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In September 1726, 274 years before the writing of this document, in the town of Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon, Mexico Cristoval Javier Cano and Anna Maria Garcia were married. Records indicate that they came from El Pilon, Nuevo Leon. Some of their children moved to the new settlement of Reynosa, right on the Rio Grande. They are listed in the census of Reynosa dated July 9, 1757 by Jose Tienda de Cuervo. The family of Pedro Jose Flores and Maria de Abrego are also listed and would later become the in-laws of Antonio Margil. In 1767 two of Cristoval’s sons, Antonio Margil and Pedro Miguel petition for and receive porciones; land grants with river front access and stretching back into the brushland . They receive neighboring grants; Pedro Miguel receives porcione number 45 and his brother, my g4-grandfather, Antonio Margil number 44. The grant of porcione 44 was for 1 league which is approximately 4,180 acres, but the Texas General Land Office records 5,135 acres for this particular grant. As recorded in the General Visita of 1767, the brothers are described as original settlers and perform the ceremonial rites; picking herbs, throwing stones to the 4 corners and give thanks to the King of Spain for the generous grant. The purpose of the visita was to settle disputes over land boundaries and for the surveying of the lands. The early settlers were anxious to stake their claims as more and more families moved into the areas. Only those who were wealthy enough to pay for the surveys were granted the porciones. The judge presiding over both ceremonies was Juan Antonio Balli, who also signed for the grantees because they did not know how. With his land grant Antonio was able to raise livestock consisting of cattle and sheep. According to his will dated 1811 he had 200 cabras going into his marriage. He owned and lived in a jacal made of both clay and wood walls. The roof was composed of branches mixed with rock. Antonio was also a land surveyor and was responsible for surveying one of the largest grants issued which was the San Juan de Carricitos Tract on December 3, 1790. The book ‘Royal Land Grants North of the Rio Grande, 1777 - 1821’ by Florence Johnson Scott records Antonio Cano as one of the citizens of Reynosa who voted to move the town to another location in 1801. Reynosa when first founded had to be moved several times due to flooding of the Rio Grande River. Antonio’s son, my g3-grandfather, Jose Rafael moves to Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico sometime before 1804 and possibly as late as 1815. This estimate is based from several marriage records dated 1804 with Rafael and his first wife Leonarda taking part. The town of Burgos was not that old, it was settled in 1749. Rafaels son, Jose Yrineo, is born in 1806 and marries Maria Dolores Solis in October 1834 in Burgos at the Nuestra Senora de Loreto parish. The church is the site of many family events such as the marriage of Rafael, funeral of Leornarda, and now the marriage of Yrineo and Dolores. Dolores’ parents were also married at this church. Dolores’ father, Jose Vitoriano was born in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon and lived in China, Nuevo Leon. Her mother, Gertrudis Trevino was from Burgos. Jose Vitoriano dies at the young age of 37. Gertrudis Trevino was the daughter of Jose Ygnacio Trevino and Maria Ygnacia Barrera. The family continues to grow in Burgos, especially with my great-grandfather, Jesus Cano, who had 15 children with his two wives. He was born in 1847 and worked as a farmer. His first wife, my great-grandmother, Micaela Polanco passed away in 1888 at the very young age of 34 at that time my grandfather, Gervacio Cano was only 7 years old. Micaela Polanco and Francisca Morado Salazar were said to have been very good friends and that it was in her honor that Francisca named her daughter. Gervacio Cano was born in Burgos on June 19, 1881 and also worked as a farmer. In 1903 he marries Dolores Cano and have 3 children. Gervacio and Dolores were on their way to Monterey to have Dolores examined by a doctor when she passed away during the trip. She was said to have had a large tumor that was the cause of her death. After the death of Dolores, Gervacio would marry Micaela Salazar the daughter of Francisca named for his mother. Like many other rural Mexican farmers, Gervacio came to the United States in 1920 trying to stay clear of Mexico’s political chaos and seeking a better life for his family. They made their home in the Rio Grande Valley in El Rancho Naranjo in Cameron County. The family list from this point forward includes the following surnames: Villareal, Longoria, Gonzales and Garcia. But there are Trevino, Salazar, Ortiz and Solis as well in my lineage. |
