Travis Rounsaville and Thea Rounsaville

Travis Rounsaville (TR) Thea Rounsaville (TMR) how she became interested in tracing her genealogy in New Mexico.

TMR explains her connection to Juana Freitas, a Ute woman bought by Charles Portugues Freitas and his wife Marina Carina Tafoya.

TMR describes her third great-grandfather's history. She also details how Catholic families in New Mexico would capture Indigenous slaves, believing it was a virtuous act.

TRM recalls the day she connected with distant cousins who descended from the same family tree.

TMR details Juana Freitas's children's census and baptismal records. She explains who peons were and what peonage is in the context of her family history.

TRM explains that in 1866 the government became involved in the New Mexico territory when it sent W.W. Griffin to track and record families who continued to purchase and own slaves. TRM says that Charles Portugues was one of the subjects of his investigations.

TMR says that W.W. Griffin's investigation found that Charles enslaved many Indigenous people, but the grand jury decided not to charge anyone who was indicted.

TMR details what happened to the children of Marina Carina and Juana Freitas.

TRM speculates about what Juana Freitas's relationship with her daughter Maria Salimani would have been like.

TRM shares her grandmother's and grandfather’s histories.

TR and TMR remember visiting Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, to see the land her ancestors lived on.

TMR considers how she felt when she discovered she was a descendant of a slave owner and an Indigenous slave.