THIS CORTEZ LINE

My name is Miguel Cortez and I am the one born in 1945 in the index. There are several Miguel’s on the list because of it being a common name on both sides of the family. This page is an attempt to store and gather information about all the families that get linked together by marriage, adoptions and whatever. All of you that happen to read this note, please talk and document all conversations with the “old” folks whenever you get a chance at home or when you go visit. Talk to those family members we only see at weddings and funerals so we can keep the links together.

I am finding it very difficult now that my parents and most of my parents' siblings have passed on to get information. All those times that I had “other” things to do when visiting relatives have come home to roost.

My family line is out of Mexico from Chihuahua on my fathers’ side and from Aguascalientes on my mothers. Both families settled in the El Paso, Texas area from San Elizario down the valley to Smeltertown where I grew up. Today the 30^th of June 2002 is almost a month of starting this quest and I have been lucky to have had contacted my cousins out in California after many years. They were also on a search for family information. We found each other after so many years and this is after knowing where we both live. We seem to think that we will “get there to visit” pretty soon and that pretty soon turned into several years for us. I hope the coming months will be as rewarding in getting back in contact with more family.

Ask questions or mail any information that might help you or us to put another piece on this puzzle.

Luck

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More information from my family. This past week has been both a sad time and a good time for me. The sad was the death of my Tio Ramon Cortez on April 27, 2004. In this case, the good was that I finally got to see a whole slew of my cousins, their husbands and a few of the children from my Tio Luis and Tia Adela Cortez Gonzales.
My Tios are now gone but did they leave a big family. The sadness of my Tios passing was made less with the chance to see so many of my cousins again.
I have listed a short list of my cousins and their spouses in the stories section so that I can build the whole family list. 2004 has taken a positive turn.

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Again death has brought the family a bit closer. My cousin Victor Gonzales, eldest son of my Tios Luis and Adela Cortez Gonzales passed away on June 10, 2005 out in Los Angeles. My primo Tote and his daughter Rachel Gonzales Castañeda have come forward in announcing his passing and again showing the strength of family in times of sorrow.

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Off to a sad note for 2008. My cousin Mercy called to notify me that my uncle Santiago Cortez passed away January 9, 2008. He was my dads brother and now we are down to my aunt Maria. Time has all too quickly caught up with us. Rest in peace Tio Chago.