Familia - History Lab https://historylab.es Wed, 18 May 2022 14:18:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://historylab.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-icono-historylab-32x32.jpg Familia - History Lab https://historylab.es 32 32 Letter from José Sánchez to Gerónima https://historylab.es/letter-from-jose-sanchez-to-geronima/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=letter-from-jose-sanchez-to-geronima Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:29 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/carta-de-jose-sanchez-a-geronima/ Letter written by José Sánchez to his beloved Gerónima informing her that her father has imposed another woman on him in order to arrange a marriage, and he urges her to forget their romance

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]]> In the modern age, society was structured according to different organisational and mental parameters. There was a division of society along the lines of the estates, in which the ambition of all the social groups behind the privileged was to improve their social and economic situation. Under this premise, marriage constituted a gateway to improve the family situation. That is why love was not a determining element in the marriage of the spouses. In addition to the need for socio-economic advancement, there was the absolute power of the parents to approve the marriage. This fragment illustrates a frustrated love between a couple who are separated by the marital conveniences sought by their parents. In this case, José Sánchez’s father forces his son to marry a well-to-do woman against his will. Consequently, José Sánchez writes to his beloved informing her of the situation. This is evidence that rigid social mechanisms in modern times coerced men and women, putting them at the absolute disposal of the need to improve the family situation. In this case, by arranging marriages that would give the family a step up the social ladder.

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]]> Statement by a servant about the hardships his family is going through. Toledo, 1771 https://historylab.es/statement-by-a-servant-about-the-hardships-his-family-is-going-through-toledo-1771/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=statement-by-a-servant-about-the-hardships-his-family-is-going-through-toledo-1771 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/declaracion-de-un-criado-sobre-las-penurias-que-esta-pasando-su-familia-toledo-1771/ Dependency situation with children outside the home

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]]> The text shows how Francisco Garrido, 56 years old and married to Francisca Díaz, 48 years old, had three children. The first of them was 28 years old, single and worked serving in the house of Juan Gutiérrez; the second was 16 years old and lived with his uncle Esteban Díaz as he could not support him; the third and last was a 14 year old girl who was admitted to the General Hospital in Madrid. The family’s delicate situation meant that the wife worked in different houses washing clothes, although her wages were very low, while the husband tried to earn a living as a servant in a shop.

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]]> Marriage of Juan Álvarez Mendizábal to María Teresa Alfaro in Barrax, 1812 https://historylab.es/marriage-of-juan-alvarez-mendizabal-to-maria-teresa-alfaro-in-barrax-1812/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=marriage-of-juan-alvarez-mendizabal-to-maria-teresa-alfaro-in-barrax-1812 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/matrimonio-de-juan-alvarez-mendizabal-con-maria-teresa-alfaro-en-barrax-1812/ Parish register of marriage between Juan Álvarez Mendizábal and María Teresa Alfaro

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]]> The document is a parish register of marriages performed in the church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción in the town of Barrax. The specific case is the marriage performed on 21 February 1812 between Juan Álvarez Mendizával and María Teresa Alfaro. The parents of both are mentioned; in her case, her mother was in charge of giving consent for the marriage to take place; in his case, it was the Real Justicia de la Gineta. The study of this documentary typology is fundamental for the reconstruction of the social past of the families, their origins, trajectories and life cycles.

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]]> Numerous servants of a nobleman from Villarrobledo in 1753 https://historylab.es/numerous-servants-of-a-nobleman-from-villarrobledo-in-1753/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=numerous-servants-of-a-nobleman-from-villarrobledo-in-1753 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/numerosos-criados-de-un-hidalgo-villarrobledense-en-1753/ Dependent status of several servants working for the same master

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]]> The Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada included numerous socio-economic aspects of the individuals of the Crown of Castile. The document presented corresponds to the declaration of the nobleman Fernando Antonio Montoya. Fernando was ordinary mayor of the town of Villarrobledo. In 1753 he was 38 years old, while his wife was 47. His children were 17, 14 and 6 years old. His well-to-do position in the estates led him to have multiple servants in his service. Each servant is described according to his age and marital status. The maids stand out for being orphans, unmarried and varying in age from 40 to 22 years old; the same personal situation had the servant of his own service, Antonio Ruiz, aged 16, all three being completely dependent on the master. However, the servants specialising in farm work were all male and ranged in age from 15 to 50, with a total of 2 labour servants and 9 shepherds. Some of them, such as Felipe de Mora or Antonio Fraile were not residents of Villarrobledo, being counted as residents of Minaya, a few kilometres from the master’s town. For all these reasons, the declaration reflects the sexual roles associated with each gender (maids for the home and servants for field work), age and geographical location.

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]]> Memorial of a widow with children serving in Villarrobledo, 1752 https://historylab.es/memorial-of-a-widow-with-children-serving-in-villarrobledo-1752/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=memorial-of-a-widow-with-children-serving-in-villarrobledo-1752 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/memorial-de-una-viuda-con-hijos-sirviendo-en-villarrobledo-1752/ Rural patronage where a whole family serves a single master

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]]> Memorial made by Josefa Navarro, widow of Bernardo de Moya, informing of her family and patrimonial state. Josefa declares that she is 50 years old and a widow, as well as having 3 sons: Bernardo de Moya, 26 years old and servant boy of sheep herdsman; Sebastián, 15 years old, shepherd; and Juan, 13 years old, blacksmith. The whole family is serving Cristóbal de la Torre. After explaining his family situation, he provides the goods he has: a house in the parish of San Francisco in Villarrobledo, consisting of multiple rooms; livestock in the form of 5 sheep, 7 goats, 13 goats’ laps and 1 lamb.

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]]> Single woman with children, husband absent for 3 years. Toledo, 1778 https://historylab.es/single-woman-with-children-husband-absent-for-3-years-toledo-1778/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=single-woman-with-children-husband-absent-for-3-years-toledo-1778 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/mujer-sola-con-hijos-marido-ausente-desde-hace-3-anos-toledo-1778/ Woman abandoned by her husband with children in her care

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]]> The document is a statement by Sebastiana de Torres, 39 years old and a resident of Toledo, on the situation of her family. She declares that her husband, Esteban de Arévalo, a shepherd by trade, has been missing for three years. As a result, since the family’s main breadwinner was missing, Sebastiana had to work in order to support her children. She says that her work as an errand girl earns her 140 reales a year, although 33 reales of this amount goes to pay the rent for the house where they live.

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]]> Poor widowed woman living in a room in an inn. Toledo, 1770 https://historylab.es/poor-widowed-woman-living-in-a-room-in-an-inn-toledo-1770/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=poor-widowed-woman-living-in-a-room-in-an-inn-toledo-1770 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/mujer-viuda-y-pobre-residente-en-un-cuarto-de-un-meson-toledo-1770/ Widowhood and poverty in a woman from Toledo

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]]> María González, aged 67, was a widow and extremely poor. Her situation led her to live with her two grandchildren: Manuel, 20 years old and a low-wage worker at the inn where they live; and Gregorio, 11 years old. Both grandchildren are in her care due to the premature death of their parents. With no help other than charity, her situation brought her no small amount of worry for her and her grandchildren’s future.

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]]> Woman washerwoman with husband absent for 24 years. Toledo, 1778 https://historylab.es/woman-washerwoman-with-husband-absent-for-24-years-toledo-1778/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=woman-washerwoman-with-husband-absent-for-24-years-toledo-1778 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/mujer-lavandera-con-marido-ausente-24-anos-toledo-1778/ Loneliness and neglect of a washerwoman for 24 years

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]]> Ana María Delgado, a resident of the parish of San Isidoro de Toledo, declared that she worked as a washerwoman, earning 2 reales a day to support herself. She also said that she was a single woman and that “I have no one to earn them for me”. This allusion refers to the absence of her husband, 24 years without him, without knowing his whereabouts or whether he is still alive or dead. Ana María also states that she has to subsist by her own means and that she has a house of her own in which she lives, the rent of which is worth 12 ducats (a method of valuation to refer to the value of the property). This is an example of a single woman seeking her future by working and having a comfortable personal situation.

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]]> Declaration of assets of a servant page in Toledo in 1771 https://historylab.es/declaracion-de-de-un-criado-paje-de-toledo-en-1771/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=declaracion-de-de-un-criado-paje-de-toledo-en-1771 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/declaracion-de-bienes-de-un-criado-paje-de-toledo-en-1771/ Description of the situation of a page servant

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]]> Document reflecting the situation of a page servant. The declaration is part of those made by the only Royal Tax; it was the responses to the Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada that the monarch ordered to be made in order to take stock of the socio-economic situation of his Kingdom. In this case, he is a servant in the house of Don Nicolás Juan Paniagua, for which he is paid 3 reales a day. He also declares that he lives in his house with his wife, his mother-in-law and a neighbour from Toledo.

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]]> Declaration of assets of a company servant in Toledo, 1771 https://historylab.es/declaration-of-assets-of-a-company-servant-in-toledo-1771/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=declaration-of-assets-of-a-company-servant-in-toledo-1771 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:33:23 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/declaracion-de-bienes-de-un-criado-de-compania-en-toledo-1771/ Description of the situation of a servant in a company

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]]> The declaration of the servant, Nicasio Cortés, aged 55 and husband of Josefa de Santa, aged 77, in which he states that he is not employed despite working in the house of Águeda Cepeda. He considers that this work, as he does not receive remuneration, does not count as real employment. In the same way, he states that both he and his wife subsist thanks to the wages earned by their son, Tomás Cortés, at the Royal Sword Factory. Why is Nicaso not paid as a servant? Although it is true that his work consisted of keeping company, the objective he could have pursued was to obtain a benefit of material goods after the death of the owner, who for reasons of affection could leave them some belongings as an inheritance.

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