to you. Hope you can write me soon again and hope you understand my writing. I am not too good in writing English.
Regards to your husband.

Jan 6, 1975
Dear cousins:
Sorry I haven't answered your last letter but with the holidays I was so busy that didn't have time.
I am going to give you the names of all my first cousins but that's about all the information I can give and I am sure they don't know anything more as all of them are younger than I am.
And about the four unnamed children of my grandfather, there is no record of them. I guess they were infants of course, as I said in my last letter in those times there were no record of babies that were born and died infants. Now they register them as soon as they are born. You say you can read Spanish I am glad because my husband is not very good in speaking English. So when you come you can talk with him. I am hoping you can visit. Well here I go with the names.
My mother, Felicitas had 9 children:
Grigoio Chávez died single
Rosalia Chávez died single
Pedro P. Chávez married and widower
Maríana C. Lopes married (dead)
Isidorita #1s, and Isidorita #2 died in infancy
Genoveva Chávez, dead
José Antonio Chávez-dead.
Emilianita Chávez Baca (writer of letter)
married Filimon Baca
Uncle Daniel Bustamantae had two sons both dead:
José Antonio and Samuel Bustamante
Uncle George Bustamante had 9 children
Daniel Bustamante dead
Julian and Marcos both died small
Elvira Bustamante Romero
Bernarda Bustamante(single)
José Antonio alive and Prudencia dead (twins)
Herman Bustamante Widower
Alfredo Bustamante married
Marillita Bustamante Carillo married
Aunt Maríana Bustamante Rivera had 3 children
Miguel B. Rivera son, dead
Marillita Rivera, died young
Daniel Rivera died young
Uncle Policarpio
didn't have a family and
Uncle Hipolito either.
So I hope you have all the information you want because this is all I can give you. Sorry I don't have more I am sure none of my cousins have any more because as I said I’m one of the oldest except my brother is older than I am. But he doesn't know any more than I do. Of course, you know the names of your uncles and aunts on your mother's side.

Is there another letter? She keeps saying she doesn’t know any more and then writes more!” Brent asked unfolding another letter carefully.
“That’s the way to get information; people believe they don’t know much but when you keep asking questions they often come back with memories or things they didn’t think were important enough to tell you at first.”
Jan 29, 1975
Sorry I haven't answered your last letter but I was waiting for my cousin to get back from California. To ask her if she knew when my uncle Jorge was married to her father. She came back Saturday so I found out when they were married so here I go. I hope I can give you the right information:
Uncle Jorge Bustamante was married to Casimira Saiz on Jan 7 1898, in our Lady of Belen Church. He died Feb 14, 1931 and was buried in the same place he was married.
Uncle Daniel Bustamante was married to Savina Torres Oct 7, 1895. He was killed by (Bronco Bill) Maybe you have heard about Bronco Bill; he was a thief I can go to all the details its a long story. Eliseo will tell you about it.
“I think he mentions it in one of his letters. I’ll have to look.”
He died May 25, 1898, and Antonio Bustamante the one you wrote about is his son. Samuel Bustamante another son just died last year in August 1974.
You say you hear stories about Uncle Paul, he in fact I think that your Tia Marian is the one that started calling him Uncle Paul because we never did. If you ask Eliseo or Lola they will tell you. About my husband being a Baca he is not the son of Filimon and Maggie, it's just a coincidence. He is from other Bacas from here. So I think I have given you about all you have asked me in your last letter. I hope you understand my writing I am not too good in spelling but that's the best I can do. So please excuse me (OK). I wish you could come over sometime and maybe I can tell you in person more, but for now I think this is all I have.
Regards to your husband and children from your cousin (Melly).

“That was her last letter. We never went to visit them in Albuquerque. I never met her,” Mom said sadly folding the letter into the file. “I’ve always regretted that. I would have loved to just sit and visit with her. Somehow, knowing someone who knew my grandparents and great grandparents would have brought them a little closer to my heart.”
Lynae and Brent exchanged knowing glances of agreement as they realized how their hearts had been turned to the ancestors through their adventures.
“We’ve had some great memories, especially with you two. I took the older kids on a lot of adventures I was home with them; we biked and hiked and camped along the Little Colorado River. I only hope that someday they will reach in deep into their memory banks and remember the good times we had.”
“It’s OK, Mom. It’s all good.” Brent mimicked himself with his own cliché expression, then pointed out that there were just two miles left to the turn off to the little college town of Safford, Arizona.