Josef Suarez Falcon & Isabel Navarro

Name: Josef Suarez Falcon
Ship: El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
Birth: ca.1734 - San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria[7,8,10]  

Wife: Isabel Navarro (Hidalgo)
Birth: ca.1744 - San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria[7,8,10]  

History

Josef left Santa Cruz, Tenerife in June 5, 1779 sailing on the ship El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús and landed in Havana, Cuba on July 25, 1779.[1,2]   He arrived in Havana, Cuba with his wife Isabel and children Cristobal, Josefa, Catalina, and Maria. 

The family stayed in Havana and nearby Regla until 1783, waiting for permission to continue the journey to Louisiana due to the war.[2]  After the war, he left Havana for Pensacola with his wife Isabel and children Cristobal, Josefa, Catalina, and Maria.  They resided in Pensacola and are listed in the 1784 Pensacola census.[3]  

Isabel is listed as "Isabel Navarro" on the ship list and "Isabel Hidalgo" on the Pensacola census of 1784.[3]  

Children

1. Josefa (b.1769)
2. Cristobal (b.1772)
3. Catalina (b.1776)
4. Maria

Daughter Josefa married Don. Francisco Xavier De La Rua, son of Francisco De La Rua, "king-at-arms and historian of His Most Cahtolic Majesty"[4] and Ana Ruiz De Naveda" of Madrid, Spain[12,13], in Pensacola.  They continued to have children in Pensacola and New Orleans, possibly residents of both locations.  Their children are also listed in the confirmation lists for Pensacola in 1798.[15]  Francisco died and was buried in November 12, 1811.[13]  Josefa moved back to Pensacola shortly afterwards.  Her land is assessed along the Escambia River in 1821. She died after 1837.[5]  

NOTE: The Pensacola census of 1820 lists Josepha as a widow with children, however, given the death of Francisco in 1811, the ages of the children are in question.[3]  

Daughter Catalina married Jose Antonio Marchena.  He was a "carpenter at Ft. San Carlos de Barrancas who helped build the barracks and outbuildings of that post in December of 1795".  She was listed in the religious censuses of Pensacola.6  Their daughter is also listed in the confirmation lists for Pensacola in 1798.[15]  She remarried Bartolome Montanez, son of Francisco Montanez and Margarita Bernasa of Palma, Majorca, Spain[10], on April 14, 1805 at Sainte Marie de l'Archeveche (St. Mary's) in New Orleans.[8]  He owned two brigantines, the San Carlos and the San Pedro, both which brought Isleños from Santa Cruz.[11] He is listed as "Bartolome Montaner", "Barthelemi Montane", and "Barthelemi Montauer".[6,7,8]  They continued to have children in New Orleans.  She died December 23, 1814 and was buried December 24, 1814 in New Orleans.[14]  Bartolome moved back to Pensacola before 1820 with three of his children and resided next door to his sister-in-law Josefa.[3]  

References

1. Sidney Louis Villere, The Canary Islands Migration to Louisiana, 1778-1783. the History and Passenger Lists of the Islenos Volunteer Recruits and Their Families.
2. Gilbert C. Din, The Canary Islanders of Louisiana, Louisiana State University Press.
3. William S. Coker, Douglas G. Inglis, The Spanish Census of Pensacola, 1784-1820, The Perdido Bay Press, 1980. 
4. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 5. p110
5. 1837 Will of Josefa Falcon de la Rua to her children, Escambia Co., Florida.  Recorded June 8, 1837. Recorded in Book D. page 426.
6. "Religious Censuses of Pensacola 1796-1801."  Reprinted in  Thomas T. McAvoy and Lawrence J. Bradley, "Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Records of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Floridas, 1576- 1803" (Notre Dame, 1967).  Reprinted in Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 1, Article 7.  Florida Historical Society, 1982.  p62.
7. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 6. p199
8. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 7. p108-109
9. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 8. p129, p236-237
10. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 9. p259
11. Gilbert C. Din, The Canary Islanders of Louisiana, Louisiana State University Press. p20
12. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 9. p97
13. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 10. p126.
14. Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  Vol 11. p168.
15. First Book of Confirmations of this Parish of St. Louis of New Orleans.  Reprinted in William S. Coker, Douglas G. Inglis, The Spanish Census of Pensacola, 1784-1820, The Perdido Bay Press, 1980.