AUSTIN, TX (September 29, 2003) — Adán Benavides, librarian for Research Programs at the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, a unit of the General Libraries, was recently cited by the Commissioners Court of Bexar County for his contributions to the Hispanic genealogy and history of San Antonio, Texas. Commissioner Tommy Adkisson presented the appointment as "Hidalgo de San Antonio de Béjar" to Benavides on September 6, 2003, during the Twenty-Fourth Annual Hispanic Genealogy Conference held in San Antonio. Benavides has been a long-time member of Los Bexareños Genealogical Society, which hosted the event. The designation "hidalgo" refers to an ancient Spanish title of respect and nobility, which was conferred by royal order on the Canary Islander families who settled in the San Antonio area in 1731.
Since the publication in 1989 of Benavides' reference work, The Béxar Archives, 1717-1836: A Name Guide, countless researchers have been aided in accessing the quarter-million manuscript pages of the provincial records of Texas during the Spanish and Mexican eras. The Benavides Guide, which gives citations to more than 8,000 individuals, has become a staple in research libraries and public libraries throughout Texas and the United States. The Bexar County Commissioners Court transferred the original records to The University in 1899. Since then, thousands of pages have been translated into English and The University has published the entire collection in microfilm, making it easily available in many research centers.
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For more information contact:
Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
blac@lib.utexas.edu or 512-495-4520
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