A flurry of phone calls to two dioceses, one St Anthony's church in New Almaden, all the surrounding parish churches, four or five emails, six weeks and a surprise visit later the envelope arrived in my mail box.
It was truly a delivery on many levels. As I opened and read each newly transcribed "Certificate of Baptism" I felt in awe; as if I were welcoming a new baby into the world. There were five in all. And each of these children introduced us to their padrina and padrino, god parents and members of our great grand's friends and family. There were names we recognized from census pages of the neighborhood in New Almaden and there were new names too.
The most amazing thing of all was the recorded baptism of a child unknown to us until this moment. Antonio Maltos born June 13th 1871. And, wonder of wonders, his godmother was Antonia Maltos.
The sudden appearance of this Antonia could be a key piece of the puzzle.
This name Antonio had resonance in our research. We had heard it before and wondered about it. Now the organic train of thought was that this child was named for Antonia Maltos, who was likely the sister of our great grandfather. At long last our Jose Maria seemed no longer alone in the world.
Stella Allison
December 6, 2013
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