Timoteo Sapia-Bosh falls in love with a Mexican Dancer

Black-and-white illustration of a woman holding a fan beside a man, accompanying the story of Timoteo Sapia-Bosh and Cuca Blanco.

Introduction

I first came across the story of Timoteo Sapia-Bosh and Cuca Blanco in Puerto Rico Ilustrado magazine. Born in Puerto Rico, Sapia-Bosh pursued a military career, while Blanco, who was from Mexico, performed as a dancer. Their lives brought together military service, travel, and the performing arts.

As a military family, they traveled widely. Colonel Timoteo Sapia-Bosh began his military career as a soldier in 1918 and rose through the ranks, becoming a colonel in 1940. His career also took him to the Philippines and Costa Rica, where he participated in military operations. An avid polo player, he served as his team’s captain. Colonel Sapia-Bosh was also a member of the Mexican Geographical Society and a graduate of the University of Mexico.

Genealogy of Timoteo Sapia Bosh and Maria del Refugio Blanco Fuentes

Brief genealogy of Timoteo Sapia Bosh — Here is a brief genealogy of Timoteo Sapia Bosh and his wife. Finally, I do have documentation on this family. So, if you need additional information, please feel free to reach out to me.

Family of Timoteo Sapia Bosh and María del Refugio Blanco Fuentes

Don Timoteo Sapia Bosh was born on January 24, 1896, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and died on March 6, 1983, in Washington, D.C. He married Doña María del Refugio Blanco Fuentes in 1924. She was born on April 30, 1908, in Mexico City, Mexico, and died on February 9, 1974, in Washington, D.C.

Their children shown in the pedigree are Gloria Elena Sapia Blanco, born in 1925, and Alfonso Franco Sapia Blanco, born in 1937.

Timoteo’s parents were Guillermo Sapia Acosta and Mercedes Bosh Miranda. Guillermo was born about 1869 and died on April 21, 1919, in Ponce. Mercedes was born about 1868 and died on October 29, 1929, in Ponce. They married on May 13, 1895, in Ponce.

Guillermo’s parents were Antonio Sapia and Augustina Acosta. Mercedes’s parents were Juan Bosh and Joba Miranda. María del Refugio’s parents were Bernardo Zotelo Blanco Cárdenas and María Fuentes Elizondo.

A picture of Colonel Timoteo Sapia Bosh.

Maria del Refugio Blanco Fuertes aka Cuca Blanco — A picture of Maria del Refugio Blanco Fuertes, also known as Cuca Blanco.

Their children

The couple had their first child Gloria in 1925. Gloria Elena received a silver medal on August 5, 1941, for saving a 6-year-old boy from drowning. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the article but found a mention of her winning a competition at 14.

I should note that I found a child named Timothy, born on the same day as Alfonso Franco, in Indiana on November 14, 1937. But there is no indication of them being twins. I wonder if there was a name change, as I have not found additional records for Timothy. Additionally, their son followed in his father’s footsteps and attended Military Academy school in Washington, DC, in 1955. (See below)

Gloria Sapia-Bosh — Their daughter, Gloria. She appeared in The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri), on December 29, 1948, Wed, Page 12.

Their son, Alfonso Franco Sapia Bosh, who followed in his father’s footsteps. Alfonso attended the Military Academy school in Washington DC, in 1955. I believe he may still be alive and living in the Miami area.

News paper article about Gloria saving a child from drowning — A newspaper article mentions Gloria receiving a silver medal for saving a 6-year-old boy from drowning in Fort Slocum, New York.

A few more articles

In addition to finding the articles and pictures above, I came across a few more about this family. For example, Colonel Timoteo Sapia Bosh is known to be an Equestrian and performed exceptionally throughout his military career. Furthermore, I found a few additional articles on Dona Cuca that mention her performances.