Laredo Border Crossing 1943

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Above is the documentation from a 1943 Laredo border crossing of Sixto Barrios & his granddaughters, Yolanda and Miriam, as he escorted the girls to their mother in San Francisco. It comes courtesy of Ancestry.com's new on-line collection of Mexico/US border crossings.

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My best transcription:

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TOP IMAGE (front of record):

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Top Line: MANIFEST Port of Laredo May 28, 1943

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Family Name: Barrios

Given Name: Sixto

Accompanied by: grand daughters
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Yolanda and Miriam Villalba, both admitted Immigrant ?(c)

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? No: None

Place and Date of birth: 1-2-1874

?: Act of 1924

(next blocks empty)

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Place of birth: San Salvador, El Salvador

Age: 69 yrs

Sex: M

Married (letter M circled)

Occupation: Lawyer

?: Y

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Language: Spanish

?: Latin America

Nationality: El Salvador

Last place of residence: San Salvador, El Salvador

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Name of relative from where applicant came: Wife, Inez Monterosa Barrios, San Salvador, El Salvador

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Every been to USA before: Yes [something unreadable]

Passage paid by: Self

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Name of Relative or destination: Daughter, Rosa Barrios de Villalba, 684 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA

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Amount of money on person: $500.00

Ever been [unreadable] and deported or [barred] from admission: No

Purpose and duration of trip: Pleasure -- 6 months

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[Unreadable] Tax Status: A

Height: 5 ft. [unreadable] in.

Complexion: Dark

Hair: Black

Eyes: Br

Defining Marks: ----

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[unclear, something about immigration visa]: 982/5-A of 5/1943 re: adm. with Gratis Visa. ml.

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[unreadable]: adm. 3(2)

Arrived by: Laredo Bridge

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handwritten number on bottom of form: 35011

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BOTTOM IMAGE (back of form):

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Typed on side of image: Checked out at Laredo, Texas July 24, 1943 by J.J. Burke, Jr. 7/26/43 [unreadable]

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Boxes at top of form empty. Under MEDICAL CERTIFICATE is handwritten "Fingerprints and Registry forms lifted"

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Stamp at bottom right of top half:

Inspected and Passed

JAMES L. CRAWFORD

[title unreadable]

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On bottom half, is REMARKS AND ENDORSEMENTS is handwritten:

Has diplomatic PP #19, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Relations in San Salvador, El Salvador, 4-6-43 (as Justice of the Supreme Court)

dated 4-17-43

Sec. 3(2) Diplomatic Visa #12, [Unreadable] Ligation, El Salvador, El Salvador

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Signature of Applicant: Sixto Barrios

You Can't Believe Everything You Read...

It certainly was wonderful to find a news article about a relative, especially a nice one that talks about their achievements or good business doings. I'm thrilled to have the article.
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However, a news story is just one piece of the puzzle, and often have "slants" -- stories edited or shaped by the writer's or paper's view. Add to that small misunderstandings that occur between people, especially when talking with an accent or a second language (like Emma undoubtedly was) and there will definitely be discrepancies or skewing of facts.
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Looking at this story, we find a definite slant -- the focus is on what would be considered womanly: romance and looks. The main part of the story is talks about Emma's marital status, that she's heart free (she says -- is there doubt?), that she's good looking and got a lot of attention on the ship coming up, and that she's traveling alone (horrors! This was considered very brazen and dangerous in 1929). Her business acumen (while also very "modern" or unusual for 1929) is really downplayed or left to the end of the story. Basically, the Chronicle is putting a huge arrow over Emma's head and letting the boys know that there is a young, single heiress alone in S.F. and ready to be romanced. Think Paris Hilton, backdated and not so fancy-free and you'll see the press hasn't changed much.
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Looking at the facts, we can find some other discrepancies:
A ship's list from the 5/3/1929 arrival of the Guatamala (I'll post this later) shows that Emma was traveling with Inez (her mother) and Arturo Barrios (her brother), so her travel was not as scandalous as it's made out to be. Plus, she is visiting with her sister (Rosa Josephina) and new niece, Carmen.
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This was also not Emma's first time to San Francisco. She was on the Albert Vogler in the 11/5/06 post on the blog, "Passport Photo and Journey." This ship arrived in San Francisco on Sept. 9, 1927.
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And in 1929, she had not inherited her estate from her father. My mother (Rosa Miriam)remembers her grandfather very well, and she was born in 1933! However, Emma was very involved in the Coffee Grower's Association in San Salvador (my mother remembers her taking them there and having ice cream in the cafeteria), so a business trip to a convention or meeting of importers is not out of the question.
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I have no doubt that Emma was in her 20s during this visit. I do find it amusing, however, that she was 21 on the Vogler's passenger list in 1927, and she is 21 on the Guatemala's passenger list! I will be posting all the passenger lists for the Barrios/Villalba families in later posts.

Coffee Queen in America

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Above is a San Francisco Chronicle article about Emma Barrios (Rosa Josephina's sister) that was printed on May 4, 1929. I'm sure the picture was more flattering when it was actually printed! It totally destroys my ability to rescue it when it's been put on newsprint, then microfiched.

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My transcription:

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Above Photo: To Boost Trade

Below Photo: Miss Emma Barrios

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Young Coffee Queen in S. F.

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Miss Emma Barrios Comes From Salvador to Consult Importers

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Owner of a 2000-acre coffee plantation in Salvador, Miss Emma Barrios, who arrived here yesterday on the Panama Mail liner Guatemala, is still in her early twenties and, she says, heart free.

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"But it's not to look for a husband I have come to San Francisco," she laughed. "I have come here to consult with the coffee importers and boom trade for Salvador coffee growers. That, and to see this famous California for the first time, is the object of my trip."

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Miss Barrios, who travels alone, was the center of attraction and admiration on the Guatemala, on its trip from Salvador.

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The 1928-29 coffee crop of Salvador, Miss Barrios said, will the the largest and the best in its history. Much of the coffee grown there is imported to the United States through San Francisco. Her own coffee plantation she inherited from her father.

Alfredo Villalba

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My mom has this beautiful photo of her grandfather, Alfredo Villalba, that I've scanned for you above. It is one of the few photographs that I have of the Villabla side of the family.
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Family lore has it that Alfredo was a conductor/composer for a Zarzuela Troop, and his wife, Juana Segura de Villalba was a singer/dancer. The Zarzuela Troop was on tour of Latin America from Spain, and while they were in El Salvador, Alfredo passed away. His wife stayed behind to bury her husband and thus ended her career, staying in El Salvador. Besides this story, I have really no other information on Alfredo.
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For those of you who are not familiar with Zarzuela (I wasn't!), it is a form of comic opera popular in Spain and Latin America. Think Gilbert & Sullivan with a Spanish flair.

Barrios Lineage by Grandma Rosie

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The above note is actually a family tree written by my late grandmother, Rosa Barrio. I've transcribed from the top with my additions in brackets:

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Cerbulo Araujo (Father)

[of] Encarnacion Araujo

[who married] Abel Barrios

[and they had]

Geraldo [Barrios, president of El Salvador, and]

Sixto Barrios (assinated (sic))

Abel Barrios

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[Abel Barrios, son of Abel & Encarnacion, married]

Teresa Albarenja

[and they had]

Sixto

Gustavo

Merced

Teresa

Mina

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Sixto Barrios [son of Abel and Teresa, married]

Inez Carrillo [previously listed as Ines Monterosa]

[and they were the parents of ]

Rosa

[along with other children]

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Rosa Barrios [married]

Jorge Villalba

[and they were the parents of]

Mimi

[along with other children]

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Mimi Villalba

[Mother of] Gina and Didi

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My Family Tree

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Rosa Villalba's SS-5

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An SS-5 is the form you fill out to receive a Social Security Number. Under the Freedom of Information Act, you can request an SS-5 for a deceased person, which is a big help for genealogists. The above image is of the SS-5 for Rosa Barrios-Villalba. Here is the transcription:

1. (Name): Rosa de Villalba
2. (Address): 684 Guerrero St., San Francisco
3. (Name at birth): Rosa Barrios
4. (Age last birthday): 42
5. (Date of Birth): September 28, 1901
Note: It looks like the year was originally 1900, but the last zero was filled in to make a one.
6. (Place of birth): San Salvador, El Salvador
7. (Father's Name): Sixto Barrios
8. (Mother's Maiden Name): Ines Monterrosa
9. (Sex): Female (box checked)
10. (Race): White (box checked)
11. Left Blank
(Asks if you have applied for a Social Security number before or are eligible for Railroad Retirement)
12. (Where employed): Unemployed
13. (Today's date): 3-9-43
Note: 9 March 1943
14. (Signature): Rosa de Villalba

The most significant information on the SS-5 is that Rosa used "de Villalba" as her legal name. This is a carry over from her Spanish upbringing as it is common there to designate a woman's married name in that manner. However, used here in the United States, it becomes her legal name, which creates another name or alias to look for her under.

The other interesting bit is that she shaved some years off of her age when filing. The date of birth is correct (she was born on Sept. 28th) but the year should be 1898, not 1901. This again was a common practice as (a) women of this generation could be particularly sensitive about their age and would lie about it to be younger, and (b) many times an older employee would be discriminated against or could not find work. Even a few years could mean the difference between getting a job or not.

Housekeeping: Gone to Oz!

You may not see any more posts this year (2006) because I will be on vacation until Jan. 7, 2007. I will be in Australia (aka Oz) with my family, hunting down those elusive ancestors ~ maybe the ones I can't find moved there? Just kidding. I have no known family who have moved there, but I will be taking a much-needed break.

Have a great Holiday Season and a Happy New Years! I will continue to post after I get back (give me a few days to recover from jet lag!)