Trinidad Concha

<p>Immigration and church records show that the Concha (and associated) family came from Penjamo, a modestly large city in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The Latter-Day-Saints IGI microfilmed marriage record showing the marriage between an&nbsp; Abraham Concha and a Justa Minquela match the names that Trinidad Concha lists for his parents after his second marriage to Maria de Jesus Alvarado. This marriage record was transcribed and imaged by the Latter-Day-Saints and is from the California County Marriages (1850-1952) database.<br><br>The Conchas apparently did well and probably would have stayed in Mexico had it not been for the Mexican Revolution which caused so much disruption and bloodshed. The Conchas like so many other Mexicans were forced to flee or risk being killed. The trek to the border of the US was long and hazardous. The Conchas were exposed to illness, peril, and disease along the way. One of the children, Jesus, was so afflicted by measels that she was permanently scarred. The Conchas ended up crossing the border into New Mexico where they settled in Hurley township.<br>A database record (Border Crossings: From Mexico to US, 1895-1957) reveals that Trinidad Concha was the first to immigrate and that he sent for his wife and children later. The record shows a a US department of labor card athorizing Trinidad to work in the US and has the following information: Name: Trinidad Concha; Arrival date: 2 Oct 1914; Port of Arrival: El Paso, Texas, United States; Age: 37; Birth Date: abt 1877; Occupation: Laborer.<br>From the same database are records for the remaining members of the family after Trinidad had sent for them 2 years later. Rafaela's name is mistakenly transcribed as "Rapado"&nbsp; Zaragoza. The original Manifest from the US Department of Labor shows a wealth of information on Rafeala, and her children. Included in Rafaela's record is the following: Arrival date: 13 Oct 1916; Port of Arrival: El Paso Texas, United States; Arrival Contact: Husband Trinidad Concha, Age: 30; Birth Location: Penjamo (mistakenly transcribed as "Benjamo" due to corrected error by person listing information); Race/Nationality: Mexican. Additional information from the manifest says that Rafaela had a skin tumor 2" by 1 1/2" to the right of her right eye. She is accompainied by what looks like her mother, brother, sister and children. She is a housewife who cannot read or write. She is destined for Hurley, New Mexico to join husband. She has paid for her own passage and for that of her children and also has an additional $6 dollars in her possesion. Also listed on the manifest are individual records for children: Victoria, age:12; Jesus, age: 7; Dolores Josefa, age: 5; Estevan, age:1 1/2; Jose Rito, age: 14.<br>Arriving the same day with Rafaela and her children are: Jesus Arias, Joaquin Arias, Cipriano Zaragoza, and Josefa Zaragoza.<br>From the manifest, Dolores Josefa later appears in the US Naturalization Records (1791-1992) database. Her age at event is: 28; Court District: CA; Date of action: 8 Nov 1940; Name: Dolores Shell (formerly: Dolores Josefa Concha); residing at 415 Pecan St, Los Angeles, CA.<br>The 1920 Federal Census of New Mexico shows the entire Concha family living there and Rafaela's brother, Cipriano and family living nearby. Listed are: Trinidad, home in 1920: Hurley, Grant, New Mexico, age: 41, birthplace: Mexico, home owned: rent, year of immigration: 1917, occupation: copper plant; Rafaela, wife, age: 37, birthplace: Mexico, Jose, son, age: 17; Victoria, daughter, age: 15; Jesus, daughter, age: 9; Lola, daughter, age: 7; Estevan, son, age: 5; Juan, son, age: 1 6/12. All children are listed as born in Mexico and immigrating in 1917, except for Juan (John), who is shown as born in New Mexico.<br><br>The family stayed in Hurley until other relatives (possibly Rafaela's brother, Cipriano) moved on to the Los Angeles area in California allowed them to move there and take up residence. The family now lived on a large ranch, and for a while lived well.&nbsp; The 1930 Federal Census of Los Angeles lists them as: Thadado (an error; should have been Trinidad), home in 1930: Los Angeles, age: 52, birthplace: Mexico, age at first marriage: 24, occupation: laborer, industry: railroad; Roflie (possibly a nickname for Rafaela), wife, age: 47, age at first marriage: 17, birthplace: Mexico; Victoria, daughter, age: 25; Delores, daughter, age:17; Stephen, son, age: 14; Juan, son, age: 8. All family members are shown as born in Mexico except for Juan who is shown as born in New Mexico. The year of immigration in this record is listed as 1916. Cipriano Zaragoza and his wife, Leona and children are shown living nearby. Oldest son, Jose Concha is also shown living nearby with wife, Marcelina and son, Valentine and daughter, Augustina.<br><br>Several California County Marriages (1850-1952) show records for the chidren of Trinidad and Rafeala. These include: Jessie Concha and Celso Gaytan (marriage date: 26 Nov 1927); Soledad Cancha (Concha) and John Granada (marriage date: 12 Sep 1938); Jose Zaragoza Concha and Torivia Castro Rodrigues (marriage date: 9 Feb 1946); and John Z Concha and Gertrud Massoth (marriage date: 5 Jan 1948).<br>Whatever prosperity the Concha family had when they came to Los Angeles was short lived. When the depression came, they began to fall on hard times. They continued to live in the house in the Watts area and the house stayed in the family for several years. However, the hardships the family encountered fleeing Mexico together with unsettled times put health stains on some of the family members. Rafaela died of a heart condition in 1931 at the young age of 47. Jessie Concha (who had married to Celso Gaytan) has a death record occuring in the 1940s. She is listed as Jessie Lopez (perhaps remarried?), date: 10 Nov 1944, Place: Los Angeles, Birth date: 14 Dec 1910, Place: Mexico, Father's Name: Concha, Mother's name: Zaragoza.<br><br>Trinidad eventually remarried to Maria de Jesus Alvarado. The California County Marriages (1850-1952) lists this information:<br>Full Name: Trinidad Concha<br>Residence: 1760 E. 103 Pl., Watts<br>Race: Mexican; Widowed<br>Birthplace: Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico<br>Occupation: Labor<br>Name of Father: Abran Concha<br>Maiden Name of Mother: Justa Mingela<br>Maria de Jesus Alvarado, in turn is shown as being from Penjamo, Mexico as well as her parents. Her age at last birthday is 36 years making her born around the time of Trinidad's first marriage to Rafeala. It is very possible that the two families were known to each other before they immigrated.<br>The certificate of marriage shows: "I hereby certify that on the 21st day of May 1935 at Los Angeles in the County of Los Angeles, State of California, under authority of a license issued by L.E. Lampton, County Clerk of said County, I, the undersigned, as a Catholic Priest joined in marriage Trinidad Concha and Maria Jesus Alvarado".<br>Trinidad's second marriage lasted less than 7 months. His death (of Tuberculosis) occured on 13 Dec 1935. He was burried in Calvary Cemetery in the city of Whitier, California. His grave with headstone is marked with an inscription from his daughter Victoria in Spanish words: "Tu recuerdo en mi mente siempre vivira, su hija" which means: "Your memory will always live forever in my mind, your daughter".</p>