Laying to rest the family surname of
FONSECA or FONCECA
There has been a long standing contention between the Fonseca and Fonceca families on the correct spelling of the family's surname. The family members who live in Texas spell their name with an "s", while the family members in California spell their name with a "c". After extensive research on the subject, this is what was found.
The gravestones of the original family members all have Fonseca with an "s" in their grave markers. Florentino and Herminia have Fonseca and their graves are from 1957 and 1964, respectively. Please refer to images above, and click on images to enlarge. The grave marker of Agustin has Fonseca and he was buried in 1931. Dolores Ruiz Fonseca, daughter of Salud and Jose Fonseca, was buried in 1964 and her grave marker has Fonseca with an "s". Please refer to images right below and at the bottom of the page.
So the original spelling of the surname was Fonseca with an "s". Jose Fonseca, who could not read or write, did not provide birth certificate information at the birth of his children. But his wife, Salud, did, and she spelled the family surname with a "c" as Fonceca. So all the children who were born to that branch of the family and for whom Salud provided information all have Fonseca spelled with a "c". When Ramon, the eldest, was born, it was Florentino who provided his birth certificate information. Later when Jose learned how to at least write and sign his name, he did spell Fonseca with an "s".
So who is right? Well this only proves that mistakes can be made and that family members have both Fonseca with a "c"and with an "s" in their surnames. We are not the only family that has this situation. There are countless families who spell their names differently from other family members due to what a clerk records or the information a family member provides. The Fonsecas who spell their names with a "c" are correct because their birth certificates say so. And with that we hope to lay to rest the correct spelling of the Fonseca surname. As for this website, we will refer to the surname as Fonseca, but will respect in the family tree list those who spell their names with a "c".
OUT OF THE SORROW OF DEATH. . . A NEW BEGINNING FOR THE FONSECA FAMILY
AGUSTIN FONSECA — MAY 15, 1917 TO MAY 2, 1931
JOSE FLORES — DECEMBER 26, 1921 TO MAY 4, 1931
During the research of the Fonseca surname, Carmen Armesto mentioned the accident in 1931 that helped the Fonseca family buy the acreage that became the Fonseca Ranch. We went to Beeville, the county seat of Bee County where we searched for the 1931 article at the Bee Pecayune that we felt might shine some light on the subject of the spelling of the family name.
We were able to find the article in the Bee Pecayune's archives. Please refer to the image and text as published of the 1931 article on the right sidebar. The article only proved that reporters and papers make more mistakes than what the truth can uncover. Although the original intent on finding the article was the spelling of the family name, we decided to spend more time investigating the story of the accident which was the beginning of the ancestral home of the Fonseca family.
The version of the story as told by Ramon Ruiz Fonseca and Carmen Fonseca Armesto in 1995.
Tears well up in the eyes of Ramon and his sister, Carmen, as they remember that rainy day in May just as if it happened yesterday. Agustin Alvaran Jr, the son of Maria Jesusa Fonseca and General Agustin Alvaran Sr, was driving along State Highway 16, when he along with his family were hit head-on by another car driven by L.E. Fritz, who was intoxicated.
The family was coming back from buying groceries in Beeville and in the car were Agustin Alvaran Jr (13), Florentino (54) and Herminia (46) Fonseca, Jose Fonseca (30), Daniel (?) and Jose "Pepe" (9) Flores, and Ramon Fonseca (7). Agustin was driving with Herminia and Florentino in the front seat. In the back seat were Pepe, Daniel, and Jose, and Ramon was sitting on a bushel bag of Pinto beans in the open trunk area.
As they were driving along, Florentino saw Fritz' car weaving on the road ahead of them, and Agustin decided to stop the car on the side of the road. But he kept one wheel on the pavement because it had been raining all day and they did not want to get stuck in the mud. Before Ramon could realize what was happening, Fritz ran into the Fonseca's family car head-on and the top of the roof was almost completely sheared off.
Agustin, who was about to celebrate his 14th birthday, was decapitated and killed instantly. Sitting next to him was Herminia, her ribs were broken and she suffered cuts to her head; Pepe, who was riding directly behind Agustin, suffered a massive head wound—a piece of metal lodged into his head—he died two days later at the hospital; Daniel who was sitting next to Pepe had his arm broken in two places, and Jose who sat next to Daniel suffered cuts to his head.
Florentino could not hold back his rage against Fritz. He physically dragged Fritz out of his car and kept yelling at him, "Mataste mis hijos!" ("You killed my sons!") Fritz was intoxicated and was later charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The news of the accident later reached the mule ranch in Skidmore where the family worked and lived. Chucha was notified that her son had been decapitated in the accident and Sofia was notified that her son was in the hospital with no chance of survival. A metal pin from the roof of the car was lodged into his skull. Back in those days, embalming was not required and family members usually had visitation and viewings in their own homes. Agustin and Pepe did not have closed caskets and were buried in Tynan, Bee County, Texas. Florentino bought matching grave markers with doves at the top for his boys.
Because Agustin's father, General Alvaran, had died in the revolution years prior, Chucha was remarried to Viviano Salazar, and Florentino had "adopted" Agustin and was raising him as his own. So that is why the gravestone for Agustin is marked Agustin Fonseca. Please refer to grave marker below.
Fritz' insurance paid a settlement to the Fonseca family and with the money Florentino and Herminia bought the acreage for "El Rancho de los Fonsecas" which is located 17 miles south east of Mathis on FM 188.
