The 7-Year Itch

“Writers don’t remember everything they write. How could they?” --Gabrielle Zevin, THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY 

Another jackpot week of Family Tree letters arrived. First, my mom’s cousin in Alburquerque, Esther Martinez-Tapia at 1524 7th St NW, Albuquerque, NM. Her mother, Carlota Leyba, was my maternal grandmothers’ sister. Esther is the grandmother to the professional boxer known as Johnny Tapia. Esther raised him as her son because his mother, Virginia Tapia-Gallegos, was murdered at the age of 32 on May 28, 1975. She was found stabbed several times on the Est Mesa of Alburquerque. She had been admitted as a ‘Jane Doe’. She was obviously with the wrong crowd because a year earlier, on July 31, 1974. there was an article in the Albuquerque Journal about three persons being arrested about 3 ounces of heroin with a street value of about $5000 were seized. The three people included Virginia Gallegos, 31, Alcario Gallegos, 32 and George Ortega, 42.  

Photo: Johnny Tapia aka John Lee Anthony Tapia b. 2/13/1967 d. 5/27/2012

In any case, Esther Tapia, listed her 34 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren for me. She gave me her sister’s address (Beatrice Martinez-Coriz) and specifically wrote to contact Beatrice’s daughter, Yolanda Coriz. Esther wrote that ‘Yoland can give you more information about my mother, Carlota, and my father, Frank Martinez, because I don’t know my father’s birthday or when he was born. 

Why do they call it ‘The 7-Year Itch’? I looked it up and it’s an idiom for a yearning for change, specifically a change of sexual partner after 7-years of marriage. The expression gained popularity from a George Axelrod play from 1952 (the year Alan was born). The play was called “The Seven-Year Itch”. It was later made into a movie starring Marilyn Monroe in 1955. The funny thing is that the phrase was originally used for various skin conditions. Ha-ha. Well, on November 20, 1996, is the 7-year mark for Alan and I from whence we first met (November 20, 1989). Alan wrote me the most beautiful Anniversary letter:  

And Manuel Savino-Garcia wrote to me. He is the grandson of my paternal Great-Grandfather (also named Manuel Savino-Garcia (sometimes spelled Sabino instead of Savino). The “B” in Spanish is pronounced like a “V”. He wrote: 

Hi Michael, 

How are you? As for us, we are fine. It was nice to hear from you. Looking forward to seeing you this summer. My information: 

Sabino b. 9-20-1935, LeDoux, NM 

Wife, Irene b. 10-5-1936, Carmen, NM 

Son: Ray Garcia b. 9-22-1956 in Los Angeles, CA, wife, Becky; Ray’s kids:  

Jamey b. 4-17-89 

Nicole b. 4-5-91 

Amanda b. 2-5-91 

Ray’s kids were all born in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

Son: Rudy Garcia b. 5-17-1958 in Cheyenne, WY, wife, Kay. They live in Loveland, Colorado. 

Signed, Manuel Savino Garcia, Mora, NM 

I’m beginning to feel I need a major chart. It’s a good thing I have everything clear with all of this family information thus far. And then, on November 23, 1996, I get another letter: 

Dear Cousin Michael, 

I am very sorry for the delay on the lost information you asked from us. Well, you will not believe it but I thought I had misplaced your letter. I looked and looked to find it and just couldn’t but here’s what happened. One of my sons got a call here at our house and just grabbed your letter and in the back of your letter he wrote phone numbers and other information, taking your letter to his house. So, one day he was here and started looking inside papers and magazines because I knew I hadn’t thrown in away.  

So, my son asks, “You know, mom. Was it a long white envelope?” 

I said, “Yes!” 

So, he went home and sure enough he had taken your letter home. So, that’s what happened. It’s a long story, verdad? 

We hope everything is fine with you and the rest of the family. We are doing fine. Thank God. 

I will write the information you requested on the other side of this note.  

...and she proceeded to list more family members all of which have been noted on Ancestry.com which included their three sons, Robert, Gerard and Gary Garcia. Robert Garcia has two children: Eric Garcia b. 1971 and Crystal Garcia b.1976 

She signed her letter: Bye now, Your Cousin, Augustin and Lita (aka Isabelita Abeyta-Garcia) 

On November 24, 1996, my paternal 1st cousin, Lawrence Vigil (b. Sept. 19, 1940) wrote me a GREAT letter that included some tidbit stories that I liked: 

Dear Cousin Michael, 

First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long in sending you the information you asked for. I am sincerely sorry, since there is no reason why I couldn’t have sent this information long ago. Just plain lazy, no excuse.  

I do hope that what I write is of some help to you and I hope you can somehow put it in order because I wrote down what I vaguely remember. 

My mother (your Aunt Julia) is also somewhat vague about questions I posed to her. As I have often asked her way back before your letter about the past relatives which I haven’t seen in many years. Here goes (dates are approximated in my mind): 

My Great-grandmother's name was Juanita (last name don’t know, Vigil, I guess—but it is actually Maria Juanita Sanchez). I was four years old when she passed away in Mora, NM around February 1944-45 and is buried in Ledoux, NM. 

My Grandmother (also your grandmother), Mathilde Vigil (maiden name Garcia) married your grandfather (Jose Antonio Armijo) around 1935-37 is my guess. He was a sheep herder.  

Photo: Matilde Garcia b. 8-20-1898, Mora, NM d. 9-22-1964, Oakland, CA

My Grandfather (the first husband to our grandmother, Eligio Vigil) was killed by gunfire because of a squabble over horse stealing on July 14, 1933. 

Your Grandfather, Jose Antonio Armijo, and Grandma Mathilde had Joe Nelson Armijo (your father) and Joe Eligio Armijo. You already know this. 

Grandmother Mathilde and first husband, Eligio Vigil, had ten children. One died at birth: 

Estolia Vigil-Garcia (Esther is the one to ask about the past relatives, I think). 

Tony Vigil 

Julia Vigil-Casillas 

Orolio Vigil (passed away) 

Nellie Vigil-Ortega 

Jennie Vigil-Martinez 

Josie Vigil-Gonzales-Wright 

Photo: Mathilde Garcia-Vigil-Armijo and her sons, Joe Nelson Armijo, Joe Eligio Armijo

My mother, Julia Vigil-Casillas, had two sons: Robert Charles Vigil b. 11-13-1937 and myself, Joe Lawrence Vigil, b. 9-19-1940. 

I married Maria Dolores Mora-Vigil on Dec. 31, 1960. We had four children:  Paul L. Vigil, Steven Patrick Vigil, Christine Vigil-Kostlez, Edward James Vigil.

I was born in Las Vegas, NM but lived in Mora, NM until around 1946. There was no hospital in Mora, NM. I went to Catholic School at age 4 and 5. I don’t remember the name but it’s in Mora. We moved to Las Vegas, NM in 1946 where I continued with Catholic School for 2-years and then I went to public school (South Public) for two years. 

I came to Oakland, CA in 1950 and stayed and lived with my mother and Armando. I went to Lafayette School for 3rd and 4th grades, then I went to Lincoln School for 5th and 6th grades, then to Roosevelt for 7th and 8th grades. I went to Westlake for 9th grade and then to Oakland High for 10th, 11th and 12th. I graduated in June 1960 and married on 12-31-1960. 

I worked for a can company, B.W. NORTON from June 1960 to May 1964. That was incidentally right across the railroad tracks from where your dad worked at DEL MONTE. Then, I went to work for General Motors in Fremont, CA from May 1964-March 1981. I went to Kansas City from Sept. 1983-July 1985, working for General Motors because GM in Fremont shutdown. 

I came back to California in July 1995 and worked for NUMMI (New United Motors Mfg. Co.) which was at the same GM building in Fremont but a different company. And I am still working there as a forklift driver.  

Michael this is as close as I could come to any dates that I remember. By now you probably have more information and accuracy than I have given you, but I thought that I would write down all that I could remember just in case you can use it. 

Michael, again I apologize for taking so long in giving you this information. I do hope you can use some of this. Write or call me if I missed something or if I can help in any way. 

As Always, Your Cousin, 

Joe Lawrence Vigil (full name) 

P.S Hope to see you sometime soon as I wish I could see my other cousins and relatives. Good luck with this project.  

My first cousin, Mona Armijo-Ebeling, wrote me a cute Thanksgiving card: 

Dear Michael, 

I’m so glad to hear from you. Sometimes my family keeps me so busy I haven’t time to do much but here’s a few lines to let you know I think of you also. Give Aunt Virginia my love and Tony and John, too. 

Love Your Cousin,

MONA LISA 

Another delightful letter arrived from my dad’s first cousin, Eva Tafoya-Montoya: 

Dear Cousin Michael, 

I was very surprised to hear from you. I couldn’t imagine who would be writing to me from California. This will be a short not just to get you acquainted. I would be very happy to get all of the information you have. My daughter is working on the Family Tree and would like to compare charts. I will start out by giving you information on my family (...and the list went on and on with many cousins in Colorado that I had no clue about).

Your Cousin, 

Eva 

We tell stories to understand the world. All stories—anecdotes, cave paintings, blog posts, book reviews, news articles, songs, poems—are attempts to explain the world to one another and for ourselves. --Gabrielle Zevin, as read in authors notes after her novel, THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY