52 Ancestors: #20 ~ Is This Raymunda?

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge begun by Amy Johnson Crow, author of the blog No Story Too Small.

Last week's 52 Ancestors blog post was about my maternal great-grandmother, Esther Matus Villatoro.

Esther's parents were Nicanor Matus and Raymunda Villatoro Vasques. This beautiful portrait was found in one of the briefcases that belonged to my Grandpa Debs Webster. The briefcase contained many wonderful photos and other family history treasures.



Unfortunately, this beautiful photo didn't contain any information about who this lovely woman was. The photo is rather large. It measures approximately 9-1/2 inches x 7-3/4 inches.

We've wondered if this is a photo of Esther's mother, Raymunda. For comparison, here's a photo of Esther. What do you think? Is there any resemblance?



We have another photo that may show Raymunda. Here it is. It's a very small photo measuring only about 2-1/8 inches x 2-3/8 inches. It was also found in one of my Grandpa Debs' briefcases.



The little boy in this photograph is my Grandpa Debs. And I believe the girl behind him and to the right is his sister, Carlota. As you can see, the writing on the photo says "Mexico." Unfortunately, I don't know who wrote that.

Debs and Carlota's mom, Esther, died in 1919, when Debs was five years old and Carlota was nine years old.

I wonder if this is a photo showing Debs and Carlota visiting their grandparents, Nicanor and Raymunda, sometime after the death of their mother. Perhaps they were even staying with them while their father, Frederick, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist," was on a trip somewhere.

Sadly, I don't know a whole lot about my 2nd great-grandmother, Raymunda Villatoro Vasques. I don't know where or when she was born. And I don't know her exact death date. I do know that she died sometime before 7 March 1925. The reason I know this is because that is the date her son, Francisco, got married. According to his marriage record, his parents, Nicanor and Raymunda, were both deceased.

So, if this really is a photo of Nicanor and Raymunda with their grandchildren, Debs and Carlota, then the photo was taken sometime before 7 March 1925.

Nicanor and Raymunda were the parents of four children:

1. Esther Matus Villatoro (1893-1919) [my great-grandmother]
2. Catalina Matus Villatoro
3. Francisco Matus Villatoro
4. Crecenciana Matus Villatoro (1906-1973)

I do know who Raymunda's parents were. Their names were Demitrio Villatoro and Isabel Vasques. I'll share what I know about them and their children in a future post.

As you can see, I still have a lot of research to do in order to fill in the details about Raymunda's life. As I find out more about her, I will share the information here on my blog.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Thanks for Traveling Frederick!–Another U.S. Consular Registration Application ~ 1923

This is part of a series of posts in which I share the documents relating to the travels of Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster and his family.

U.S. Consular Registration Applications
1916-1925 from Ancestry.com (see Footnote)
Frederick Emory Webster 1923

In my last "Thanks for Traveling Frederick!" post, I shared a U.S. Consular Registration Application from 1917.  I also mentioned how beneficial it is to have an ancestor who liked to travel.  The paper trail left behind can be invaluable.

The travel-related document I'm sharing with you today is another U.S. Consular Registration Application,¹ only this one is from 1923.  Just like the 1917 application, this document is full of interesting and valuable genealogical information.

Here's a list of the information contained in this document:

• Frederick's full name
• Frederick's place and date of birth
• Frederick's father's name and place of birth
• Date Frederick left the United States – April 15, 1922 (new information)
• Frederick arrived at Irapuato, Mexico on August 15, 1922 and he and his children were residing there at the time this document was filled out (new information)
• Frederick's purpose for living in Irapuato, Mexico was to practice dentistry (new information)
• Timeline additions for Frederick – Mexico from 1902 to 1911, Brazil from 1911 to 1921, and Mexico from 1922 to date document was filled out in 1923 (new information)
• Frederick's legal residence was Brinkley, Arkansas (this would explain the photo of him and his children at a dental office in Brinkley, Arkansas) (new information)
• Frederick intended to return to the United States within one year or when business permitted (new information)
• Frederick did not pay American Income Tax because his total annual income was insufficient (new information)
• Frederick applied for registration at the Consulate in Santos, Brazil (I think that's the one I already have from 1917)
• Frederick's wife, Esther, was deceased at the time this application was filled out
• Esther's place of birth is listed
• Only three of Fred and Esther's five children are listed in this application (little Eugene Rollin is no longer listed.  I believe he and his younger sister Alice passed away before 1923.)
• Bonus again – Frederick's signature
• Frederick's age and physical description

As you can see, this document is full of amazing genealogical gold nuggets.  So, remember to check travel-related documents for your ancestors.  You never know what you may find.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Ancestry.com. U.S., Consular Registration Applications, 1916-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Department of State, Division of Passport Control Consular Registration Applications^↩

Sepia Saturday 154 ~ On The Road Again

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.
     
Today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt (at end of post) shows a precarious looking wooden bridge over a river.  There are a few people daring to stand and/or sit on that rickety-looking bridge.

The two photos of bridges I’m sharing with you today aren’t made out of wood and don’t appear to be rickety.

My regular readers may remember that my Grandpa Debs Webster and his family immigrated to the United States from Brazil in 1952.  In the last installment of their immigration story, I shared my uncle’s memories of seeing some curious contraptions used as early air conditioners for cars at that time.  I also found photos of these devices.  For those who missed this post, you can read it HERE.

Well, just a short three years after my Grandpa Debs Webster and his family settled in the United States, he and his wife Willis were on the road again.  This time they traveled down to Mexico.  Debs’ only surviving sibling, Carlota, lived in Mexico City.  The photo below shows Willis, Debs, and Carlota on what appears to be a bridge or roadway near or over water.

Mexico City

L to R - Willis Webster, Debs Webster,

Carlota Webster Guerrero

Here’s a close-up view of the happy trio.

Mexico City

L to R - Willis Webster, Debs Webster,

Carlota Webster Guerrero

While Debs and Willis were in Mexico, they traveled down to Chiapas to visit relatives there.  They must have purchased this postcard while on this visit.

Dr. Belisario Dominguez Bridge

at Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico

Vintage Postcard

Upon closer examination of this vintage postcard, I noticed that I could read the sign on the top of the bridge.  Here’s a close-up view.

 The sign reads as follows -

1913 Puente 1931

Dr. Belisario Dominguez

Puente means bridge in English.  So, this bridge must have been dedicated to Dr. Belisario Dominguez.  I wondered who this doctor was so I did a little research.  He was a  Mexican physician who was born in Chiapas in 1863 and was murdered in Mexico City in 1913.

He served as a Senator from Chiapas during the Mexican Revolution and was killed because of a political speech he wrote following Victoriano Huerta’s coup d'état .    Today, the Mexican Government awards the  “Order of the Belisario Dominguez Medal of Honor” to eminent Mexican citizens who meet the criteria for this award.

Here's another close-up view from the vintage postcard.  This time, I chose to focus on the car on the bridge.  I thought I'd share this with you just because it's fun to see this old vintage car.

My Grandpa Debs and Grandma Willis took lots of photos and purchased several postcards while on their trip to Mexico in 1955.  And I’m looking forward to sharing more of these with you in the future.

To see what other Sepia Saturday participants have written about, whether it be rickety bridges, water, vintage postcards and cars, or anything else for that matter, just click HERE.



Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Sepia Saturday 150 ~ Bullfights in Irapuato

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

Today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt (at bottom of post) shows men in hats playing the Irish sport of "hurling." I don’t have a photo in my collection showing this unique Irish sport.  But I did find these two vintage postcards showing men in hats at a sporting event.

The two vintage postcards I'm sharing with you today are from my Webster Grandparents’ collection. In 1955, Grandpa Debs and Grandma Willis Webster took a trip to Mexico. Why a trip to Mexico? One very important reason was to visit Debs’ sister, Carlota Webster Guerrero, who was living in Mexico City.

While they were in Mexico, my grandparents visited Irapuato, which is a city in the state of Guanajuato. Again comes the question, why? Why visit Irapuato? Well, it turns out my "Traveling Dentist Great-Grandpa Frederick Webster" and his son, Debs Webster, once lived in Irapuato. For those new to my blog, Frederick Webster was my Grandpa Debs’ father. It looks like Grandpa Debs wanted to visit where he had once lived, however briefly, as a child.

The two vintage postcards below show many men in hats. And they show the sport of bullfighting.  And while I've never actually been to a bullfight, I’m quite sure I’m not a fan of this sport. I just don’t like the whole concept of it. But, for some reason my grandparents bought these postcards in 1955. Who knows? Maybe they attended a bullfight.

The interesting thing about this first postcard is that it looks like the bullfighter is a woman.

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

Here’s a close-up view of the woman bullfighter.

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

     

And here’s the other vintage postcard.

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

Here’s a close-up view showing lots and lots of men in hats…and a woman with a bonnet too!  Can you spot the bonnet?

Plaza Revolucion

Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Vintage Postcard circa 1955

To see more posts of men in hats, sporting events, random bonnets...or anything else our super Sepia Saturday participants have written about, just click HERE.
 

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Sepia Saturday 142–Three Hats ~ Three People

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

Today’s Sepia Saturday photo shows three elegantly dressed people wearing and/or holding three hats.  To be more exact, the two ladies are wearing their hats and the gentleman is holding his hat.

So, here’s my amazingly similar photo I have to share with you today.  It’s a photo of my Grandmother Sarah Vasques Madeira Webster (right) standing with my Great-Grandaunt Crecenciana Aurora Matus Villatoro Reinacher and her husband Theodor Reinacher.


Left to Right -

Crecenciana Matus Villatoro Reinacher,

Theodor Reinacher and

Sarah Vasques Madeira Webster

While it's true that my three relatives are not posed exactly as those in the Sepia Saturday photo, and may not be quite as elegantly dressed, they are each in possession of a hat, making a total of three hats.  And my photo does have three people in it.  And two of the people are wearing their hats and the other one is holding a hat, just like in the Sepia Saturday photo.   (Okay, so do I win this week’s prize for posting the most similar photo to the Sepia Saturday photo??  What?  There is no prize?  Oh well, that’s alright.)

Actually, having this photo in our family's possession is a prize in itself.

Here's a little information about those pictured in my photo ~

My regular readers may remember who my Grandmother Sarah is standing on the right in this photo.  I’ve written several posts about her including a previous Sepia Saturday post.  She was married to my Grandpa Debs Webster.  And they were my mom's parents.

Now I’d like to introduce you to Crecenciana Aurora Matus Villatoro.  Crecenciana was one of the sisters of Esther Matus Villatoro who was married to my Great-Grandpa Watson (Frederick) Webster (a.k.a. The Traveling Dentist).

Esther and Frederick were the parents of my Grandpa Debs Webster, so Crecenciana was an aunt to my Grandpa Debs.  (I’m sorry if this is all very confusing…no there won’t be a test later.)

Crecenciana was born in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico on September 14, 1906 and later moved to Brazil.  I wonder if she moved to Brazil to be closer to her sister Esther.

On April 4, 1932 Crecenciana Matus Villatoro and Theodor Reinacher were married in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Crecenciana also went by the name Chana.  My mom has fond memories of her Great-Aunt Chana.  Following the death of my Grandma Sarah Webster (my mom's mother), Aunt Chana took care of my mom for a while.  My mom was only six years old at the time of her mother's death.

Below is a photo showing Aunt Chana’s front yard in Brazil.


Crecenciana's Front Yard in Brazil

My mom wrote on the back of the photo ~

“Aunt Chana’s Front Yard.  I used to play here when I stayed here after my mother Sarah’s death.”

Back of Photo of Crecenciana's Front Yard

Crecenciana passed away on July 29, 1973 in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Thank you Aunt Chana for your kindness to my mom during a very difficult time.

To see what other Sepia Saturday participants have written about this week, just click HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Mystery Monday–Who’s the Gentleman with Grandpa Webster?

Here’s a little mystery for you.  Can anyone identify this man sitting on the chair pictured with my grandfather, Debs Warren Webster?  My grandfather was born in 1914 in Brazil.  I'm not sure how old he is in this picture.  If you look closely there is writing on the right bottom corner of the photo.  I had my mom look at the writing and she deciphered it as "Debs e un amigo."  Translation - "Debs and a friend."  So, we know that this was a friend of Debs and or his family.  My son had a good suggestion.  Maybe he was a teacher.  Hmm.  We just don't know who he is or where and when this photo was taken.

And because Debs' father, Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster, a.k.a. The Traveling Dentist, seemed to travel so much this photo could have been taken almost anywhere!

Thanks for reading!


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

The Traveling Dentist - Part 4

As you read in my last post about my "traveling dentist" great-grandfather, Frederick Webster, he and his wife Esther were in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico for the birth of their first child, Carlota.  For some reason they decided to relocate to Brazil.  The rest of their children were born in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Staying true to his "traveling ways" Frederick, as well as his wife, Esther, traveled from Mexico to the United States and from Brazil to the United States while their children were very young.

Here is a passenger list dated October 19, 1911.¹  On lines two and three are listed Carlota and her mother Esther.  They were sailing from Veracruz, Mexico.  Unfortunately there is no destination listed, although we know it is somewhere in the United States.  For Esther, in the column "Nationality (Country of which citizen or subject)" Mexico is listed, but is crossed out and the initials U.S. were written in instead.  Because Esther married a U.S. Citizen between the years 1855-1922, she automatically became a U.S. Citizen.  Perhaps that's why her citizenship was corrected.

I found Esther and her children in two more passenger lists, both in the year 1913.  Here she is listed with her two children, Carlota - age 1, and Edna - age 3 months.² They sailed from Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 29, 1913 and arrived at the Port of New York sometime in February 1913.  Interestingly, the passenger list states that Esther was born in El Paso, Texas.  And under "Address in the United States," Chiapas, Arriaga, Mexico is listed.  Perhaps those were accidentally reversed and she was heading to El Paso, Texas.  Frederick did have ties to El Paso, Texas as evidenced by his passport application of 1907.  Another interesting, and possibly confusing, item is the statement that Esther's husband was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He was really born in Coolville, Athens, Ohio.  But, in 1913, Frederick's brother, Rollin, and father, Ebenezer, were living in Chicago, Illinois.  Perhaps there was a little confusion there on Esther's part.

And here is Esther again with her two children, this time sailing from Veracruz, Mexico on May 8, 1913 heading to the Port of New York.³

This time an address in the United States was listed for Esther and her children - 30 Columbia Place, Brooklyn, New York. I looked up that address on Google Maps and this is what I found.

30 Columbia Place, Brooklyn, New York
Courtesy of Google Maps

The interesting thing about the Brooklyn, New York address is that Frederick was on a passenger list for a ship sailing from Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 8, 1913 and the address in the United States listed for him was Brooklyn, New York.⁴  This ship sailed on September 8, 1913 and arrived at New York on September 28, 1913. That was a 20 day voyage!  Just imagine Esther, a young mom, traveling by herself on a ship for 20 days with her baby in 1911 and then again in 1913, this time with her two small children?! And in the year 1913 she made this voyage two separate times!  Wow!



The next time I see Frederick traveling is in 1921, after Esther's death in 1919.  In the following passenger list Fred is sailing with his children Carlota, Edna, and Debs (my grandfather).⁵ Carlota was listed separately on another page.⁶  They were sailing from Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil to the Port of New York again.  Another address was listed in the United States.  This time it was 44 Beekman Street, New York City.  I didn't know that my great-grandfather had any ties to New York, but it appears he did!

 
Frederick apparently wasn't done traveling!  Here he is in Arkansas this time.  This is a photo of Frederick Webster with his children - Carlota (in the dental chair), Edna Lillie (in the checked dress), and Debs (my grandfather).  This is in Brinkley, Arkansas between January and April, 1922.  Seeing Carlota in the dental chair reminds me of myself as a young girl sitting in the dental chair of Debs, my grandfather.  Debs followed in his father's footsteps and became a dentist too!

I love this picture of Frederick Webster with his bike in front of his Dental Office.  If you look closely you can see the sign behind him reads, "F. E. Webster, Dentista Norte Americano."  Unfortunately, I don't know when or where this photo was taken.  The three children in the doorway may very well be Fred's children, Carlota, Edna, and Debs.

This last photo is of Frederick with his daughters, Carlota (far left), and Edna (far right), and his son Debs (my grandpa).  The photo was taken in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico on April 3, 1923.

I also found evidence that Frederick traveled to Louisiana in 1922 and 1926.  Yes, great-grandpa Webster, you definitely were a "traveling dentist!"  Frederick passed away on July 21, 1946 in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I know this was a very long post.  Thanks for letting me share with you the story of my "traveling dentist" great-grandfather Frederick Webster!

Thanks for reading!

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

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1 Year: 1911; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_1763; Line: 3; ; Page Number: 180. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
2 Year: 1913; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_2016; Line: 1; ; Page Number: 142. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
3 Year: 1913; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_2079; Line: 1; ; Page Number: 19. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
4 Year: 1913; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_2187; Line: 1; ; Page Number: 122. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
5 Year: 1921; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_3062; Line: 3; ; Page Number: 77. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
6 Year: 1921; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 3062; Line: 1; Page Number: 79. Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩

The Traveling Dentist - Part 3

So, just where was my "traveling dentist" great-grandfather, Frederick Webster, all those years from 1902-1946?  I have made a timeline for him and it shows that Frederick was a prolific traveler!

Here is his passport application issued April 1907.¹  It states that his permanent residence was El Paso, Texas, that his occupation was a dentist, that he left the United States on January 19, 1907 and that he was residing at Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.  The application also states that his purpose for the passport was for traveling in South America and that he intended to return to the United States within eighteen months.


I don't know all the places in Mexico where Frederick traveled, but I do know that he traveled to Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico at some point because that is where he met his future wife, my great-grandmother, Esther Matus Villatoro.

Esther Matus Villatoro

Unfortunately, I don't have Frederick and Esther's marriage certificate yet, but I'm going to assume they married (notice her wedding ring in the picture).  Esther was born in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico on September 18, 1893.  Esther was the daughter of Nicanor Matus and Raymunda Villatoro Vasques.  Nicanor Matus was from Oaxaca, Mexico and Raymunda was from Chiapas, Mexico.  Frederick and Esther had five children:

1. Carlota Adelia Webster - born January 11, 1910 in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico
2. Edna Lilie Webster - born September, 1912 in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and died before 1923
3. Debs Warren Webster (my grandfather) - born April 27, 1914 in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil and died August 15, 1994 in Petaluma, Sonoma, California
4. Eugene Rollin Webster - born December 4, 1915 in Santos, Sao Paulo Brazil, and died before 1923
5. Alice Webster - born 1918 in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and died before 1923

Unfortunately, Esther Matus Villatoro Webster died on November 2, 1919 in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil.  According to Esther's death record she died of Tuberculosis.  And three of her children died before 1923.  Only Carlota and my grandfather, Debs, survived to adulthood.  My grandfather, Debs, didn't talk a lot about his growing up years.  I think it must have been very painful for him to talk about his childhood because of the death of his mother and three of his siblings.

I have some priceless pictures of Fred, Esther and their family.  Here are a few of them:

Esther with one of her children

Fred, Esther and one of their children

                                                                    

Fred, Esther, Carlota and Edna Lilie Webster

I just LOVE this picture of Fred and Esther with two of their children.  Esther's hat is so pretty!

Fred, Esther and their children traveled between the United States and Mexico and Brazil.  I found several Passenger Lists listing this family and their travels.

More on that in an upcoming blog!  See you then!

Thanks for reading!

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

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1 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Emergency Passport Applications (Issued Abroad), 1877-1907; Collection Number: ARC Identifier 1187503 / MLR Number A1 515; NARA Series: M1834; Roll #: 21; ; Volume #: 35. Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.^↩