My name is
Molly Bejarano, and I am the wife of Joe
Lara Bejarano. My husband's maternal grandfather was a Leandro
Lara, whose biological father was John W. "Jack"
Swilling of
Phoenix fame. The story goes back in our family quite a ways, and we've always been told Jack, and an unnamed wealthy girl possibly named
Concepcion de Lara, fathered Leandro, who was born in 1860-1862(place and actual birth day unknown) and who was then given to a family with the last name of
Lara(possibly parents of
Concepcion) to raise. We've all been told that Jack knew of Leandro, and apparently tried to claim him at about age seven near Mesilla,
Dona Ana County New Mexico, but Leandro, not knowing Jack other than as his biological father, refused to go with him.What my husband's family is interested in is finding who Leandro's mother was, where he was born, where Leandro was conceived, and how the relationship with Leandro's mother began. We know Jack
Swilling is listed as Leandro's father on his death certficate in the state of
Arizona in 1952, but it lists his mother as being a Benigna
Lara. The only Benigna
Lara in the family is Leandro's daughter Benigna, who is my husband's mother. (No one knows who provided this information to the state of
Arizona.) She, my husband's mother, was born in Silver City, N.M. to Leandro and his wife
Petra Albillar
Lara. Have you ever heard of Leandro, or can you confirm or have any validity to this story. Thanks,
Molly Bejarano at
molly@etcrier.net