FOLKS NEWS: "Fruits Of Love KeepSakes"

Cornelia Hoyt Anzaldua

2012-01-27T16:18:00.000-06:00

This week I've spent a lot of time investigating my family lines to the Anzaldua's of Cameron County, Texas. In doing so I came across a newspaper article from 1916 detailing the suicide of Professor Luis Anzaldua. Because my paternal grandmother is connected to a couple of Jose Luis Anzaldua's, I was drawn to investigate this death further.

I learned that Prof Luis Anzaldua was a musician. He was married to Maria Hoyt, the daughter of John Ward Hoyt and Rafaela. Luis and Maria lived with Maria's parents throughout their marriage. As the years went by this would include their children.

According to the article Luis Anzaldua's body was identified by his brother in law, John B Hoyt. The census in the following years show that the children remained with Maria and Maria's mother, Rafaela.

One of Luis and Maria's children was, Cornelia Hoyt Anzaldua aka Nellie Hoyt and Cornelia Anzaldua Hoyt. Miss Nellie is mentioned in some newspaper articles and Montys Monthly magazine. What I've been able to piece together is that Miss Nellie had an angelic singing voice. She would go on to be discovered by a Mrs Julia Montgomery. When she performs a solo at a Rotary Club Luncheon in Brownsville, Texas the Rotary Club soon sponsors a trip for Miss Nellie to go to Houston with Mrs Montgomery to get a professional opinion regarding her talent. By 1927 she is entered into a radio contest in Houston.

What I'm left with are the following questions:
1. Am I related to this line of Anzaldua's? I'm unable to find who the parents of Professor Luis Anzaldua are.
2. Marriage records for Maria's father John W Hoyt and Rafael Bistre is for 15 years after the birth of the Hoyt children. Could it be that Rafael was previously married to a Mr Bistre and therefore the stepmother of the Hoyt children?
3. Did Miss Nellie ever marry, continue her musical studies, acheive success under a stage name?

Should you have further information regarding this family line please contact me via folks.news@gmail.com at your convenience.

I Have an Angel in Heaven

2012-01-14T20:00:00.026-06:00

I can always count in my absence that my cousin, Mary Jane Ragel, or my friend, Liz Hernandez, flowers will be placed at my daughters grave. As is my custom when I do come to visit in Littlefield, I go by and clean her grave marker and just take a moment to reflect on the short while she was with me. The pain is never lessened, the reality of it never fails to fill me with sadness, but as I've gotten older I have also learned to rejoice because I have an Angel waiting for me in Heaven. Rest In Peace, Erica Nicole Zamora.

Guillermo Longoria Thompson

2012-01-13T21:42:00.004-06:00

Well, I finally got the official death certificate for my great grandfather Thompson. I'm hoping that some of the information will give me clues as I set out to trace the Thompson line. It lists Felicitas Longoria as his mother. The stories passed down to us always said that Felicitas Longoria was his STEPmother, not his biological mother.

The birth and death dates are confirmed dates of the data I already had. Also, the location of birth and death confirm my information to be correct. He in fact died not on my actual birth date as I'd always been told but rather in the same hospital only four days later. So now there is a chance that he perhaps did see me before he died. I was by no means his first great granddaughter so I'm not sure that it was as big a milestone to him at the age of 88.

Another interesting clue is the fact that his father's name is listed as John O Thompson. By chance our cousin Willie Davila stopped by to visit Dad and he said that his mother, Rosa Thompson Davila, told him the O. was for O'Shea.

As long as I was already in Littlefield, TX, I went ahead and went to get a photo of his graveside. He is laid to rest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Cemetery. Beside him lays my great grandmother and at his head is his son Pete Chavez Thompson and at his feet is his daughter Rosa Thompson Davila. The only marker is a big iron cross with no name or any writing to indicate it is he that lays there.

RIP Anita Hernandez

2012-01-12T23:36:00.005-06:00

I arrived in Littlefield on Monday, Jan 9, 2012. Before nightfall we received the news that my cousin Oscar Zapata's mother in law, Anita, had passed away. Anita was a Cursillista and a member of Littlefield Sacred Heart Church. Loved by so many. She had a number of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She had been living with her daughter, Lola Zapata and her family. May you rest in peace, Anita. Tonight they had the rosary and I was able to attend with my friend, Liz. It was very happy, uplifting, and peaceful.

Happy 1st Birthday Capriana

2011-12-01T21:26:00.000-06:00

We are so blessed to be celebrating our granddaughter Capriana's first birthday. May this be the first of many many more birthdays.

Saying Goodbye to 2011

2011-12-01T10:11:00.001-06:00

I have taken my hobby of researching our family history to a higher level. Currently, my husband, Woody Gibson, is awaiting for the results on his third DNA test which moves us up to the 67 marker test. This is a photo of Woody swabbing between his cheek and gum. We are also waiting for the DNA results for Richard Anzaldua Thompson, my dad.

I've decided that I'm going to use this blog to keep track on any interesting information I find along the way. I will continue to post other random thoughts, ideas and opinions. It is my hope that anyone that could provide more photos or detail regarding my ancestry search will email me.

Our Grandson Langston has arrived

2011-11-27T00:44:00.001-06:00

Born: November 21, 2011
in Tyler, Texas to
Ryan and Jayce Prejean.

Welcoming him home were his older brothers: Sebastian and Easton.

Woody and I are just so excited to have another grand baby to add to our family.

We love you, Baby Lane.

2011-05-08T20:38:00.000-05:00

Well, today Bree, my daughter in law celebrated Mother's Day as a MOMMY for the first time. Joseph was kind enough to send me a photo of Our Bree with our Lil Hugz. They are both so happy of course smiling at Joseph who must be taking the picture.

Liz visits the Gibsons in Dallas

2011-05-06T21:32:00.001-05:00

Thank you for Liz who took time to come out for a couple of weeks while I was again under the weather. She was wonderful at lifting my spirits and getting me around to all my medical appointments since Woody is still working nights. I've not been able to work for Mr Gibson for a long while. I'm ready to be back on my feet. Liz and I had nightly bible study while she was here. But we also talked a lot and watched movies and I got her hooked on CourtTV and the Casey Anthony case. We had to cut her visit short a few days, but we are just thankful for the time we do spend together. It was a lot of highs and lows....biggest low had to be saying goodbye, wondering if all SEVEN of her bags would be permitted and just wondering when will I be with my friends again? So here are the pictures we took of her on our last day in Dallas when we ate at Spaghetti Warehouse, plus photos as we toured downtown Dallas. THANK YOU, LIZ!

Blake Torres, US Army

2011-04-21T02:52:00.005-05:00

I awoke the other morning to find a new text from my nephew who is now in the Army. Blake is the son of my sister, Linda de los Santos. He graduated high school, took some college courses, then took a part time job, before deciding on serving his country. Not long after training he was stationed in New York where he is now and he married his high school sweetheart, Amanda Castillo. They seem to be off to a great start in their grown up life. Blake thanks for your service.

Rage Via Bully

2011-03-23T09:59:00.002-05:00

How many of you were watching the news last week and saw the video of the small boy who was bullying the big boy? Well, the small boy bullied and bullied the big boy until the big boy picked him up, turned him over, and slammed him into the concrete sidewalk.

As I watched the news play out of Chris Brown's explosive visit to Good Morning America, I couldn't help but think about the small boy and big boy from last week. Robin Roberts inteviewed Chris Brown and was focused on getting information from him regarding his past problems. Chris Brown was determined to stay focused on the task at hand and promote his new album.

Off camera, Chris Brown proved that anger management hasn't helped him much. No doubt the media will take off with this story today and call for Chris Brown to go hide in a hole somewhere. A lot of effort will be put forth to make the Chris Brown Comeback fail.

I'm left wondering though is it anger management issue or a bully issue. Recently the White House and the Obama's have called the issue of bullying to the forefront. But I have to wonder: when is it an anger management problem and when is it bullying?

Don't get me wrong, I love Robin Roberts. But watching the playbacks on all the various channels it does seem that she took to wanting a conversation in which Chris Brown did NOT want to engage. How is this different from the small boy that taunted the big boy until the big boy slammed him into the concrete?

Now some will say the big boy and Chris Brown have anger management issues. While others might want to consider the responsibility of those that push the buttons. So what came first: the chicken or the egg, the bully or the rage?

I'm not sure what the issue is with Chris Brown and I doubt I'll spend much time passed today thinking about it. What I will think about is what I do in my own life to push buttons until I cause someone to lose control. I will also think about how I react when others go out of their way to push my buttons.

I do want to close by saying that overnight it does appear that Chris Brown is very aware of allowing his anger get away from him, and Robin is regretful of how everything played out. Fans of Chris Brown are showing support by helping his album shoot to the top. GMA this morning also did their part to further promote Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. album.

http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/

Precious is the Unpredictable Gift from God

2010-12-01T23:43:00.003-06:00

1 Samuel 1:27–28

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I lift her up to the LORD. For her whole life she will be given over to the LORD." (NIV)
After months of waiting she finally arrived. We'd been expecting a boy. Imagine my disbelief when Joseph called and announced it was a GIRL. Bree and Joseph had no name for a girl ready. They must have had quite a shock. In the end all we knew is that God had shown favor on this young couple and granted them an answer to their prayers for a strong and healthy baby. So I prayed that my son and his wonderful wife would be able to find a name for this precious child. Late in the day he calls and says, "Mom, we have a name. It's Capriana McKala." I say, "Huh? Say it slow and let me try to say it" He repeats, "Cap-ree-anna Mckala with short a sounds not long a." I was silent trying to think of how to say it. He then says, "Mom, it means Unpredictable Gift from God." My son sounded proud and more importantly I think he realized that God had shown him and Bree favor. God had answered their prayers. Thank you, Father Almighty, for giving us so much joy with this precious gift.

Thinking of ways to receive ...

2010-11-29T22:43:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the only calls coming in are when someone NEEDS something, wants help with something, looking for donations, etc. Sometimes answering the phone can be a chore. If stepping outside your home is like being hurled into a world of takers, then consider the following scripture.

Ezekiel 34:26 New American Standard Bible translates it like this: "I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing and I will causes showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessings."

After reflecting upon this, I am reminded that I can't expect answers to my prayers, rewards for all my work, or blessings and favor to shower upon me if I'm a regular in God's home, in His presence and my home is not in His vicinity. It is in seeking Him, being near him that we can see our daily blessings rather than focus on all we are required to give. I also see that I have to give love, faith, strength, support, compassion, and help my fellow man, so that when the season comes that I need help I will be able and ready to receive.

Joseph James Zamora turns 28

2010-11-16T10:32:00.003-06:00

What a blessing when 28 years ago I finally touched him, heard his cries, felt his breath upon my face. His life has filled me with joy, laughter, tears, and victories. Every day he counted on my love and care while he grew into a man. Now after 6 years in the Army, graduating the NCHP Academy, married to the love of his life, and working in law enforcement, I don't see him very often. He's gone on to make his own home, family, life. But the true tie of love between us has never ceased. He is the love of my life, his is MY son. Happy Birthday, Joseph James Zamora

Mary Lou Thompson Torres

2010-11-05T22:07:00.001-05:00

Mary Lou Torres passed away at her home in Ralls, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2010. She was born Nov. 5, 1952 in Fort Stockton, Texas, to Pete and Fernanda Thompson and was raised in Littlefield. On Aug. 25, 1973, she married the love of her life, Mike Torres, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Littlefield, Texas. They were married 38 wonderful years.

She was predeceased by her father, and is survived by her husband, Mike; daughter, Nataisha, her husband Meregildo Flores, and their children, Blake Guzman, Alejandro Reyna, Esteban Reyna and Austin Flores; son, Travis, his wife, Laine, and their daughters, Franki and Ramie; and son, Russell and his wife Kimberly. She is also survived by her mother, Fernanada Thompson, and her brothers Pete, Tommy and Joseph.

Mary Lou was a loving wife and mother and gave herself completely to her family. She was a devout Christian who put God first every moment of her life and embraced every day with happiness, laughter and prayer. She will always be remembered by all who knew her for her deep faith in the Lord, her inner strength, the examples she set for her children and her kindness and generosity to everyone.

Memorial services will be held at First Baptist Church, 521 Tilford in Ralls, Texas, today at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, which can be found online.

WHO AM I

2010-11-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

Someone once said, "I am not who I think I am. Nor am I who you think I am. Instead I am who I think you think I am." Simpler said rather than being ourselves, we have become accustomed to pretending to be what we believe others see us to be.

In my morning study, I ran across something by an author that was discussing this topic. It went something like this:

When I hide who I am-- it's like putting a veil over MY face -- I FEEL alone and miserable.
The veil is like a wall that no matter how much love I give it can't reach those I love;
and no matter how much others love me, it won't reach me until I remove the veil.

When I tell the truth about myself, only then am I seen as who I AM.
I remove the veil to let others see the true ME.
I trust that the warts, wrinkles, scars, or discolorations won't send them away from me.
Then I can fully see those who didn't leave when I revealed my true self.
Then I feel loved, accepted, and a part of those for whom I truly want the best life of joy and happiness.

Could that be the definition of Real Love?

Create the opportunity to feel loved by telling the truth about who you are. As God did when He said, "I Am."

Reveal your face, take of that veil!

Tell the truth about yourselves, especially about your mistakes and flaws.

It is there that we find people that accept and love us the same way God loves us unconditionally.

What do you have to lose. Life is a miracle. So what if it doesn't work? Well, you may already be feeling lonley and miserable, so you have nothing to lose. But if it works it could be a miraculous experience. The fact is that some people will turn away when you reveal the TRUTH OF YOU. Another fact is that you will find that those that truly love you will NOT turn away, unless they too are busy hiding behind veils.

Amish Country in Southern Indiana

2010-08-18T16:17:00.000-05:00

This is a collage of a few photos we took while visiting the Amish Country community in Montgomery, IN. We were able to take our time and take a scenic route. When you arrive in Montgomery, IN, you find a very small community with antique shops and a huge Catholic church quickly captures your view. A sign welcoming you to the Southern Amish community leads you to cross over train tracks where you enter to the property of the Amish community. The setting is quaint and rural. Nothing fancy. But it is peaceful and beautiful. An Amish man is on the grounds with a horse and buggy taxi. The smell of baked goods fills the air. The restaurant has a menu or you can eat from the buffet. We chose the buffet and it was a very satisfying meal. The pie they served for dessert had to have had a meringue topping at least three inches tall. It was a little like stepping into a movie scene from the past. Anyone with a few hours to spare would enjoy the peaceful scenery and shopping at the Amish community or at the local antique shops would easily fill a day.

Sisters Insprie Creativity

2010-08-16T14:13:00.001-05:00

So after such a wonderful day trip to the Southern Indiana Amish Country and our boat ride in the Blue Springs Caverns, I decided to take the photo of the butterfly I took outside the cavern exit and make wallpaper for each of my sisters. Lori said she is using hers on her blackberry wallpaper. I, too, have it on my pearl blackberry as wallpaper. My sister Linda decided to use it as her wallpaper on her personal computer. I enjoyed the time to design them each a personalized wallpaper. The photo is a collage of all three wallpaper screens I made. I still can't believe that butterfly was on the railing as we exited the cavern. I never dreamed I'd get close enough for a photo. I was holding Woody's blackberry at the time and snapped about seven photos of the butterfly before it finally flew away.

2010-08-15T15:32:00.000-05:00

Most Sunday mornings belong to Woody and myself without further work obligations. But the nature of our work, sometimes we have forego a day off to meet our deadlines. Although we don't have obligations to work on Sunday, we do have a passion and love for NASCAR and good food.

This Sunday Woody decided he wanted to spend a little time at Walmart. I didn't want to go. So I stayed behind to watch Nascar Race Day.

Woody returned later with all the fixins for shrimp cocktail and country ribs. While he prepared the shrimp cocktail he threw the ribs on the grill with his secret spices and topped it with onions. It was so so so delicious.

Meanwhile, we watched the race. Carl Edwards came in third. I think there must have been 4 or 5 Fords in the top 11! GO FORD! Look out #99 Carl Edwards is gonna get a win!

Tripas Doraditas....El Mariachi!

2010-08-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

So the tile crew was here in Louisville, KY finishing our floors at the restaurant last week. They'd been blasting their musica del norte all day. At the end of the day Woody said, "Well, we listened to the Spanish music all day, it makes me think we should go the rest of the way and have a Mexican dinner." About that time one of the guys came around the corner, so we asked him if he could recommend a place. He quickly pulled out a business card from his back pocket. The card had some holes punched across the top. He told me to write down the address, gave us an idea about where the place is located, and finally said, "Ask for the tripa tacos and tell them to make them doraditos." Well, Woody loves him tripa tacos more than most anything. Of course they have to be fresh and fried to perfection. So the deal was now that this would either be really good or really awful. It's just the way it is with tripas. But the picture should tell it all. Woody and I both loved the food at this little place. As it turns out the tripas were fresh and the waitress gladly had the chef make them extra doraditas for us. To add to the authentic flavor they were served on freshly made corn tortillas with onion and cilantro. The salsa on the side provided the extra bit of authenticity to the entire meal. Yum-yum, with every bite of my taco I was quickly transported to dinners with my parents at Jalisco's. OSCAR, if you read this we still think of your tripa tacos.

Happy Birthday, Bree!

2010-08-09T04:53:00.001-05:00

I remember well the day my son called and told me about meeting Bree. He described her in detail and told me how they instantly connected. He couldn't say enough about how much they shared in common. I could hear the joy in his voice.

I remember too the day he proposed and his joy that she accepted. I was overjoyed just to know that he was happy.

I remember like it was yesterday the day they exchanged vows. It was my first meeting of my daughter in law. I met her and her entire family all in one week.

They were married on the beach. We celebrated all week in the beach houses that had been rented for just this occasion. I couldn't get enough of watching them interact with each other. It's not easy when you love your one and only son so deeply to let go and share him. It's not easy to see him look at another woman and know that she is now the one that captures his every attention. But surprisingly I felt no pangs of jealousy, no anxiety, no feeling of abandonment.

Then I was back when he graduated from North Carolina State Trooper Academy. Though much time had gone by since I'd last seen them, they drew me in to their circle of love. Still he locked his attention on her. She clearly held his love tenderly in her heart. She understood his childlike wise although he was a war veteran and now a state trooper.

Now she is patiently nurturing and awaiting the birth of my first grandchild. I feel that I've never seen anything more beautiful than her.

No, it wasn't hard at all to take the back seat to such a loving and beautiful woman. It's been easy because there is much joy in watching your child grow into a relationship with a person that seems to have been made just for him and he for her.

Thank you, Bree, for all the love you have for my son and for me. Thank you, Son, for bringing to our family such a loving and caring person. I am so blessed because not only do I have a son, but I have a daughter who will now bring us a grandbaby.

Happy birthday, Bree!

2010-07-20T22:03:00.001-05:00

Yummy, yummy! Woody & I love Mexican food. But to be honest, we lean towards Tex-Mex food. We've been in cities before where we've had to go without it unless I made it at home. But here in Kentuckiana, we've found a few places where we are able to get our Tex-Mex food fix. This was definitely a good place. It's not like the food back home, but it at least satisfied the craving. Woody just loved the men out front waiting for customers. Reminded us of Pepe in Mom's yard back home.

Texas Rangers Hall of Fame

2010-06-24T19:38:00.002-05:00

How wonderful it was to go to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum in Waco, Texas. This was a good afternoon activity. We got to get in out of the humidity and heat and glimpse in on the history of the Rangers for $6/adult. They museum allows you to walk around at your leisure and they show a short film for anyone interested that gives you some great information. As we walked around we were allowed to hold some pistols. They were chained down to prevent anyone from taking them. Having never held a firearm before I was amazed at how heavy they were. They also had the history of the Hispanic Rangers, which I was not aware existed. The story told to me by my father, who heard it from his grandfather is that my great grandfather was a Texas Ranger. I've posted my great grandfather Guillermo Thompson's photo here.

Passing Time in Waco, Texas

2010-06-22T20:16:00.037-05:00

Waco, Texas isn't exactly a first choice for many people when thinking of places to kick back, relax and pass some time. It wasn't a place Woody or I would have selected. But being as how this is where the company needs us right now, it's where we are. The big surprise is that it has turned out a great place to KICK BACK, RELAX, and PASS the time. I've been hanging out on the hammock snoozing and reading. The view is wonderful, the atmosphere is peaceful, and the city is just a few miles away. At the end of the day, I gotta say this is pretty great.

Sometimes Mondays are Great

2010-06-21T18:56:00.000-05:00

Well, we found out on Friday that we'd be staying in Waco another week. So we were able to get an RV spot closer to Waco that is on the lake. It is so peaceful, shady, and beautiful. On Monday morning, we woke up and packed up the RV and headed 7 miles in. The picture in the bottom left shows what the lot looked like before we set up. And the top photo shows all the work Woody did to set up the outside while I unpacked inside. After not hearing from Woody for a while, I went out to look for him. I found him relaxing in the hammock. Past the trees along the back of the RV is the lake. People are out here swimming at the boat launch area. Several trucks are parked along the lake waiting for their owners to return in the boats. All along the lake you can see people fishing. We'll only be here a few more days. This is truly a nice site from which to enjoy our time in Waco.