Cesar Chavez: An American Hero

Cesar Chavez was an American hero, a person who was admired by both his supporters and his adversaries. In grammar school, many students learn about his advocacy and dedication to his causes, but few people know much about his roots. Nearly everyone knows that Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 near Yuma, Arizona. The Arizona State Board of Health Certificate of Birth Number 594 states that Cesario Chavez was the legitimate son of Librado Chavez (38 years old, a farmer born in Mexico) and Juana Estrada (35 years old, a housewife also born in Mexico). His birthplace was listed as “North Gila Valley” in Yuma County. A copy of that birth record has been reproduced below [Arizona Department of Health Services, “Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates: Index.” Online: http://genealogy.az.gov/].

Most of us know that Cesar was named after his grandfather, Cesario. His family spent a few decades in Yuma County, Arizona, after emigrating from Mexico, but most people do not know about his family ties to Mexico. Cesar’s father Librado Chavez was himself the son of Cesario Chavez and Dorotea Hernandez. This information is widely known since Cesar had a rather large family and some information about his family has been published online.

Librado Chavez (Father)

Librado was one of about eleven children, most of whom were born in Mexico, although it is believed that the last two were born in the United States. In fact, it has been stated that Librado’s younger brother, Felipe Hernandez Chavez, was born on February 3rd or 5th of 1890 in El Paso Texas (and died sometime after 1911). However, this account is incorrect. According to the Catholic Church records in Juarez, Chihuahua, Felipe Chaves was baptized on March 2, 1891 by Father Ramon Ortiz, the pastor of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Church. The baptism record for Felipe states that Felipe was born on February 5, 1891 as the legitimate son of Cesario Chaves and Dorotea Hernandez, both of whom were originally from Carmen.

The abuelos paternos listed were Nepomuceno Chaves and Juana Flores. The abuela materna was given as Maria Rufia, with no explanation given for the lack of a father or a surname. This baptism can be viewed on Film 162708 of the Family History Library (Reference Number: 25-77) and is shown in the following image. [Note that the designation AP means Abuelos Paternos (Paternal Grandparents) while AM means Abuelos Maternos (Maternal Grandparents).

The Alien Registration Form of Librado Hernandez Chavez (1940)

In 1940, Librado Chavez registered as an alien. In the Alien Registration Form, Librado Hernandez Chavez states that he was born on Dec. 16, 1882 at the Hacienda Carmen in Chihuahua, Mexico. However, in other alien registration documents, he indicates that his birthday could be 1881, 1882 or 1885. At the time, he was residing at Hotskish Ranch in Mendiota, Fresno County, California. He stated that he was still a citizen of Mexico and that he had arrived in the United States at El Paso, Texas on July 1, 1888 by wagon. By this time, he had lived in the United States for 52 years, having some to the United States at the age of about six.

Cesario Chavez (Paternal Grandfather)

Most researchers who have studied the Chavez family already knew that Cesario’s father’s name was Nepomuceno Chavez (Cesar’s great-grandfather). Aside from knowing that he was from a place called Villa del Carmen, very little is known about Nepomuceno. However, anyone doing research in La Ciudad de Chihuahua in the middle of the Nineteenth Century will come across Nepomuceno Chavez and his wife Maria Juana Flores.

Nepomuceno had many children, the exact number still unknown at this time. However, their first-born was Jose Luis Gonzaga Chavez Flores, who was baptized on June 23, 1831 in El Sagrario in the City of Chihuahua. In the next two decades more children followed, including Epifana Juana (1840), Jose Manuel de Jesus (1842) and Maria Tiburcio Aniseta (1849). While most of the kids were born in La Ciudad, Jose Manuel was baptized in Santa Cruz de Rosales.

Nepomuceno and Juana would have children for almost twenty years. The last child born to Nepomuceno and Juana was Jose Sesario Trinidad Chaves, and this is the man we know of as “Cesario Chavez” – the grandfather of Cesar Chavez. “Sesario” was baptized at Nuestra Señora de Regla de Chihuahua Church on March 2, 1851 by Father Gavino Rodela. The baptism states that he was born on the 25th of the previous month (February) and that he was the son of Juan Nepomuceno Chaves and Maria Juana Flores. The abuelos paternos were Ramon Chaves and Ramona Anchondo. And the abuelos maternos were Pablo Flores and Sabina Granados. The four grandparents listed in the baptism of Sesario Chavez are the great-great-grandparents of Cesar Chavez. This baptism can be viewed on Family History Library Film Number 162668 and has been reproduced below:

Nepomuceno Chavez (Paternal Great-Grandfather)

At this point we have established that Cesar’s paternal great-grandfather was born 76 years before he was born (1927). But Cesario was the last son born in a very large family. As such, his parents were married long before his birth. The Parish Church in La Ciudad de Chihuahua contains a very detailed record of Nepomuceno’s and Juana’s marriage.

The record states that on June 28, 1830, Father Mateo Sanches Alvarez married Nepomuceno Chaves and Juana de Dios Flores. Nepomuceno was described as a resident of Corral de Piedra for one year and as the single “legitimate son of Ramon Chavez and of Ramona Anchondo.” Juana was described as being from the same place (Corral Piedras) and “the daughter of Pablo Flores and Sabina Granados.” The parents of the bride and groom are, as stated earlier, the great-great-grandparents of Cesar Chavez. The witnesses were Rafael Anchondo and Maria del Refugio Chaves, relatives of the newlyweds. Their marriage record has been reproduced below:

It is not entirely clear when Nepomuceno Chaves was born or whether he was born in La Ciudad de Chihuahua or in General Trias (which was then known as Santa Isabel). His brother Juan Ramon Chaves was baptized in Santa Isabel on March 26, 1818, and his younger sister, Maria Ramona de Jesus, was born four years later in La Ciudad (on November 24, 1822).

Ramona’s baptism reported that she was baptized by Father Angel Molinar at Nuestra Señora de Regla de Chihuahua church when she was seven days old. She was the legitimate daughter of Ramon Chaves and Ramona Anchondo. The abuelos paternos were Tomas Chaves and Antonia Guarin. The abuelos maternos were Christobal Anchondo and Maria Conigunda Escañuela. This set of abuelos represent the next generation back: the great-great-great-grandparents of Cesar Chavez. The baptism of Maria Ramona Chaves can be viewed on Film 162665 and has been reproduced below:

Juana de Dios Flores (Paternal Great-Grandmother)

Nepomuceno married Juana in 1830 when she was only 14 years old. Juana was a local girl, born and bred in La Ciudad of Chihuahua. On March 15, 1816, when she was eight days old, Juana’s parents took her to the church to be baptized by Father Mariano Prado. Juana de Dios Reymunda de Jesus Flores – the future wife of Nepomuceno Chavez and the future great-great-grandmother of Cesar – was baptized with holy oil and recorded as the legitimate daughter of Pablo Flores and Maria Savina Granados. The abuelos paternos were “no conocidos” (not known), but the abuelos maternos were Jose Granado and Paula Zuniga. The baptism has been reproduced below:

Pablo Torres and Savina Granados (Paternal Great-Great-Grandparents)

It is not clear when or where Pablo Torres and Sabina Granados were married (at this point in time), but it is clear that they had a very large family. One of their earlier children, Maria Eusevia Flores, was baptized on March 7, 1803 in San Lorenzo (Doctor Belisario Dominguez). But their next child, Francisco de Paula de Jesus Vensor, was baptized on July 15, 1805 in the Church in La Ciudad of Chihuahua. Two more daughters were born in La Ciudad in 1808 and 1813 before Juana came along in 1816.

Although the baptism for Pablo Torres has not yet been located, the baptism of Maria Savina Granados on June 14, 1776 in San Lorenzo has been located. It is noteworthy that Savina was born 151 years before the birth of Cesar Chavez and weeks before the American Declaration of Independence was signed. The very beautiful and detailed baptism record of Savina reveals to us that Father Manuel Cadaval baptized Savina when she was six days old and that she was the daughter of Juan Joseph Granados and Juana Paula Suniga, “legitamente casados” (a legitimately married couple). The baptism of Savina is on Family History Library Film Number 162584.

Juan Joseph Granados and Juana Paula Zuniga (Paternal Great-Great-Great-Grandparents)

Juan Jose Granados and Juana Paula Zuniga had several children. Research into this line will eventually trace the family back a few more generations. While we cannot yet determine when the couple was married, it does seem likely that the family may have alternated back and forth between San Lorenzo and La Ciudad de Chihuahua.

One fact that seems certain is that the Maria Paula de Suniga (Zuniga) who was baptized on February 5, 1748 in La Ciudad de Chihuahua is the mother of Savina and the wife of Juan Jose Granados. As noted in the baptism, Maria Paula was a mulata and the legitimate daughter of Ygnasio Martin de Suniga and Francesca Figenia de Luna, both mulatos.

Ygnacio Martin de Zuniga (Paternal Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather)

We bring this search to a conclusion (for today), with a determination to find more information at a later date. Ygnacio Martin de Zuniga married his bride, Francesca Figenia de Luna, in the church at La Ciudad de Chihuahua on February 21, 1747. According to this marriage — reproduced below — Ygnacio Martin de Zuniga was a mulato esclavo of Los Tienes apparently belonging to Doñ Juan Gordillo. His bride, Francesca Figenia de Luna was a mestiza. It is clear that they both had mixed origins and Ygnacio was a mulato slave. Unfortunately, the names of their parents were not given.

Together, Ygnacio Martin Zuniga and Francesca Figenia de Luna represent seven generations back from Cesar Chavez, representing one set of great-great-great-great-grandparents of the famous civil rights leader, as illustrated below:

Seven Generations to Cesar Chavez

Juana Estrada (The Mother of Cesar Chavez)

As revealed in the birth certificate of Cesar Chavez, his mother’s name was Juana Estrada, and she was known to be the daughter of Benito Estrada and Placido Moreno. In 1940, she and her husband [Librado Chavez] were both registered as aliens in Fresno County, California. Juana stated that her full name was Juana Moreno Estrada Chavez and that she had been born in Ascencion, Chihuahua, Mexico, on June 24, 1892. It appears that she came to the United States with her parents on Dec. 30, 1892, entering through the port-of-entry of Columbus, New Mexico. She was 48 years of age at the time of her registration. The Alien Registration Form follows:

The Baptism of Juan Estrada (1885)

The baptism of Juana Estrada has not been located. However, the baptism of her older brother, Juan Estrada, indicates that he was baptized on June 6, 1885. The priest baptized the infant boy who had been born on May 25, 1885 as the legitimate son of Benito Estrada and Placida Moreno. Abuelos Paternos: Juan Estrada and Maria de Luz Galindo. Abuelos Maternos: Antonio Moreno and Cornelia Vasquez. The baptism has been reproduced below:

The Marriage of Benito Estrada and Placido Moreno (1880)

The marriage of Benito Estrada and Placido Moreno took place five years before the birth of their son Juan. The marriage took place in Bachiniva, Chihuahua on May 15, 1880. According to Father Jose Maria Molinar, the parish priest, Benito Estrada was 29 years of age and was originally from Guerrero and a resident of Bachiniva for six months. He was the legitimate son of Juan Estrada and Maria de la Luz Galindo. He married 15-year-old Placida Vasquez, originally from Bachiniva and the natural daughter [illegitimate] of Cornelia Vasquez.

Benito Estrada (The Maternal Grandfather of Cesar Chavez)

The baptism of Benito Estrada has not been located. However, the baptism of his brother, Jose Apolonio Benedicto Estrada, was located. On February 16, 1849, Apolonio Estrada was baptized in Guerrero, Chihuahua, as the legitimate son of Juan Estrada and Luz Galindo. Abuelos Paternos: Cayetano Estrada and Cayeteana Ramires. Abuelos Maternos: Jose Antonio Galindo and Maria Soledad Marques. The baptism has been reproduced below:

Juan Estrada and Luz Galindo (Maternal Great-Grandparents of Cesar Chavez)

The parents of both Benito and Apolonio Estrada were Juan Estrada and Luz Galindo who were married in the Parish of the Villa de la Concepcion (Guerrero) on January 23, 1848. The banns of matrimony were read in Mass on three festive days as mandated by the Council of Trent. Juan Estrada had been married to one Maria Manuela Barragan who had died seven months earlier. Juan Estrada was then married to Maria de la Luz Galindo who was the legitimate daughter of Jose Antonio Galindo and Maria Soledad Marques. The marriage record has been reproduced below:

Juan Estrada’s Brother

There are gaps in the parish records of Guerrero, Chihuahua. As a result, the baptism of Juan Estrada has not been found. However, the baptism of his brother, Jesus Maria Ygnacia Reyes Estrada, has been located in Guerrero. According to this baptism, on January 6, 1830, the parish priest baptized solemnly and poured holy oil and sacred chrism on a 5-day-old boy and gave him the name Jesus Maria Ygnacia Reyes. He was the legitimate son of Cayetano Estrada and Maria Cayetana Ramires. Abuelos Paternos: Geronimo Estrada and Maria Josefa Martines. Abuelos Maternos: Juan Jose Ramires and Maria Salbadora Acosta.

Cayetano Estrada (The Maternal Great-Great-Grandfather of Cesar Chavez)

Many of the marriage records for Guerrero are still not indexed. Therefore a marriage between Cayetano Estrada and his wife Cayetana Ramirez could not be located. However, the baptism of Jesus Estrada gave us the names of Cayetano’s parents. Therefore, we located the March 11, 1781 baptism of Victor Cayetano Eulogio Estrada in Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Cayetano was six days old when he was baptized as the son of Geronimo Estrada and Joseph [Josefa] Martinez, who were described as mulatos and legitimately married spouses to each other.

Geronimo Estrada and Josepha Martinez (The Great-Great-Great-Grandparents of Cesar Chavez)

Geronimo Estrada and Josepha Martinez had several children born over a long period of time. Eighteen years before the birth of Cayetano Estrada, his parents, Joseph Geronimo Estrada and Josepha Martinez were married. The marriage took place on September 10, 1763 in the Parish of Santa Eulalia [now Aquiles Serdán], Chihuahua. Geronimo de Estrada, Spanish, a native of the Villa of Chihuahua was married to Maria Josepha Martinez, a mulata libre.

Cesar Chavez: Six Generations in Chihuahua

Cesar Chavez’s Estrada ancestors can be traced back six generations through Chihuahua, as noted in the following descendancy chart:

A Son of Chihuahua

From the preceding materials, it has become evident that Cesar Chavez had roots deep within the state of Chihuahua. The American-born Cesar Chavez was dedicated to American causes but was also a son of Mexico and of the State of Chihuahua. And the search for his ancestry was made possible because the baptism records in the churches of Chihuahua after 1800 show the abuelos of each child being baptized (with some exceptions).  When six names are given in a document of birth, the search for earlier generations is made easier.

This article is dedicated to Cesar Chavez (1927-1993).

© 2024, John P. Schmal. All rights reserved.