Other Lemitar, Socorro Co, NM Burial Sites

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Submitted by: Robert Baca <ABQBOBCAT @ aol . com>
        Date: 16 Oct 2003
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Below is information that I transcribed from the monograph "A Cultural
Resource Investigation of Two Historic Sites in Lemitar, New Mexico" by
Don Scurlock. Bureau of Land Management, Socorro, NM, 1982. Library of
Congress Call # F 804 L46 S29 1982.

The information below is not an exact transcription, I wrote some of it
in my own words. The monograph includes a short history of Lemitar and
Socorro and a history of the Sangrada Familia de Lemitar Church, neither
of which are included here. - Robert J. C. Baca, December 6, 2001.

Sangrada Familia de Lemitar Church:

A church mayordomo selected every year or two, acted as a go between for
the people and the Socorro Parish priests regarding maintenance and
operation of the (Lemitar) church. These early mayordomos, as today,
were prominent citizens who not only were successful in their
livelihoods, but were active in church affairs throughout their lives.
As recognition...they were buried inside the church or in the Composanto
Iglesia, the area immediately in front of the church.

Pablo & Leonar Sanchez & Patrick Fortune are buried under the alter.
Juan Sanchez, Juan Armijo, and Magdelena Sanchez, an Indian servant of
the Sanchez family, were buried in the Composanto Iglesia. Juan Sanchez
was re-interred in the Camposanto Nuevo in 1920.

Contrary to popular belief, former Governor and General Manuel Armijo,
who lived his last years in Lemitar, was not buried there. Rather he was
buried at the San Miguel Church in Socorro, NM.

Composanto Viejo:

This burial site is 300 meters southwest of the Sagrada Familia de
Lemitar Chuch; 700 meters east of Interstate Highway 25.

"Only ten extant complete wood or stone grave markers were recorded
during mapping, although a possible 161 more graves were located and are
represented by remnants of wooden crosses, posts, depressions, dirt or
cobble mounds & cobble scatters.... All of the graves were oriented
east-west with the marker at the west end."

Below are the graves recorded in the monograph. There are short
biographies in the book, but for the sake of brevity I did not include
them here.

1.) Elojio Pena
2.) Phillip Burguignon
3.) "Father, Severo M. (Vigil) Died 1930. Mother, Manuelita C. de Baca
        (Vigil) Died 1903."
4.) Juan Lucero.
5.) Carlotte______?
6.) Babarita y Juan Gutierrez.
7.) Individual not identified. Tall, narrow, milled board with a Latin
        cross painted in black.
8.) Jose Albino Gonzales, d. 1891.
9.) Individual unidentified. Slab of rock & small Latin cross pecked
        into one face.
10.) Large wooden cross. (cruz de perdon.)

Records of Socorro Parish burials (1821-1853) include Lemitar residents
buried between 1835 and 1851. These people may be buried in the
Camposanto Viejo or Camposanto Iglesia: Maria Juana Montano, Polinia
Marina Gallegos, Jose Anastasio Tafora, Jose Manuel Gurule, Diatro
Dolores Chavez, Jose ____ Chavez, Fabieta Chavez, Josefita Chavez
Montoya, Jose Domingo, Santiago Torres, Juan Cordova, Juan Ma. Lucero,
Jose C. Castillo, Jose Pablo Garcia, Ma. Rufino Montoya, Jose Jeremijo,
Juan Chavez, Juan Baca, Salvador Montoyo, Jose Padilla, Jose Domingo
Gonzales, Jose Miguel Montano, Penequal Maldosscido, Francisco
Gutierrez, Jose Lucero, Ramon Gallegos (killed by Apaches), Rafael
Noyos, Ma. Benito Santillanes, Jose Ramon Gonzales, Ma. Barbara Lopez,
Ma. Dolores Vigil, Reyes Chaves, Juan Trujillo, & Ma. Lujan Trujillo.

Luz Chavez identified individuals interred in the Camposanto Viejo
cemetery  from her family records. They are, with date of death:
Medardo Chavez (1883), Fabriciana Gonzales (1887), Maria F. Chavez
(1891), Felix Chavez (1891), Maria de los Reyes Chavez (1895), Adela
Chavez Chavez (1896.)

Other people buried at the cemetery include: Miquella Castillo Chavez
(1896), Dona Manuelita Vigil, Jacovo Pena, Dr. A. D. Thorne (buried
within a few meters west of the cruz de perdon), Germicendo Benavidez,
Amarita Benavidez, Anastasia Baca, Ramon Baca, Luis M. Baca (1895),
Manuelita Gonzales & Hilario Gonzales.