Maltos.... and more

Juan Maltos 1869-1936

When we began this blog my actual sister Stella (and Search Sister) and I thought it would be about our Maltos kin. She named this blog "Historias Maltos", Maltos Stories. Our blog was built to record the steps in uncovering the origins of our moms's mysterious latino father, Juan Maltos. 

Juan, John or Jack (as he called himself) died young. Born in New Almaden in 1869 His daughter Marie Maltos was only 16 when he breathed his last breath in 1936.  She had some vivid memories about this entrepreneurial papa who owned gold mines, a grocery store, was a good cook, a photographer and spoke Spanish and English. But she had no real information about his past, save he was born in New Almaden from a miner family.

 As we began our search for Juan we thought that this was about Maltos stories. 

Then we discovered it was also about Lillian Dionne, our French Canadian American Grandma. It was about Diaz, Luna, Luera, Zamora, Sambrano, Paredes, Berryessa, Martinez, Selaya, Rodrigruez, Boxall, George, Henry, Martinelli, Killeen, San Julian, Avila, Davis, Craig, Zaravia, It was about the husbands and the wives, the kids, the neighbors, the god parents. Sometimes it was even about the assassins and their attorneys.

Maltos does not even begin to describe the territory that we would cover as we looked into our history which is intertwined with the history of California and Mexico.... but it was a good place to begin.

Linda Allison

March 25, 2015

Photo Source: Hand tinted photograph from collection of Juanita Maltos Rogers

Face to Face with Jose Maria Maltos

Today our long lost cousin Patrick Killeen gave us a tour of his mother’s, Leona Novak Killeen's, photo albums. Flipping through the books we come across this portrait. We have looked at hundreds of photos this afternoon, but this one stops me dead in my tracks. 

“Who’s he?"  I ask.  
“I have no idea" Patrick answers. 

The photo is big... it looks old. It is one of those photos that looks like it was enhanced with soft pencil. It’s printed on heavy card stock. The edges look hacked, like they have been cut from another picture.

Could this be?

I flip and read the inscription on back. Goosebumps.

Could this REALLY be?

I elbow Stella sitting on the couch besides me. 

"Do you think? "

"Jose Maria?" she says. 

"YEAH, I think so too...."
WOW!  We have never laid eyes on our great grandfather who traveled from Mexico to work in the quicksilver mines at New Almaden in the 1860s. So this is Jose Maria?

We both squint at the notes on the back.

Mrs. L Rodriguez, 411 South Yosemite St, Stockton
“Please take good care of father photo”

"To Emma, Father Picture from Lupe 

 Dec. 24, 1933

Keep always with you"

Lupe has got to be our great aunt, Guadalupe Maltos Rodriquez. We know that she lived on Yosemite Street in Stockton, California . “ Emma” must be Emma Maltos her niece. This photo was given to Emma on Christmas eve 1933 with the message :"...take good care of father photo” 

Jose Maria Maltos was Lupe’s father.... This is OUR GREAT GRANDFATHER.  

Finally! a face to go with the name. 

March 11, 2015