Author: George Farías

Price: $100

Shipping: $7

Illustrated by Jack Jackson. Winner, 1995 Documentation Award by the Webb County Heritage Foundation. A family history in two parts combining history, genealogy and brief memoirs of the author. The first part " The Ancient Family" describes the origin of the name, and the five root branches originating in Portugal. Included are Portugal's heroic defenders, Nuno Goncalves de Faria and his son Goncalo Nunes; Pedro de Faria, Governor of Malacca and his relative, the merchant-pirate Antonio de Faria, a swashbuckling adventurer who lived a fascinating life and died in a tragic treasure raid on ancient Chinese royal tombs. This part concludes with notes on other family members who have some claim to fame.

In the second part titled, "The Modern Family" the author's branch is described dating back to 1777 when his earliest known ancestor, José Antonio Farías, appears at Presidio del Río Grande de San Juan Bautista, now Guerrero, Coahuila, Mexico. José Antonio's wife was Catarina Rodríguez and they are known to have had three sons and a daughter. One son, José Andrés Farías, came to Laredo on the Rio Grande about 1798 to command the Spanish colonial garrison there as a member of the Third Flying Cavalry Company of Nuevo Santander. His marriage to Guadalupe Sanchez, a granddaughter of Tomás Sánchez, the founder of Laredo, marked the beginning of the Farias family in this future border city. A Chapter is included on the Martínez clan, the author's maternal line, with descent from Teniente de Capitan Miguel Martínez, one of the founders of Revilla (Ciudad Guerrero) Tamaulipas. Other related lines are Benavides, Fernández, Almazán, Marulanda, de las Fuentes, Gutiérrez, Salinas, and de la Peña.

Jose Andres Farias became mayor of Laredo, was commended by Simon Herrera for his military leadership against the insurgents in the Mexican War for Independence, and later commended also by Joaquín de Arredondo when he led the Royalist volunteers from Laredo to the Battle of Medina near San Antonio which crushed the army of the First Texas Revolution. Many of José Andres' descendants served as military officers and public officials. Along with others who were ranchers and merchants, they helped forge the great state of Texas out of a wild, primitive, and sometimes lawless frontier.

Diane Reid Elliott of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville wrote in the April 1997, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, "What a delightful surprise to open a book such as this, expecting to find a detailed genealogy meaningful only to a particular family, and to discover instead tales of castles, pirates, adventures in the South China sea and the Texas frontier, along with names like Vasco Da Gama, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Ricardo Montalban and Federico Peña.... This makes for interesting reading for anyone intrigued by the history of Portugal or the Mexican-American borderlands as well as members of the family." Limited 1st Ed. signed by the author. 12 Jackson Illus/Maps. Edinburg, Tx, 1995 , 8 pgs CP, 32 B&W, HB, 298 Pgs.,

Author: George Farias, et al

Price: $100

Shipping: $6

Co-authored by Guadalupe A. Martínez. Winner of the 2011 Jim Parish Award for Documentation and Publication presented by the Webb County Heritage Foundation. Agapito Martínez and Emma Almazán lived in a period in the border city of Laredo, Texas when an old world of landed gentry and small town ambiance was giving way to a new commercial order propelled by the global conflict of World War II. In addition, Laredo was unique in Texas history in that outsiders of other nationalities were absorbed into the Hispanic culture instead of the opposite experiences of other Texas cities. Agapito and Emma had twelve children but two sons and a set of twins died young. Eight sisters survived who defined and exemplified for their children the bonding and loyalty that characterized the early pioneer families of Northern Mexico and Texas. With different personalities and skills, they succeeded in passing on the great values they learned from their ancestors. This book explores the family history, ancestry, and descendants through genealogical charts, numerous photos, and reminiscences by the two surviving sisters and cousins. This book is also a celebration of life and the many wonderful ways that a family continues its journey morally and spiritually down through the ages. Some of the families that married into the Martínez clan contributed family data also. These primary related families are Azios, Claflin, Diosdado, Espinoza, Farías, Pappas, Sommerville, Virján and Zepeda. Contains an article on Francisco Martínez, an early Texas explorer and pioneer of Pensacola, Florida, and profiles of Martínez members of Los Bexareños Genealogical Society in San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio, 2011 Borderlands Press Limited First Edition of 100 copies, signed and numbered by the authors, 8&1/2 x 11 size, 428 Pgs., PB.

Author: Jean Y. Fish

Price: $15

Shipping: $3.75

AVAILABLE AGAIN When The author moved to Zapata, Texas in 1970 she attempted to learn the history of the area but found that little had been written. Under her leadership as chairman of the Zapata County Historical Commission, the Commission embarked on a program to preserve the history of the county by erecting historical markers. Ms. Fish wrote the histories necessary to accompany the marker applications and this book is a summary of her work. The book includes various early censuses particularly of founding families and brief histories of Bustamante, Old Falcón, Old Lopeño, Ramireño, San Ignacio Zapata. An excellent compact but comprehensive overview of history and families. This new edition includes six pages of B&W photos. San Antonio, 2004 Borderlands Press 2nd Ed., 6 x 9, PB. Published at $ 20.00.