Marcos Bonilla and his true identity.

Confusion of mass proportions.

Confusion of mass proportions begins with the death record of Marcos Bonilla Torres in 1888 in Coamo, Puerto Rico. Searching genealogical trees online, one will find two men named Marcos Bonilla listed as Juan Eusebio Bonilla Salcedo‘s father, who, by the way, is from Yauco, Puerto Rico. Neither of the men is his father. Although both named Marcos and share the first surname, these individuals are two men with different second surnames. Please try to follow me. It isn’t very clear and why I am attempting to clear this up.

Although both men named Marcos Bonilla are from Coamo, however Juan Eusebio is from Yauco, Puerto Rico. This should have been the first clue for the researcher. I am not implying that it’s not possible to have one family moved to another town, but this is not the case in this situation. Furthermore, investigating Juan Eusebio’s genealogy revealed his father’s true identity, and it is not the Marcos Bonilla from Coamo. Consequently, is no connection between these individuals that I could find.

The death record for Marcos Bonilla, dated March 25, 1888, belongs to a man who shares the same name as Juan Eusebio’s father. In addition, it is the same name of another man who is also from Coamo but has no relation to Juan Eusebio. Nevertheless, that death record appears to belong to Marcos José Bonilla Torres, not Marcos Bonilla Bonilla, who was presumed to be the father of Juan Eusebio.

While both men are from Coamo, Puerto Rico, they are two separate families. In short, they are not the same person. Supporting documentation proves this. See below as I have written about the other two men, and you can see what I am pointing out.

Who is Marcos José Bonilla Torres?

Marcos Bonilla mentioned initially, is Marcos José Bonilla Torres. According to the death record, dated March 25, 1888, he is the illegitimate son of Paula Bonilla. Her name appears as Rosa Bonilla on his wedding record. However, he is incorrectly identified as Marcos Bonilla Bonilla, this further from the truth. No one took the time to investigate this person further.

This Marcos is a Pardo, a term to describe a person of mixed race. Consequently, he is born out of wedlock (Hijo natural). The son of Matías Torres, this is the only time I discovered a second surname Torres. Unfortunately, the civil record for his death did not list his wife nor the children. Since this record did not provide additional information, it was convenient to associate this particular person with the father of Juan Eusebio. In my opinion, this was not enough for me as a Genealogist. Thus, this didn’t deter me, as I had a hunch that I acted on. I knew I could look somewhere else, and I got lucky!

Locating a church record.

Locating a church record when a civil record does not provide useful information is extremely helpful. When researching individuals, it is crucial to exhaust all records before concluding. Researchers failed to locate a church record for Marcos Bonilla Torres. When a civil registration lacks essential details, the church may provide it. The civil registration records start in 1885 and cover all the towns in Puerto Rico. Then there are the parochial records. Some date back to the 1700s. If one cannot locate a document in the civil registration records, locate the church record.

Marcos Jose Bonilla Torres’s church record did exist, and it provided additional information on him not listed in his civil registration death record. The document contained his wife’s name and children! His wife, Maria Segunda Rodriguez died a few months after her husband. It indicated her marital status as widowed, confirming that Marcos Jose Bonilla Torres’s civil record was indeed her husband. It also named their seven children. The name of Juan Eusebio does not appear as a child on any of the parents’ death records. That is clue number two.

Who is the other Marcos Bonilla?

Marcos Bonilla Bonilla, baptized on June 19, 1808, in Coamo, Puerto Rico, is the son of Jose Bonilla Colon and Brigida Bonilla Lopez. Erroneous trees on the genealogical websites have this Marcus confused for Marcus Bonilla Torres. And therein lies the problem. Neither one of them are the father of Juan Eusebio, as I have been able to prove.

José Bonilla Colon is the son of Juan José Bonilla Colón. Brigida is the daughter of Manuel Bonilla Melendez. This family is traced back to Manuel Bonilla and Cecilia Melendez of Coamo, Puerto Rico, in the early 1700s. I directly descend from Manuel & Cecilia. Therefore I am very knowledgeable about this family.

Final thoughts

To summarize, the origin of this error is unknown. One will find many unsourced family trees with this incorrect information. Thus, a desperate attempt to connect Juan Eusebio Bonilla Salcedo to the wrong Marcos Bonilla.

Undoubtedly, neither Manuel discussed above is the father of Juan Eusebio Bonilla Salcedo from Yauco, Puerto Rico. There is no connection that I could find to link these families together. Just because you share the same surname and share DNA does not mean that you can automatically jump to the conclusion that you are related via one line. For all, you know the connection may be from a different surname.

Therefore, when trying to find connections to others, you must review all common surnames. There is no shortcut when researching. It takes time and patience. If you want an accurate tree, do your own research. You can also hire a good genealogist that specializes in Puerto Rican genealogy. Also, one that understands the language and can read the handwriting.

No one took it upon themselves to investigate these individuals properly. Thus, ending in erroneous results. Nevertheless, had someone taken the time to research them properly, they could have easily come to the same conclusion I did and thus avoided this.

Subsequently, I have written articles about these other individuals. Pleaser refer to my arctiles, particularly the ones on Juan Eusebio Bonilla Salcedo and Juan Ramón Bonilla Limardo. Additional information will provide clarity on these individuals.

Hope this clears up everything for anyone researching these families and below you will find all the supporting documentation.