New Mexico: Centuries of Stories

Have you ever dismissed a family story as "too good to be true," only to discover years later that your ancestor was telling the absolute truth? What if that skepticism led you on a journey that revealed not just one remarkable connection, but centuries of unbroken family history in a single place?

That's exactly what happened to Stephen Torres when his grandfather insisted that one of their forefathers was "the first European to set foot on New World soil." As a young history student, Stephen thought it sounded like wishful thinking. Until his college research into Columbus's voyage manifests revealed a name that changed everything: Luis de Torres, Columbus's interpreter and the first member of the expedition to step onto American soil.

From Skepticism to Stunning Discovery

Stephen's grandfather was more than a storyteller. He was a keeper of four centuries of family history in New Mexico's Taos Valley. A teacher and rancher who raised cattle and shared wisdom in equal measure, he understood something profound about the power of knowing where you come from.

"He told us, remember, he said one of your forefathers was the first European to set foot on the New World soil. And I used to think to myself, oh, that's a little bit of a stretch."

But when Stephen's college research led him to Columbus's ship manifests, he found Luis de Torres listed as the expedition's interpreter, fluent in English, French, Italian, Arabic, and Hebrew. According to the World Book Encyclopedia, "Columbus's interpreter, Luis de Torres, who was Jewish, was the first man of the expedition to set foot on American soil."

In this week's episode of Stories That Live In Us, Stephen shares what it means to have roots so deep they span four centuries in one place, and how Catholic Church records helped preserve an unbroken chain of family history that most Americans could never imagine accessing.

The Whole Story

If you haven't heard Stephen's remarkable story about centuries of family history in New Mexico, take a moment to listen:

Prefer audio only? Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:

• How skepticism about grandfather's stories led to stunning historical discoveries
• What it means to grow up with 50+ cousins all connected to the same place
• The precious time Stephen spent living with his storytelling grandmother
• How Catholic Church records preserved 400 years of unbroken family history
• The cultural traditions that survive when families stay rooted in one place
• Why Stephen's cousin was able to trace their Vigil family line back to Charlemagne

The Power of One Place

Stephen's story reveals something increasingly rare in American family history: the profound impact of staying put. While most of us trace ancestors who moved across states and continents, Stephen represents something different—a family whose identity is inseparable from the soil of northern New Mexico.

"New Mexico isn't just a character in your story, it's part of who you are."

Growing up with grandparents just miles away, attending school with cousins, and inheriting stories that stretch back to the 1598 Spanish colonization of New Mexico, Stephen experienced what many of us can only imagine: complete cultural continuity across generations.

His family maintained not just their Spanish language and Catholic traditions, but their connection to the land itself through ranching, their commitment to education through multiple generations of teachers, and their dedication to preserving family stories through intentional storytelling.

Your Story

Most of our families don't have Stephen's luxury of 400 years of records in one location, but his approach to preserving family stories offers lessons for all of us. Twenty-five years ago, he sat down at his computer and compiled "Favorite Stories of the Torres Family," ensuring that the oral traditions his grandfather shared wouldn't be lost.

Think about the family stories that seem "too good to be true" in your own family history. What if, like Stephen, you took the time to research them? Even if your family moved frequently, consider what cultural traditions, languages, or customs persisted across generations and locations.

Story Seeds 🌱

Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.

1. For Grandparents/Great-Aunts/Great-Uncles: What family stories did your parents or grandparents tell that seemed almost too remarkable to believe? Have you ever tried to verify any of them?
2. For Parents: What traditions from your childhood home (foods, holidays, languages, customs) did you intentionally carry forward to our family? Which ones do you miss that we don't practice anymore?
3. For Extended Family: Growing up, who were the family members you felt closest to besides your immediate family? What made those relationships so special?
4. For Older Relatives: If you could take our family back to the place where our roots run deepest, where would that be and what would you want to show us there?

Story Sparks 🔑

Unlock your family's hidden stories with these research techniques.

1. Search Church Records: Use Ancestry's Card Catalog to locate Catholic, Protestant, or other religious records in your ancestors' locations. Filter by location, date range, and record type for best results. These records often contain family information not found elsewhere.
2. Document Family Name Spelling Variants: Create a list of all the various ways a family surname may have been spelled. For example, Stephen's family name "Torres" might appear as "de Torres" in historical records. Tracking these variations can unlock new discoveries.
3. Create Family Story Collections: Follow Stephen's example by compiling family stories into a written collection. Include both the stories you believe and the ones you're skeptical about. Future generations might be the ones to verify their truth.

Stephen's journey from skepticism to discovery reminds us that our ancestors' stories - even the ones that seem too extraordinary to believe - may hold more truth than we realize. Sometimes the most remarkable family histories are hiding in plain sight, waiting for the right moment of curiosity to reveal their secrets.

What family story have you dismissed that might deserve a second look?

Ready to discover more stories like Stephen's? Subscribe to Stories That Live In Us wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode inspired you to dig deeper into your family's "too good to be true" stories, please leave us a rating and review—it helps other family story seekers find us.

© 2025 Crista Cowan. All rights reserved.