Cayetano Hipolito de Jesus Serrano
(abt. 1787 - after 1860)
Maria Manuela Mestas
(1789 - after 1860)
Cayetano Hipolito de Jesús
Serrano,
commonly known as “Hipolito” or “Polito,” and his wife, María Manuela Mestas, commonly known as “Manuela,” were the parents
of Miguel Cresencio Serrano. We know this from circumstantial evidence
shown in his biography. We hope that
baptismal records can be found someday to provide documentary evidence.
Cayetano Hipolito de Jesús Serrano was born about 1787,
probably in the Chama River Valley on a ranch near Abiquiu,
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. He was one of the prominent Martin-Serrano
family there. We aren’t sure which of
the Martin-Serranos was his father, but they were a large family who had come to
New Mexico with the 1693 resettlement and had been there long
before the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Some
of the family followed the lead of a prominent priest in the 1800’s and changed
their surnames to Martinez; others simply dropped the
Martín and became Serranos; others simply became Martins.
Our first record of Cayetano Hipolito Serrano in New Mexico is in 1799 in Abiquiú,
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, then a
province of New Spain. On March 20, José Benito
Trujillo was baptized. He was the son of Josefa Trujillo and an unknown
father. The
godparents were Cayetano Hipolito
Serrano and María Concepción Lucero.
On
May 23 of that year, Cayetano Hipolito
Serrano was a godparent at the baptism of José Miguel Serrano, an Indian servant/slave
belonging to Cayetano Hipolito Serrano. The “unknown father” may have been someone in
the Serrano family or, possibly, Hipolito himself. The godmother was María Antonia Espinosa.
Later
that same year in Abiquiú, on October
13, 1799, Cayetano Hipolito
Serrano and María Concepción Durán were
godparents for María Dolores, an Indian belonging to Gabriel Quintana. Concepción was the madrina at a few baptisms
when Hipolito was the padrino. She was
an Abiquiú girl of his own age.
On 15
January 1800, Cayetano
Hipolito Serrano was again a godfather.
Cayetano Hipolito de Jesus Espinosa, son of Juan Antonio Espinosa and María Rita Teodora Quintana, was
his godson. The godmother was again María Concepción Durán. Yet
again, on January 26, 1800,
Cayetano Hipolito Serrano and Maria Concepción Durán were godparents
together for José Bernardino Martín at Abiquiú, the son of Pedro Antonio Martín
and María Manuela Sisneros.
On September
16, 1800, Cayetano Hipolito
de Jesús Serrano and Ysabel Lucero were godparents in Abiquiú for a six-year-old
Indian boy of unknown parentage, a servant [slave] of Magdalena Valdés.
On July 5, 1801, María Concepción Martín was baptized at Abiquiú. Her parents were Cristóval Martín and María Josefa Naranjo. Godparents
were Cayetano Hipolito de Jesús Serrano and María Concepción Durán. It was the fourth and last time that Hipolito and
Concepción were paired as padrino and madrina. Perhaps they had had been sweethearts. There is no record of Concepción having
married. Perhaps she died young, ending
her partnership with Hipolito.
“Polito”
married María Manuela Mestas about
1807. She was the daughter of Aparacio Mestas and María Antonia Varela. Born at
Santa Cruz,
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico [now merged with the town
of Espanola], on 24 December
1789,
Manuela was baptized in the church at Santa Cruz. Her family had been living in
Santa Cruz as late as 4 June 1806, when her youngest brother was born.
How she came to marry Polito, who lived in Abiquiú, is unknown. Perhaps the Mestas family moved to the
Chama Valley [and possibly had more
children there].
The
first record of the birth of a child for this couple was of José Guadalupe Serrano, who was
baptized at Abiquiú on 9 December 1807. At this time Polito would have been about
twenty years old and Manuela, eighteen.
On 1 January 1809, Hipolito and Manuela were godparents to María
Manuela Trujillo, daughter of Mariano Trujillo and Bernarda Martín. The baptism took place at Santo Tomás Apostól
Catholic Church in Abiquiú. At that time
Manuela was pregnant with the couple’s second child, José Manuel Serrano, who was born 1 April 1809 and baptized at Santo Tomás Church on 10 April. Godparents [padrinos] were Don Marcos Delgado and
Dona Guadalupe Valdés. After 1809 the Serranos appear to have attended a
church other than Santo Tomás Apostól because their children’s baptismal
records do not appear there.
In 1810 the stirrings in Mexico for independence were begun by Father
Hidalgo, and the decade proved turbulent in other parts of New Spain. In New Mexico, things were relatively quiet. The Serranos appear to have left the Abiquiú
area after Manuel’s birth. In 1811 or
1812, another son, Mauricio Serrano
was born. There is no baptismal record
for him in Abiquiú nor for any other children of theirs during the decade, but
there is circumstantial evidence to show that he was. The same is true for Miguel Cresencio Serrano, our ancestor, who was born about
1816. From the 1845 Census, it appears
that the Serranos had three more sons, about 1819, 1826, and 1831. Sons of that age were shown to be living in
their home, although they were unnamed
In 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain, and the Serranos were now citizens of Mexico, not of Spain. A daughter,
María Francisca, was born about 1822.
On 10 August 1823, at Santo Tomás, Polito and Manuela were godparents
for Pedro Ygnacio Chacón, son of Pedro Ygnacio Chacón and María Pascuala Martín
of El Rito, a village near Abiquiú. On 12 January 1825, they were again godparents, for José María Cresencio
Valdés at Abiquiú. The child’s parents
were José Manuel Valdés and Mará Rita Gonzales.
The Serranos were stated to be residents of Barranco, a village near
Abiquiú.
“Hipolito
Cayetano Serrano” and María Manuela
Mestas were again listed as padrino y madrina, at the baptism of María
Luisa Sálazar, daughter of José Miguel Sálazar and Rosalia Montoya in Abiquiú,
on 8
November 1827. A few months later, on 2 April 1828, María Manuela
Mestas was the madrina and her son Manuel
Antonio Serrano the padrino at the baptism of José de Jesús Suazo, son of
Ygnacio Suazo and Micaela Durán.
On 12 February 1838, María Josefa del Refugio Velasquez, daughter of
María Estéfana Velásquez and an unknown father, was baptized in Abiquiú with Miguel Serrano and his mother, María Manuela Mestas, as godparents.
Hipolito
Serrano and his daughter María [Francisca?] Serrano were
godparents for María Guadalupe del Refugio Valdés at Abiquiú on 7 May 1840. The child’s parents were
José Mariano de Jesús Valdés and María Manuela de los Dolores Archuleta.
On 7 May 1840, Hipolito Serrano and María Manuela Mestas were padrinos at
the baptism of Agapito Abeyta, three days old, son of María Ramona Abeyta and
an unknown father. About the same time
they were godparents for María Gudalupe Abeyta, ten year old Ute Indian slave
of unknown parentage belonging to Francisco Abeyta. The following month, Hipolito Serrano and Margarita Trujillo were godparents of “Hijo”
Archuleta, age three days, son of José Germán Archuleta and María Altagracia
Vigil.
On 17 November 1844, María Gerónima Trujillo was baptized at Abiquiú with
Hipolito Serrano and María
Francisca Serrano as godparents. The
baby’s parents were María Petra Trujillo and an unknown father.
On 26 February 1845, Francisco Estevan Velásques also had Hipolito and
Francisca as godparents at his baptism.
Francisco was the son of María Serafina Velásquez and an unknown father.
That same year
the Serrano family appeared in the Mexican Census of Abiquiú:
Don Hipolito Serrano, male, age 57
His wife, age 50 [should be 56]
Male age 28
[This is Miguel Cresencio Serrano]
Male age 26
[This is Juan Serrano, who
appears in 1850 U.S. Census]
Male age 19 [José Serrano who appeared in 1850 U.S.
Census?]
Male age 14 [Valentín Serrano who appeared in CA in
1850?]
In 1846 the United States and Mexico went to war.
New Mexico was conquered, and the Serranos became citizens of
the United
States
after twenty-five years under the flag of Mexico. They were
listed in the 1850 U.S. Census of New Mexico living in
Rio Arriba County:
#713
Polito Serrano, 63, farmer
María Serrano, 53
Juan Serrano, 30
José Serrano, 26
Ana María, 30 [a widowed
daughter or wife of one of the sons here?]
Luciano, 1 [no doubt a
grandson]
On 22 April 1856, María Josefa Penuria Naranjo, daughter of Gregoria
Naranjo and an unknown father was baptized at Abiquiú. The godparents were Hipolito Serrano and Altagracia
Mestas. These bastard children were
mostly the children of Indian female slave/servants and male members of the
family who owned the servant/slave. The
American takeover caused this form of slavery to decline and later disappear.
The 1860 U.S. Census of Rio Arriba County,
New Mexico, 9th Precinct, Los Luceros is the last
record we have of Hipolito and Manuela. It
stated than neither could read or write.
Hipolito was listed as 73 years of age, a farmer, real estate value
$200, personal property value $40.
Manuela was listed as 64, but we know she was 71. No one else lived with them. Neither is listed
in the 1870 Census of New Mexico. It can
be presumed that they both died during the decade of 1860-1870.
CHILDREN OF CAYETANO HIPOLITO DE JESÚS SERRANO AND
MARÍA MANUELA MESTAS
[1] José Guadalupe Serrano, known as Guadalupe, was baptized 9 December 1807, in the church of Santo Tomás
Apostól in
Abiquiú, Rio Arriba
County, New Mexico. Godparents
for Guadalupe were Gregorio Torres and María Antonia Espinosa. His parents were listed as residents of
Barranco, a village near Abiquiú.
Guadalupe appears to have come to California during the gold rush.
He appears in San
Luis Obispo as
the father of an illegitimate child born of Dolores García named Dolores Lino
Serrano, who was baptized at the Old Mission Church on 23 September 1850. That is the
only record of Guadalupe in San Luis Obispo. His eventual fate is unknown. Guadalupe does not appear in later censuses
of New Mexico. He probably
died between 1850 and 1860.
[2] José Manuel Gregorio Serrano, known as Manuel Serrano, was born 1 April 1809 and was baptized 10 April 1809 at Abiquiú.
His godparents were Don Marcos Delgado and Dona Guadalupe Valdés. Manuel was to be followed by other Manuel
Serranos in the next two generations:
the son of his brother Miguel Serrano
was named Manuel [1858-1916]; and Miguel’s grandson Manuel lived
1887-1924].
On 17 October 1830, in Abiquiú, Manuel married María Dolores Martín,, fourteen, of Plaza San Francisco. She was the daugher of Juan Pedro Martín,
deceased, and María Serafina Trujillo.
The witnesses were Pablo Romero, nineteen, of Plaza San Jose, single;
and Juan Cristóbal Madrid, forty-five; Adaucto Olivas, thirty; Juan de Diós
Martín, twenty-eight of Plaza San Joaquín.
The last three were married men. [New
Mexico Roots LTD by Fray Angélico Chavez]
The 1845 Mexican Census of New Mexico shows Don Manuel
Serrano, age 35, with a 33-year old wife.
They have a son aged 12 and daughters aged 10, 8, and 2. This census does not correspond very well
with the family’s listing in the 1850 U.S. Census of New Mexico.
Manuel was in
Abiquiú on 13 May 1849, as godfather to María Josefa García, He was listed in the 1850 Census
of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. His
entry shows Manuel, age 40, born New
Mexico; wife María, age 30, born New
Mexico; son Luis, 16, born New Mexico;
son Lorenso, 10, born New Mexico;
son Guadalupe, 8, born New Mexico;
daughter María, 6, born New Mexico;
and daughter Josefa, 5, born New
Mexico. If the census-taker was not a Spanish-speaker, this would account for
what seems to be several errors.
Although he was listed in the census, Manuel may not
have been home at the time. There are
indications that he may have been back and forth between California and New Mexico after 1846.
There is a seven-year gap between 1846 and 1853 when he and his wife had
no children. Manuel may have spent time
in the California gold fields.
On 23 March 1852, Manuel was the godfather in Abiquiú for María
Manuela García, four days old, the daughter of Rafael García and María Micaela
Madrid. Godmother was
his wife María Dolores Martín.
In 1858 when the San Luis Obispo, California Vigilance Committee was active, Manuel is listed as a
member. His brother Miguel named a son
for Manuel that year in San Luis Obispo.
In the index of the 1860 U.S. Census of Rio Arriba
County, New Mexico, Manuel is listed on page 027 as living in the 9th
Precinct. In the 1880 Census both Manuel and Dolores were still alive:
16 June 1880 Collote and Canones
Abiquiú
Manuel Serrano, 60 [he was 71], farmer
Maria Dolores, wife, 57
Luis, son, 40, laborer
Antonio, grandson, 13, herder
Next:
Jesus M. Serrano, 22, farmer
Manuela, wife, 18
Emilia, 1, daughter
Guadalupe Serrano, white female, 36, keeping house
Next:
Maria Josefa Serrano, 32, head, keeping house
Manuel, son, 10
Jose Seferino, 6, son
Delfina, 4, daughter
Breiana, 6/12 [Nov], daughter
These are Manuel’s children: Luis
María Eugénio Yldefonso Serrano, baptized January 27, 1833, Abiquiú,
godparents: Hipolito Serrano and María
Manuela Mestas; María de Jesús Serrano, baptized January 24, 1835, Abiquiú,
probably died before 1850; María
Guadalupe Serrano, baptized March 8, 1837, Abiquiú, godparents Miguel
Antonio Abeyta and María Rosa Vigil, died before 1843; Bernardo Serrano, born 26 August 1842, in Abiquiú; María Manuela Serrano, baptized
November 3, 1839, Abiquiú, godparents Miguel
Serrano and María Francisca Serrano,
died before 1843; Lorenzo [Luis] Serrano, born about
1840, appears in 1850 U.S. Census; Antonia
María Serrano, baptized March 6, 1842, Abiquiú, was probably the eight-year
old Guadalupe Serrano listed in the
1850 Census, never married, living with brother Jesús María Serrano’s family in
1880; another María Manuela Serrano,
baptized April 16, 1843, Abiquiú, godparents Miguel Martinez and María de Jesús
Villanueva, married Luciano Archuleta
about 1855, living next door to Mauricio Serrano in 1870 in Canones; María Josefa Serrano, baptized April
27, 1846, Abiquiú, godparents Juan Ygnacio García and María Gertrudis Abeyta,
widowed 1880; María Virginia Serrano, baptized October 16, 1853, godfather
Francisco Abeyta; Jesús María Serrano,
baptized March 8, 1856, Abiquiú, godparents Miguel Antonio Abeyta and María
Rosa Vigil, married Manuela Unknown.
[3] José Mauricio Serrano, known as Mauricio, was born in 1811 or 1812 in
New Mexico. All indications
are that he was a son of Hipolito and Manuela, although we have not found the baptismal records of their
children after 1809.
On March 29, 1835, Mauricio
Serrano and his sister María
Francisca Serrano were godparents for José Miguel Ruperto García de la
Mora. His parents were Juan Cristóval
García de la Mora and María Manuela Archuleta.
About 1836 Mauricio married María Dolores Abeyta, apparently of the family that appeared so
frequently as godparents of children of Mauricio’s brother Manuel’s children. She was the daughter of Juan Nepomuceno
Abeyta and María Manuela Castelo [Castillo?].
They were godparents on June 24, 1836, for María Rafaela Gallegos, indicating that they had
probably already married by that time.
The family is listed in the 1845 Mexican Census of New
Mexico in Abiquiú: Mauricio, age 33,
head; wife age 24; sons aged 6 [Ventura] and 3 [Teodoro]; daughters aged 7 [Manuela] and 2.
The Jose Serrano
listed in the 1850 U.S. Census of Abiquiú is Mauricio. He is listed as household #712, age 38,
laborer; wife María, 29; Ventura, 10, female [a male]; Viviana, 9, female;
Bernardo, 8, male; Rosa, 6 female; Teodoro, 5, male; José, 1, male [José
Antonio].
Mauricio may have been in California during the gold rush because no children are born to
him between 1849 and 1853, much as the case with his brother Manuel.
Presumably
Mauricio lived out his life in New Mexico. The 1870 Census shows him living in Canones, age 57,
a musician. Dolores was listed as age
51. Neither could read or write. Two
sons lived with them: Tranquilino, age 13,
and Eliseo, age 9.
In the 1880 U.S. Census of Rio Arriba County,
Mauricio and Dolores were living in Canones with a nine-year old niece named
Andrea. Next door lived their son Teodoro,
33, and his family. Mauricio’s age was
given as 65 [he was 67 or 68] and Dolores’ as 60. In this census he was listed as a farmer.
These are his children: Teodoro
de Jesús Serrano, baptized December 23, 1844, Abiquiú, godparents José Lino
Trujillo and María Gerónima Valdés, died before 1847; another Teodoro de Jesús
Serrano, baptized at Abiquiú, January 12, 1847, godparents Antonio Abeyta and
María Rufina Abeyta, parents living in Barranco at the time of his birth; José Antonio Serrano, baptized February
6, 1849, Abiquiú, godparents Jesús María Sálazar and María Ysadora Trujillo,
parents living in Barranco at the time of his birth; Antonio María Serrano, baptized June 17, 1853, Abiquiú, godparents
José Archuleta and María Altagracia Vigil; parents resided in Canones at the
time of his birth; Severino Serrano, baptized August 26, 1855, Abiquiú, godparents
José Tomás Montano and María Francisca Sálazar; Carlos Tranquilino Serrano, baptized February 24, 1857, Abiquiú,
godparents José Vivian Montoya and Ana María Valdés
[4] María Francisca Serrano, known as Francisca, was born about 1822 in or
near Abiquiú, Rio
Arriba County,
New Mexico. She is the
only known daughter of Hipolito Serrano and Manuela Mestas.
On 29 March 1835, she was the godmother for José Miguel Ruperto García
de la Mora, son of Juan Cristóval García de la Mora and María Manuela
Archuleta, in Abiquiú. Godfather was Francisca’s brother Mauricio Serrano.
Shortly thereafter Francisca married Manuel
Esquípulas Sálazar. Their daughter, María Rafaela de los Dolores Sálazar,
was baptized 20 June 1839, at Abiquiú. Godparents were
José Antonio Manzanares and María Paula Abeyta.
Another daughter, María
Rufina Sálazar, was baptized at Abiquiú on 29 September 1841, at the age of four days. Padrinos were José María Chaves and María de Jesús
Martinez.
Esquípulas appears to have been gone in the middle
1840’s. Francisca was listed as the head
of the household in the 1845 Mexican
Census of Abiquiú: Dona Francisca
Serrano, female, age 23, widow, head; 3 females aged 23, 4, and 3. Yet Francisca’s presence in Abiquiú is well
documented. On 4 May 1842 she and her brother Miguel Cresencio Serrano [our ancestor] were padrinos for María
Catarina Valdéz, daughter of Pedro Ygnacio Valdés and Mariana Gonzales, age
eight days, at Abiquiú.
Francisca and her father, Hipolito Serrano, were listed as godparents at the baptism of María
Gerónima Trujillo on 17 November 1844, in Abiquiú.
The mother was María Petra Trujillo.
The father was listed as unknown, the usual listing when the mother was
an Indian slave/servant impregnated by a household member or other person.
On 26 February 1845, Francisca and her father were again godparents at
the baptism of Francisco Estevan Velásquez, illegitimate son of María Seferina
Velásquez. Seferina was also probably a
slave/servant. Two months later
Francisca and her father were again godparents for María Virginia Sálazar,
daughter of María de la Luz Sálazar and an unknown father.
On 19 April 1846, Francisca and her brother, Manuel Serrano, were the
padrinos for the child of what may have been a servant/slave of Francisca and
Esquípulas. The child was named Miguel
Cresencio Salazar, son of María Manuela Sálazar and unknown father [possibly
Francisca’s brother Miguel Cresencio Serrano, our ancestor, who was on his way
to California at this time].
Esquípulas appears on the scene again in 1846, when he
and Francisca were godparents at the baptism of María Teodora Trujillo,
daughter of María Estéfana Trujillo and an unknown father, 4 August 1846.
Francisca was either dead or not living in
New Mexico at the time of the 1880 Census. No record could be found of her there, nor of
Esquípulas.
[5] Juan Serrano was born about 1819. He appears in the 1850 U.S. Census in his
parents’ household and is the twenty-six year old son mentioned in the 1845
Mexican Census. Nothing else known of
him.
[6] José Serrano was born about 1823. He is the nineteen-year-old son enumerated in
the 1845 Mexican Census with his parents.
He was still living with his parents in the 1850 U.S. Census. His age was given as twenty-six.
[7] Valentín Serrano was the
fourteen-year-old son mentioned in the 1845 Mexican Census. He was in California at the time of the 1850 U.S. Census. The
San Luis Obispo
Old Mission Church records show that he sired an illegitimate child that
year. It is believed that he moved to
Los Angeles later in that decade.
He does not show up in the 1858 Vigilance Committee list nor in the 1860
Census of San Luis Obispo. Nor does he
show up in the census in New Mexico. A Valentín Serrano was listed in the 1860
Census in Los
Angeles. That, no doubt, was he.
Submitted by Donald Rivara, June 23, 2009.
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