Week 1: First

     Here we are six days into the new year already. Trying to get back into the swing of things. Normalcy. Structured. Feeling a little sluggish though. It's always hard when a holiday falls in the middle of the week. So tomorrow is Monday and we all start back full time on our regularly scheduled lives. Homeschooling, work, etc. One thing I am trying to do is making sure I set aside time just for my research. Oh I could do it all day every day, but sadly, life is full of responsibilities. So I've set up some goals to help me get through the year.
     One goal I am doing is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Originally started by Amy Johnson Crow and has now become a great sensation in the genealogy community. If you would like to read more, click here: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks by Amy Johnson Crow. So here we are, Week 1. Let's get this rolling! For my first ancestor, I am featuring my grandma's first husband, Joseph Valdes.

     Joseph Antonio Valdes (Valdez) was born to Gerardo Valdes and Mercedes Gonzolas on March 7, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri. He married my grandma on June 7, 1936 at St. Boniface Church in Carondelet, St. Louis, Missouri. They had one child, Gerald Joseph Valdes before they divorced 1942. If there was one good thing that came out of their relationship, it was my Uncle Jerry. Otherwise, there was nothing good that came out of that marriage in my opinion. My grandma told me a few things about him and they were not very good.
     After my grandma divorced him, he married a few months later to a Jane Denoyer. As far as I could tell, there were no children from that union. At some point, before 1952, they were divorced. I have not located a divorce record as of yet. I only know the approximate year because Jane married her second husband in 1952. At some point, after his divorce, he moved to California. Then in 1955, he married for the final time to Flora Sciamanna. They lived out their life in San Francisco together until he died on October 24, 1975. They also appeared to not have any children. He is buried in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where his wife's family lived and is also buried.
     I did this research mainly for my Uncle. He had tried in the past to locate his father from my understanding with no luck. It was only last year that I tracked him down. Thanks to a search on Find a Grave where I located a transcription of his obituary. I have yet to share this information with my Uncle yet, but I hope to this year. So that's Joseph Valdes.