My
great-great-grandfather, Tomas Jaques de Salazar (1800-1880), migrated
from Santa Ysabel (General Trias), Chihuahua, Mexico in the 1860's to
Coyame, Chihuahua near the Texas Rio Grande River. In 1870, he and his
wife, Guadalupe Romero, and his four sons, Jose Rosalio Mecedonio,
Trinidad, Honesimo, and Adriano, and their families crossed over by wagon
to Fort Stockton, Texas. They had all their coins in two large wooden
boxes. They buried the money hearing of bandits nearby. When they
returned for the money, it was stolen. Tomas' wife died in Fort
Stockton. Tomas and three sons, Jose, Trinidad, and Adriano moved on to
Ben Ficklin, Texas around 1871. Honesimo, my great-grandfather, stayed in
Fort Stockton to help finish building the Catholic church St. Joseph.
Honesimo's son, Selso, my grandfather, was born in Fort Stockton in April
3, 1874. By 1875, Honesimo and his family joined the other Jaques family
members in Ben Ficklin, Texas next to San Angelo. In Ben Ficklin, they
worked as irrigation farmers. In 1872, Tomas and two of his sons, Jose
and Trinidad, signed the Petition of 1872 to form Tom Green county, which
was much bigger than today. In 1882, a great flood destroyed most of Ben
Ficklin, but they stayed there until around 1886, when the family split.
Tomas' had died before the flood around 1880. Honesimo and Adriano moved
to Knickerbocker and are mentioned in the Texas historical marker.
Trinidad moved to north of El paso where Vinton, Texas now resides. Jose,
no one knows what happened to him or his family. Honesimo and Adriano
settled in Knickerbocker, built their rock houses, and worked on the side
for Joseph Tweedy, the founder of Knickerbocker. My grandfather, Selso,
later worked for R. F. Tankersley on on his cattle ranch as a foreman when
R. F. was in his elder years. The second wife of R. F. was the young and
pretty Conchita Maldonado, the aunt of Selso's wife, Maria Maldonado. My
father, Francisco Xavier Jacques, was born on the Tankersley ranch on July
14, 1917, five years after R. F. had died. Conchita Tankerlsey later sold
the ranch in 1920. Selso and his family then moved on to Hobbs, Texas and
then finally to Sweetwater, Texas by 1924. Selso and Maria are buried in
Sweetwater.