- Randall Davis

The Cavazos and Contreras Family History

Welcome to my family history home page. The information here represents a small part of work I have done during the past two decades, and I have created this site as a means of sharing my findings with others. Please send your comments, suggestions, corrections, or additions to:

Some of the major portions of this site can be found in the navigation strip at the left:

• Introduction: The story of how I started compiling this history;
• Cavazos Family: The main families starting with Ygnacio Cabazos and his wife Juana (circa 1820) and their descendants;
• Contreras Family: The main families starting with Esteban Contreras and his wife Librada Saldaņa (1878) and their descendants;
• Database: Documentation and source material for this history;
• Family Stories: A collection of memorable stories from family member;
• Links: A short list of links on genealogical research and online resources, including computer software;
• Audio/Video Library: Video and audio clips of interviews with family members;
• Mexican Menu: Basic recipes of our Mexican ancestors;
• Search: A basic search engine for location relatives listed at this site;
• Pictures and Charts: A selection of family photographs and pedigree charts;
• What's New: Recent updates to this site.

The graphic at the top of these pages contains the pictures of leading members of these families. If you pass your cursor over the picture, the individual's name will appear at the bottom of your browser window in the status bar. If you press on one of the pictures, you will be taken to the page that corresponds with that individual, and the person's face will appear with a yellow box around the face.

This compiling of the history actually served as the impetus which moved me toward the profession I am in now--that of teacher of English as a second and foreign language. My grandmother, Ana Maria Cavazos Contreras, came to Texas with her family during the Mexican Revolution in 1913, and often spoke of her struggles to come to grips with the foreign culture and language. Trying to help those like her has been my one of my goals.

I created my educational site, Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab, just for ESL and EFL students. The Lab is an online listening quiz center featuring streaming audio and video technology. Give it a try!