Veterans in the Sanchez Family

Since we are going to have the get-together at the Little Manatee State Park on Veterans Day (11/11/13), it would be good to remember and honor at all the veterans in the family tree that we might find know of.

There were a few in every war this country has had since Florida became part of the U.S.

Many of the ancestors were in the Indian Wars.  There are records of many of there enlistments some received bounty land grants (some were converted to cash and some were settled on), a few lived to receive pensions,

There were Sanchezes in the Mexican War.  Roman B. Sanchez, who was in Livingston's Independent Comp., received a pension.  There were likely more.

There were Sanchez on both sides of the Civil War.  There is a databases of Soldiers and Sailor on both sides are listed in a National Park Service database.  The pension files in the Florida Memory Project are more than indexes but show the forms filed by the soldiers and their widows.

Were there Sanchez descendants in the Spanish American War?

For World War I there are the draft card files men of military age were required to file.  There are also service files of Florida soldiers and sailors in the Florida Memory Project.  Many of these servicemen returned with disabilities.

For World War II the free access files are few.  The Draft Registration Cards don't include Florida.  There is a list of Army Enlistments that is faulty.  There are commercial listings in Ancestry.com and 3fold.com that might be better. However we are in the range of recent memory.  Many of us can remember or remember what our parents told us about this war..

This summer list from the Korean War and Vietnam War have been published: Korean War POWs, Korean War dead and wounded for the Army, Vietnam War Casualties, and Vietnam War Deaths.  You might know of other databases with additional information you might share with us.

I don't have information on databases of service members in the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have many of these veterans among us now.  Let us plan to honor their service when we gather at Little Manatee State Park to discuss much lighter matters of who is descendant from whom and eat some potluck goodies.

All of the off-color (blue or violet) are clickable Internet links to the mentioned databases.  Many public libraries have free access to commercial websites of  Ancestry.com and some to 3fold.com as well.

Florida Pioneers: Conquistadors, Colonialists, & Crackers

The Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS) is offering a free webinar on Thursday, September 19th at 8 pm EDT.  It will last an hour.  You will need to pre-register and then login with a link sent to you on Thursday evening.

For the FSGS link click here.  Your Internet connection needs to be DSL or a high speed connection.  I have watched these talks on a hand-held tablet computer.

The presentation by FSGS Pioneer Certification Committee Chair Amy Crabhill Lay. The question… Is participating in a lineage program really worth it or is it just for pretentious people? YES! … and… NO! Learn more about lineage programs, what to expect during the application process, and what the FSGS requires for the Florida Pioneer Descendant Program. We will review types of source documents, what’s important for a successful application, and the reward of participation.

If you have not attended a webinar before it is like attending a public presentation, but you are watching it on your computer.  There is a live narrative with slides and such.  At the end you will be able to type in questions for the speaker.

YOU are invited to our family reunion on Veteran's Day!

Join the Tampa Bay area parientes for Veteran's Day

Los Floridanos Family Reunion

WHO:        Los Floridanos &  friends

WHAT:      Family gathering for fun, friendship & learning more about our stories.

Los Floridanos Historian Tom Santa Cruz, Ph.D.,
will tell the stories of how our ancestors first migrated into the Southwest Florida area.
The founder of the Francisco Xavier Sanchez Blog, he serves as a member of the board of directors of the Pasco County Genealogy Society, where he chairs the genealogy research committee. He is also a chemistry instructor for Hillsborough Community College.

WHEN:      Park opens 8am-5pm. Be there for shared lunch & special presentation following!

                  MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2013

WHERE:    Little Manatee River State Park, Pavilion #1, Wimauma, FL

Little Manatee River State Park

Little Manatee River State Park map

Entrance to the park will be free on Veteran's Day, a Monday, Nov. 11!

Those who wish to make a weekend of this opportunity may wish to camp, as this state park includes full camping facilities.

For information about the park itself, contact (850) 245-2157.  

For more information on the Los Floridanos event, call Tom Santa Cruz at 813-783-2085.

PLEASE NOTE: This will be a shared picnic, so please bring enough for yourselves and some to share. There is no organized plan for food, drink or supplies, so we must be self-reliant. Volunteers, however, are welcome to step forward here. Thanks.

"Dicho" : Learning to decipher from Spanish to Spanish

Dicho : As they said it

Exploring the Spanish Archives & the stories of the ancestors

If you're wondering about what was on the minds of those Spanish and the folks they encountered in the early days, now there's a treasure hunt to help us find out!

Just like in this country there are new records online, the Archivo General de Indias   is now available online for those curious about digitalized primary documents from the European struggle for Florida.

It isn't easy to read. That's why I'm taking the Spanish Paleography class with Dr. Michael Francis at the University of South Florida Saint Petersburg in Florida Studies, which turns out to be quite exciting. The project I will tackle is "Cartas de Governadores" 1564, exploring the Spanish and Hugenot conflicts off South Carolina.

As students of FX Sanchez, there is the possibility there of learning something about the heritage of the mother of his first children, Beatriz de Piedra, as both of her parents come from this era. Her father was a carpenter who made parts for ships in Charleston and her mother was born in the islands, but became his slave. What was the culture and controversy from which they arose and met? How did they create this woman who set the tone of the beginnings of the FX Sanchez family?

But now we are simply at the point of determining one letter from another, a word from a scribble. Plus the class is only to translate from the written script into the Spanish word, not into English. That we leave for the experts.

 The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.