LL AA GG RR AA NN AA DD AA Order of Granaderos January y Damas de Gálvez 2 0 2 0 San Antonio Chapter
◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘ www.granaderos.org ◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘◘ Doing Plenty in 2020
This year will be the 45th anniversary of our chapter. Our officers and committee chairs are gearing up for a very productive new year. Education Committee: Chairperson Joe González has the Education Committee moving forward with informational packets that educators can use to augment their curricula. These packets include a summary of the learning objectives as mandated by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Social Studies, information on Spain’s participation in the American Revolution, a worksheet with a quiz section and suggested cross-curriculum activity focusing on writing and art exercises. Fife & Drum Corps: Ricardo Rodriguez, our Drum Major, has accomplished much in the past couple of years in bringing our corps to a new level with more uniformity as well as more authenticity in the music, choreography, drums, straps and overall appearance. Visibility Committee: Melissa Zamora chairs this new committee that will concentrate on projects that maintain our good standing in the community and how our group is portrayed in public. Archivist: Stella González will serve as our chapter’s Archivist. She will gather, organize, categorize, maintain and preserve information, including but not limited to, documents, photos, videos and articles for posterity. Her Master’s degree in Library Science will certainly help. More information will be presented at our next meeting on Wednesday, January 8th.
IN THIS ISSUE: Education Committee Fife & Drum Corps PG. Chair: Joe González Drum Major: Doing Plenty in 2020 1 Ricardo Rodriguez Upcoming Meeting/Events 2 Toys for Children’s Shelter 3 Visibility Committee Archivist: Recent Internet Articles 3 Chair: Melissa Zamora Stella González TNA Article – Galindos 4 First Civil Gov’t of Texas and Alcaldes of San Antonio 5-7 January Babies! Jan 2 Johhny Rodriguez
Jan 8 Briana Perez Next Meeting Susan Thonhoff Rodriguez Kate Bolcar
Wednesday, January 8 Jan 9 Olga Lizcano La Fonda Restaurant Jan 11 8633 Crownhill Blvd Zena Reynoso
Dinner: 6:30 Meeting 7:30 Jan 14 Jesse Guerra
Speaker: Jan 19 Mario Martinez
Governor Joe Perez Jan 23 Reyna Araiza
Presentation: Jan 25 Mike Aguayo State of the Chapter Report Delia Rodriguez
Jan 28 Melissa Zamora
Jan 30 Stan Bradford
Governor Joe Perez will give the Annual State of the Governor Chapter Report at our next meeting. Joe Perez He and the committee chairs will present information on our chapter goals and objectives for Deputy Governor 2020. Alex Zamora
As Chaplain Joe González stated recently, we are Treasurer entering the “perfect vision” year; 2020. In that vein, Manny Rodriguez we hope to maintain perfect vision on our goals so that we may accomplish all of them. Secretary Briana Perez
Drum Major Upcoming Events Ricardo Rodriguez
Chaplain We have no events scheduled for January. Joe González
TOYS FOR THE CHILDREN’S SHELTER
On Tuesday, December 17th, Governor Joe Perez and Deputy Governor Alex Zamora presented new toys to the San Antonio Children’s Shelter on behalf of our chapter. The toys were collected at our Christmas party. There were several toys for boys and girls of various ages. A great big “Thank you” goes out to everyone who donated these toys and made this Christmas a little brighter for the children at the shelter.
Recent Articles on the Internet
West Point Middle School – Get to Know Bernardo de Gálvez This middle school is part of the community of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Guillermo Fesser, author of “Get To Know Bernardo de Gálvez”, recently gave a presentation about his book at the middle school as part of the Hispanic Author’s Assembly. It is a very enjoyable read and may be found at the internet address shown below. http://www.pointerview.com/2019/12/12/wpms-students-learn-beyond-textbooks-during-hispanic- authors-assembly/
D.A.R. Bernardo de Gálvez Chapter Wreaths The General Bernardo de Gálvez Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Allen, Texas, coordinated an effort that raised money to buy 114 wreaths that were laid at the headstones of fallen service members in the Allen Cemetery. You can find the article at the internet address shown below. https://starlocalmedia.com/allenamerican/news/wreaths-to-honor-fallen-service-members-in-allen- cemetery/article_f40222cc-1d20-11ea-bbf7-bf063c2e6c27.html
Overlooked Book About Bernardo de Gálvez
The book “España Contraataca” in Spanish came out in 2017. We thank Dr. Evaristo Martinez-Radio Garrido for sending this information to us. The online book is found at the address below. https://books.google.es/books?id=t_AtDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=en+Bilbao,+el+corsario+ Nuestra+Se%C3%B1ora+de+Bego%C3%B1a+con+5+presas+y+43+prisioneros.+Todos+ellos+fueron+tr asladados+a+San+Sebasti%C3%A1n&hl=es&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_l5yK1rLlAhXTBWMBHZmzA4UQ6AE IMDAB#v=onepage&q&f=false
Granadero Frank Galindo serves as the Texas Numismatic Association (TNA) District 7 Governor & Medals Officer and Dama Karla Galindo serves as Assistant Medals Officer. They were involved in the San Antonio Missions 2019 Quarter Release held in San Antonio. Below is an article written by Frank Galindo that appeared in the December 2019 issue of TNA News. Way to go, Frank and Karla!
FIRST CIVIL GOVERNMENT IN TEXAS AND ALCALDES OF SAN ANTONIO By Rueben M. Perez
ALCALDES OF SAN ANTONIO FROM 1731 TO 1836 Juan Leal Goraz Aug. 1, 1731 Juan Joseph de la Santa 1786 Juan Leal Goraz 1732 Simon de Arocha 1787 Antonio de los Santos 1733 Joseph Phalix Menchaca 1788 Manuel de Niz 1734 Ignacio Calvillo 1789 Juan Leal Goraz 1735 Ignacio Calvillo 1790 Antonio de los Santos 1736 Francisco de Arocha 1791 Juan Curbelo 1737 Vicanate de Amador 1792 Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas 1738 Manuel de Arocha 1793 Juan Curbelo 1739 Ramon de las Fuentes 1794 Juan Delgado 1740 Joseph Phelix Menchaca 1795 Antonio Rodriguez Mederos 1741 Salvador Rodriguez 1796 Patricio Rodriguez 1742 Joseph Roberto Nunez 1797 Antonio Sosa 1743 Manuel de Arocha 1798 Alberto Lopez Aguado y Villafuerte 1744 Juan Joseph de la Garza 1799 Juan Joseph Montes de Oca 1745 Manual Delgado 1800 Joseph Curbelo 1746 Manuel Maria Barrera 1801 Mateo Perez 1747 Jose Antonio Saucedo 1802 Juan Joseph Padron 1748 Joseph Phelix Menchaca 1803 Joseph Leal 1749 Tomas de Arocha 1804 Juan Joseph Padron 1750 Ignacio Perez 1805 Joseph Curbelo 1751 Jose A. Saucedo 1806 to 05/1807 Luis Antonio Menchaca 1752 Angel Navarro 05/1807 Luis Antonio Menchaca 1753 Ignacio Perez 1808 Joseph Curbelo 1754 Manuel Maria Barrera 1809 Manuel Delgado 1755 Manuel Delgado 1810 Alberto Lopez Aguado y Villafuerte 1756 Gaspar Flores to 02/1811 Joseph Curbelo 1757 Francisco Travieso 04/-12/1811 Juan Joseph Flores de Abrego 1758 Clemente Delgado 1812 Martin Lorenzo de Armas 1759 Jose A. de la Garza to 10/1813 Martin Lorenzo de Armas 2nd term 1760 Jose Antonio Saucedo10/1813-14 Alberto Lopez Aguado y Villafuerte 1761 Jose Maria Zambrano 1815 Juan Joseph Flores 1762 Domingo Bustillos 1816 Luis Antonio Menchaca 1763 Francisco Flores 1817 Francisco Delgado to 04/1764 Jose Maria Zambrano 1818 Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas 04/1764 Francisco Montes de Oca 1819 Bernabe de Carbajal 1765 Francisco Flores to 07/24/1820 Domingo Delgado 1766 Jose Erasmo Seguin 07/25/1820 Miguel Gortari 1767 Jose Angel Navarro 1821 Jacinto Delgado 1768 Jose Maria Salinas 1822 Francisco Flores de Abrego 1769 Manuel Ytturri Castillo 1823 Simon de Arocha 1770 Gaspar Flores 1824 Joseph Phelix Menchaca 1771 Juan Martin de Veramendi 1825 Domingo Delgado 1772 Juan Jose Zambrano 1826 Domingo Delgado 1773 Jose Maria Salinas 1827 Joaquin Menchaca 1774 Juan Martin de Veramendi 1828 Amador Delgado 1775 Gaspar Flores 1829 Vicente Alvarez Travieso 1776 Miguel Arciniega 1830 Manuel Delgado 1777 Jose Maria Salinas 1831 Joseph Phelix Menchaca 1778 Jose Antonio de la Garza 1832 Francisco Flores de Abrego 1779 Miguel Arciniega 1833 Thoribio de la Fuente Fernandez 1780 Juan Nepomuceno Seguin 1834 Francisco Flores de Abrego 1781 Jose Angel Navarro 1835 Juan Joseph de la Santa 1782 Francisco Antonio Ruiz 02/1836 Manuel Delgado 1783 Jose Maria Salinas 04/1836
Note: Lt. Col. Juan N. Seguin appointed military commander of the City of San Antonio from Sept. 11, 1836 to Sept. 18, 1837. Courtesy of Bexar County Courthouse, Sylvia Ann Santos and Guadalupe Gonzalez, Archivist.
Casa Reales site chosen on July 2, 1731 for the government house by people of San Fernando de Bexar, including newly-arrived settlers from the Canary Islands, erected in 1741, had to be rebuilt in 1779 by Don Jose Curbelo, Alcalde of the Villa San Fernando de Bexar. A jail was erected to the south in 1783. The buildings served as municipal headquarters under Spanish, Mexican, Republic of Texas, and American regimes, but were vacated in 1850 by the city.
The first civil government in Texas was started in the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, known today as San Antonio, Texas. In June of 1730, twenty-five Canary Islanders or Isleños had reached Cuba under the instruction of the King of Spain to populate the province of Texas. Ten families traveled on to Veracruz before an order from Spain was issued to stop them, but it was too late. Under the leadership of Juan Leal Goraz, the Isleños traveled overland to the presidio of San Antonio de Béxar. The group had increased to fifty-six persons and sixteen families when, on March 9, 1731, they entered the military settlement of the presidio, which had been in existence since 1718. The newly arrived settlers formed the nucleus of the villa of San Fernando de Béxar and started the first organized civil government in Texas. Many families today can trace their descent to the original Canary Island colonists. The names on the list of Alcaldes from 1731 to 1836 are the names of individuals who were involved in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government of early San Antonio de Béxar. The term alcalde refers to the most important official in a Spanish municipality whose responsibilities included judge of minor cases and head of the ayuntamiento or town council. Interchangeable with the term ayuntamiento is the word cabildo referring to the building that housed the town council or meeting, but often would refer to the council itself. The alcalde served in the capacity of chief officer of the ayuntamiento but his authority extended beyond the other regidores or councilmen. The alcalde had authority to issue laws, arrest and punish those who violated the city ordinances, and served as link between other parts of the governor and city officials. The alcalde mayor, also known as the justicia mayor, assisted the governor in the administration of the town or district. Today, the responsibilities of the mayor and city council of San Antonio have changed dramatically. The alcalde and ayuntamiento (cabildo) during early Spanish colonial form of government was the precursor of the present-day form of San Antonio’s government. Check it out, many citizens of San Antonio today will recognize their ancestor’s name on the list of Alcaldes of San Antonio from 1731 to 1836.
References: List of Alcaldes of San Antonio Courtesy of Bexar County Courthouse (Present County Clerk, Gerard C. Rickhoff – Spanish Archives) by Sylvia Ann Santos and Guadalupe Gonzalez, Archivist. "CANARY ISLANDERS," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/poc01), accessed December 22, 2015. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Geoffrey Pivateau, "ALCALDE," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/nfa01), accessed December 22, 2015. Uploaded on June 9, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Perez, Rueben M.. et al, Edited by Bonnie Kuykendall, Heritage Trails – A Collection of Stories from San Antonio Past. Picture of Casa Reales, East Side Main Plaza, San Antonio Texas by William G.M. Samuel, Extended loan to the Wittie Museum from Bexar County.
To find out more information or to join the Order of Granaderos y Damas de Gálvez, visit their website at granaderos.org