Mrs. Lorencita Miranda

Edith L. Crawford, 

Carrizozo, N. Mex. 	I 

Date: May 5, 1939 

Words: 668 

Topic: Pioneer Story 

Source of Information: 

Mrs. Lorencita Miranda, 

Lincoln, New Mexico. 

May 1939 

PIONEER STORY. 

I was born August 10, 1861, in the town of Las Placitas, New Mexico, in 
Socorro County, New Mexico. (Las Placitas is now the town of Lincoln, and is 
in Lincoln County, New Mexico.) My father Gregorio Herrera married my mother 
Gerelda Torres in Manzano, New Mexico, about the year 1860. They moved to Las 
Placitas New Mexico, and I was born there. On August 18th, 1861, about ten 
days after I was born, my father was killed in a drunken row, in Las Placitas. 
Anther man was killed at the same time and we never were sure who did kill my 
father. After Father's death my mother went back to Manzano to live with her 
people. My mother gave me to one of my aunts, Trinidad Herrera, (who was nick-
named Chinita) who, with my mother moved back to Las Placitas when I was about 
two years old. I have lived the rest of my life in Lincoln County. I will soon 
be 78 years old. 

In the year 1869, when I was eight years old, all of the territory lying east 
of the Mal Pais, was created into Lincoln County, and the county seat was 
established at Las Placitas and the name was changed to Lincoln. 

I was married to Jose Delbros Miranda in January 1877. We were married in the 
Catholic Church at the Torres Ranch, by Father Sambrano Tafoya of Manzano, New 
Mexico. This church is about six miles west of Lincoln, New Mexico. I remember 
that we had to walk about five miles to the church to get married. 

My husband had a two roomed adobe house built for us to live in. It had a dirt 
floor. We had no stove and I had to 

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cook on the fireplace. All eight of my children were born in Lincoln. Seven of 
them are dead and buried there. My youngest son, Emelio Miranda, is married 
and has twelve children. He lives in Lincoln and is the post-master there. One 
of my grandsons lives with me on my little farm, a half mile west of the town 
of Lincoln. I raise a few chickens and a small garden which helps to keep me 
busy. 

The house where I was born in Las Placitas (now Lincoln) stood on the site of 
the old Laws Sanitarium. The place then belonged to Sabino Gonzales, who was 
one of the men that helped build the old Torreon in 1855. My father-in-law 
Felipe Miranda also helped to build the Torreos. This old Torreon was rebuilt 
and dedicated in 1935, by the Chaves County Archaeological and Historical 
Society. 

My husband and I were living on our farm just above Lincoln, New Mexico, all 
during the Lincoln County War. We liked both factions so we never took any 
part in the war. I remember the day the McSween home was burned. We could see 
the flames and smoke from our house but we stayed at home for we were scared 
to death to stick our heads out of the house. We could also hear some of the 
shooting. Billy the Kid came to our house several times and drank coffee with 
us. We liked him for he was always nice to the Spanish people and they all 
liked him. 

My Aunt, Chinits Herrera, started to walk to Socorro, New Mexico, to see her 
brother. (I do not remember the year.) She was seen on the road to Socorro by 
Mrs. Susan McSween Barber who gave her a drink of water and some food. She was 
not far from a ranch house and Mrs. Barber thought she would get along all 
right, but my aunt was never seen or heard of again. We 

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never did know what become of her. 

My mother married a man by the name of Octaviano Salas, and lived in Lincoln 
New Mexico, until her death in September 1926. 

My husband Jose Deloros Miranda died October 28, 1928, in Lincoln and was 
buried here. 

NARRATOR: Mrs. Lorencita Miranda, Lincoln, New Mexico, Aged 78 years. 

Credit: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project 
Collection.

Socorro, Lincoln