LeRoche-Pena Family Roots - a brief preview by Juan-Paz Pena

This is an informal presentation of the Pena oral tradition by Juan-Paz.  He will be making a more formal and  complete research-based presentation of this oral tradition at the reunion.

"From the top of my head with no notes:   My paternal great, grand parents were Martin LeRoche Pena and Manuela Prieto de Pena.  Martin was born and reared in France circa 1833 and educated as a Catholic seminarian. 

"He came as a seminarian circa 1855 to assist in evangelizing the Southwest.  Sometime after his arrival, he left his seminary studies and settled in Mexico.  He changed is last name from LeRoche to Pena.  "Le Roche"  in French and "Pena" in Spanish mean rock. 

Luis Pena

"Some time during the 1860's Martin married Manuela Prieto.   Martin and Manuela Pena had four sons:  Juan, my grandfather;  Martin Jr., Demetrio and Luis.   Martin and baby Luis arrived in Fort Stockton circa 1869 when Luis was one year old.  Manuela probably died giving birth to Luis while enroute to Fort Stockton or maybe while still in Mexico.  Martin came to Fort Stockton to help build and establish St. Joseph's Church.   Eventually, Juan and Demetrio joined their father Martin and brother Luis in Fort Stockton; but Martin Jr. stayed in Mexico and became a priest.

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Maria Chavez

"The other three brothers married while living in Fort Stockton.   Luis married his first wife, had a large family and settled in Barstow, Texas.  After his first wife died, he married his second wife, Maria Chavez and also had a large family in Barstow, Texas."  by Juan-Paz Pena

We invite any Barstow Pena's to comment here.


                             [click on photos to enlarge them]

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