Sadie can trace her lineage on the Garcia side to Juan Bautista Chapa, her 9^th great-grandfather, and she is ecstatic as she sits down in front of her laptop today. He was born Giovanni Battista Schiappapietra in a small Ligurian town near Genoa, Italy, in 1627.  At 13, he sailed for Cadiz, then emigrated to New Spain at 19.  Once in New Spain, he traveled to the frontier region of Nuevo Leon and took on the Chapa last name as was the custom.

There, he built a long and distinguished career as the secretary and advisor to a long line of Governors and wrote what became the first written history of Northeastern Mexico and Southeastern Texas for the years 1650-1690. 

She imagines him one early July day, sitting at his simple home in Mexico and writing to his brother, Father Nicolo, who was living in Cadiz, Andalucia, Spain.

Today, I met the woman who will be my bride, Beatriz Trevino de Olivares, at her father’s invitation and in preparation for our upcoming marriage. According to all reports, she is eighteen and has a sweet and forthright nature. She is taller than I expected, and the good Lord has graced her with pretty features and a lively, intelligent gaze. 

I have anticipated our introduction for some time but stammered and stuttered upon meeting her, scarcely able to say more than “At your service, senorita. I am honored to make your acquaintance.”  She laughed at me a little, not unkindly, undoubtedly used to the awkward attention of hopeful suitors.

Don Alonso has been promoting the match With the girl’s father, General Juan the Olivares, for months, impressing on me the opportunity presented by the marriage and praising my qualities as an administrator and confidant to the general Don Alonso has come to rely on me immensely over the past three years; indeed our relationship has grown to be rather friendly of late; it seems that he looks at me almost as a son, especially since his own is now so far away.

Don Juan de Olivares is descended from one of the earliest settlers in this Reino and has accumulated great wealth and esteem here. He has nearly 2000 head of cattle and almost 5000 sheep and goats. His hacienda of San Antonio de Pesqueria Chica has its flour mill, over 100 breeding mares, 12 fine war horses, and eight Negro slaves. He has a house in Monterey and one in Cadereyte, which he maintains at considerable expense. For a landless man to marry into such a wealthy and influential family is unusual. I can hardly believe my good fortune.

You must wonder, dear brother, why such a man would consider marrying his daughter to me, a landless foreigner without wealth or title of his own? I am an administrator here in the land where they are scarce, but quite honestly, Don Juan could hire me for a price far less than that of his daughter– not to mention the dowry he will include on our wedding day.

To answer that query, I must confess to you (and you alone, dear brother) that there are persistent rumors (baseless, I’m sure) that the Trevinos are one of the several prominent families here in El Reino along with the Garzas and the Benavides who are whispered to be Judaizers.  There are some, not many, who spread malicious stories and troublemakers who claim these families attend mass only to divert attention from their secret Jewish rituals. They chose to live in this remote frontier, Reino, to be further away from the scrutiny of the Inquisition.

Of course, I gave these whispers no credence, but they gave me pause in a moment or two of weakness. Would I want to live under a cloud of unfair suspicion, even if it is based only on jealous gossip? Would I want my sons (should God bless me with any) to grow and live under such a poisonous atmosphere?

I must also admit I sometimes noticed strange behaviors at the House of Don Juan de Olivares last spring. During what I calculated to be one of the 8 days of Jewish Passover, I was served corn tortillas but no flour or bread. And this on a Hacienda with a flour mill? Was this a coincidence? Is my suspicious nature getting the better of me?

Troubled by these questions, I probed my beautiful Beatrice on this matter, making no reference to Jesus but only inquiring about her devotion to Christ, Mary, and the Church. She spoke of her prayer rapture and fervent love for the Virgin. So sincere was she that I saw her eyes shine in passionate reverence. How could I have doubted this beautiful girl? Nicolo, I tell you, I do not deserve her.

My wedding to this sweet creature will take place in three weeks. I regret deeply that neither you nor any of our beloved family will be able to attend. Know that all are in my mind and heart during this time, you not least of all. May God preserve your health and safety.

 Your devoted brother,

 Giovanni

3 July MDCLIII

Marin, Nuevo Leon, Mexico-Nueva Espana

Copy 4 July, 1653-GBS

(Loosely paraphrased from the book The Enlightenment of Juan Bautista Chapa by Anonymous)

Beatriz and Juan Bautista married on July 25, 1653, and from that union, Sadie became a direct descendant through her sweet mother, Manuela Garcia:

Sadie Isabel Garcia —>Manuela Garcia—>Argimiro Garcia—> Felix Garcia —>Porifirio Garcia—>Jose Matias Garcia—>Juan Ignacio Garcia—>Maria Gertrudis Salinas Longoria→Maria Rosa Longoria Chapa→Maria Benavides Chapa→Jose Nicolas Chapa Trevino→Juan Bautista Chapa