Rich Eastwood, his daughter Kym, and her friend, Debbie Moore, came from San Diego for his talk on his book, “Historic Lincoln, NM – The Building’s and People.” After their county visit they continued to Gillespie County and San Antonio, Texas where they researched Eastwood’s grandfather Lacey’s roots.
His kinfolk planned a trip to Lincoln for Eastwood’s event. Some of Eastwood’s Lalone cousins who joined them at Lincoln were Fred (his mom was a Lalone) and Nancy VanWickle, who drove from Sierra Madre Calif., and Ron and Barbara LaLone who traveled from Bailey, Colo.. Their grandfather was Eastwood’s grandmother’s brother. Ron had been to Lincoln County 40 years ago and Fred had never been here.
While in the county Eastwood helped Robert Casey descendants, Christy Breen and her daughter Carey Box, find Robert’s grave. For 20 years they had been wondering about the grave site.
The highlight of their trip was exploring with Capitan rancher Willa Stone and visiting the site of Estanisalda Padilla’s father ranch. Jose Encarnacion Padilla had a ranch, just where the old wagon road that came down from Manzano and crossed the Capitan Mountians in the Salado Flats area just above modern day Capitan.
The following is a glimpse of his ancestors’ Lincoln County roots and beyond:
His great-grandparents Tiofilo Lalone (originally spelled Lalonde), a French Canadian and Estanislada Padilla married in Missouri Plaza in 1867.
Their oldest daughter. Beckie Lalone born in Missouri Plaza or near the Casey Ranch, married Dave Tinnon in White Oaks. Dave was foreman at the Old Abe Mine in White Oaks. Their family moved to El Paso after Dave’s death in 1901.
Eastwood’s grandmother Fannie (Epifania) Lalone was born at her father’s ranch on Magado Creek (just south of preset day Capitan) in 1876. She married Peter Elijah “Doc” Lacey in 1898 in White Oaks; Doc was a cowboy on the McDonald ranch near Carrizozo Springs at the time. Doc’s various jobs in the area included serving as Carrizozo postmaster. About 1919 they moved to El Paso so that their oldest girls could find work in the “commercial world.” They moved to Southern California in the 1920s and settled in the little town of Sierra Madre in the foothills near Pasadena.
Fred Lalone, born in Nogal, married Margurite Vega, daughter of Jose Maria Vega. They and their family also moved to Sierra Madre. (They were Ron and Fred’s grandparents.) The next Lalone girl, Carrie married Juilan Leal who was a miner in White Oaks. They didn’t have any children but led the family to Sierra Madre. (Eastwood grew up in East Pasadena, Calif. with most of his extended family nearby. They enjoyed large family get-togethers at the park in Sierra Madre.
Addie Lalone married Joe Sanchez (son of Crecencio Sanchez) and had three children. Addie died in Carrizozo about 1913. Later Joe and the children also moved to Sierra Madre. The youngest, Louis LaLonde (he kept the French spelling) married Elvira Udreos and also moved to Sierra Madre.
Elvira’s sister, Juanita married Florencio Vega, son of Jose Maria Vega.
(This Vega family is well known in Carrizozo.)
Article written by Polly E. Chavez, Guest columnist for Ruidoso News