Notes: His first wife was María Francisca Montoya. One of the first settlers in the San Luis Valley in the early 1720's, he continued to operate the Santa Barbara Ranch after his father, Diego Romero, died, until August of 1750, when he sold it to Gabriel Antonio de Vildósola. Continuing to operate his many other ranch properties after that, he and his wife, Higinia Perea, were still living in the Valley when the Pima uprising broke out in November 1751. Having raised Pedro Chihuahua from the time he was nine years old, they were very well-acquainted with him and considered him a foster son, as he considered them to be his foster parents. Although Pedro did not move in with them when he returned to the San Luis Valley eight days before the rebellion, he moved in with José de Vera. José was one of Nicolás' hired men and their houses adjoined each other. All were fleeing together with their families to Terrenate when Pedro was arrested. Nicolás was over fifty years of age at the time. He made the following statements during the investigation of the uprising in 1754:
In all the years I have lived in this Pimería, communicating and dealing with virtually every one of its missionaries, at no time have I ever seen any of the alleged mistreatments. Nor have the Indians ever complained of them. Those who have complained of such grievances after the uprising do so that they might excuse themselves, in this manner, of the atrocities they have committed.
Santa María Suamca, October 13, 1754
(AGI, Guadalajara 419, 3m-11, page 33
When the incident occurred (confrontation between Pedro Chihuahua and Father Garrucho) I was at the Mission of Guevavi, where I had gone for the fiesta of that village. However, I was not present for everything that happened. I saw that Pedro de Chihuahua had come to Guevavi in company with an alcalde of the village of Sáric. Captain Luis had sent them to Father Garrucho with some Indians who were from Guevavi but had been absent from the village quite some time. To make this delivery, the alcalde of Sáric entered Father Garrucho’s room with Pedro de Chihuahua, who was carrying his bastón in his hand. I am not aware of what took place while they were in the room. There were other witnesses in the room, however -- not only Father Juan Nentvig, but I think Father Francisco Pauer was also there. I did not hear what Father Garrucho said to Pedro de Chihuahua. However, I did see that when Pedro left the room and entered the porch, or ramada, that he came out without his bastón. The aforementioned alcalde of Sáric is who was carrying the said bastón. Also, I and several other vecinos who had come to the fiesta heard Father Garrucho say to Pedro as they left the room that he had acted very badly in going about as a vagabond among the villages. He faulted him for shirking his responsibilities as a Christian to his poor wife who had been gravely ill for a long time, whom he had abandoned in the San Luis Valley, where she died without him having returned to see her or care for their children, who would have perished for want of necessities had it not been for the charity of Nicolás Romero to succor them.
Santa María Suamca, October 13, 1754
(AGI, Guadalajara 419, 3m-11, pages 3l0-31)
Nicolás' wife died before he did and he moved to Tubac when the Apache threat became so great that Captain Juan Bautista de Anza asked all the residents of the San Luis Valley to move there or to Tumacácori.
In the Tubac census of 1767 he is listed as having 3 daughters and 3 sons living in his household. |
