Family Trees History and Stories By Dina Lpez

Family Trees, History, and Stories By Dina López Master of Arts Student Technical Communication and Rhetoric Texas Tech University

Paternal Side Maternal Side Cordell Riojas Tiner Peñalver Vance Cárdenas Slide 2

Family Tree Blas de la Garza Falcón Family Tree, leading to the Riojas line: 1. Marcos Alonzo Garza y Arcón 1561 – 1634 +Juana de Treviño, great-great grandparents of Captain Blas de la Garza Falcón IV, Settler of Carmargo, Texas 2. Blas María de la Garza Falcón Treviño I + Beatriz González Hidalgo 3. Sgt Major Francisco de la Garza Falcón + Leonor Sepúlveda de Rentería 4. Juan Alonzo de la Garza Falcón + Isabel Gutiérrez de Lara 5. Juan Diego de la Garza Falcón +(3 rd Mar. ) María Guadalupe Báez Treviño 6. Mariano Bautista de la Garza Falcón +(2 nd Mar. ) María Francisca Ortegón Blas de la Garza family tree: p 21, Dr. Clotilde García http: //person. ancestry. com/tree/2554861/person/6115002106/facts http: //www. somosprimos. com/inclan/garzafalcon. htm (see no. 110 for Cptn. Blas’ brothers and sisters – entire family tree) 7. Roumalda de la Garza Falcón + José Antonio Riojas Ramón (great-grandson of Juan Ignacio de Castilla y Riojas) 8. Onésimo Riojas + Candelaria de la Garza 9. Rafael Riojas de la Garza +Anita Peñalver Cárdenas 10. Rosa Elia Riojas Peñalver + James Ronald Cordell 11. Dina Cordell Riojas de López + José Ramón López Méndez José R. , Ana I. , and Isaac A. López Cordell

Dr. Ricardo Riojas being interviewed by his daughter, Rosa Ana Riojas for Story Corps: click on this link. Onesimo Riojas with grandchildren: Rafael Jr. , Graciela, Rosa Elia, and Ricardo

Family Tree Blas de la Garza Family Tree, leading to the Riojas line: 1. Marcos Alonzo Garza y Arcón 1561 – 1634 +Juana de Treviño, great-great grandparents of Captain Blas de la Garza Falcón IV, Founder and settler of Carmargo, Texas 2. Blas María de la Garza Falcón Treviño I + Beatriz González Hidalgo 3. Sgt Major Francisco de la Garza Falcón + Leonor Sepúlveda de Rentería 4. Juan Alonzo de la Garza Falcón + Isabel Gutiérrez de Lara 5. Juan Diego de la Garza Falcón +(3 rd Mar. ) María Guadalupe Báez Treviño 6. Mariano Bautista de la Garza Falcón +(2 nd Mar. ) María Francisca Ortegón Blas de la Garza family tree: p 21, Dr. Clotilde García http: //person. ancestry. com/tree/2554861/person/6115002106/facts http: //www. somosprimos. com/inclan/garzafalcon. htm (see no. 110 for Cptn. Blas’ brothers and sisters – entire family tree) 7. Roumalda de la Garza Falcón + José Antonio Riojas Ramón 8. Onésimo Riojas + Candelaria de la Garza 9. Rafael Riojas de la Garza +Anita Peñalver Cárdenas 10. Rosa Elia Riojas Peñalver + James Ronald Cordell 11. Dina Cordell Riojas de López + José Ramón López Méndez José R. , Ana I. , and Isaac A. López Cordell

Captain Blas Maria de la Garza Falcón: 4 th great-grandson of Marcos Alonso Garza Arcón The Founder of South Texas Friendship monument in Corpus Christi, 1992.

Don Jose de Escandon’s Nuevo Santander, now known as the South Texas Triangle Highlight: Santa Petronila Ranch, site of the first land grant in South Texas

Map of the Count’s “New Santander, ” extending from Tampico, Mexico to the Nueces River.

Other families suffered attempts by outsiders to gain control of their lands, oil, and gas revenues. Photograph of the Welder ranch in 1910. 1971: Descendants of Jose Antonio de la Garza Falcon in vacancy suit from a Dallas man, as well as a recovery suit from the State of Texas for recovery of oil and gas revenues, based on the alleged vacancy.

Some of the land grants were lost due to neglect or vacancy by the heirs. Padre Nicolas Ballí founded of South Padre Island in 1827 with his nephew Juan José Ballí, Blas de Garza Falcon’s great-grandson.

Juan Nepomuceno Cortina: The Cortina Wars, 1859 Screen shot from Ancestry. com

Paredes: Cortez’s father was named Román Cortez Garza; his mother was Rosalia Lira Cortinas.

Onésimo Riojas and Candelaria de la Garza, with children, L-R: Benito, Rafael, Onésimo, Candelaria, and Roumalda

Rafael Riojas de la Garza and Anita Peñalver, with sons Rafael II and Ricardo

Santana Peñalver with his horse and buggy.

Thanks to efforts by Mr. Rafael Riojas de la Garza and other champions for education, schools in Melvin were desegregated two grades a year starting with the 4 th grade by 1945, and fully desegregated by 1948. Teacher Celia Renteria with her students in front of the Mexican school in Melvin, Texas in 1940.

Rafael Riojas de la Garza pictured as a dry-goods salesman, buying and selling dry goods out of his car.

Rafael and Anita moved their family to Ropesville in 1950. The drought had driven their customers, the migrant farm workers, to move further north in search of work. Riojas Department Store, circa 1950

“Querer es Poder” And to that we would add: with Christ’s help Philippians 4: 13