Elfega Gonzalez

Her Story

Elfega Morales Arrambide was born on April 19, 1865 in Salinas Victoria,  México, to parents José Pedro Morales Trevino (1834 – 1904) and María Petra Arrambide Diaz (1835 -1887).  She was one of thirteen (13) children born to Jose Pedro and Maria Petra. When Elfega was in her early teen years, Jose Maria Gonzalez Gutierrez de Lara requested the hand in marriage of Elfega’s older sister Delfina. Her father noted that Delfina was promised to someone else and thus informed him he could consider Elfega although would have to wait for several years. On May 20, 1857, in Salinas Victoria, Elfega at age 16 married Jose Maria Gonzalez who was 20 years her senior. Six years pass before they begin to grow their family, having eleven children of which eight survived childhood. Her children were Josefina (1891-1930), Virginia (1896-1974), Adelina (1896-1896), Juana Maclovia (1898-1966), Jose Maria (1899-1966), Juvenal (1901-1975), Avelina (1902-1984), Narcisa Adelfa (1904-1980), , María Juana (1907-1907), Guadalupe (1908 – 1908) and María Hermila (1910-1975).

Of note, the Mexican Revolution had erupted in Mexico in 1910 and Elfega’s husband, Jose Maria, dies at the age of sixty-five on December 25, 1912. The family business was transporting goods via horse driven wagon from Mexico to as far away as San Antonio, TX and family documents note the danger in this occupation. The attacks by Indigenous tribes necessitated claims for lost merchandise. Jose Maria’s death  is recorded in Monterrey, Mexico with no cause of death noted.  Elfega was widowed at this time with eight children in Salinas Victoria, Nuevo Leon Mexico and continued to live as such in their family home.

In around 1915, with the Mexican revolution continuing, soldiers barged into the now widowed Elfega’s property on horseback to commander the house. Their property included a  large house facing Juarez Plaza (now called Plaza Principal) and was by Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.  Because of the property size and location,  soldiers wanted it as a command center. Upon entering, soldiers saw a large portrait of a family relative, a priest, possibly a monsignor.  He may have been Father Jose Antonio Gutierrez de Lara, a Catholic priest and confessor to Agustin de Iturbide, Emperor of Mexico (date).  De Iturbide is recognized as the father of the Mexican Independence from Spain. With this recognition, Elfega’s family was given three days to pack for their escape train trip to Laredo, TX.  Due to the revolution, The United States had opened its borders with limited immigration controls. Elfega and her young children arrived in Laredo in 1915 a found refuge with family. Elfega’s brother-in-law, Agustin Gonzalez and his family were already residing in Laredo and assisted with her immigration process into the United States. By 1920, Elfega is listed as head of household on San Eduardo St. sharing her home with her children, Maclovia, Jose Maria, Juvenal, Avelina, Adelfa, and Hermila.  Her two oldest daughters, Josephina and Virginia were both married at the time, living in their own households in Texas.

Elfega never left Laredo and died on April 6, 1936, at the age of sixty-eight. She along with seven of her children that immigrated from Mexico are buried at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Her other three children were all buried in the family hometown, Salinas Victoria, N.L. Mx.

The life story of Elfega was created utilizing three of the projects being promoted by this genealogy committee: the Family History Oral Recollections provide by Virgilio Escutia and Elena Gonzalez, the Photo/Document Catalogue entries provided by Kathy Escutia and information/data collected in Ancestry.com by Judith Gonzalez Hanley. If anyone wishes to contribute stories or share their impressions of Elfega, please contact the Legacy of Elfega committee.