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A chance connection at Jamboree

I was at the Southern California Genealogical Society's 2010 Jamboree this past weekend. I dropped by the Los Californianos booth, for at least the fourth time. The nice lady at the booth (I forgot your name!) asked me what the surname was of the family I had in early California. I told her Echeverría, and she asked if I was related to "that guy over there." Umm, not that I know of?

It turns out, another attendee (whose name I've also forgotten!) had asked about the same surname shortly before I did. Furthermore, it turns out that his Echevarrias were at the same mission as my Echevarria/Echeverría/Echebarria/Echevaria family, at about the same time. I didn't have any Nicolas Echevarria, though, so I gave him my name, email address, and the names of the people that I have in the area at the time. I asked him that if he found a connection, to please let me know.

Today, I got curious and did a search at the Huntington Library's EarlyCalifornia Population Project. Here's what I found:

* Nicolas Echeverria and Maria del Pilar Larias baptize a daughter Juliana in 1830. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Echeverria and Maria del Pilar Larios baptize a son Juan Antonio de Gracia in 1832. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chavarria and Pilar Larios baptize a daughter Maria Antonia in 1834. Godparents: Antonia Rodrigues.

* Nicolas Chavarria and Maria del Pilar Larios baptize a son Jose Ramon de Gracia in 1836. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Echevarria and Maria Pilar Larios baptize a daughter Maria del Refugio in 1838. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chabarria and Maria Pilar Larios baptize a daughter Maria Gertrudes Eufania in 1839. Godparents: Dolores Pacheco and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chaberria and Maria Pilar Larios baptize a son Jose Francisco Guadalupe in 1841. Godparents: Francisco Abila and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chavarria and Pilar Larios baptize a son Clemente Patricio in 1843. Godparents: Mariano Castro and Rufina Galindo.

So, guess what Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco were doing in 1849? Becoming the godparents of my ancestor's sister, Rafaela Genobeba de Jesus Echevarria Lebrija. Not the kind of link I would have hoped for, but this does deserve further research! I'll scan these people's records when the films come in (I already requested them last week), but I have a feeling that if the record had grandparents, they would be in the database. Wish me luck!

A chance connection at Jamboree

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