Hello everyone,

This thread is intended to be a continuation of two earlier threads regarding the Benavides trunk started by Manny and Ronnie as seen here:

http://www.nuestrosranchos.org/es/node/23035

and here:

http://www.nuestrosranchos.org/node/20210

I have been looking closely at dispensations regarding the Benavides, Cortes, and Aguayo lines. I believe I have come up with a clearer picture of the earliest generations. At a quick glance, it may seem that many of these dispensations contradict each other, but this is because we have been trying to couple them with what the secondary sources say about these individuals. First let us start with forgetting any preconceived notions about the Benavides trunk — especially what we may think we know about “Geronima de Benavides” and “Catalina Cortes”. Let us just focus on exactly what is being said in the dispensations. Only then do they fit together quite nicely without any contradictions that I have seen so far.

The following are 7 dispensations that help make sense of the Benavides trunk. It helps to look at them in a certain order.

PART 1: THE EARLY BENAVIDES

DISPENSA 1. GASPAR LOMELIN & MARIA MEDINILLA
4 Dec 1678, Nochistlan
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-THT7-B?mode=g&i=112&wc=MC7…

This one is the oldest and thus the closest chronologically to the Benavides trunk. Here Maria Medenilla, the widow of Nicolas Carbajal, is marrying Gaspar Lomelin. All three are descended from three siblings named as: a Geronima de Benavides, a Luis de Benavides, and a Catalina Cortes.

The tree as given:
TRUNK: N.N. & N.N.
Geronima de Benavides-1-Luis de Benavides -1-Catalina Cortes
Mariana Ortiz-2-N.N.-2-N.N.
Geronimo Aramburu-3-Jacinta Oliva-3- Lucas Lomelin
Diego Aramburu-4-Nicolas Carvajal-4-Gaspar Lomelin
Maria Medinilla-5

Right away you are probably thinking that these testigos must be wrong -- that Catalina Cortes could not have been a sister to Geronima and Luis de Benavides. Well, just bear with me for a moment. This dispensation does prove that Geronima de Benavides, Luis de Benavides, and Catalina Cortes were siblings, only this Catalina Cortes (II) is the daughter of Catalina Cortes (I) (wife of Geronimo de Benavides). Looking at this first dispensation this way instantly solves many problems with the proceeding lineages.

We know from Maria Medinilla’s first marriage (dated 29 Feb 1672) that Nicolas Carvajal was the son of Juan Carvajal and Jacinta de Oliva. As seen here:

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-THRN?mode=g&i=196&wc=3P9N-…

We know from the marriage of Nicolas’ parents (dated 25 Jun 1633) that Jacinta also appears as “Jacinta de Benavides.”As seen here:

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-THC5?mode=g&i=142&cc=18044…

According to Gonzalez-Leal, Jacinta de Oliva was daughter of Gonzalo Yanez del Monte and a Geronima de Benavides, who was the daughter of Luis de Benavides. We also know from other sources and that Lucas Lomelin is the son of a Maria de Benavides and Carlo Lomelin. The filled in tree would look like this:

The tree filled in:
TRONCO: Geronimo de Benavides & Catalina Cortes (I)
Geronima de Benavides (I)-1-Luis de Benavides -1-Catalina Cortes (II)
Mariana Ortiz-2-Geronima de Benavides (II)-2-Maria de Benavides (I)
Geronimo Aramburu-3-Jacinta Oliva-3- Lucas Lomelin
Diego Aramburu-4-Nicolas Carvajal-4-Gaspar Lomelin
Maria Medinilla-5

Note: I originally thought that the Catalina Cortes who died in 1652 was Catalina (I) (wife of Geronimo de Benavides), but I cannot deny the possibility that she may really be Catalina Cortes (II), their daughter. The record can be seen here:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15206-417-37?cc=1804458&wc=M…

{{{Note: the first marriage of Maria Medinilla to Nicolas Carvajal (dated 29 Feb 1672, Nochistlan) (seen here: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15188-766-62?cc=1804458&wc=M…) says that this couple is related in 2 and 3 degrees. This would seem to contradict the tree above but it does not. The relation is via another line. The tree is seen below:

Trunk N.N. & Gonzalo Yanez del Monte& Geronima de Benavides (II)
Juan Yanez-1-Jacinta de Oliva
Mariana Yanez-2-Nicolas Carvajal
Maria Medinilla-3-}}}

Catalina Cortes (II) IS the daughter of Geronimo de Benavides & Catalina Cortes (I), as proposed by Gonzalez-Leal in Retones, only this Catalina Cortes (II) is not the one who was married to Juan Moscoso de Sandoval. That Catalina Cortes (III) appears next.

DISPENSA 2. BERNARDO GONZALEZ DOMINGUEZ & JOSEPHA LOZANO
5 May 1680, Nochistlan
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15188-23385-39?cc=1804458&wc…

Holcombe says that Geronimo de Benavides is the son of Diego de Benavides. Gonzalez-Leal gives in Retonos that Luis de Benavides and Geronimo de Benavides are brothers and that Luis de Benavides is also a son of Diego de Benavides. This Dispensation was probably the source for that information, however, I think this dispensation was misread. Looking carefully at the penmanship in this dispensation, “Geronimo” de Benavides is never mentioned, but two “Geronima” de Benavides’ are. One is the sister of Luis de Benavides and the other is his daughter. Geronima de Benavides (sister of Luis) is clearly given as the mother of yet another Catalina Cortes.

The Tree as given:
TRUNK: N.N. & N.N.
Luis de Benavides-1-Geronima de Benavides (I)
Geronima Benavides(II) -2-Catalina Cortes (III)
Maria Yanez-3-Josepha Vasquez de Sandoval
Luis Gonzalez-4-Josepha Lozano
Bernardo Gonzalez-5

The Tree filled in
TRONCO: Geronimo de Benavides & Catalina Cortes (I)
Luis de Benavides-1-Geronima de Benavides (I)
Geronima Benavides(II) -2-Catalina Cortes (III)
Maria Yanez-3-Josepha Vasquez de Sandoval
Luis Gonzalez-4-Josepha Lozano
Bernardo Gonzalez-5

Since dispensa's 1 & 2 pass through the Yanez, than we know that the Luis de Benavides in dispensa 1 & 2 are definitely the same person. This means his sister Geronima de Benavides (I), mentioned in dispensa 1 & 2, is the mother of both Mariana Ortiz and Catalina Cortes (III) (wife of Juan Moscoso de Sandoval).

DISPENSA 3. THOMAS DE PAEZ & FRANCISCA DE TORRES
27 Mar 1686 Jalostotitlan
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18418-15365-43?cc=1874591&wc…

This dispensation shows that the father of the groom is the first cousin of the grandfather of the bride.

The tree as given:
TRUNK: N.N. & N.N.
Maria de Benavides (I)-1-Geronima de Benavides (III)
Domingo Lomelin-2-Francisco Paez
Joseph Lomelin-3-Thomas Paez
Francisca de Torres-4

The tree filled in:
TRUNK: N.N. & Catalina Cortes (II)
Maria de Benavides (I)-1-Geronima de Benavides (III)
Domingo Lomelin-2-Francisco Paez
Joseph Lomelin-3-Thomas Paez
Francisca de Torres-4

The Geronima de Benavides in this dispensation cannot be the same Geronima in dispensas 1 & 2, who is shown to be the mother of both Mariana Ortiz and Catalina Cortez (III) (wife of Juan Moscoso de Sandoval). When you plug this Maria de Benavides (I) back into dispensa 1, it shows that this Geronima is the third one to appear. This Geronima de Benavides (III) was the one married to Nicolas or Francisco Paez. (Holcombe says Nicolas, Gonzalez-Leal says Francisco).

This must be why in “Genealogia de Nochistlan” by Jose Luis Vazquez, it states in chapter 59, page 197, that Geronima de Benavides is the daughter of Geronimo de Benavides AND Catalina Cortes, but in chapter 22, page 80, it states that Geronima de Benavides is the daughter of Catalina Cortes (de quien se desconoce en nombre de su esposo). The Geronima in chapter 59 must be referring to Geronima de Benavides (I) (mother of Mariana Ortiz and Catalina Cortes (III)[wife of Juan Moscoso de Sandoval]). The Geronima in chapter 22 must be referring to Geronima de Benavides (III) (wife of Nicolas/Francisco Paez and daughter of Catalina Cortes (II)[de quien se desconoce en nombre de su esposo]).

DISPENSA 4. JUAN DE ESQUIBIAS & MARIA YNIGUEZ
01 Jan 1693, Nochistlan
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-6P9J-Z1?i=223&cc=1874591

This dispensation says that the maternal grandfather of Juan de Esquibias, Lorenzo Yanez, and the maternal grandmother of Maria Yniguez, Maria de Benavides (II), were first cousins.

The tree as given:
TRUNK: N.N. & N.N.
N.N.-1-N.N.
Lorenzo Yanez-2-Maria Benavides(II)
Juana Yanez-3-Jacinta Cueva
Juan Esquibias-4-Maria Yñiguez

The tree filled in:
Trunk: Luis de Benavides & N.N.
Geronima de Benavides (II)-1-N.N. de Benavides
Lorenzo Yanez-2-Maria Benavides(II)
Juana Yanez-3-Jacinta Cueva
Juan Esquibias-4-Maria Yñiguez

We know from Dispensa 2 that the Yanez come from Geronima de Benavides (II) (wife of Gonzalo Yanez del Monte and daughter of Luis de Benavides). In order for Maria de Benavides (II) (wife of Andres Cueva) to be a first cousin of Lorenzo Yanez, she must be a granddaughter of Luis de Benavides.

Note: Luis de Benavides now has two descendants named Jacinta: a granddaughter named Jacinta de Oliva, and a great-granddaughter named Jacinta Cueva. It leaves open the possibility that Luis may have been married to a Jacinta de Oliva as well.

PART 2: THE AGUAYO CONNECTION

The three branches of the Aguayo family are started by three siblings: Diego de Aguayo (husband of Ysabel de Arizaga), Antonio de Aguayo (husband of Luisa de Isla), and Regina de Aguayo (wife of Juan Ximon Duran). There are several dispensations that prove that these three are siblings, but I will not get into those here. I would rather focus on their parents. Secondary sources say that their parents were a Diego de Aguayo and an Ysabel de Silva. We can see by the marriage of Ysabel de Silva’s son Diego that she is a widow as of 1633. This would imply that her husband died before this date. But was Diego de Aguayo really her husband? The following dispensations paint a slightly different picture:

DISPENSA 5. DIEGO DELGADILLO & YSABEL DE AGUAYO
7 Jan 1704, Nochistlan
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18377-18553-9?cc=1874591&wc=…

Diego Delgadillo, widow of Petronila de Isla, is marrying Ysabel de Aguayo. Both Petronila and Ysabel are great-grandaughters of two siblings. The first testigo names these two siblings as Juan de Benavides and Geronima de Benavides, but does not specify who descends from whom. (This is probably where Holcombe’s confusion of the Aguayo’s being descended from Geronima de Benavides came from.) The first testigo then goes on to say that the siblings are the children of Geronimo de Benavides and Catalina Cortes. (So far, this is the only accessible primary record that I have seen that actually names this trunk couple.) The second testigo specifies that Ysabel de Aguayo is the great-granddaughter of Juan de Benavides and that Petronila de Isla is the great-granddaughter of Geronima de Benavides. The third testigo only traces back to their grandparents. We already know from Dispensa 2 that Catalina Cortes (III) (wife of Juan Moscoso de Sandoval) is the daughter of Geronima de Benavides (I) (sister of Luis de Benavides), so the filled in tree would look like this:

The tree filled in:
TRUNK: Geronimo de Benavides & Catalina Cortes (I)
Juan de Benavides-1-Geronima de Benavides (I)
Diego de Aguayo-2-Catalina Cortes (III)
Juan de Aguayo-3-Mariana de Sandoval
Ysabel de Aguayo-4-Petronila de Isla

This dispensation proves that the three siblings: Geronima de Benavides (I), Luis de Benavides, and Catalina Cortes (II), had an additional sibling: Juan de Benavides. It does seem odd that Juan de Benavides would be the patriarch of a family line that carries the name “Aguayo,” but the dispensations point in this direction. Come to think of it, I have not seen an accessible primary source that specifically names Ysabel de Silva’s husband as a Diego de Aguayo.

DISPENSA 6. CARLOS CARRILLO & MAGDALENA DE SANDOVAL
29 May 1707 Nochistlan
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18427-2989-38?cc=1874591&wc=…

Carlos Casillas is said to be the great-grandson of Juan de Benavides, and Magdalena de Sandoval is said to be the great-grandaughter of Geronima de Benavides (I). The filled in tree would look like this:

The tree filled in:
TRUNK: Geronimo de Benavides & Catalina Cortes (I)
Juan de Benavides-1-Geronima de Benavides (I)
Regina de Aguayo-2-Catalina Cortes (III)
Francisca Duran-3-Geronimo de Sandoval
Carlos Casillas-4-Magdalena Sandoval

DISPENSA 7. JUAN DE SANDOVAL & MARIA DURAN
11 Jan 1687 Nochistlan (IM) /9 Jul 1707 (Mar)
(IM)
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15188-22789-41?cc=1804458&wc…
(Mar)
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-T49Y-LF?mode=g&i=161&cc=18…

This one is odd in that the (IM) does not seem to make any mention of the couple being related but the (Mar) says they are related in the fourth degree. The filled in tree would look like this:

The tree filled in:
TRUNK: Geronimo de Benavides & Catalina Cortes (I)
Juan de Benavides-1-Geronima de Benavides (I)
Regina de Aguayo-2-Catalina Cortes (III)
Nicolas Duran-3-Geronimo de Sandoval
Maria Duran-4-Juan de Sandoval

Note: There is a 97 year old testigo in the (IM) for this couple named Diego de Aguayo. This ancient Diego de Aguayo appears as a testigo in a couple places with his age ranging from 97 to 110! How is this Diego de Aguayo related to the other Aguayo’s? I originally thought (via secondary sources) that he was the husband of Ysabel de Silva, but as mentioned earlier, Ysabel de Silva was a widow by 1633. The exact identity of this ancient Diego de Aguayo remains unclear. (Perhaps he is Ysabel de Silva's son?)

CONCLUSIONS:

The seven dispensations discussed point to there being 3 Geronima de Benavides’, 3 Catalina Cortes’, and 2 Maria de Benavides’. With multiple closely related individuals bearing the same name in one family, it is easy to see why many of the secondary sources tend to fuse them into one person.

The original trunk would branch out as follows:

Geronimo de Benavides (son of Diego de Benavides) married Catalina Cortes (I) (daughter of Pedro Cortes). They had at least 4 children:

1.Geronima de Benavides (I) (wife of N.N. Ortiz?)
2.Luis de Benavides (husband of a Jacinta de Oliva?)
3.Catalina Cortes (II) (wife of N.N. or natural mother)
4.Juan de Benavides (husband of Ysabel de Silva)

1.Geronima de Benavides (I) becomes the mother of Mariana Ortiz (mother of Geronimo Aramburu) and Catalina Cortez (III) (wife of Juan Moscoso de Sandoval).

2.Luis de Benavides becomes the father of Geronima de Benavides (II) (wife of Gonzalo Yanez del Monte) and N.N. de Benavides (parent of Maria de Benavides [II] [wife of Andres de Cuevas]).

3.Catalina Cortes (II) becomes the mother of Maria de Benavides (I) (wife of Carlo Lomelin) and Geronima de Benavides (III) (wife of Francisco/Nicolas Paez).

4.Juan de Benavides becomes the father of Diego de Aguayo (husband of Ysabel de Arizaga), Antonio de Aguayo (husband of Luisa de Isla) and Regina de Aguayo (wife of Juan Ximon Duran).

If anyone sees a primary resources that contradict this reconstruction, please let us know.