Testimony - pp. 105-134, April 27, 1908
Item — Box: 1
Scope and Content
From the Collection:
The bulk of this collection consists of testimonies in case 4123 of Aniceto Abeytia et al., Plaintiffs, vs. Willi Spiegelberg et al., Defendants in the District Court of Santa Fe, New Mexico from 1907-1908, regarding partitions of the Caja del Rio land grant. The testimonies contain extensive genealogies meant to establish heirs of the original grantee (Nicolas Ortiz II) and his wife (Juana Baca) as well as information regarding the boundaries of the land in question, which overlap to some degree with land in the La Majada Grant.
The collection demonstrates that the Ortiz family has been prominent in New Mexican history. In addition to having two members designated as land grantees (Nicolas Ortiz II and Don Antonio Ortiz), Ramon Ortiz, son of Antonio Ortiz and great-grandson of Nicolas II, was the last Spanish priest at the Juarez Mission. The collection includes genealogies establishing the heirs to the Antonio Ortiz grant, and testimonies regarding these heirs. Among them is testimony about Ramon Ortiz and his prominence as a clergyman in New Mexico.
The court proceedings in this collection exemplify the various setbacks faced in land grant cases. In many of these cases, problems arose as a result of large numbers of heirs to the original grantee vying for the same land, a vagueness surrounding the boundaries of each grant property resulting in overlap in land grants, and the poverty of claimants. Frequently, claimants were unable to finance litigation by means other than paying lawyers up to 80% of acreage of the very land being disputed. Other problems revolved around the validity of original Spanish documents as well as the language barrier which hindered accurate translation of the documents by Anglo lawyers and court officials. Assertions of chicanery by lawyers and judges involved with the Court of Private Land Claims and implicated in suspect land acquisitions are also associated with the Court of Private Land Claims and grant lands, generally.
Thomas B. Catron and L. Bradford Prince were both attorneys and witnesses for the defendants. Catron moved to New Mexico in 1866 where he began a controversial career as politician and as one of the most prominent land grant lawyers in New Mexico. Catron is said to have bought 49,322 acres of the Caja del Rio grant for approximately $50 rather than for more than the $1,000 which was owed the government in delinquent taxes and interest. L. Bradford Prince is also implicated in questionable land deals regarding grant lands in New Mexico.
This collection has also been known as the Caja del Rio Grande collection.
The collection demonstrates that the Ortiz family has been prominent in New Mexican history. In addition to having two members designated as land grantees (Nicolas Ortiz II and Don Antonio Ortiz), Ramon Ortiz, son of Antonio Ortiz and great-grandson of Nicolas II, was the last Spanish priest at the Juarez Mission. The collection includes genealogies establishing the heirs to the Antonio Ortiz grant, and testimonies regarding these heirs. Among them is testimony about Ramon Ortiz and his prominence as a clergyman in New Mexico.
The court proceedings in this collection exemplify the various setbacks faced in land grant cases. In many of these cases, problems arose as a result of large numbers of heirs to the original grantee vying for the same land, a vagueness surrounding the boundaries of each grant property resulting in overlap in land grants, and the poverty of claimants. Frequently, claimants were unable to finance litigation by means other than paying lawyers up to 80% of acreage of the very land being disputed. Other problems revolved around the validity of original Spanish documents as well as the language barrier which hindered accurate translation of the documents by Anglo lawyers and court officials. Assertions of chicanery by lawyers and judges involved with the Court of Private Land Claims and implicated in suspect land acquisitions are also associated with the Court of Private Land Claims and grant lands, generally.
Thomas B. Catron and L. Bradford Prince were both attorneys and witnesses for the defendants. Catron moved to New Mexico in 1866 where he began a controversial career as politician and as one of the most prominent land grant lawyers in New Mexico. Catron is said to have bought 49,322 acres of the Caja del Rio grant for approximately $50 rather than for more than the $1,000 which was owed the government in delinquent taxes and interest. L. Bradford Prince is also implicated in questionable land deals regarding grant lands in New Mexico.
This collection has also been known as the Caja del Rio Grande collection.
Dates
- April 27, 1908
Language of Materials
From the Collection:
English.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research,.
Extent
From the Collection: 1 box (.38 cu. ft.)
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451