Research Overview
This project investigates a client's claim of deep tribal lineage rooted in San Antonio, Texas (Bexar County)
and extending to the Berkeley, California area. The family line is asserted to be indigenous, predating
American colonization, with roots in the Spanish colonial mission system.
The primary source document is a 1923 Master's thesis by Carlos Eduardo Castañeda
(University of Texas at Austin) cataloging over 2,000 Spanish-language manuscripts held in San Antonio's
County Clerk's Office — land grants, deeds, wills, mission records, and official correspondence spanning 1718–1836.
Primary Source Document
Castañeda, Carlos E. —
A Report on the Spanish Archives in San Antonio, Texas (1923)
University of Texas at Austin — Benson Latin American Collection
View Source Document →
Archive Records
2,000+
Spanish manuscripts in Bexar County Clerk's Office
Named Individuals
800+
Documented in land grants, deeds, and mission records
Time Span
1718–1836
From founding through end of Spanish-Mexican period
Historical Timeline
1601
Padre Francisco de Jesús proposes a settlement along the San Antonio River — earliest documented suggestion of the site.
1716
Captain Ramón leads expedition; discovers French traders among indigenous peoples. Marqués de Valero (Viceroy) authorizes settlement to counter French expansion.
1718
Martín de Alarcón founds San Antonio de Bexar near the San Antonio River headwaters. Five missions established: Valero, Espada, San Juan, San José, and Concepción.
1721
Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo reinforces posts. Padre Espinosa establishes additional settlement infrastructure.
1731
Ten Canary Island families arrive, establishing the civil Villa de San Fernando de Bexar. Creates tension between presidio, missions, and civilian settlers — land grant era begins.
1744
Cornerstone laid for stone chapel at Mission Valero — later known as the Alamo.
1745
Over 700 indigenous people baptized across four Queretaran missions. Missions collectively maintain 9,000+ head of livestock and operate irrigation systems for maize, beans, melons, and cotton.
1800
Population reaches ~3,000; early 19th century exceeds 5,000.
1813
Battle of Medina — rebels under Gutiérrez defeated by Spanish forces under Joaquín de Arredondo.
1820
Moses Austin petitions for American colonization rights. His son Stephen Austin continues after Moses dies in 1821 — begins demographic transformation of Texas.
1836
Santa Anna captures San Antonio. Battle of San Jacinto ends Spanish-Mexican dominion. End of document scope.
Archive Names — Searchable Index
All individuals documented in the Castañeda catalog. Includes land grant petitioners, alcaldes, deed grantors/buyers, missionaries, and government officials (1716–1836).
Search by surname to check for your client's family line.
Indigenous Context
Multiple tribal groups inhabited the San Antonio River basin prior to and during Spanish colonization.
The mission system was the primary mechanism of contact, conversion, and documentation — meaning most
indigenous records exist only through the lens of the Catholic Church.
Why records are sparse
Many tribes resisted mission settlement and returned to traditional lifestyles — making them
deliberately undocumented. A client with deep tribal roots may have ancestors who
appear only partially in colonial records, or not at all. This is historically consistent, not a
disqualifier.
Key record types for indigenous ancestry
1
Mission baptismal registers — record indigenous converts by name, often with tribal affiliation. Held at the Catholic Diocese of San Antonio archives.
2
Mission census records (padrones) — periodic headcounts of mission populations. Can link family units.
3
Burial records — often include parentage, tribal origin, and baptismal name alongside indigenous name.
4
Bexar Archives (full collection, UT Austin) — correspondence and land petitions sometimes reference indigenous individuals by name and tribe.
5
Spanish colonial censuses — especially 1792 census of San Antonio which recorded racial/ethnic designations including indio, mestizo, and mulato.
California Connection — Berkeley Area
The client's claim extends to Berkeley, California. The Bay Area was home to the
Ohlone (Costanoan) peoples — the indigenous nations of the San Francisco Bay
and surrounding region prior to Spanish contact.
Possible connection mechanisms
Mission Trail
Ohlone Territory
Needs Verification
Spanish missions in California (1769–1833) ran from San Diego to Sonoma. The East Bay
fell under Mission San José (established 1797, Fremont area) which
missionized Ohlone peoples. Berkeley sits within the ancestral territory of the
Huchiun band of Ohlone.
A family line that moved from Texas to California could have traveled the Spanish mission
corridor, or the two branches (Texas and California) may represent distinct parts of a
wider indigenous network. This requires separate documentation.
California research targets
1
Mission San José registers — baptismal and burial records for East Bay Ohlone, held at the Bancroft Library (UC Berkeley).
2
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) records — California Indian rolls, allotment records, and tribal enrollment files.
3
Muwekma Ohlone Tribe — the federally recognized descendant community of the Ohlone. Maintains genealogical records and may be able to verify the lineage claim.
4
California Mission Records Project — digitized database of mission records searchable by name.