My wife is descended from Jose Antonio Amaya. He was born in Colima in about 1807, enlisted in the army at a fairly young age, and in 1826 married Maria Antonia Larios at Mission San Juan Bautista, California. Jose's son, Benito, was one of the early settlers of Santa Cruz, California, and rode with Captain Fremont in the days of the Bear Flag Rebellion.

At any rate, in trying to trace this lineage, we cannot determine who Jose Antonio Amaya's parents were.

We also need more information regarding Maria Antonia Larios. We believe her family also came from Colima, though she herself may have been born in California.

Any help you can provide will be appreciated.

I too am looking for information about Maria Antonia Larios.
I am trying to determine if she remarried after the death of Jose Antonio Amaya.

I found an 1871 cemetery record at Holy Cross Cemetery in Santa Cruz that lists the name as Antonia Amaya (Larios) de Gamboa. I would like to determine if she was married to Jacinto Gamboa. Antonia Larios and Jacinto Gamboa had a child, Sabino Gamboa, who was baptized in Santa Cruz in 1848.

Any information you have will be greatly appreciated.

I just picked up your posting regarding Maria Antonia Larios. I am not aware of Maria having remarried, but it is possible.

You might want to contact Linda Williams, another member of the Larios clan, at Linda Willliams [jwilliams@gt.rr.com] to see if she knows of that. She has done extensive research on the Larios family.