THE HISTORY OF THE ROCO FAMILY
Introduction
The following pages show the result of years of painstaking efforts by an informal Historical Committee of the Roco Family based in Manila to try to trace the roots of the family. Although this began as a mere attempt to build a “family tree” by cousins belonging to families descended from the Mateo Eleno De Roco branch, the discovery in 1995 of a diary written in Spanish by Juan Emeterio De Dios De Roco written in the early 19th century spurred the committee to further its quest to seek out the original roots of the Roco Family.
Questions like – are we of Italian descent? Spanish? Do we really have only one ‘c’ in Roco or two ‘c’s? – went unresolved for a long time. But a database was finally established by Facundo “Ding” S. Roco using a Family Origins software in late 1995 after a month of deciphering and translating the very worn-out photocopies of Juan Emeterio De Dios’ diary. Ding then forwarded the database to his cousin, Carlos “Itos” Roco, in New York who promptly developed a website and put the Family History online.
Since then, many Rocos from around the world have contacted Itos and Ding though the internet. Most noteworthy of this was Jack Joseph De Roco and his wife, Maria, who contributed the history of one of the missing brothers. It turned out the eldest son of Tomas Manuel De Roco -- Jose Simon De Roco -- had migrated to California in the 19th century.
Tito Jack, as he is fondly called, turned out to be a fountain of information about the family, providing all kinds of leads and stories. He also initiated contact with Jude Grupe of the Westphalian Heraldry Society and they uncovered a whole new branch of the Roco Family in Chile and Peru. This branch, although originally Rocos, were now carrying the family names of Carvajal and Campofrio. Their family also had a website.
On the basis of more research, Jude Grupe was able to establish the link between the Rocos of the Philippines and the Rocos of Chile and Alcantara in Spain. A new armorial bearing based on the the Coat of Arms of Don Bernardo Roco, Conqueror of Alcantara, was then prepared and granted to both the Roco and De Roco families by the Westphalian Heraldry Society.
Notwithstanding this, Itos Roco was able to get confirmation of the existence of the ancient Roco Family from the New York City Public Library which had a copy of the Enciclopedia Heraldica y Genealogia where all the names and coats of arms of the Spanish nobility were recorded. This he sent by email to Ding Roco in Manila who then translated the references.
Ding Roco in turn, taking advantage of a business trip to France, then traveled to Spain with his wife, Alicia, to seek confirmation of the findings from primary documents in the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid and in the Louvre in Paris.
In the Louvre, Ding found a copy of a book on the Reconquista of Spain in English, and two books from the 16th and 17th century, one written by Pedro Roco de Campofrio, and the other about the family of Juan Martin Roco de Campofrio, Lord of Campofrio. Both books detailed the family line of the Roco Family all the way to the 8th century shortly after the last Gothic King of the Iberian Peninsula was defeated by the Moors.
The following translations of both the entry in the Enciclopedia Heraldica y Genealogia and the diary, including copious footnotes from primary sources and secondary sources, attempt to give the reader not just a translation -- but a view of the Philippines and Spain during those times.
It is now obvious that the family name, Roco, evolved from the French Roch or Roche. The name Rocco is clearly the Italian version of Roco. Which of these is older perhaps does not matter. What matters is that all this information tells a story about a family from ancient Urgel, an almost mystical kingdom in the beautiful mountainous region of the Pyrennees, who dared to continue to fight for freedom along with remnants of the Gothic kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula against all odds, helping build the Kingdom of Asturias, and succeeding in passing on to generation after generation of descendants a very strong pioneering and conquering spirit and an indomitable faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
ENCICLOPEDIA HERALDICA Y GENEALOGICA
(Free translation of pages 78-85 completed by Facundo “Ding” Jesus
Sagarbarria Roco
on 29 April 2003 at Baltimore Sofitel Demeure Hotel in Paris, 88 bis,
avenue Kleber)
(Translator’s
Note: Many thanks to Jude Grupe of
the Westphalian Heraldic Society in Manila who provided the leads to the
existence of this Encyclopedia, to Tito Jack
Joseph de Roco who has provided inspiration and more leads for the continued quest to trace the family
tree from his residence in Brazil, and to Carlos
“Itos” Roco who took time out of his busy schedule to go to the New York
City Public Library to look for this book and photocopy the pages.
In
translating, I have tried to supplement the information found in these pages to
give as accurate a timeline as possible.
These data are found in the footnotes.
It would seem that the history of the Roco Family is intricately interlinked with the history of the
Reconquista of Spain which in turn is the history of the liberation of the
former Iberian province of the Visigothic kingdom which had been lost to the
Moorish invasion in 711 during the reign of
King Rodrigo, the last of the Gothic kings.
In
contrast, chroniclers of that period tell us that liberty was restored to the
Christian peoples and the Asturian kingdom brought into being when the majority
of the surviving Goths of royal blood came to Asturias and elected Pelayo, son
of Duke Fafila, King (719-737). Pelayo
was King Rodrigo’s grandnephew.
This
same Pelayo, when faced with an overwhelming Muslim force demanding that he
surrender, replied: “I will not
associate with the Arabs in friendship nor will I submit to their authority…for
we confide in the mercy of the Lord that from this little hill that you see,
the salvation of Spain and of the army of the Gothic people will be restored…
Hence we spurn this multitude of pagans and do not fear them…”
The
ensuing battle of Covadonga fought probably on 28 May 722 was a great victory
for Pelayo and the kingdom of Asturias was born. This is very interesting in the light of the fact that one of the
earliest Governors of Asturias was Bernal
Roco, father of Bernardo Roco –
Conqueror of Alcantara.Asturias later on became part of the Kingdom of Leon.)
ARMAS
En campo de gules, un monticulo de penas, de oro.
Bibliografia -- “Armoria”, de J.R. Vila, nobiliario del
siglo xvii. --- “Nobiliari General
Catalan”, de Felix Domenech y Roura, cuaderno 20.
Roco
A noble
family from the Extremadura, which
maintained during later generations a
very old tradition, the provenance of which comes from the great House of the Counts of Urgel.
Modern research has proven that the tradition has solid foundations.
It is confirmed in a document from
the Collection Salazar y Castro, which is found in the Library of the Academy
of History, which was brought to light by Don Antonio del Solar Taboada and by
the Lord Marquis of Ciadoncha, in his noteworthy study, “Juan Martin Roco, Lord of
Campofrio”, and the “Memorial
of the Rocos”, printed in 1602 by
Pedro Roco Campofrio, which was also saved in the Library of the
aforementioned Academy[1].
The testimonies of two of the ancient knights who are direct descendants of the House of Roco, corroborated furthermore the origin of this particular family. These knights, after passing through Castile, founded the family in the town of Alcantara in the Extremadura, in the province of Caceres, according to the genealogy of this branch of the family which we will refer to later on.
This branch apparently was surnamed Roch originally, then it was changed to Roco, and much later to Roco de Campofrio, noting particularly that the new branches that emananted from this family did not use the surname Roco all the time. That is why many of the descendants use the surname Campofrio alone, or Campofrio de Carvajal, or Roco de Carvajal, or Carvajal alone, Botello de Cordoba, Roco de Cordoba and Cordoba de Campofrio, while others maintained in the first place the surname Roco, without passing information to immediate descendants these variations in the family name.
Another branch of this family was surnamed Roco de Villagutierrez during various generations. This branch was established and principally based in the town of Valencia of Alcantara (Caceres). Another branch established itself in the City of Rodrigo, moving later on to Seville and Granada. And another branch established in Chile the family, Roco, which has gained fame in that country.
We refer the continuation of the genealogy of this branch of the family, in order to receive later, although in a brief or incomplete form, which this work obliges us to do in view of space constraints, some genealogical data of other branches.
THE LINEAGE
I.
The Count Armengol of
Barbastro[2]
and his lady, Clemencia, gave birth
to (probably 1064-65?)
II. Guillermo Roch, husband of the Viscountess Doña Blanca, who were the parents of
III. Vidal Roch, who passed by Castille with his cousin Armengol, Count of Urgel. Vidal married the lady Elia Rodriguez, daughter of Pedro Rodriguez de Guzman, and this union gave birth to
IV. Bernal Roco, the first to appear with this surname. He was Governor of Asturias[3] and a rich man with banner and pot. He married the lady, Estefania, daughter of Count Armengol of Castille and sister of Count Armengol of Requena, and born out of this marriage were sons
1.º Bernardo Roco, followed by,
2.º Artal Roco, and
3º Vidal Roco.
V. Bernardo Roco conquered the town of Alcantara (1213) of the Extremadura[4] and founded the family of his surname. The King Alfonso IX rewarded his services by giving him the fields of Campofrio, two leagues of this town, which was located near the fort of the Moor, Abdalba. There is clear evidence from the document from the Collection of Salazar y Castro that was cited previously that this Bernardo was the son of Bernal Roco, Governor of Asturias. In this work, it is written that this Bernardo, the Conqueror of Alcantara, obtained two boons from the King Alfonso IX of Leon, in Zamora, on the 26th of May and on the 16th of June of the year 1251? (Translator’s note: Probably earlier since Alfonso IX died 24 September 1230), and in these he is referred to as -- “dilecto viro Bernardo Roco, filio Bernaldi Roco, dominantis Asturiis” (Beloved knight Bernardo Roco, son of Bernaldi Roco, lord of Asturias). He married Maria Alonso Pimentel (daughter of Alonso Pimentel and the lady Maria Fernandez). He died in the Battle of Seville (1248)[5], but had these sons with his wife:[6]
1. Martin Roco, details follow.
Second and third were Bernardo and Arnaldo Roco who died in the capture of Seville.
VI. Martin Roco was one of the conquerors of Seville from where he went on to fight the infidels that had seized Murcia[7], perishing in the course of this endeavour (around 1238). He had married the lady, Sancha Tellez, daughter of Alonso Tellez “the Old One”, and the union produced
First, Diego Roco whose details follow.
Second, Bernardo who died with his father in Murcia, and
Third, Frey Gonzalo Roco, Knight Commander of Portozuelo, in the Order of Alcantara, who died in front of the knights of this Order in the Battle for the Patute River.[8]
VII. Diego Roco was born in the town of Alcantara and fought against the Moors in the Battle for Jaen[9], from where he left gravely wounded, and died later in his hometown. With his wife, the lady Elvira Rodriguez, he bore
VIII. Miguel Roco, who served under the King Don Alfonso XI and he died during the capture of Algeciras. From his marriage with the lady Maria Gonzales were born
First, Juan Martin, whose details follow.
Second and third, Diego and Bernardo, who both died with their father in the Battle of Algeciras.
IX. Juan Martin Roco, a native of Alcantara, was Lord of Campofrio, young gentleman of the King Don Alfonso XI[10], Knight of the Order of the Band, Warden of Cetina under Don Pedro I “The Cruel”, and Servant of Don Enrique II. He found himself in these great battles of his time. He lived over a hundred years.
In the
testimony he executed in his hometown, before the Notary Pedro Gonzales on the
20th of June 1402, he confirmed the origins of his family which he
traced to the Counts of Urgel, and
he recommended to his sons “to be fearful to obey the Holy Commandments
and defend the Good Law and die for it,
as we were descended from the Counts of Urgel from whom we have come.”
He died in Alcantara and is interred with the banner of the Order of the Band, with his weapons and sword in a tomb in the parish church of Santa Maria de Almocabar which is located in front of the plaza’s entrance. He had been married to the lady, Cecilia Fernandez de Heredia, niece of Frey Juan Fernandez de Heredia, the Grand Master of the Supreme Order of St. john. He had with his wife these sons:
First, Juan Martinez Roco de Campofrio, whose details follow.
Second, Miguel, who died in infancy.
Third and fourth, Bernardo and Vidal, Knights of St. John, who died in Rodas.
XI. Juan Martinez Roco de Campofrio was born in Alcantara. He was Lord of Campofrio and the first to take this name, Campofrio. He married the lady Sancha Rodriguez Pereira y Amaya in Salamanca and from this union were born
First, Juan Martin Roco, who was called “The Old One”, a native of Alcantara who married the lady, Maria de Peon. He died in the year 1479. The couple formed the branch of the family that stayed through the men in the town of Alcantara and in the City of Caceres until the eighteenth century. His descendants retained the Lordship of Rosavilla and the title of Count of the Tower of Fresno.
Second, Alonso Fernandez Perero Roco de Campofrio, whose details follow.
Third, Sancha Rodriguez de Campofrio, who was married to Lope Rodriguez Villalobos, Knight of St. James.
Fourth, Elvira Rodriguez, wife of Garcia Fernandez Perero.
Fifth, Catalina Fernandez, a spinster, and
Sixth, Gonzalo Martin de Campofrio who married the lady, Maria Gonzales Botello, and they had a son:
a) Alonso Roco de Campofrio, who was married to the lady, Teresa Suarez de Figueras. From this couple come the branch of the family which came from Alcantara and went to Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca), Granada, Cordoba and Sevilla, using as surnames – de Botello y Campofrio, Cordoba Roco y Campofrio, Roco de Cordoba Botello, Cordoba y Campofrio, and Fernandez de Cordoba Castilla y Campofrio. His descendants are referred to in the information on the surname “Campofrio”, Volume XX of this Dictionary of Family Names, XXI of the Encyclopedia.
XII. Alonso Roco de Campofrio was born in Alcantara and was married there to the lady, Doña Maria Gonzales de Carvajal y Cid. He died in Alcantara in the year 1488. These are his children:
First, Pedro Campofrio de Carvajal, whose details follow.
Second, Juan, of whom we know nothing.
Third is Ines who was first married to Francisco de Carvajal y Ulloa, and then to Juan de Cabrera,
And fourth, Maria de Campofrio, the wife of Juan Castellanos.
XIII. Pedro Campofrio de Carvajal, a native of Alcantara, was the first who used the surname Campofrio in his mother’s history, and his descendants are so surnamed. Campofrio de Carvajal principally stayed in Chile. He married the lady, Doña Teresa de Sanabria Maldonado and they had several children.
First was Alonso Campofrio de Carvajal, the second to carry this name, whose details follow.
Second was Francisco who married Elvira Gutierrez Flores, and was followed by
Third, Juan; then fourth, by Maria, wife of Alonso de Caceres; fifth, by Sancha, wife of Licenciado Caceres; and sixth, by Teresa.
XIV. Alonso Campofrio de Carvajal, the second to carry this name, was called “The Old One”. He was born in Alcantara and there got married to the lady, Doña Francisca de Villalobos y Perera, and they had the following children.
First, Alonso Campofrio de Carvajal, the third to carry this name, whose details follow.
Second, third, fourth and fifth were the following: Frey Sancho, Teresa, Francisca and Maria who married Pedro Paredes Delgadillo.
XV. Alonso Campofrio de Carvajal, the third of this name, was born in Alcantara between the years 1534 and 1536. He joined the navy with his kinsman, the Adelantado Diego de Sanabria, and attempted to take the Rio de la Plata but the failure of this endeavour forced them to land instead on the island of Santo Domingo from where they marched on to Peru to serve under the command of Admiral Jeronimo de Silva during the rebellion of Hernandez Giron.
Later, he proceeded to Chile by land then by boat to La Serena then towards Concepcion where he worked in the fort and center of the city. In the year 1558, he joined another campaign. He was Lieutenant General during the conquest of Cuyo, a neighboring territory, where he became a Councilor of the first Town Council of Mendoza. He served during the Battle of Arauco during the time of de Villagra whom he accompanied to Chile. He distinguished himself in Arauco and Concepcion. Quiroga he named Corregidor de Santiago de Chile and in this city, he settled. His testament was prepared in this capital on the 10th of October of the year 1593. He had married Doña Mariana de Riberos (daughter of Francisco de Riberos, the friend of Pedro Valdivia and of Doña Teresa de Figueroa y Ortiz de Gaete, a niece by blood of Doña Marina Ortiz de Gaete, wife of Valdivia[11].) They had seven children – five boys and two daughters.
Two of his sons, named Alonso and Lazaro, died childless. The third, Jose Campofrio de Carvajal, founded this branch of the Chilean family in the City of La Serena. The fourth, Manuel Roco Campofrio y Carvajal, was one of the encomenderos of Vallehermoso. From the three branches that stayed in Chile, their descendants played prominent roles in the history of this country.
In the testament prepared in
Santiago, Chile on the 29th of January of the year 1660, the fourth
of these brothers, Manuel Roco Campofrio
de Carvajal, confirmed (as this had been done similarly by his fourth
grandfather, Juan Martin Roco), that
his family had originated from the Counts of Urgel and he encouraged his descendants to “fulfill your promises, without failure to
all, for we are a noble family, we look up to the Lord who is the greatest
enabler to do good. This is how He
wrought the Armengoles, the Counts of Urge[12]l,
my forefathers.”
OTHER INFORMATION
Of the family branch from the town of Alcantara, there were also descendants.
I. Francisco Roco de Campofrio, a native of Alcantara, who lived there during the fifteenth century. He married the lady, Doña Isabel de Ulloa Paredes, a native of the town of Brozas (Caceres) and they had the following children:
II. Pedro Roco de Campofrio, a native of Alcantara and Knight and Procurator General of the Order of Alcantara. He married the lady, Doña Paula Pantoja Davila, a native of Toledo (daughter of Alonso Fernandez de Pantoja and the lady, Doña Catalina Riolid y Avila, natives of Toledo) and they had the following children.
III. Juan Roco Campofrio, who is also known by the surname Roco Pantoja Campofrio, a native of Toledo, who joined the crusade as Knight of the Order of Alcantara in the year 1621. He married the lady, Doña Beatriz de Godoy Ovando, a native of Caceres (daughter of Rodrigo de Godoy Carvajal, Knight of Calatrava, and the lady, Doña Antonia de Ovando Saavedra, natives of Caceres) and they were the parents of…
IV. Pedro Roco de Godoy[13], a native of Brozas, resided in Caceres and was a Knight of the Order of Alcantara in the year 1657.
Ö Ö Ö
From the family surnamed Roco de Villagutierrez of the town of Valencia de Alcantara, came:
II The lawyer Juan Roco de Villagutierrez Chumacero, a native of Valencia de Alcantara and Member of the Royal Council of the Indians, who married the lady, Doña Isabel de Mercado and he also married the lady, Doña Juana de Toro, a native of Valladolid (daughter of Luis de Mercado and the lady, Doña Juana de Toro, both natives of Valladolid). He had children with his second wife.
III. The Maestre de Campo, Pedro Roco de Villagutierrez y de Mercado, a native of Madrid and Knight of the Order of St. James which he joined on the 18th of November of the year 1642. He married the lady, Doña Luisa de Castilla Gudiel who comes from Seville, daughter of Juan Manuel Gudiel, a native of Seville, Lord of the Serrezuela and Knight of St. James, and also the lady, Doña Ines de Castilla y Acuña, a native of Seville, who was originally from Valladolid and was the Lady of the House of Castilla in that city. The Maestre Don Pedro and his wife, Doña Luisa, were the parents of
IV. Juan Roco de Castilla, a native of Seville and Knight of the Order of Alcantara from the 24th of April of the year 1648.
* * *
In Naples,
there lived another ancient family with the family name, Roco and/or Rocco. They are related to other noble families of
that city and of Caraffa. One of them
was Juan Roco, Lieutenant of the
Maestre de Campo General, the Marquis de Torre Cuso and Baron of Amato, who
became a Knight of the Order of Calatrava in the year 1640. Another relative, Carlos Rocco y Carraffa, joined the Order of Calatrava on the 5th
of February of the year 1635. WE DO NOT KNOW IF THERE EXISTS A RELATION
IN TERMS OF ORIGIN AND PARENTAGE BETWEEN THE ITALIAN AND SPANISH BRANCHES OF
THE ROCO FAMILY.
(Translator’s note:
Capitalization and highlighted was made by the translator.)
ARMAS
Partido: 1º, de plata, con un aguila de sable, y 2º, jaquelado de sable de
oro.
Así las usaron ramas apellidadas Roco de Campofrio.
Quartered: 1º, Of silver, with a warrior eagle, and 2º, embedded in a golden sword.
This was the way it was used by those surnamed Roco de Campofrio.
Miguel de Salazar asigna a este
apellido, que escribe Rocco, las
siguientes: Cortado: 1º, de azur, con tres roques de oro o plata,
cuya posicion no indica, y 2º, de azur, con tres bandas de oro. Y escribe que procede de Montagna,
afirmacion que no hemos combrobado.
Miguel de Salazar ascribed to those who used the surname, Rocco, the following:
Divided: 1º, Azure, with three rooks of gold or silver, the positions not indicated, and 2º, azure, with three bands of gold. He wrote that this came from the Montagnas, but we cannot find information to confirm this.
Bibliografia – Formulario de Armerias,
de Miguel de Salazar, M. tomo I, folio 660, y tomo V, folio 142. --
El Memorial y los documentos mencionados anteriormente. --
Los expedients de pruebas de nobleza en el curso de esta afirmacion.[14]
THE ROCOS OF THE PHILIPPINES
by
JUAN DE DIOS EMETERIO DE ROCO
circa 1893 --
English version only
(Translated by Facundo
Jesus Sagarbarria Roco on 31 December 1995)
Translator's Note:
The original manuscript of this document was passed on from generation
to generation by the descendants of Juan
De Dios Emeterio. It is now in the
custody of Menchu Alonzo,
great-grandaughter of the author.
Photocopies were given to the members of the Roco Family Historical
Committee composed of Menchu Alonzo,
Lenny Roco-Fabul, Nenita Roco-Fabregas Garcia, Chato Maneru,
and the translator.
1.1 On 29 December 1791, between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m., my Father -- Don TOMAS MANUEL DE ROCO -- was born. He was baptized on the first of January of 1792 at the Parish
Church of Cabite[15] by his
parish priest, Don Gregorio de la Pena,
with Don Antonio Canelose as his godfather. Tomas Manuel was confirmed in 1800 by His Excellency, the
Archbishop Don Basilio Sancho de Sta. Justa, with Don Francisco Cresini as his
godfather. Tomas Manuel died on the 11th of June 1857 in Legaspi of
the Province of Albay.
2.1 On the 12th of December of the year 1796, in the town of Sta. Cruz de Manila[16],
my mother -- Dona MARIA GUADALUPE DE LOS
REYES -- was born. She was baptized on the 19th of the same
month in the same parish with the lady, Dona Seberina Flores, as her
godmother. Maria Guadalupe passed away
on the 2nd day of December of the year 1880 without a strand of white hair.
3.1 On the 6th of June of the year 1811, on a Tuesday between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., my brother -- JOSE NORVENTO DE ROCO -- (my brother on my father's side) was born in
the town of Sta. Cruz de Manila. On the
8th of the same month, he was baptized in his parish by his parish priest, Don
Reymundo Rojas with Don Manuel Varela as his godfather.
4.1 On the 21st of September of the year 1812, between 4:00 and 5:00
a.m. that Sunday, my parents' hands
were joined in marriage in the Church of Sta. Cruz de Manila, with Don Pablo
Jose de la Fuente and the lady, Dona Vicenta del Real, as their godparents and witnesses.
5.1 The history of my brothers' and sisters' births.
On the 28th of October of the year 1812, my brother -- JOSE SIMON DE ROCO -- was born between
midnight and 1:00 a.m. of that Tuesday, and on the 31st day of the same month,
he was baptized in the Parish Church of Sta. Cruz de Manila by his parish
priest, Don Reymundo Rojas, with Don Pablo Jose de la Fuente as godfather.
6.1 On the 30th of October of the year 1813, around 3:30 o'clock in the afternoon of that
Saturday, my brother -- MANUEL CLAUDIO
DE ROCO -- was born. On the 4th of
the following month, he was baptized in his Parish of Sta. Cruz de Manila by
his parish priest, Fr. Jose
Barcelona Monte Geronimo with the lady,
Dona Vicenta del Real, as his godmother.
Manuel Claudio died on the 19th of October of the year 1852, at the age
of 39, in the Province of Cagayan.
7.1 Page 3
On the 22nd of April of the year 1815, between 9:00 and 10:00
o'clock of that Saturday night, my brother -- JOAQUIN SOTERO DE ROCO -- was born. And on the 27th of the same month, he was baptized in his Parish
of Sta. Cruz de Manila by his parish priest, Don Jose Valerio de Alcadia with
Don Joaquin del Castillo as his godfather.
Joaquin Sotero died on the
19th of April of the year 1834 at the age of nineteen of cholera.
8.1 On the 14th of November of the year 1817, between one o'clock and two o'clock of that
Friday afternoon, my brother -- MARIANO CLEMENTINO DE ROCO -- was
born. And on the 16th of the same
month, he was baptized in his Parish of Sta. Cruz de Manila by his parish
priest, Don Domingo Votado de Danacho with the lady, Dona Dorotea de los Satos,
and Don Camilo Martinez de la Pena as his godparents. Mariano Clementino passed away on the 2nd of November of the year
1854 at the age of 37 in the Island of Romblon of the Province of Capiz.
9.1 On the 14th day of December of the year 1818, between
11:00 and 12:00 midnight that Monday, my sister -- CONCEPCION ESPERIRIONA DE ROCO -- was born. On the 20th of the same month, she was
baptized in the parish church of Sta. Cruz of Laguna by the parish priest, Fr.
Miguel Persina, with Don Pablo Biron as her godfather.
10.1 On the 3rd day of the month
of March of the year 1820, a Friday,
between midnight and 1:00 a.m., I -- JUAN DE DIOS EMETERIO DE ROCO -- was born. I was baptized on the 4th of the same month in teh parish church of Sta.
Cruz de Manila by the parish priest,
Don Valentin Basa, with Don Antonio Rojas as my godfather.
11.1 (Page 4)
On the ______ day of February of the year 1822, between 10:00
and 11:00 that Monday night, my sister -- ANDREA
CANTARICIO DE ROCO -- was born, and on the 5th of that month, she was
baptized by the parish priest of the
town of Pila of the Province of Laguna, Don Pedro Alcantara, with Don Vicente Versoza as her
godfather....(Ed.'s Note: The next sentence was too difficult to decipher.)
Andrea Cantaricio passed away on the 25th of June of the year
1827 at the age of five years old due to polio in the town of Sta. Cruz of
Laguna.
12.1 On the 6th day of March of the year 1823, at around 10:00 and 11:00 that Tuesday morning, my sister -- DOLORES CASIMIRA DE ROCO -- was born.
She was baptized on the 8th of the same month in the parish church of
Sta. Cruz de Laguna by the parish priest, Fr. Miguel Persiva, with Don Mariano
Aguirre and his wife, the lady, Dona Manuela de Aguirre, as her
godparents.
She passed away on the 25th day of October of the year 1854
at the age of 31 years old in Sampaloc in front of Manila.
13.1 On July 16, 1824, at around 10:00 and 11:00 o'clock that Friday
night, my brother -- ANTONIO SESINANDO
DE ROCO -- was born. On the 19th of
the same month, he was baptized in the parish church of Sta. Cruz of Laguna by the priest, Don Jose Manuel Moreno
with Don Juan M. Lopez as godfather.
Antonio Sesinando drowned in the China Sea on the month of November of the
year 1844 at the age of 20 years old.
He was Second Pilot of the ship, Magallanes.
14.1 On the 15th day of June of the year 1826, at around 9:00 and 10:00
0'clock in the morning that Thursday, my sister -- MODESTA VICENTA DE ROCO -- was born. And on the 23rd of that same month, she was baptized in the
Parish Church of Sta. Cruz of Laguna by the parish priest, Fr. Miguel
Persiva, with Don Jacobo Dabit Edgar as
godfather.
15.1 On the 27th of June of the year 1827, a
Wednesday, between 8:00 and 9:00 o'clock
in the morning, my brother -- VICENTE
LADISLAO DE ROCO -- was born. And
on the first day of July, he was baptized in the parish church of Sta. Cruz de
Manila by the parish priest, Don Arcadio Aquino, with Don Julio Guevara as
godfather.
16.1 (Page 5)
On the 15th day of September of the year 1824, at around 6:00
and 7:00 o'clock that Monday morning, my sister -- DOMINGA ROCO -- was born.
She was baptized on the 22nd of the same month in the parish church of
Sta. Cruz de Manila by the parish priest, Don Arcadio Aquino, with the lady,
Dona Francisca Antonia Fernandez, as her godmother.
17.1 On August 5, 1836, between 1:00 and 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon
that Friday, my brother -- JOAQUIN
EMIGDIO DE ROCO -- was born. And on
the 13th of that same month, he was baptized in the parish church of Sta. Cruz de Manila by the parish priest,
Don Arcadio Aquino, with Don Toribio del Rivero as godfather.
18.1 On December 14, 1839, at around 10:00 and 11:00 o'clock that
Saturday morning, my brother -- ARCENIO MARIA ROCO -- was born.
He was baptized on the 18th of the same month in the parish church of
Sta. Cruz de Manila by the priest, Fr. Senon Arcinas, with Don Lorenzo Maroati
and his wife, Dona DOLORES ROCO, as his godparents.
19.1 On the 18th of August of the year 1843, at around 3:00 and 4:00
o'clock in the afternoon that Friday, my brother -- MATEO ELENO DE ROCO -- was born.
On the 27th of the same month, he was baptized in the parish church of
Sta. Cruz de Manila by the priest, Don Sabino Tiburcio, with Don Manuel Ramirez
de la Orden and Don Juan De Dios and
Don Luciano del Rivero as his
godfathers.
20.1 On the 27th of September 1828,
DAMIANA LOPEZ DE MURILLO was
born and on the 10th of October, she was baptised in the parish church of
Quiapo by Fr. Don Clemente Eloriega with Dona Sabina Murillo and her father,
Pablo Lopez y Inocencia de Guzman present.
On the 6th of April 1851, I
married Dona Damiana Lopez in the Church of the town of Polangui of the
Province of Albay[17]......
21.1 On July 6, 1847, between 4 and 5 o'clock in the morning, my
daughter, AMALIA FRANCESCA ROCO was
born. She was baptized on the same day
in the parish church of Binondo by the parish priest, Fr. .... with Dona Josefa
Cacho as her godmother.
(Amalia died on the 1st day
of May 1873 in Binondo from a stomach neorisma.)
22.1 On the 31st day of July,
1849, my son, IGNACIO ROCO,
was born between 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning. He was baptized in the parish church of Quiapo by the priest, Fr.
.... with Dona Ynocencia de Gamalo as godmother.
(Ignacio died on the 31st of
March 1867 in the Town of Ligao in Albay due to gastric fever.)
23.1 On the 29 of June of the year _____, my daughter, PAULA ROCO, was born between 8 and 9
o'clock in the morning. She was
baptized in the parish church of Cagsawa, Province of Albay by the parish
priest, Fr. Vicente Lillo, with Dona Lucina (unreadable) as godmother.
24.1 On
the 15th day of November of the year 1852, my son, TOMAS EUGENIO ROCO, was born between 7 and 8 o'clock in the morning. He was baptized in the parish church of
Cagsawa by the parish priest, Fr. T. Aniceto de Sillo, of the Province of
Albay, with D. ________ Bautista as his godfather.
25.1 On the 7th day of July of the year 1856, between 11 and 12 in the
morning, my daughter, MANUELA PAZ
FERMINA DE ROCO, was born. She was
baptized on the same day in the parish church of Albay by Fr. Camilo Abainza
with Dona Braulia de Vera Comerianta de Legaspi as godmother.
26.1 On the 6th day of June of the year 1856, between 8 and 9 o'clock in
the morning, my son, JOSE MARIA SEVERINO
DE ROCO, was born. ..... He was
baptized by the parish priest, Fr. Don Camilo Abainza on the 16th of the same
month, with Don Fernando Mucio,
Administrator of Pilar in Albay, and
Don. _____ Mangati as godfathers.
Dona MODESTA ROCO, proxied for Dona Mamosa Aguilar de Lisaso.
27.1 On the 6th day of April of the year 1857, between 9 and 10 o'clock
in the morning, my daughter, ROSARIO
SIXTA DE ROCO, was born. She was
baptized on the 10th of the same month in the parish church of Legaspi,
Province of Albay, by the parish priest, Don Camilo Abainza with Don Teodoro
Labaje ....... and Don Gonzales as godfathers.
28.1 On the 15th day of April of the year 1859, a Friday, my daughter, DOLORES PATRONA DE ROCO, was born at around 5 to 6 o'clock in the
morning. She was baptized on the same
day in the parish church of Legaspi in the Province of Albay by the parish
priest, Don Antonio Solis, with Dona _______ de Legaspi was godmother.
29.1 On the 16th day of April of the year 1863, a Tuesday, between 3 and
4 o'clock in the morning, my daughter, YSIDRA
PATRONA DE ROCO, was born. She was
baptized on the 18th of the same month in the parish church of Ligao of the
Province of Albay by the parish priest, Don Tomas de Alfatana, with Don Teodoro
Legaspi, Devotee? of ......., as
godfather, and Dona Vicenta de Ocampo as godmother.
30.1 On the 20th day of _____ of the year 1861, between 7 and 8 o'clock
in the morning, my son, SEBASTIAN YSIDRO
DE ROCO, was born. He was baptized
in the parish church of Ligao ...... in the same month by the parish priest, Fr. Tomas Alfatana, and with Don
JOAQUIN EMIGDIO DE ROCO as godfather.
(Sebastian died in Manila in
the year 1867 ...... due to ......fever)
31.1 On the 9th day of November of the year 1866, at around 3 and 4
o'clock in the morning, my son, RAMON
TEODORO ROCO, was born. He was
baptized on the 12th of the same month in the parish church of Ligao the parish priest at that time being Don
Blas Sito, and the godfather was Don Manual Garcia Lombera who was represented
by Don VICENTE L. DE ROCO.
32.1 On the 26th day of February of the year 1866, my daughter, ANDREA LUMEN ROCO, was born between 7
and 8 o'clock in the morning. She was
baptized on the 2nd of March in the parish church of Ligao by the parish
priest, Fr. Vicente ....... and with
Don Antonio G...... from the Island of Burias who was represented by DON JOAQUIN E. DE ROCO.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
33.1 He who wrote these details was my maternal grandfather, JUAN
E. DE ROCO, who died on the 1st day of January of the year 1893 in Legaspi,
Albay.
This is the 6th day of August 1952 and I have written the
history of the births of my brothers and my own, and thewedding date and births
of my parents.
JOSE
F. DEL CASTILLO
Born on the 16th of October
ROCO – DE ROCO ARMS
On 16 February 2003, research on the provenance of the Roco Family in the Philippines showed a direct link between the Roco Family in the Philippines and the Rocos of Medieval Spain. A branch of the Roco Family in the Philippines which had migrated to the United States was also recorded and contacts made. As a result, the Westphalian Heraldry Society granted both families a new Coat of Arms based on the original armorial bearings of Don Bernardo Roco, Conqueror of Alcantara, who received his Arms from the King Don Alfonso IX.
Click here to see the Certificates