Hello Primos!
In recent days I started researching the Ledesma lastname especifically the Ledesmas of Michoacan and so far I found out that they came from Guanajuato where I´ve located An Antonio de Ledesma (born around 1635 in Silao, Gto.) who married on 8-nov-1658 in Lagos to María Burgueño.
It seems that the branch that I´m researching decends from Domingo de Ledesma who married around 1674 to Micaela de Espinosa and were the parents of Don Antonio de Ledesma, baptized mar-16-1675 in Salamanca, Gto.
I´ve seen here some posts that say that de Ledesmas of Jalisco are descendants of conqueror Pedro de Ledesma and Isabel de Grado. Would you share please the lines from the mentioned conqueror to the jalisco descendants? Have you found any relationship with the Ledesmas of Guanajuato?
I´ll appreciate greatly any help
Apellido Ledesma
Dear Carlos,
I started with many of the same questions and have come up with some answers. There are many “Pedro Ledesma” in the mix.
The Pedro Ledesma son of Pedro Ledesma (from Zamora) and Isabel del Grado (from Salamanca) is not the same person as “Conquistador Pedro De Ledesma”. The Conquistador arrived in 1536 with Blasco Nuñez Vela and fought along Pedro Alvarado in Guatemala and Yucatán. He is a vecino in Mexico City in 1556. Conquistador Pedro Ledesma became a friar in 1567 He was widely known to be educated and wise.
Catalina Mexia De La Torre is the daughter of Melchor Perez De La Torre and the first of his three wives, Francisca Jerez (India). Most genealogists make the mistake of saying that Catalina is the daughter of his second wife because there are records saying that she is Pedro Ledesma’s mother-in- law, but Catalina is her stepdaughter. Catalina is named as a daughter in her stepmothers will. This Pedro Ledesma and Catalina lived in Colima and Guadalajara.
Pedro Ledesma and Catalina Mexia De La Torre have at least threes sons and one daughter. Their names are Pedro Ledesma, Juan , and Bernardino Ledesma, and Catalina Mejia. Juan Ledesma De La torre is my ancestor. I have seen secondary sources where they name more children.
3) Juan De Ledesma y De la Torre married Isabel Gonzalez De Rubalcaba Lopez De Fuenllana
4) Clemente De la Torre Ledesma y Gonzalez Rubalcaba married Beatriz Ramirez Tavera. [this Clemente De La Torre Ledesma is the trunk of the De La Torre Ledesma and Ledesma descendants in Los Altos de Villanueva Nueva Galicia (Los Altos De Jalisco)]
The problem is that many people mix up these Pedro Ledesma with the Conquistador. I have not found any records of any marriages or children of Pedro Ledesma the Conquistador. The Conquistador lived much of the latter part of his life in Mexico City.
I believe that the Pedro Ledesma that is married to Catalina Mejia De La Torre is the son of The Pedro Ledesma married to “mujer de Salamanca” and that this mujer de Salamanca is Isabel Grado. Therefore the Conquistador Pedro Ledesma is not the son of Pedro Ledesma and Isabel Grado.
The notes that were shared with me show that two sons of Domingo Ledesma and María Espinosa were born in Salamanca but that a daughter of theirs was born In Guanajuato. The sons were Marcelino m. 1704 in Salamanca to Josefa Rodriguez and Antonio Ledesma b. 1675. Their daughter Antonia was born the year after Marcelino was born in Guanajuato. Domingo and María left many descendants throughout Guanajuato. I have not found a connection between Domingo Ledesma and Pedro Ledesma. These notes and dates regarding the Ledesma in Guanajuato are not from my research.
Rick A Ricci
Source: Mygenes2000