Found Epileptic Pit Bull Needs New Home or Rescue - The Story of Juniper

On the day she found us.

She wasn't interested in the blanket I got her, so I put it on her. Still not interested.

We didn't exactly find Juniper, she kind of found us. She walked right onto a neighbors' lawn, and the neighbors came knocking on our door because they thought she was ours. Clearly, she wasn't our dog, but the neighbor was so scared of her that we brought her into our front yard. She was exhausted, panting, and very docile. We just knew that if we took her to the pound, she wouldn't come back out alive, so we set out to find her owners ourselves.

That's her in the center on a group walk with my dogs.

Resting after coming back from the vet.

Fliers went up at the park, local veterinarians' offices, the pound, and everywhere in between. I posted her on Craigslist, FidoFinder, and even the Los Angeles Times. No one came to claim her. She was wearing a collar, but no tags. My vet confirmed that she had a microchip, but it wasn't registered to anyone.

Her favorite activity.

A couple of weeks later, we were awakened by banging on the coffee table. Juniper was having a seizure. She went on phenobarbital, which worked for about a month or two. She then had a string of seizures that weren't responding to phenobarb or valium. After 3 days shuttling her back and forth from her new vet to the emergency vet for overnight seizure watch, she is now stabilized on both phenobarb and kBr. She's had only one minor seizure since then.

She's more athletic than she looks- she learned to jump these puppy gates, so we got taller ones.

She scratches her back sometimes by wiggling around - it's cute. =)

Unfortunately, we've come to the realization that her people aren't coming for her, and we can't keep her. We had already maxed out our credit card getting a tumor removed from one of our other dogs, and now we've just about maxed out our Care Credit on emergency vet care for Juniper. We're buying her meds on Care Credit, and she's overdue for bloodwork. We didn't exactly clear a third dog with our landlord either, but for the moment it was okay because we're renting from family. We have to relocate now, however, and the few apartments we found that would take a pit bull would not take us with three dogs. We need help.

Juniper's glucose levels and thyroid check out okay. She got her rabies shot so we could license her, but we were going to space out her other shots (haven't been able to do the others yet). We haven't had occasion to see her with cats or kids, but she loves making new people-friends and she's good with other dogs both large and small. If anything, she's over-eager to play. She's highly food motivated. She walks well on a leash on most days (she responds a lot better to certain handlers). She'll sit and shake, but hasn't yet learned down or stay. She loves rope toys, and occasionally plush toys or balls, but her absolute favorite is chasing the water out of the hose in the back yard. She likes to spend quality time sleeping on the couch while I sit next to her, but she doesn't insist on sitting on my lap like the other dogs do. She has what I believe to be a spaying scar, but I can't confirm it.

We're currently renting an apartment in Austin while still paying rent in California because I just couldn't take her to the pound. We can only do this through June, though. Please share. <3

She jumped into the trunk while I was bringing in groceries one day.

This is her bath day smile.

A chance connection

I was at the Southern California Genealogical Society's 2010 Jamboree this past weekend. I dropped by the Los Californianos booth, for at least the fourth time. The nice lady at the booth (I forgot your name!) asked me what the surname was of the family I had in early California. I told her Echeverría, and she asked if I was related to "that guy over there." Umm, not that I know of?

It turns out, another attendee (whose name I've also forgotten!) had asked about the same surname shortly before I did. Furthermore, it turns out that his Echevarrias were at the same mission as my Echevarria/Echeverría/Echebarria/Echevaria family, at about the same time. I didn't have any Nicolas Echevarria, though, so I gave him my name, email address, and the names of the people that I have in the area at the time. I asked him that if he found a connection, to please let me know.

Today, I got curious and did a search at the Huntington Library's Early California Population Project. Here's what I found:

* Nicolas Echeverria and Maria del Pilar Larias baptize a daughter Juliana in 1830. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Echeverria and Maria del Pilar Larios baptize a son Juan Antonio de Gracia in 1832. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chavarria and Pilar Larios baptize a daughter Maria Antonia in 1834. Godparents: Antonia Rodrigues.

* Nicolas Chavarria and Maria del Pilar Larios baptize a son Jose Ramon de Gracia in 1836. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Echevarria and Maria Pilar Larios baptize a daughter Maria del Refugio in 1838. Godparents: Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chabarria and Maria Pilar Larios baptize a daughter Maria Gertrudes Eufania in 1839. Godparents: Dolores Pacheco and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chaberria and Maria Pilar Larios baptize a son Jose Francisco Guadalupe in 1841. Godparents: Francisco Abila and Maria Antonia Pacheco.

* Nicolas Chavarria and Pilar Larios baptize a son Clemente Patricio in 1843. Godparents: Mariano Castro and Rufina Galindo.

So, guess what Manuel Larios and Maria Antonia Pacheco were doing in 1849? Becoming the godparents of my ancestor's sister, Rafaela Genobeba de Jesus Echevarria Lebrija. Not the kind of link I would have hoped for, but this does deserve further research!

It turns out that Manuel Larios and Pilar Larios are brother and sister, and Manuel was a Soldado de Cuera.

I'll scan these people's records when the films come in (I already requested the baptisms last week), but I have a feeling that if the record had grandparents, they would be in the database. Wish me luck!

Echeverrias in the gold rush

My 3rd great-grandparents Teofilo Estolano Echeverria and Jesus Gertrudis Lebrija are my most-traveled ancestors so far.

I have him in 1844 in Baja California as possibly some kind of government employee - see Google Books.

According to the 1850 US Census and 1852 California Census, Teofilo was born in Jalisco in 1818, and Gertrudis (as she is usually known) in Baja California in 1831 (her baptismal record from La Paz confirmed this). They have three children born in California- born 1849, 1851, and 1853. The marriage certificate of the 1st child says she was born in "Alta California" and for the 3rd child says San Francisco, CA. I believe that the 2nd child died before marrying, because his name is later re-used.

Then they have another nine children, all in Guadalajara, Jalisco. My 2nd great-grandfather in 1855, and his siblings in 1857, 1859, 1860, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1867, and 1868. I have baptismal certificates for all of the Jalisco children, and marriage certificates for several.

So here are my research goals:

1. Baptismal certificates for each of the children born in Alta California. I thought I'd find these in either the San Francisco or Monterey missions, but an extract book got me nothing.
2. Baptismal certificate for Teofilo. First guess would be in the church his later children are baptized, as this may have been near the home where he grew up in Jalisco.
3. Marriage certificate for Teofilo and Gertrudis. Since he worked in Baja in 1844 and their first child is born in 1848, I'll be looking in Baja first.
   
4. Marriage and/or death certificates for each child I don't already have.
5. And, of course, go up a generation and do it over again!

So today, I was browsing websites from a sheet of Popular Internet Resources I picked up on the freebie table of Southern California Genealogical Society in Burbank, CA. As this is the family I'm focusing on right now, I was opening a multitude of new tabs on California and Gold Rush history. In The Huntington Library's Early California Population Project database, 2006, I found the following from the San Juan Bautista mission:

Teresa de Jesus Antonia Echeverria, born on 17 January 1849 and baptized 3 February 1849, legitimate daughter of Agustin Echeverria and Marciana Lebrija. (I've never heard of either, but I always find it interesting when two couples share the same two last names.) How I know this person is connected to my family is that the godparents are Angel "Lebrinja" and Concepcion Calles- my 4th great-grandparents, whom I had no idea were ever in Alta California. Could two sets of siblings have married each other? This needs further research.

Not coming up by surname, but found by a search by mother's surname, Teresa "Echabarria" was born 4 April 1850 and baptized 15 April 1850, the legitimate daughter of Agustin Echabarria and Mariana Lebrija. An alternate spelling on the mother's first name and the father's last name!

Another child by the same name, Teresa "Echevaria" (yet a third spelling of this last name), daughter of Agustin Echevaria and Mariana Lebrija, was buried on 28 February 1849 and buried at "sementerio." I don't think that this is the mission cemetery, because my research leads me to believe that the cemetery adjacent to the mission was full by October of 1838.

Finally, I found one of the people I was originally looking for!

Rafaela Genobeba de Jesus "Echevarria" (four for four on ways to spell this name!), legitimate daughter of Teofilo Echevarria and Jesus Lebrija, was born 3 January 1849 and baptized the same day.

I still have to order the films to view the originals, but I'm putting this day in the "Win" column! One down, two to go (of step 1), with an added bonus of new potential cousins!

From a prompt on 9/11

I was in England (from my native California) visiting my long-distance boyfriend. We had biked to a park and were just hanging out, when he got a text message. He told me I wasn’t going to be able to go home. I thought he was kidding with me because he didn’t want me to go home. He said we should get back to his house. On the way there, he got another text message saying “turn on your television.”

He didn’t tell me what was going on until we got to his house and saw it on the television. I don’t know anyone in New York, but I still cried. I called my family, and they said to stay where I was, that it was safer than being in Los Angeles. They were even concerned about me getting on a plane, but I told them it would be safer now than ever.

I was due to fly back on 9/17/2001, but as of 9/14/2001 British Airways didn’t know if the flight would be able to leave the ground. I asked for it to be rescheduled, because I didn’t want to go to London just to be turned back. I was rescheduled for 9/24/2001, and was angered to find out when I checked in they were charging me a re-booking fee, despite their website claims about rescheduling people. I never flew BA again.

Checking in for that flight, the metal detectors must have been on their highest setting, because I wore flip flops and nothing with buttons (thinking this would help me through security faster) and I still set off the metal detector with the hooks on my bra. My feet were cold on the plane for nothing! When I got home, everything was very surreal. Two weeks had passed, and it was like it never happened, because I didn’t go through the shock and anger and mourning with everyone else. Yet, it was everywhere. Only getting back to work made me feel connected to the real world again.

See more progress on: Write about where I was the morning of September 11th 2001

How to scan the old family photos

"Parents' pictures are done!"

How I did it: I bought a sheet-fed scanner, which was much faster than the flat bed I already had. Then I hired an unemployed friend to do the work for me. I still have to put some of the pictures back, the ones that were in the albums with the sticky pages and now need to be mounted with corner mounts onto scrapbook paper. The scanning itself, however, is done! Until my sisters dig up their pictures...

Lessons & tips: Do your research on scanning resolution and format, etc, particularly if you are researching before purchasing the scanner.

It took me 1 year.

It made me Happy

See more progress on: Scan the old family photos

Finished making copies of original documents

I now have copies of all of the original documents. Additional things I have processed since the last blog post:

* What appears to be a promissory note from 1904, signed by Refugio Echeverria, and co-signed by her father G. Echeverria (probably Guilebaldo).
* A letter from the same date as above, to the director of the "Normal Mixed School." It states that Refugio Echeverria wants to enroll in the school, and that she has fulfilled all of the indispensable requirements of the law and regulations to be admitted, as justified by the adjunct documents. It asks that the director grant her the right to attend her first year of school to be a teacher, and is signed by Refugio.
* A letter from a doctor Y. M. Cardenas, from the same date as above, attesting to having vaccinated Refugio Echeverria and to her good health.
* Birth certificate from 1886 birth of Refugio Echeverria.

Next step is to make detailed scans of both the documents (from the copies, as the originals are too delicate) and the photographs. After uploading to Flickr for backup purposes and to Geni for sharing purposes, I'll do what I can on short notice to stabilize the originals.

The things that are letter size or smaller are in archival-safe sheet protectors now, but all of the vital records are larger than legal size. My husband made a shopping trip for me to get scrapbooking supplies, as the 12x12 format is the only way to preserve the documents without folding, and within the next 2 days when my aunt goes back to Mexico.

Finally, I'll make another set of the copies for my aunt Angela, who is currently copying my files for herself. My aunt Cuca will be taking the originals home with her.

Genealogy finds from my aunts

If you follow my twitter, you already know that my aunt and I have traded genealogy notes. I showed her how to use Legacy and gave her a file to start out with, and also lent her my Aceves-Echeverria binder to make copies of my documents. In turn, she and my other aunt (who is visiting from Mexico) lent me their stuff. I think that I got the better deal! A quick inventory of what I've processed so far...

Pictures (I put these on Geni already, coming to Flickr soon):
* Picture of my grandmother (of whom we were told there are no photographs) in a group with other family members, including two of her aunts who helped raise her children when she died. According to my aunt Cuca, their stepmother threw all of the pictures and documents out, but this particular photograph was in my aunt's room.
* Picture of my grandmother alone, edited down from the above picture.
* Picture of my great grandmother.
* Picture of perhaps another great grandmother. Will have to double check identities.
* Picture of my uncle in the 50s with the bus he used to drive.
* Picture of my grandfather and his second wife.
* Picture of a group of kids, probably my dad and uncles.

Documents:
* My aunt's birth certificate.
* My uncle's birth certificate.
* My grandfather's birth certificate.
* My grandmother's birth certificate.
* My grandmother's death certificate.
* My grandfather and grandmother's marriage certificate.
* Hand-written letter from 1908 from Juan Ramirez (believed to be a bullfighter) to great-grandma Refugio Echeverria, written when she was pregnant with my grandmother.
* Hand-written letter from 1910 from Refugio Echeverria (either great-grandmother or great-great-grandmother; must use dates to determine) to her brother.
* Hand-written letter from 1911 from a Refugio Echeverria to her son. Probably great-great grandma, as we believe that grandma was an only child.
* Receipt from 1920 for what appears to be burial permit fee for Refugio Echeverria (unsure which one).
* Hand-written letter from 1916 from Refugio Echeverria to her brother.
* Hand-written letter from 1933 from "Maria" to her aunt Elodia Echeverria (both of the Refugios have a sister named Elodia).
* Enrollment papers for my grandmother to attend school in 1915. Unfortunately, only the signature of the headmaster is on this, not of the parents.

There are still some more documents that I haven't gone through. Some of them are falling apart, and I'm taking my time in this process. Basically, I'm making a color copy of each document, putting it away, and working from the copy. I'm on a deadline of getting the documents back to my aunt Angela's house before my aunt Cuca goes back to Mexico, so an update will probably come shortly!

As you can imagine, I'm thrilled for a number of reasons. Firstly, because I had believed, as had my father, that no pictures existed of my grandmother. They had asked around decades ago, but come up empty. I'm so glad my aunt Angela asked my aunt Cuca to look through her papers before she came on her visit. Secondly, while I may have eventually gotten all of the civil registration documents, the hand written letters are something that can never be ordered or reproduced by paying a fee. I'm so blessed that my aunt had kept them all these years. A big thank you to both of them!