| Medina Family History and Photos These historical photos were handed down through the Medina family |
| Filomeno and Aniseta Macias, my father's maternal great grandparents, lived in Villa Garcia, Zacatecas. They had two children, my great grandmother Julita and Francisco. Juan medina, Filomeno, was from Aguascalientes. He was a caner specializing in weaving chair panels. He also bought drygoods in Aguascalientes and took them by burro to the five haciendas incorporated in 1861 into the city of Villa Garcia. Some time before 1889 they married and moved to Aguascalientes. They had 19 children, five |
| survived. All emigrated to the US. The Medinas were very poor and at times had to live in Villa Garcia with Julita's family. Only uncle Joe was born in Villa Garcia (1889). Right photo- Joe (left), Juan, Julita, Carolina and my grandmother Tomasa (mama Cuca), and little Genaro. Not shown in the photo (right) are Felicitas and Agapita. Mama Julita told her chidren about the day Pancho Villa rode into town to recruit men for his army. She says that her brother Pancho left his family and rode off with Villa and his men. As they were getting ready to ride out she says Pancho Villa threw her a coin and told her to keep it until her brother returned returned. She kept the coin for many years but her brother was never heard from again. |
| Mama Julita would accompany Juan on his many trips between Aguas Calientes and Villa Garcia. On one of these trips Juan, Julita and a fellow traveler encountered bandits who demanded their money. The story told by my grandmother is that Juan had a machete hidden inside his pantleg and as soon as the bandit got near enough Juan took out the machete and split open the bandits head. Seeing the carnage, the other bandit ran off into the darkness. Mama Julita also told stories of evil spitits and demons hidden in caves. Later Juan and Julita settled in Aguascalietes where he worked for the railroad. He was injured many times in his work and became disabled. When my grandmother Tomasa left Mexico in 1917 Juan told her he might never see her again and asked her not to forget her mother. Juan died soon after and my grandmother Cuca went back to Aguascalientes to bring her mother Julita and her sisters, Felicitas and Agapita, to live in the US. Tio Joe followed them in 1921. |
| Above left-my grandmother at her first communion. Center-her brother uncle Joe. Right-her brother Genaro who was murdered in Mexicali in 1946. Below left my grandmother Tomasa and her sister Carolina. My grandmother went to live with Carolina in El Paso, Texas. My father was born there in 1917. Carolina was later murdered by her husband. Right-my grandmother Tomasa (left), and her sisters Agapita and Felicitas in Aguas Calientes. |
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