History of Salinas Family Name

The SALINAS name has its origin in Asturias, Spain and is a very prestigious surname in Spain. The original bearer of the name Salinas, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, and was born in Spain. Names derived from localities became widespread and denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The first bearer of this surname was the most prominent construction of the town. Surnames change over time and some spelling variations of the Salinas name include Salina, Sala, Salas share the same heritage. The Salinas family was found in Asturias, nucleus of resistance by the Christian nobles of the Visigothic court to the Muslim occupation of Spain the eighth century. One of the earliest records to the name dates from the fourteenth century, the family surname is recorded in the Libro Becerro 1352, a listing of the nobles of the land, especially to Castile. Notable bearers of the family name Salinas were sixteenth century Spanish musician and mathematician Francisco de Salinas, seventeenth century poet Juan de Salinas and many others.

Pedro de Salinas Brings Salinas Name to New World

Pedro de Salinas was one of the many original settlers who came into Nuevo Leon in its early days. He was the first to bring the SALINAS name to the region. Settling in the New World required brave and capable men dependent on the land for their survival. According to the book, With All Arms: A Study of a Kindred Group by Carl Laurence Duaine, Pedro de Salinas was the earliest documented Salinas in Northeastern Mexico. Pedro de Salinas was born in 1585 in Paris, Seine, France and his wife Angela Solis was born in 1595 in Florence, Italy. We can assume that they migrated as a couple by ship to the New World seeking a new life and maybe trying to escape persecution. Salinas is a surname that has been identified by multiple sources in the Holy Office of the Catholic Church of Spain as a Sephardic surname. Pedro de Salinas appears on a list along with other men in Cerralvo in 1635. These men all appear in recorded contracts and sales of ranching or mining interests in 1628 or before. So, Pedro de Salinas probably was a rancher or a minor, but he was doing well in the New World. Evidence of the family appears on a declaration made by his son, Pedro Salinas Solis in 1658 that "he has borne arms since he was a child in the realm, that he was 37 years old." Pedro Salinas Solis indicates that he was born in the Realm, and that would put Pedro de Salinas, the father, in Nuevo Leon at an earlier date. We can assume Pedro Salianas Solis was born 1621. There is further evidence of three other children of Pedro de Salinas and Angela Solis. They had three daughters, Ana, Antonia and Ursula. In 1647, Rodrigo Nores (Roger Norris) appears as a witness in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon. He married Ursula in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon. He was an English seaman from England. Pedro Salinas Solis, the son, got married (unknown) and had two sons, Juan Jose and Francisco. Sometimes Juan Jose is listed in documents as Juan and other times he is listed as Jose. There is no mention to the name of his wife. Both sons were born around 1640/41. Both were soldiers. The soldiers had to furnish all arms and mounts at their own expense and were paid once a year. They had to raise and keep a horse herd to meet their own needs and have enough for sale. From the sales of the horses they could gradually acquire a few cattle. When their herds were large enough they could ask for a grant of land. They would get paid once a year usually after it was earned except for once during hard times. Once a year the soldiers got together and selected one man to make a trip to Zacatecas for their pay. The man had power of attorney not so much to guard against the man absconding with the funds as it was a kind of insurance against Indian ambush or some other peril that might lose the payroll. The soldiers made sure the man had protection along his route with other travelers on the same road. The men went before the authorities on behalf of the soldiers and filed an instrument for the messenger to take with him to cover the conditions outlined. In this case the soldiers listed gave authority to Don Gaspar de Larriaga and Captain Francisco Perez to collect for them their pay in advance. Most of the men listed in the document were decendants of the earlier settlers of the Realm. Pedro Salinas Solis' son, Francisco Salinas was born about 1640 /41 in Cerrlavo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He married Anastacia Olivares Treviño born about 1652 in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Francisco died in 1691 and Anastacia died in 1671. Juan Jose Salinas, Francisco's brother, born about 1640/41 in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, married Ana Isabel Benavides Guajardo born about 1635 in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, the daughter of Isabel Martinez Guajardo and Captain Francisco Baez Benavides. Ana Isabel died about 1685 in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Juan Jose died about 1700 in Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Source: With All Arms, A Study of a Kindred Group by Carl Laurence Duaine, New Santander Press, 1987.

Salinas Generations Starting with Pedro de Salinas