A NEW MEXICO DESCENDANT OF CHARLEMAGNE (1)

by

George A Sanchez

An e mail messages was sent by the NMGS (New Mexico Genealogical Society out of

Albuquerque, NM) to their members congratulating those who have now been proven to be

descendants of Charlemagne. Most of these descendants are those who descend from

Francisco Montes Vigil I and his wife Juana Maria Jimenez de Anciso who arrived in what

is now New Mexico with the second group of De Vargas colonists in 1695 (2)

.

Here is my Maternal (Gurule) genealogical line to Francisco Montes Vigil I:

George a Sanchez, son of

Ramoncita Gurule and Abran Sanchez, daughter of

Juan Gurule and Luisa Aragon, son of

Juan Pablo Gurule and Maria Paula Trujillo, daughter of

Jose Martin Trujillo and Juana Polita Medina, daughter of

Jose Manuel Medina and Maria Viviana Vigil, daughter of

Francisco Vigil and Gertrudis Abeyta, son of

Juan Angel Montes Vigil and Valentina Martin Valerio, son of

Francisco Montes Vigil II and Antonia Ribera Jiron del Castillo, son of

Francisco Montes Vigil I and Maria Juana Jimenez de Anciso.

Some of the children of Francisco Montes Vigil I can be found on page 5 in the book

"Ancestors and Descendants of Francisco Montes Vigil (1666-1731) and Juana Maria de

Anciso y Jimenez (1666-1745) written, and available for sale, by Marietta Vigil Gonzales.

(My ancestor is the 7th child.) (3)

In the book, "Early Roads to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains", written by Philip

Arnold Vigil, on pages 37-39, gives 10 children for Francisco Montes Vigil I and his wife

Maria Juana Jimenez de Ancizo (My ancestor is number 6 Francisco Montes Vigil II.). (3)

In the Arnold Vigil Book, on pages 47and 48, listed 12 children for Francisco Montes

Vigil II, son of Francisco I, with the first wife Antonia Giron del Castillo, ( My ancestor is

child number 8 Juan Angel Vigil who married Valentina Valerio.). Then Francisco II

married Lorensa Molina Quintana, June 8, 1744, in Santa Cruz, NM, after his first wife

Antonia died. Francisco Montes Vigil II and Lorensa had 12 children!! (3)

Here is an interesting bit of information I found in an article in Herencia, the HGRC

Journal:

In an article Mexico City Roots: Jiron de Tejeda, Leyva y Mendoza, and Afan de

Rivera, written by Jose Antonio Esquibel and Robert Martinez I found some very interesting

information on one of my Vigil ancestors. Francisco Afan de Rivera, a wealthy colonist in

early Nuevo Mexico, fathered five children with a Maria de Leyva y Mendoza which are listed

in Francisco's Will. They had one son named Francisco Xavier, and four daughters Josepha,

Maria Jiron, Antonia Rivera Jiron, and Nicolasa, all using the name del Castillo. The article

stated that "Lady" Maria de Leyva, their mother, was married to someone else during the time

that she and Francisco were living together and had these childtren while her husband was

away!

Now for my most interesting discovery. The daughter, Antonia Rivera Jiron del

Castillo is my sixth great-grandmother. She was married to my sixth great-grandfather

Francisco Montes Vigil II, the son of Francisco Montes Vigil I! Here is that genealogy:

Francisco Montes Vigil II and Antonia Ribera Jiron del Castillo, parents of

Juan Angel Montes Vigil and Valentina Martin Valerio, parents of

Francisco Vigil and Gertrudis Abeyta, parents of

Jose Manuel Medina and Maria Viviana Vigil, parents of

Jose Martin Trujillo and Maria Polita Medina, parents of

Juan Pablo Gurule and Maria Paula Trujillo, parents of

Juan Gurule and Luisa Aragon, parents of

Abran Sanchez and Ramoncita Gurule, parents of

George A. Sanchez

Using the information I found in the Marietta Vigil Gonzales and the Arnold Vigil books

I found my Vigil genealogical line back to Spain and beyond starting with Francisco

Montes Vigil I. In the Marietta Vigil Gonzales book behind the Preface page at the front of

the book is a list "Vigils in Spain to Vigils in New Mexico" which are probably Marietta's

ancestors. In the Arnold Vigil book on pages 12 and 13 he also gives the history of the Juan

Montes Vigils I, II, and III. (3)

Francisco Montes Vigil I, son of

Juan Montes Vigil III and Unknown woman (Probably a Black slave), son of

Juan Montes Vigil II and Catalina Herrera Cantillana, son of

Juan Montes Vigil I and Maria de Vigil , son of

Lucas de Vigil and Isabel de Vigil.

I recently acquired the Brent Alexander Cruz, Ph.D book "Una Familia Mas Noble y

Antigua" about our Vigil ancestry. The genealogy that Cruz found and writes about in this

book was used to prove the Vigil Ancestry all the way back to Charlemagne in the eight

century and further back to the fourth century!

The Vigil genealogy line starts on page 53 of the book starting with Francisco Montes

Vigil I, born in 1666, and goes to page 120 where we find the name GUNDHAR, King of the

Burgundians in 385 AD! On Page 115 is where we find CHARLEMAGNE, HOLY

ROMAN EMPEROR IN 747 AD. The first page 53 only has the Roman numeral I every

other page to page 120 has three Roman numeral. These Roman Numerals give the

generation of the people listed under that Roman numeral starting with Francisco Montes

Vigil I on page 53.

For example, Charlemagne is listed under Roman numeral XXXIII-A and since XXXIII =

33, Charlemagne is in the 33 generation of the Vigil family starting with Francisco Montes

Vigil I. On page 120 GUNDHAR is listed under the last Roman Numeral XLVI = 46 this

means that there are presently 46 generations in the Vigil family starting with Francisco

Montes Vigil I. To find out how many generations from me, George A Sanchez, I would

have to add the generations from me to Francisco Montes Vigil I to this number.

Brent Cruz tells us about the dilemma to find a way to clearly and concisely present a

family tree of 46 generations spanning 1,281 years and featuring nearly 1,400 unique

names. It would be nearly impossible to have presented all of these names in one large

chart. So Cruz goes on to tell us that the ponderous and somewhat complex system he

presents for his charts represent what he found to be the least objectionable pattern for the

material he organized. Here are beginning ways to find information in the chart.

On page 53 Cruz only gives the name of Francisco Montes Vigil I, born in 1666 and

married to Maria Jimenez de Anciso, this page only has the Roman Numeral I=1. There is

a (1) after his name. In all the rest of the page, from page 54 to page 120, there might only

be numbers in parenthesis next to a name in the third column. To find who is the father of

a person with a number to the right of their name in the third column, we turn the page

and look for the name under the Roman Numeral one greater than the one who had the

same number but now that number to the left of their name. On page 54 there are three

Roman Numerals listed at the top II=2, III=3, and IV=4, so we look at the person under II,

which is one greater than I, that has a (1) to the left of their name. There is only one name

under II and that is (1) Juan Montes Vigil III so he is the father of Francisco Montes Vigil

I. Note, there might only be numbers in parenthesis in the first or third columns.

Another example, on page 56 under Roman Numeral X=10 in the third column there is the

name Inez de Miranda y Ponce de Leon, Senor de Miranda, with a (4) on the right side. On

the next page under XI=11 in the first column is the name (4) Diego Fernandez de Miranda

so he is the father of Inez de Miranda y Ponce de Leon.

We can use the numbers in parenthesis in the first and third columns in reverse to find a

son if we have a name in the first column with a number in parenthesis on the left. On

page 115 under XXXII-A in the first column there is a (4) in front of

(4) Gerard of Swabia

Count in Kraichgan

Imma of Alemannia 735 AD

To find who he is the father of we have to find a person in the third column under XXXI-A

with a (4) in back of their name. On Page 110 under XXXI-B we find

Adrianus (4)

Waldrada

So (4) Gerhard of Swabia is the father of this person.

On page 54 under column IV=4 is a Juan Montes Vigil I, born 1570, (1) married to

Maria de Vigil, born 1575, (2). Juan Montes Vigil is a Great-Grandfather of Francisco

Montes Vigil I. Notice if we subtract 3 from the IV=4 at the top of the column that gives us

the number of the Great in front of Grandfather.

Look on page 115, under Roman numeral XXXIII-A=33 is CHARLEMAGNE, HOLY

ROMAN EMPEROR 747 AD, married Hildegarde of Swabia 758 AD. To find what Great-

Grandfather he is to Francisco Montes Vigil I, we subtract 33-3=30, so Charlemagne is his

30th Great-Grandfather. My (George A. Sanchez) 7th Great-Grandfather is Francisco

Montes Vigil I so adding 7 + 30= 37, Charlemagne is my 37th Great-Grandfather! (4)

Now about the Capital Letters after the Roman Numerals. On page 58 there is the letter

"A" after the three Roman Numerals this is because one of the columns has more names

than can be put in that column so the SAME THREE Roman Numerals have to be

repeated on the next page but with a "B" following them. On page 60 the Roman

Numerals start with an "A" but end on page 65 with an "F" after the SAME Roman

Numerals.

FOOTNOTES:

(1) (Google or go to Wikipedia to get the full lengthy story of Charlemagne.):

Charlemagne, also called Charles I, and by name Charles the Great, was born April 2,

747? and died January 28, 814, in Aachen, Ausrasia, now in Germany, King of the

Franks (768-814), King of the Lombards (774-814), and First Emperor of The

Romans (800-814) and of what was later called The Holy Roman Empire.

(2) (This is one of two e mails sent by the NMGS)

(3) In the Marietta Vigil Gonzales book behind the Preface page at the front of the book

is a list "Vigils in Spain to Vigils in New Mexico" which are probably Marietta's ancestors.

On page 5 of the Marietta Vigil Gonzales book are the descendants of Francisco Monte

Vigil I (1666-1731) and Juana Maria de Anciso y Jimenez (1666-1745).

In the book, "Early Roads to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains", written by Philip Arnold

Vigil,on pages 12 and 13 he also gives the history of the Juan Montes Vigils I, II, and III.

Then on pages 37-39, in a list he gives the names of the 10 children of Francisco Montes

Vigil I and his wife Maria Juana Jimenez de Ancizo (My ancestor is number 6 Francisco

Montes Vigil II.).

On pages 47and 48, Philip Arnold Vigil, gives a chart with the 12 children for Francisco

Montes Vigil II, son of Francisco I, with the first wife Antonia Giron del Castillo, ( My

ancestor is child number 8 Juan Angel Vigil who married Valentina Valerio.). Then

Francisco II married Lorensa Molina Quintana, June 8, 1744, in Santa Cruz, NM, after his

first wife Antonia died. Francisco Montes Vigil II and Lorensa had 12 children!!

Here are two very interesting Charts from the Arnold book that gives much of the

information that was used to connect the Vigils to Charlemagne:

(4) This is pages 53, 54, and 55 of the chart.

This is page 115 with CHARLEMAGNE 747 AD and the last page 120 with GUNDAHAR

385 AD.