{"id":1,"date":"2025-09-09T20:53:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T20:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/?p=1"},"modified":"2025-09-22T16:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T16:08:05","slug":"hello-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/09\/hello-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Gonzalez Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dear Madysen and Joshua,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to tell you the story of our family. It goes back more than 350 years. It\u2019s a story about courage, hard work, and love for family. Some parts about our ancestors are uncertain, but from what they did and the lives they lived, we can imagine the kind of people they were. And this story is also about the traits I hope you\u2019ve picked up along the way, courage to face challenges, determination to reach your goals, loyalty to family, and a love for learning and hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1598\u20131672: Capitan Bartolom\u00e9 Gonz\u00e1lez y Olivares
<\/strong>Our story in the New World starts with Capitan Bartolom\u00e9 Gonz\u00e1lez y Olivares. He was born in 1598 in Mor\u00f3n de la Frontera, Spain. Being a Spanish Captain, he might have been part of the lower nobility or just a highly respected military man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1645, he made the big move across the ocean to Nueva Vizcaya, which is what northern Mexico was called back then. He worked as a miner in Valle de Los Salinas and became the mayor of Monterrey in 1648. He died in 1672. From him, we get courage, leadership, and the ability to start fresh in a new place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1645\u20131711: Sargento Mayor Diego Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong>
Bartolome’s son Diego was born in 1645 in Cuencam\u00e9, Mexico. He married Mar\u00eda Petra Ochoa. They lived in Cadereyta, Nuevo Le\u00f3n. Diego was a soldier and a rancher, raising kids and working hard on the frontier. Life was rough, full of challenges, but also full of chances to make something of yourself. He died in 1711. From him, we learn responsibility, strength, and loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1663\u20131728: Captain Diego Gonz\u00e1lez de Ochoa II<\/strong>
One of Diego\u2019s sons, Captain Diego II, was born in 1663. He married twice, had a big family, and in 1714 bought La Hacienda de Santa Teresa de las Higueras. Running a hacienda meant long days with animals, crops, and workers, all while protecting your family. He died in 1728. He shows us vision, courage, and persistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1696\u20131762: Diego Gonz\u00e1lez III<\/strong>
Diego III was born in 1696 in Monterrey. He married twice and had many kids. His son Nicol\u00e1s Antonio Gonz\u00e1lez would cross into South Texas one day. Diego lived in a time where families had to defend their land, survive raids, and work hard to put food on the table. He died in 1762. His story teaches us resilience and endurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1718\u20131790: Nicol\u00e1s Antonio Gonz\u00e1lez and the Escand\u00f3n Expedition<\/strong>
Nicol\u00e1s was born in 1718. In 1749, he joined\u00a0the Jos\u00e9 de Escand\u00f3n\u2019s expedition, which was one of the first big efforts to settle northern Mexico. Escand\u00f3n is called the \u201cFather of South Texas\u201d because he brought families to colonize the land. Nicol\u00e1s helped open the way for towns that would become the Rio Grande Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He received two land grants in Mier, Mexico in 1767. Later, in 1790, he bought two more land grants across the Rio Grande River in what is now Starr County, Texas. That\u2019s when our family officially moved into Texas. At the same time, George Washington was still the President of the United States. Nicol\u00e1s married Ana Josefa Garc\u00eda, raised a big family, and died in 1790. From him, we inherit the courage to take risks and start over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1752\u20131850: Jos\u00e9 Albino Gonz\u00e1lez and Jos\u00e9 Rafael Hilario Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong>
Jos\u00e9 Albino was born in 1752 and married Mar\u00eda Ana Luc\u00eda Salinas Canales. Their son Jos\u00e9 Rafael Hilario was born in 1783. He married Mar\u00eda Catalina Vela in 1803. Life on the frontier was dangerous. There were frequent raids by Comanche, Apache, and other Native American tibes. Settlers had to defend their homes, livestock, and crops, and the region was also politically unstable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was tension between the local Mexican leaders and the colonial powers in Spain. In 1810, a priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called on the people of Dolores to rise up against Spanish rule, and this started the Mexican War of Independence. Finally, in 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, and the Gonzalez family became Mexican citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Mier, the Mexican-American War, and the Black Bean Episode<\/strong>
Mier, the town where Nicol\u00e1s received a land grant from Spain, became famous in history. In 1842, only 21 years after Mexico became a country and 6 years after the Republic or Texas became a country, a group of Texas soldiers attacked Mier. They were captured and to punish them, the Mexican authorities forced the prisoners to draw beans from a jar. If they picked a black bean, they were executed. This became known as the Black Bean Episode, and that is what started the Mexican-American War in 1846. The U.S. and Mexico fought over the land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande River, and our family was caught in the middle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mexican-American War ended in 1848, with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and gave Mexican families on conquered lands one year to choose whether to leave or become U.S. citizens, and our family chose to stay and, in 1849, officially became Americans. That year, Jos\u00e9 Rafael Hilario Gonz\u00e1lez was 66 years old when he became a United States citizen. His son, Juan Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00f3n Gonz\u00e1lez, was 26, and Juan Jos\u00e9\u2019s son, Jos\u00e9 Remigio Gonz\u00e1lez, was just one year old. The Gonzalez family had to adapt to new laws and culture, and they believed they would hold on to their land, traditions, and identity. Tragically, Jos\u00e9 Rafael Hilario Gonz\u00e1lez, who had survived wars and hardships, was killed by Indians in 1850. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the Civil War, Texas formally succeeded from the Union in 1861. For most people in the Rio Grande Valley, life didn\u2019t change much. They owned land and raised families, and slavery had already been abolished in Mexico decades before, so they had little reason to take sides. Most Mexican-Americans in the Valley stayed neutral. They just tried to survive, farming the land, protecting their families, and keeping each other safe. From them, we get patience, endurance, and the quiet strength to keep going even when the world around you is uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1892\u20131940s: Pablo Gonz\u00e1lez and Sinforosa Benavides<\/strong>
Jose Remigio\u2019s son, Pablo Gonz\u00e1lez, was born in 1892. He married Sinforosa Benavides in 1906, and their son, my grandfather, Benicio Gonzalez, was born in 1913 on the ranch that Nicol\u00e1s Gonz\u00e1lez had settled way back in 1790. Benicio would be the last in our family line to be born there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life in the Rio Grande Valley was rough. Violence from the Mexican Revolution was spilling over the border. The Texas Rangers and Anglo vigilantes were taking land and sometimes killing innocent Mexican-American families. The Border Patrol had been formed, which added even more tension. To keep their family safe, Pablo and Sinforosa moved to Runge, Texas. The railroad was there, and it gave them new work and a chance to build a more stable life. From them, we get courage, smart planning, and the drive to take care of family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Runge in the 1920s and 1930s was segregated. White kids went to big schools with lots of teachers, but Mexican-American kids often went to tiny schools in rented homes. Most kids only went to the third grade before they had to start working in the fields with their families. Pablo and Sinforosa taught their kids to work hard, stick together, and always put family first. Those are lessons I hope you carry with you too, patience, determination, and loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My grandfather married Teodora Rios in Runge, TX. She was born in Karnes City, just a few towns away. In the 1940s, they moved to Edcouch, Texas. The railroad had finally reached the Rio Grande Valley, and farming was growing. Life was still hard, but there were more chances for work, education, and a stable future. From their story, we learn hope, the courage to take risks for a better life, and how important it is to make the most of every opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1950s\u20132000s: Jos\u00e9 Benicio Gonz\u00e1lez and Ofelia L\u00f3pez<\/strong>
Your grandparents, Joe and Ofelia, started as migrant workers, just like their parents. They picked cotton, citrus, potatoes, tomatoes, and whatever crops were in season, sometimes traveling all the way to Michigan following the harvests. Life was exhausting, but it taught patience, endurance, and the value of sticking together as a family. After I was born, they decided things had to change. Grandpa Joe became a mechanic, worked his way up to salesperson, and eventually became Used Car Manager at a dealership in McAllen. Grandma Ofelia started as a secretary at the Sugar Mill and worked her way up to Data Processing Manager. Their hard work gave me the chance to go to college at the University of Texas and move to Austin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They worked hard, and because of that, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, Benicio and Teodora. I also spent time at my mom\u2019s parents, Leandro and Francisca Lopez (Abuelito and Abuelita). Their story is very similar. Leandro, my mom\u2019s dad, was born in Starr County in the Valley, and Francisca, my maternal grandmother, was from Charco, Texas, not far from Runge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

2000s\u2013Today: Joey, That\u2019s Me, and You<\/strong>
Now it\u2019s your turn, Madysen and Joshua. You are the newest chapter in this long story. You come from a line of leaders, farmers, workers, and dreamers who faced big challenges and made the most of every opportunity. I hope you carry courage, curiosity, determination, and love for family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was just one story. I\u2019ve also done research on the L\u00f3pez side, the Maldonado side, the Vel\u00e1squez side, and the Garza side. I challenge you to keep researching. Keep learning about where we came from. Honor the people who came before you. Add your own chapters to our family history. The story is not finished. Now, it\u2019s your turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love,
Dad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Madysen and Joshua, I want to tell you the story of our family. It goes back more than 350 years. It\u2019s a story about courage, hard work, and love for family. Some parts about our ancestors are uncertain, but from what they did and the lives they lived, we can imagine the kind of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/66"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madyjosh.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}