One thing I have discovered about myself during my family history hunting journey is that I am persistent. Give me some time. I will keep on looking. If you might be related to me, I will hunt you down and I will find you. *insert evil laugh here*

There are still a few people for whom I am looking. My latest “last chance” try was for Tio Jose. If you remember, we last left the eldest of the Escalante children divorced. He had been seen turned out of his siblings’ homes in Calexico in the early 1950s.

Tia Panchita had said my grandfather Albert had sand in his shoes which was why he always kept moving. But he always kept in touch with his family. Tio Jose must have had sand dunes in his shoes. He wandered around all the time. He must not have been good about staying in touch with those who loved him, as they turned on him.

Jose Maria Escalante

I had interviewed his daughter-in-law on the phone. She had mentioned that Ester said Jose was blind when he died. Fascinating. What that told me was Ester KNEW when he died. She just never chose to talk about it. That generation should have worked for the CIA. They could keep crazy good secrets!

Not to be deterred, I kept on searching. Ancestry had a hint come up that suggested a Jose Escalante died in 1960. The birth date matched, but they said he had been born in Maine. Um, no. I’m on a budget here, so sending away for Death Certificates can get pricey if it’s not the one you want.

About a year later, I decided to risk it. I saw that California had cashed my check two weeks ago and I waited anxiously for the post office to deliver the certificate. It came today! (I know, I’m a goof. ) AND it’s him!

Jose Escalante’s Death Certificate.

Bless Tio Jose’s heart! Examining the document gives me all sorts of clues as to the end of his life. He had been a janitor in his later years. He died alone. He had been in the General Hospital of Riverside County. He died of Lobar Pneumonia. He lived at this little house before his death:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/2944+6th+street+riverside+ca/@33.9796443,-117.363913,3a,75y,207.25h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m4!1sD5aBjIvJrvjM52tbsXFONw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xb6892fb7bdd0d345!6m1!1e1

He stated that he was still married – to Ester Arias Escalante. He died on Christmas Day, 1960. Could that be sadder? He was interred at the Palo Verde Cemetery in Blythe, CA, on January 3, 1961, per the very nice lady who answered the phone.

The reason I called the cemetery is that I searched on  http://www.findagrave.com and http://www.billiongraves.com. They had pictures and listings for all those buried at Palo Verde, but no listing for Jose.

I gave their office a quick ring. The secretary graciously checked their records. Yes, he’s buried there. His grave is located in Section “M,” 99-8. (Just in case you get there first.) Because his headstone hasn’t been photographed yet, I wonder if he even has one.

Palo Verde Cemetery, Blythe, CA.

Today I get to move Tio Jose to the “Found” column of my ledger. Now he gets to be on that list of those I get to visit at his resting place to appreciate him for being my great-uncle. I might even be his first visitor. He has a wonderful family that I’ve had the privilege to get to know. And for that alone, I am truly grateful.

It must be difficult to the be the baby sometimes. Either they are doted over and spoiled rotten, or they are forgotten. I have not forgotten about the baby of the Escalante children. I’ve been so wrapped up in telling my grandfather Albert’s story, that I postponed  Fernando. But, I can’t do that! Therefore, he has been bumped to the top of the queue. As his life was pretty full, I thought I would give him several chapters.

Fernando Escalante – May 31, 1914.

Fernando Escalante was the last living child born to Leonardo and Rufina. They were living in Los Angeles in 1914. I would love to know what drew them to L.A. The who? what? why? Before they got to Orange County, they had Fernando. This birth certificate is SO very informative. Leonardo didn’t have a business here as he’d had in Ventura County. Rufina is “housewife-ing.” My heart skipped a bit when I read “Number of children born to this mother, including present birth: 12” and “Number of children of this mother now living: 9.” My poor darling Rufina lost 3 babies. BUT! They did get one more chance. Fernando was born and his daddy was 48! Surprise!

The family moved to Santa Ana and started their lives. Fernando didn’t get to know his daddy for very long though. Leonardo died June, 1915, when Fernando was only one. The whole family shifted their center to Calexico. There are several family members who visited the area. This was the first picture I could find for Fernando.

Rufina and her littles: Lupe, Albert, and Vernon, 1919.

I love the sweet border agents. They tried so hard to translate names. So Fernando was called Vernon. Once Rufina died in 1923, Fernando became a 9 year-old orphan. Fortunately, the family rallied to care for him.  I would imagine he lived for a while with several of his “already adult” siblings.

Graduation photo, Calexico High School, 1934.

I found this handsome devil’s photograph at the Pioneer Park Museum in Imperial, CA. While my grandfather Albert stopped his education at 16 years old, Fernando made it to graduation in 1934. The next time I find him is in 1937 at the Hotel De Anza.

Hotel De Anza. Swanky.

Imperial Valley Directory.

Fernando was working as a Bellman. This isn’t a phone book. It was an area directory and it gave all sorts of good information. I confirmed that here (by cross-reference) in 1937 Fernando is living with Tia Panchita and Tio Alejandro.

It was in 1936 and 1937 that Fernando’s life started changing. He met his first wife, Elodia Cruz. Elodia’s story is shared with us by her daughter.

Elodia was born to Luz Rembao and Jose Cruz in Mexicali, Baja CA on June 25, 1919. In 1920, they lived for a short time in Hurley, Grant County, New Mexico. Elodia’s uncle and maternal grandmother, Senona lived next door. Soon, there were three Cruz children when Alberto was born right after this census was taken.

Cruz Family, Hurley, New Mexico, 1920.

Tragedy struck the family early. Their father died Elodia was 3, and their mother died two years later. The Cruz siblings went to live with their maternal grandmother, Senona, back in Mexicali. 5 years later, Senona passed. They went to live with a maternal aunt. They were raised among 16 children.

Elodia met and fell for a handsome Fernando Escalante. They married on June 15, 1937, when he was 23 and she was 18.

Elodia and Fernando’s Wedding Day. Photo courtesy of G. Miller.

This lovely photograph is their wedding portrait. Left to Right: Leonila (? as she looks just like Elodia), unknown, Tia Panchita Escalante de Garcia, Elodia, Fernando, Tio Alejandro Garcia, unknown, unknown.

They had two children, a boy and a girl. I’m kind of quirky about not naming those family members who are alive. I’m happy to report that both are.

Elodia’s manifest with her and Fernando’s first baby boy. She’s beaming!

This marriage did not last long however. Fernando and Elodia divorced in 1942. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1946. She recovered, moving to San Diego to live with Leonila. In 1955, she found new happiness. She met and married Wallace Gray of Macon, Georgia. Elodia’s son had been living with Fernando and his second wife (next chapter) and their daughter had been living with Tia Panchita. Both went to live with Elodia and Wallace in 1956. That same year, Elodia had another son. Their family was complete. The Gray’s were married for over 50 years.

She was a sales woman at Hartfield’s Department Store for 25 years. I wish I had been able to meet her. Her daughter wrote: “My mother was a selfless, wonderfully forgiving, and unpretentious woman. She didn’t have a selfish bone in her body. She was a very fun-loving woman. She loved to dance and go to parties. She was a devout Catholic, attending Mass faithfully and saying her rosary everyday.”

Elodia Cruz Gray died of breast cancer on July 28, 2006.

Elodia Cruz, 25 years old.

Tio Fernando’s story went on after his divorce from Elodia. There was the military, a new wife, bar keeping, hard work and more children. You’ll just have to wait for next time.

My thanks to Elodia’s daughter for sharing the stories and pictures. All my love.

Ahhh, the Escalante stories do continue. Just when I think I’ve dug and redug all I can, I find that there are more doors to be open. We each have so many chapters.

I went onto Ancestry a few months ago and found a new entry under the U.S. Social Security Death Index. It was for one Maria Elena Sepulveda – parents listed as Hipolito Sepulveda and Maria Escalante. Our cousin, born in 1917, died in Los Angeles, CA, in 2004. WHAT??

So, being the old-fashioned girl that I am, I filled out an application and sent it to CA Vital Records for an “old school” Death Certificate. Oooh, the waiting is the hardest part!

Before it arrived, I did some research on Maria Elena via updated Ancestry records. After having been born in Gloryetta, Orange County, California, her mother, father and their new spouses all ended up in Mexico City. On November 19, 1943, Maria Elena married one Pablo Velazquez. I cannot tell if they divorced or he passed away. They do not appear to have had any children together either.

Finally, her DC arrived. I had been able to learn quite a bit from this one piece of paper. Maria Elena had a 6th grade-level education. She had been a beautician. She had Alzheimer’s for a long time (down farther on page). I put her last residence into a search engine to find she was in the Brier Oak care facility until her death in 2004.

The best part of this evidence was the name of her informant. *hands clapping!* With that name I was able to discover how Maria Elena’s reappearance in the states unfolded.

Maria Elena was on several flight itineraries during the late 1950s in Texas. And a man, one Donald Ekman, traveled to see her too. They married on March 25, 1960.

Maria’s itinerary after her marriage to Donald Ekman.

A few years later they had two daughters. She was an older mom! She had her girls in 1962 and 1963 – when she was 45 and 46, respectively. Maria Elena and Donald were married until their divorce in 1972.  The informants name on her DC was her eldest daughter. I would normally share names, but I work hard to keep living people’s names anonymous. Her Death Certificate says she was widowed. Had she married a third time?

I have sent letters to the addresses I can find for her two daughters. They aren’t all that much older than I am. I hope that they decide to make contact. You know I have a TON of questions. Do they know about their aunts and uncles (Tia Maria’s other children)? They might find they have hundreds of extra family members they never knew about! I am also a friend of Hipolito Sepulveda’s family in the Wilmington area. These women have double the family.

Maria Elena was buried at sea via the Neptune Society. I will not be able to go to her grave to pay last respects. But, at least now, we now the end of her story.

As a family historian, I have been really fortunate to have access to various internet tools to get this job done. It was much harder “back in the day” when you had to guess dates and send away for paper hard copies from state agencies.

Recently, I got connected with several new-to-me family members via Facebook. When I see they have old pictures of their family posted, who also happen to by MY family as well, my heart gets all race-y, like I’ve been doing aerobics, but without all the sweating.

So this week, I have seen on Facebook a few Palacios family members. I know of them because Tio Ruben married into their family. I even have them listed on my tree on Ancestry because I love making branches bigger.

But two things happened that have changed my “oh-so-well-thought-out” theory of family lines. I saw a picture of the Palacios family, and Ancestry released 200 million new documents from Mexico. My theory was shattered. So here is the rewrite.

Francisco Palacios was the son of Jesus Palacios and Consuelo Soltero. He was born around 1873 in Phoenix, AZ.

Francisco Palacios. Photo Courtesy of L. Escalante.

He married Herminia Sanchez in Santa Ana, Sonora, Mexico. Here is a picture of her on a Travel Manifest from 1927.

Herminia Sanchez de Palacios, 1927.

Tia Cuca Palacios-Escalante’s nephew had a great picture of his family on his page. It’s this one. He let me borrow it. (Thank you Ramon)

The Palacios Family. (Back row (L-R)  Chuy Estrada, Victoria Valencia, Dolores Figueroa, Francisco Palacios, Jose Cruz Palacios, Armida Valenzuela, Francisco Fernandez, Maria Montijo, and Cuca Escalante. The lady sitting on left, I could not find a name for. Herminia is sitting on right.

These were Herminia’s children, minus two, not in the picture. I thought it was odd that Armida was in there, as I had always thought she was Francisco Sr’s sister. I HAD thought she was Tia Cuca’s aunt. Thanks to the new documents I could now find, I discovered the truth!

Civil Registration of Jose Maria Valenzuela and Armida Palacios’ wedding. March 2, 1914.

She is Tia Cuca’s sister. AND she was married to Jose Maria Valenzuela (Rufina’s brother). What this means for me is that her children were first cousins to my Grandfather Alberto. WHAT??? According to the above document (and a little help from spanishdict.com), Jose Maria was a widower. He was 38 years-old when he married his 16 year-old bride, Armida. She was young when she was married! Here is her dashing older husband.

Jose Maria Valenzuela’s travel manifest, 1927.

This explains how Ruben met his wife in Santa Ana, Sonora. He must have gone to see his uncle. And met the lovely Palacios daughters and brought one home.

Tia Cuca and Tio Ruben’s wedding day. Matron of Honor: Francisca Escalante de Garcia. Best Man: Alberto Escalante. If anyone knows the little girls names, please tell me.

But this was a difficult new idea to wrap my brain around. I stayed up late a few nights trying to draw the following diagram. It should really be 3-D. But this is the best I could do.

The Valenzuela Family Tree.

Now I am hoping that Palacios cousins will look at this and give me some feedback. But, if I have this right, Ruben was first cousin to Armida’s children AND their uncle by marriage. I guess I can now call her Tia Armida, as she is my great-great-aunt. I don’t know if Armida’s family was close to her other sisters-in-law, Guadalupe V de Garcia or Margarita V de Samaniego. Anybody? Anybody?

There was a tradition in the 1940s-1950s in our extended families. When couples were transitioning to new circumstances, such as new marriages or moving, many children were sent to live with other relations. My aunt was sent to live with Tia Chuy Palacios Estrada for a while. The general idea had been Tia Chuy was just sweet to take the girls in. However, if Armida was Alberto’s aunt, then the Palacios family was our family too.

I must take this moment to once again mention that none of these details were known to my mom or aunt. I did go with my parents to interview Tia Cuca in 1991. I trusted that my Spanish-speaking elders would tell me any vital information I might need to know. This information is on the tape. You can even hear acknowledgement from them, but no one mentioned it to me. So, I had to wait 25 years to discover it on my own. Thank you, thank you very much.

Francisco Palacios died in 1940. I found his Death Registration today.

Death Registration of Francsico Palacios, 1940.

I have much of this information fleshed out on my Escalante family tree on Ancestry. If I have it wrong (gulp), any help would be so very greatly appreciated. While I work to be annoyingly careful on who gets on the tree, I can obviously make mistakes. It did not occur to me that Tia Armida would have been so young when she married. [My paternal grandmother was 13 when she married. Shaking my head at a rookie mistake.]

BUT, it sure made for a fun week of searching and connecting the dots. All over again.

After Edith’s death in 1939, Albert moved forward with his life. He had told my mom that he dated Lupe Velez once. She was an actress who had been married to Johnny Weismuller. He said she was crazy, so they didn’t go out again. Being a handsome man, it wouldn’t be long until he could heal his broken heart.

As a matter of fact, it did happen. And quickly. He met a young woman who had come to Hollywood to become famous. Manuela later said she had been encouraged to go because she was pretty. “But, there are many pretty men and women in this world.” So her stay in Los Angeles was brief, but she came home with her first husband. This blog entry will be longer and fuller than others, as Manuela Ismael is my grandmother.

Manuela’s story begins with her mother. Maria de Jesus Corral was the eldest daughter of J. Jesus Corral and Florencia Alvarado. She was called “Mama Chu,” which was to differentiate her from “Mama Florencia.” Mama Chu had been a young woman in love in Hermosillo, Sonora. But when the man she was in love with chose another woman, Maria de Jesus Corral married an older man, Jose Ismael.

Jose had been born in Turkey. His parents were Ismael Ale and Maria Juliana de Ale. Jose and Mama Chu had three children: Maria Dolores Ismael, Jose Ismael, Jr., and Manuela Ismael.

Edit on Feb. 14, 2024: After finally finding a VERY helpful distant cousin on Jose’s side, we have discovered Jose was probably from Lebanon. The cousin believes that with the names we match: Fawaz, Jaafar, and Ghandour, that Jose was likely from the south end, in the areas of Tyre, Sour, and Abbassieh. So excited that this can open up finding this elusive branch of the family!

Legend has it that Jose Ismael was not Catholic. Some have heard he was Muslim, one heard he was Jewish. It didn’t matter to Mama Chu. Her babies were baptised Catholic. My extensive procrastination in writing this particular piece paid off again as I just recently found the below baptism record. I also found Dolores’ baptism record. In that one, their father isn’t mentioned at all.

Manuela Ismael’s Baptism, 1919.

My poor grandmother didn’t get the long, Spanish-style name with three or four names. She was simply named Manuela Ismael.

Tia Rita Corral and Manuela on her lap (1920ish). Photo courtesy of Tia Lola.

You can’t see Manuela’s face, but here she is on the lap of her young aunt, Rita Corral. Life in Hermosillo was fine for a while. But then Mama Chu left her husband. The story was that Jose was shot dead in a card game. Tia Lola said that later she saw her father again but wanted nothing to do with him. Either way, the marriage was over. Mama Chu left her older children at her mother’s house in Hermosillo while she took Manuela (Nela) with her to Arizona to start a new life.

Mama Chu started working as a cook on several ranches. She would visit her mom and children back in Hermosillo. She would get gold and bring it back over the border. It was dangerous travelling at that time so she would hide the money in Nela’s diaper or sew the coins into the hem of her own skirts.

Manuela and Dolores, early 1920s.

Writer’s Note: Here in present day, we are encouraged to share our feelings. Social media keeps us abreast of what we ate for lunch with a picture on Instagram. I am truly amazed how much was not shared about the past of those family members before us. But I am getting better at investigating every day.The next few years were bumpy for Mama Chu and her children. While I don’t have the definitive What’s and Why’s, I have the basics.

According to some travel itineraries, Mama Chu met, and married, a man named Vicente Guerrero. They did not have any children together. Vicente was an older relative of Lalo Guerrero, “the Father of Chicano Music.” She worked at a ranch in Patagonia, AZ.

Mama Chu’s life was busy but not quite calm. She wasn’t long with Vicente either. So short was this marriage, that none of her grandchildren knew of it’s existence. Working as a cook on a ranch, she saw, and fell in love with, a cowboy named Teodoro Vega. He fell in love with her too when he saw her after a hair washing day.  She sat on her porch, brushing out her long dark hair. Apparently, that did the trick. By the time the time the 1930 US Census came around, they had married and settled in Tucson; Vega, Mama Chu, and her three children.

Nela was a fun woman. In the pictures we have of her she is always smiling and being dramatic. She had a wonderful sense of humor. She passed this down her female line, if I do say so myself.

Here she is being silly with friends.

More fun that same day.

Her future sister-in-law (Oralia is second from left) and Nela is third from left. Visiting a local waterfall.

Speed forward to late 1939 or early 1940. 20 year-old Nela wanders over Los Angeles to become an actress. She goes out with friends, where she meets a handsome older man tending bar. My grandfather Albert, newly widowed, was the man. Whirlwind, whirlwind, whirlwind. They fall in love, get married (in Nogales, Sonora) and move to Tucson. Tia Oralia said that when the family first met Tony, they thought he was a gangster. He was very well manicured, dressed and meticulous in all aspects of his appearance. He had already seen and done so much, the 12-year age difference was noticeable.

1940 US Census. Tony and Nelly are living in Tucson.

This census report was filled out on April 11, 1940. It states that Tony is working as an attendant at a gas station. He really was a jack of all trades. They settled into married life. They had their first of two daughters in late 1940, the second in 1942.

The two still living with the in-laws, 1941 Tuscon Directory.

Eventually, World War II starts. Due to his busted ear-drums from so many years of fighting, Tony is unable to serve in the military although he did try to register. He worked at Davis-Monthan Army Airfield. I believe he worked on planes, but this photo was taken for a brochure. He could have been a model.

Tony Escalante, Tucson.

Tony and Nela saved up money to buy land and build their own home. It’s still standing on S. Grande Ave, Tucson. I’m almost certain that it’s 216. (You can still see it via Google maps.) My Tio Fernando’s wife, Tia Alicia, thought they had dirt floors in this house, but that wasn’t true. Tony colored the cement a red and waxed it. So much so, that my aunt still bears a scar after she slipped and fell on the shiny, slippery surface. He was so ahead of his time as cement staining is big business right now.

Picture day in Tuscon. Back row (L-R): Delia Guerrero and Nela. Front row (L-R): My mom, Richard Ysmael, and my aunt.

Soon the family had some money saved. This little group would go and visit Tony’s family in Imperial Valley and Mexicali. Tony’s youngest brother, Fernando, returned from his naval service back to Calexico, California, with saved up money also in hand. The two brothers decided to go into business together. Tony and Nela sold their home in Tucson, using its profits to invest in Escalante’s Bar. They lived in Calexico for a short time before great changes developed. Tony re-met a woman named Sara Higuera, with whom he had always been infatuated. The marriage between Tony and Nela slowly fell apart. Nela returned to Tucson to be with her family.

But being as lovely as she was, Nela wasn’t alone for long. She too met someone new. Frank Leon was a musician. The two fell for each other. My mom and aunt went to live with Tony and Sara in Calexico. Nela married Frank in 1946. Their daughter, Natalia Christina Leon, was born in 1947.

Manuela de Leon.

The above picture is from her travel itinerary. She looks fabulous. My ID pictures never come out that good. They travelled together all the time going from show to show. However, being on the road was difficult and took a toll on their relationship. Nela and Frank divorced before his early death in 1956.

She stayed single for a while. My aunt left Calexico to live with Nela and Mama Chu, and got married from that house.  This might be around the time where my grandmother officially changed her name. She and her siblings had already changed the spelling of their last name. They collectively became Ysmael, from Ismael. She never liked the name Manuela so she shortened it to Nela.

Then Nela met a younger man who was in the service. Peter R. Gonzales worked at the air base. She kept telling him to find a younger woman. Get out. Go away. But he was unwaivering in his love for her.

Nela and Pete’s Civil Wedding, Nogales, Sonora, 1962.

She became the older person in this relationship. He had been born in 1932 or 33. She was 13 years his senior, but it was a good solid marriage.

Nela Ysmael Gonzales, 1960s.

They had a lovely life together. My mom lived with them for a year. She liked Pete and his kindness toward Nela.

The early 1970s were hard on the whole family. Vega died Apr. 9, 1971. Mama Chu died in August, 1974. And then my mom got a call from Pete. Nela was sick. He recommended that we all come as soon as possible. [In the recent good-old-days, husbands were told a diagnosis while the wife was kept out of the loop. Nela had colon cancer.] Our families made the journey to Tucson from California to say good-bye.

Nela never knew, even when she was in the hospital at the end, that she was dying. The whole event came so quickly. On her Death Certificate, the doctor states that he treated her starting Dec. 14, 1974. Nela passed away on February 7, 1975.

Manuela Ismael, 1940ish.

I’ve not been able to go as far back in this part of my family tree as I would like. My mom and I did our DNA analysis. We found our mitochondrial DNA walked over the Bering Straight somewhere into Mexico to Mama Florencia, Mama Chu, and Nela. I am almost certain I got my good hair from her dad. And we all got our sense of humor from Nela herself. I wish I had been able to know her better. Luckily for me, this little hobby of mine allows me to do just that.