Finding the Mexican Premarital Investigation Record for 2nd Great Grandparents Silverio Robledo and Maria Jesus Sanchez

I blogged last week about finally discovering the names of my Mexican-immigrant great grandfather’s parents.

My great-grandfather (who died before Dad or I were born) José Robledo Sanches was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States on 27 October 1915 with his wife Maria Hermalinda Nieto Compean, and their small children.

The parents of José were identified as Silverio Robledo and Maria Jesus Sanches, my 2nd great grandparents.¹

Two days after that blog post, I located the Información Matrimonio record for Silverio and Maria Jesus, completing one of the next steps that I outlined at the bottom of that post. They were married in Villa de Yturbide (this is also spelled Iturbide, now called Villa Hidalgo), a municipio (municipality, similar to our counties) located in the state of San Luis Potosí in central Mexico.²

About this Record Type

The Información Matrimonio, literally translated as Marriage Information, is one of the types of marriage records created by the Mexican Catholic Church (by the entire Spanish-speaking Catholic Church). The plural form is Información Matrimoniales. In English, Catholics call these by the name Premarital Investigations or Prenuptial Investigations. In what is now present day New Mexico, these records are called Diligencias Matrimoniales.

This purpose of this record was to give a couple permission to marry, after a pre-marital investigation was conducted, to make sure there were no impediments to marriage.

What the Record Tells Us

Multiple events are documented in this single record.

The Groom’s Statement

The pretendiente is the male suitor.

The groom’s declaration, to the parish priest.

(1) This is an Información Matrimonio for Silverio Robledo.

(2) The event happened in the Villa de Yturbide.

(3) The event happened on 28 July 1877.

(4) The event took place before Presbitero [parish priest] Jose Manuel Hernandez.

(5) A man appeared before the priest, who calls himself Silverio Robledo.

(6) Who wants to enter into marriage with Maria Jesus Sanchez.⁴

(7) Silverio Robledo comes from Temascal. I know from my research that Temascal is a village located in the nearby municipio of Armadillo de los Infante. My research also suggests that Temascal was the name of a hacienda (ranch).

(8) Silverio was single.

(9) Silverio was 23 years old [this would make him born about 1854].

Here we find evidence of when my 2nd great grandfather was born! And likely born in the municipio of Armadillo de los Infante [and the village of Temascal], since Temascal [located in that municipio] is referenced as his hometown (see number 7), where he would have been baptized.

(10) He was considered the legitimate child [born in a legal union], (11) of José Maria Robledo (12) and Clemencia Nieto, (13) who were both still living at this time.⁵

Here we see his parents (my 3rd great grandparents) identified by name! And we know they were still alive at this time!

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The Bride’s Statement

The pretensa is the woman whose hand is being sought.

(14) The bride presented herself in this same village [Villa de Yturbide].

(15) Her name is Maria Jesus Sanchez.

(16) She comes from the same place [Villa de Yturbide].

(17) Maria Jesus was honest [meaning pure].

(18) The bride was 24 years old [born about 1853].

Here we find evidence of when my 2nd great grandmother was born! And likely born in Villa de Yturbide, since it is referenced as her hometown (see number 16), where she would have been baptized.

(19) Maria Jesus was considered the legitimate child [born in a legal union] of (20) Cesario Sanches, (21) who was still living, and (22) Susana Carbajal [no indication if she was still living or was deceased].⁶

Here we see her parents (my 3rd great grandparents) identified by name! And we know that the bride’s father was alive at this time!

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The Groom’s Witness

Testigo means witness.

(23) Jose Maria Vazquez served as the groom’s character witness.

(24) This witness also came from Temascal [where the groom lived].

(25) The witness was 35 years old, (26) married, and (27) a day laborer.⁷

The Bride’s Witness

Testigo means witness.

(28) José Maria Nieto served as the bride’s character witness. He has the same paternal surname as the groom Silverio’s mother…could they be related?

(29) The witness came from the same place [where this event occurred, Villa de Yturbide].

(30) The witness was 28 years old, (31) married, and (32) also a day laborer.⁸

Publishing of the Intent to Marry

Their intent to marry was published in the parish on 22 and 29 July [1877] and 4 August [1877], to ensure there were no impediments to this marriage. This is also more commonly referred to as the reading of the banns in English-speaking countries.

Note that the first parish publication (or announcement) was made on 22 July 1877, yet at the top of the records we see that the bride and groom did not make their formal statements of intent to the parish priest until 28 July, the day before the second announcement was posted in the parish. Not that this means anything significant [although it might], but it is always important to pay attention to the timeline of events recorded in a historical document.⁹

Next Steps

These types of records are so rich in genealogical information! It is filled with facts that can serve as evidence to help answer research questions, but is also filled with clues to pursue to help develop and answer additional research questions.

Clues from What the Record Tells Us

• Silverio was born about 1854, and likely in the village of Temascal, which is located in the nearby municipality of Armadillo de los Infante. This year pre-dates the civil registration system in Mexico, so there is no point looking for a civil birth registration for that timeframe, but I now know a place and date to focus on looking for a baptism record.
• I learned his parents’ names, so can now start looking for their marriage records, and other records generated in their lives.
• Silverio’s parents were still alive in August 1877, which helps narrow down a timeframe for searching for their death records.
• Maria Jesus was born about 1853, and likely in the municipio of Villa de Yturbide, her hometown. This year pre-dates the civil registration system in Mexico, so there is no point looking for a civil birth registration for that timeframe, but I now know a place and date to focus on looking for a baptism record.
• I learned her parents’ names, so can now start looking for their marriage records, and other records generated in their lives.
• Maria Jesus’s father was still alive in August 1877, which helps narrow down a timeframe for searching for his death record.

What the Record Does Not Tell Us

• It is not clear from this record if the bride’s mother (my 3rd great grandmother) was still alive at this time.
• A profession is listed for each of the witnesses, but not for the groom (or bride).
• This record does not specify the actual marriage date for Silverio and Jesus Maria. It tells us when their intent to marry was published (reading of the banns) in the parish, and on what specific date they appeared before the parish priest to formally present this intent. But the actual marriage ceremony had to happen after the banns were read three times, and that date is not clear from this record. This means that I have to look for the actual marriage (matrimonio) record in this same parish, and a civil registration record since that system was in place by 1877. I will want to focus on parish and civil marriage records starting from 4 August 1877, the final date on which the banns were read.

Sources Cited