Friday, January 23, 2009

Manuel Babilonia Acevedo (1804?- bef 1895) & Lucas Yllas (bc 1815)

I found another reference to Manuel Miguel Narcisco Babilonia Acevedo  in the transcriptions of Protocolos Notariales, Caja 1444 by Carlos Encarnacion Navarro. It seems there was a close relationship between Manuel Babilonia and Lucas Yllas, who was responsible for his two children, Juan Agapito and Maria Sebastiana, as tutor curador. What is remarkable is that he was 'born in Africa, widowed of parents who he did not know because he came to PR very young' Unfortunately there is no age for him nor for his children, who probably were born between 1835-1840. Yllas had enough property and knowledge of the system to prepare a will, although he was unable to sign his name.

Juan Agapito is most likely  Agapito Yllas, who married Ulpiana Lassalle Quinones. 

In Raquel Rosario Rivera's Los emigrantes llegados a PR procedente de Venezuela entre 1810-1848, there are three Yllas, one Juan Yllas, white, 14 from Cumana, and two who came via Venezuela but were from elsewhere -- Francisco Yllas (no additional details) & Jose Antonio Yllas from Barcelona, whose documents dated 1812 & 1814 respectively, while that of Juan Yllas dates from 1821. 
Are they connected in any way? Perhaps with Juan Yllas from Cumana, since that is mentioned in the Testamento. 

 It would be amazing if additional documents could flesh this out further.

Testamento de Lucas Yllas 9-13-1851 fol.181 a 185-v en el barrio del Centro juridicción del pueblo de la Moca moreno  liberto natural de África viudo de padres que no conoció por haber venido muy pequeño a Puerto Rico hallándose saludable y en su cabal juicio. No entra en la descripción de sus bienes que alega son de conocimiento de D.Manuel Babilonia de este vecindario que el manifestará. Declara haber sido casado y velado siguiendo según el ritual de la iglesia con María Monserrate Acevedo ya difunta y tuvieron hijos nombrados a Juan Agapito y María Sebastiana menores de   746  edad a los que nombra como únicos y universales herederos. Nombra por tutor curador de sus hijos a D.Manuel Babilonia y como contador partidor a D.Antonio Charneco y Sanz. Otorgado ante D.Casimiro Gutiérrez alcalde ordinario de este  partido ante los testigos D.Gabriel Seguí, D.Pedro Alcántara Miranda y D.Manuel Babilonia y no firmó por no saber haciéndolo a su ruego el Sr juez,los demás testigos y de asistencia de que certifica =Cumana en Costa Firme (Venezuela) testado,no vale?=África entre lineas vale?. 
 Fuente:
INSTITUTO DE CULTURA PUERTORRIQUEÑA
ARCHIVO GENERAL DE P.R., FONDO DE PROTOCOLOS NOTARIALES
SERIE-AGUADILLA, PUEBLO-MOCA, CAJA 1444
ESCRIBANOS-OTROS FUNCIONARIOS, AÑOS 1-20-1848 a 1-31-1852
Transcrito por Don Carlos Encarnacion Navarro

Certificate of Recognition


The Comite Familia Babilonia Inc. 
organizers of the Babilonia Reunion last year, kindly awarded a Certificado de Reconocimiento for my research on the family.  The committee used it to create banners listing the different branches of descendants from Capitan Miguel Babilonia Polanco's two marriages. These were displayed at the event. 

I also want to give my sincere thanks to Nereida Segui Babilonia & the Babilonia Member Committee for her kind letter, the Certificado and a program for the activity.