His Marriages

Antonio was thrice married at the San Agustin Church, Tucson and examination of the data on the certificates of marriage have been extremely reliable and valuable mirrors of the past.

In the first ceremony, Antonio Soza and Francisca Gastelo were joined in the Holy Bonds of Matrimony, according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, City of Tucson, (A.T.) on the 23rd day of April 1864. The Rev. Aloisio Bosio officiated, in the⁵³ presence of witnesses Antonio Camaduran and Maria Mercedes Campa.

While senior family members, now deceased, insisted that Francisca's surname was Gastelum, the marriage certificate reads Gastelo.

In the second ceremony Antonio Soza and Mercedes Federico were similarly joined in Holy Matrimony on December 18, 1869 by the Rev. Fra. Jouvenceau in the presence of Jose Federico and Maria Augustina Marquez as witnesses.⁵⁴

⁶¹ [AHS 17K]

Antonio Campa Soza and Maria Jesus Moreno de Soza

The third wedding ceremony, Antonio Sosa and Maria Jesus Moreno were likewise bonded in Holy Matrimony at San Agustin on July 28, 1878, with the Rev. Francisco Jouvenceau officiating. Witnesses were Antonio Urias, Maria Martinez, Cancepcion Franco and Francisco Goodwin.⁵⁵

Nothing is known about Antonio's first wife and family, except that there were five children. Two died at infancy. The confusion between Gastelo and Gastelum surnames for Francisca may have impeded the search, nevertheless, no known descendants from this first marriage have been identified.

Likewise, no confirmation has been discovered to substantiate what family members have long contended; that Antonio's first wife was killed by the Apaches. If first spouse Francisca Gastelum (Gastelo) was killed by the Apaches, Antonio was silent about it when he testified before the Arizona Legislature about an Apache attack in 1869.

The second Mrs. Antonio Soza left a more lasting legacy by virtue of her four children, three of whom have been traced with some degree of success.

The third marriage, spanning thirty seven years, enlarged very significantly, the Soza family. Of the fourteen children born to Antonio and Maria Jesus, all reached adulthood, except for Benito 1886-1893.⁵⁶

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Antonio Campa Soza, Jesus Moreno Soza, Francisca

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