Juan Anderson Hernandez

Through my readings, questions have been ricocheting in my head: In the name “Juan Anderson Hernandez”, was Anderson his mother’s surname (as oral histories insist)? Or was Anderson a second given name?

1. Was Anderson his mother’s surname?  Juan was born in 1885 during the Spanish era.  During this time, he may have been referred to as Juan Hernandez y Anderson (although I have not found his name in a document in this configuration).  His mother was supposedly a woman of American-Mexican descent.  Given the fact that Juan’s birthplace, the land-locked Lipa, is only a few of kilometers north east of Batangas City (which used to lie along the route of the Spanish Galleon Trade from Mexico) this story is plausible.  His mother would have been called Macaria Anderson before she married Herman Hernandez — but she was only referred to by her married name in her son’s death certificate.

2.  Was Anderson his second given name?  A good example of this practice is our Commonwealth president, Manuel Luis Molina Quezon, who has been referred to in history as ML Quezon — without his mother’s surname.  When Juan entered military service, his superiors would have been Americans and they would have used naming conventions familiar to them.  Another hypothesis I have been working on is that he adapted the second name Anderson to differentiate him from others.  His name Juan Hernandez is, sadly, very common in that region (I have found hundreds in Lipa and neighboring towns).  Anderson might be the surname of an American officer he was indebted to early in his military career.

Let me masticate on these as my search continues.  If my dearest Magno and Hernandez relatives can provide more concrete proof on the origins of Juan and his brother Nicolas, do let me know.  :)

Family History Research Notes

1. “Manuel L. Quezon“. Geni. Date accessed: 11 May 2012.

2. “Middle name“. Wikipedia. Date published: 05 May 2012. Date accessed: 11 May 2012.

3. “Tagaytay City and Batangas City“. Travel.ph. Date published: 2003. Date accessed: 11 May 2012.

The LDS Family History Center across the main temple in Quezon City has been invaluable in my research into my own ancestry and family history.

Behind my questions is the poor state of interest in history and preservation in the Philippines.  Ambeth Ocampo, with his writings, has done a lot to bring the lives of Filipino heroes closer to the the average Pinoy; but so much more needs to get done.  I feel that the best way to get kids and young adults today interested in the time before Facebook games and Android phones is to get them researching about something personal — their own families.

Sadly, little has been done to effectively present history research as an interesting personal journey. Aside from the CLDS Family History Centers, their is no repository of data that is conducive to research (my trips to the National Library and National Archives will be the topic of a separate entry — a looong one). So much of the fascinating tales of our lolo‘s and lola‘s, often shared in family reunions, are based on oral histories — which, as some of us have observed, grow grander over time. There is no organized group of genealogy enthusiasts who are championing the preservation of the personal histories of the common tao.

We need a Philippine Genealogical Society.

I am in search of equally passionate Filipino family history researchers to form the nucleus of the organization. I am looking for individuals who have, through first-hand documented research, built their family trees and communicated their findings to their relatives or other interested parties, either through printed materials or digital media. They should be willing to volunteer their time to toward improving genealogy practices and increasing interest in family history in the Philippines.

Please fill out this on-line sign-up sheet (http://bit.ly/pgs-intro-form). It will ask you some contact details as well as three questions on your genealogy experience — you will need about ten minutes to fill it out.  You can also join the discussion in this forum.

I know there are not a lot of Pinoy genealogists out there, so I will wait for as long as it takes.  Individual invitations will also be extended to historians of note.  When a critical mass is achieved, I will call for a start-up meeting, in Metro Manila.  I am eager for the sharing of ideas on how to move ancestry and family history research  into the mainstream.

From Africa, through China, to the Americas.

I am blown away at how I share DNA similarities with a group that has literally roamed the earth!  Haplogroup B is also referred to as THE JOURNEYERS.  I entered the values into Mitosearch, and compared my DNA makeup with many others on record.  I found that I share ancient maternal ancestry with people from Argentina, Barabados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Korea, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

I am looking forward to reading a novel called “The Seven Daughters of Eve” by  Brian Sykes, which is describes the lifestyle of the Journeyers in a rich narrative surrounding their ancestral mother, whom the author called “Ina”.  It is so cool how that means mother in Tagalog.

If you are my San Diego, Porcincula, De Leon or Concepcion relative,  give me a holler if you want a copy of the full report.

You belong to the Journeyers, Haplogroup B, which emerged around 50,000 years ago during an initial migration from Africa into Asia. The Journeyers most likely mapped this migration directly through Central Asia. About 12,000 years ago some of the Journeyers migrated into the Americas across the Bering Straight land bridge. Because of this migration, the Journeyers have been associated with Native American populations at rates of about 24%.

Many of the descendants of the Journeyers are found among Native Americans in the southwestern United States, known for its cactus-covered, arid desert. Native tribes of the American southwest include the Apache, Hopi, Navajo and Zuni, among others.

The people known as Apache are actually a gathering of different tribes who have, over time, become regarded as a single group. There are significant differences among the Apache tribes, but there are also notable similarities. Among the broad Apachean cultures shamans play a key role, although the ceremonies they lead and participate in may vary.

The Hopi people are called Hopituh Shi-nu-mu in their language, which translates to “The People of Peace.” Peace is central to the Hopi’s cultural and religious beliefs. A matrilineal tradition gives structure to the Hopi society and means that when a man marries, he joins his wife’s family. Kivas, square spaces used for spiritual ceremonies, have been used by Hopis since ancient times for ritual prayers, dances, and sacred chants.

There are also many Journeyers in the southern Siberian regions, and in and near present-day Mongolia and China. Your ancient ancestors may have lived in these regions as well. Among these people are the Tuvans, a nomadic people who live in yurts and herd reindeer, yaks and cattle and are known for their enchanting throat singing. The Buryats and the Altay also live in this general region and have notable rates of Journeyers among their populations. There is evidence that the Altay mastered metalwork almost 2,000 years ago.

Over the 50,000 years since your ancestors emerged, they have traveled around Asia, and descendants of the Journeyers can be found in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Polynesia and Micronesia.

China: Where the Magno's are originally from.

Today, I finally got the results on our paternal ancestry!  After administering a Paternal Lineage Test (Y-46) on my brother’s DNA sample, I learned my paternal line belongs to the Haplogroup O3, also known as THE INVENTORS.   If you are my Magno paternal relative, send me a note and I would be happy to email you a copy of the complete report.

You belong to “The Inventors”, Haplogroup O3, which originated about 30,000 years ago in south eastern Asia, and quickly migrated to central China. Haplogroup O3 is still associated with central China, but many present-day members of Manchurian, Korean and Vietnamese populations are part of the Inventors. Some Filipinos and Japanese are also in this group.

“Inventors” can be found at very high rates among the Han Chinese, considered by many to be the largest ethnic group in the world. Some of the Han Chinese refer to themselves as “descendants of the dragon” and believe they share common ancestors with the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor. Your ancient ancestors may have been instrumental in developing the predominant language associated with the Han people, called “hanyu”. The written characters of the language are called “hanzim”, literally “Han characters”. The written Chinese language is one clear unifying factor among the Han Chinese. A consistent written language has prevailed through the ages, despite a great diversity among the languages spoken in China.

The Han Chinese are believed to have contributed significantly to the progress of humanity on a large scale. Your ancient ancestors may have played a role in the development of paper, the compass, gun powder, silk production, canal locks, porcelain, toothbrushes and a myriad of other necessities that are taken for granted today.

China was influenced heavily by Confucianism, and it’s likely that the “Inventors” were as well. At first inspection, Confucianism appears to focus on morality, but a more in-depth understanding reveals a system of moral, social, political, philosophical and spiritual thought. Prior to advanced genetics, linguists used commonalities between languages to link groups of people separated by time and travel. It appears that a subgroup of the “Inventors”, haplogroup O3e, have many members connected by Sino-Tibetan languages. These peoples are conventionally categorized into two branches, Chinese and Tibeto-Burman. The Sino-Tibetan speaking Chinese are the Han Chinese, the Hui and the Dungan. The Tibeto-Burman group includes many east Asian peoples, including but not limited to most of those living in Myanmar (Burma), Tibet, Vietnam, Laos and certain regions of India.

I entered my test values into YSearch and found that I shared genetic markers with individuals from China, Kasakhstan, Korea, and United States.

I guess the information has no immediate impact on my on-going study, as my research into the Magno line has only barely broken the 20th century mark.  If anything, these test results negate the family falsehood of an Iberian ancestry.  It also means that this branch of my family was not from the early settlers of the Philippines — Negrito, Indonesian or Malay — but rather migrants from across the South China Sea.

In my future is the bigger challenge that is Chinese genealogy.

Family History Research Notes

1.  ”Haplogroup O3 (Y-DNA)”.  Wikipedia.  Date published: 08 April 2011.  Date accessed: 13 May 2011.

2.  Paternal Lineage Test Results for CRSD Magno.  Date accessed:  13 May 2011.

Teodora Sobrepeña was born on 07 April 1884 in Iloilo City. My dad remembers her as having a stall in the town market, where she sold the rice delicacies (“kakanin”) she created. She married Ricardo Magno, a tailor and haberdasher, in the 1910s. They had at least five children: Julio, Segundino, Cecilia, Adelina and Ignacia. She died on 16 July 1969, in Iloilo, at the age of 85. The informant on her death certificate was Francisco Tapiculin, the husband of her daughter, Cecilia. The extended family lived at the same address: Fuentes and de Leon Streets, Iloilo — a domicile she kept since 1935, at least.

Family History Research Notes

1. “Teodora Sobrepeña Death Certificate”. Philippine Deaths and Burial, 1726-1957. Microfilm Number 1969792. CLDS Family History Center: Quezon City. Date accessed: 13 Apr 2011

This week, my Tita Inday, my cousin Nota (an anthropologist from ADMU) and I poured through the delicate volumes of Vargas’ “scrapbook” — which had newspaper clippings, protocol papers, theater tickets, notes from Japanese administrators, sweepstakes tickets, among others.  Amazingly enough, from this 70-year old goldmine, we were able to reconstruct a part of my great-grandfather’s professional life:

1.  In July 1938, Juan Anderson Hernandez was among 198 officers of the Philippine Army who were transferred to the newly-formed Philippine Constabulary, the national police organization.  Captain Hernandez’ responsibility was “commanding headquarters troops”.  Considering the timing, it seems that he held this post a short time before or at the same time as his job as the sergeant-at-arms of the Second National Assembly.

2.  Shortly after World Ward II broke out, the open city of Manila was occupied by the Japanese in 02 January 1942.  The Japanese-controlled government inagurated the new Constabulary Academy at the site of the former Araullo High School in Intramuros, Manila by June 1942.  They also created branches of this school all over the country.  I found multiple references to Assistant Superintendent JA Hernandez participating at the graduation of  Constabulary Academy that year — he was a speaker at the graduation of 01 November 1942 , then he read the roll of graduates at the 20 December 1942 rites.

3.  Juan must have been promoted some time earlier, as I found a document (a guest list for a dinner given by the Director General of the Japanese Military Administration, held at the Winter Garden of the Manila Hotel on 28 December 1942), which referred to him as “Major Hernandez” of the Constabulary Academy.

4.  In July 1943, Juan left the Constabulary Academy for his new assignment as the Senior Inspector of the Philippine Constabulary in Samar.

This is as far as I got.  It would be interesting to understand the circumstances around his promotion to Colonel.  I am now updating the biography of Juan Anderson Hernandez to reflect the new details above.

Family History Research Notes

1. “Constabulary Staff Named:  198 Former Army Men Transferred to National Police”.  Bull, 06 July 1938.
2. ”Inagurates Constabulary Academy:  High Officials Attend Opening”.  Tribune, 02 June 1942.
3. “Names of 198 Officers of PC are Released”.  Herald, 06 July 1938.
4. “PC Men are Told of Responsibility”.  Tribune, 01 November 1942.
5. “Otros 453 Cadets se han Graduado hoy”.  La Vanguardia, 19 December 1942.
6. “Guest List, Dinner Hosted by the Director General of the Japanese Military Administration, Winter Garden, Manila Hotel, 28 December 1942, 7:00pm”.  The Vargas Scrapbooks, Vargas Museum.  Date accessed:  27 April 2011.

I accessed microfilmed death certificates for 1969 and found a lady named LUCIA Sobrepeña-Magno.  She was born in 1886 (Check!  That’s a good match for Teodora) in Mambusao, Capiz.  She died on 10 May 1969 (Check!) in Iloilo of tuberculosis.  Her husband was Ricardo Magno (Check!).   This woman had three crucial items in common with my great-grandmother.  But is she the person I am looking for?

YES.

1) It is possible that “Lucia” is one of two given names.

2) Another possibility:  a staff member at the Family History Center in Quezon City also posed that during this woman’s lifetime, it is common for rural people to change their given names mid-life.  This occurs when someone is sickly or is plagued by ill-luck.  They believe that changing their name will bring improved health and happiness.  This was the case with this gentleman’s mother-in-law.

NO.

I called my father (the eldest grandchild) and asked about this new first name.  He did not believe it was the same lady as she was addresed as “Lola Doring” until the last decade of her life.  The clincher was the name of the informant.  It was Aniceto Magno, her son.  My father vaguely remembers a story of my great-grandfather having an illegitimate child named Aniceto.  The juicy question that plagues me now, if we go with the illegitimacy angle, is:  Why does the my great-grandmother share a surname with her husband’s mistress?  Were they related?

I was unable to finish the microfilm as it was difficult to read and I was nursing a head ache the size of Utah.  I will have to wait until Tuesday next week to review the records again to get another crack at finding Teodora.

POSTCRIPT, 28 APRIL 2011

My Tita Inday called her older cousins in Iloilo — they are in their 80s — to ask about Lucia and Aniceto.  It turns out that my great-grandfather, Ricardo, got her wife’s niece (the daughter of Teodora’s brother) pregnant.  While my great-grandmother Teodora remarried (so her last name changed since her husband’s death in the 1930s), Lucia never did (which was why she used her “Magno”).  With the “ew” reflex contained, I am looking forward to a trip to Iloilo to dig up more stories.  I can smell the the unwashed laundry!

1.  Juan A. Hernandez was born on 8 March 1885 in Batangas, Batangas, according to his death certificate.  This location is not consistent with oral histories and the mini-bio we found here.  From what was previously known to me, he was born in Lipa, Batangas.

2.  His parents were Herman Hernandez and Maria Macaria Hernandez.  According to my aunt, his mother was a woman of American-Mexican descent with the maiden name Anderson.  As Juan was born in 1885 (well before the Spanish-American War which resulted in the influx of Americans into the country), it would be interesting to find out what brought his foreign mother/grandparents to the Philippines.

3.  His last partner was Dolores Gonzales-Hernandez.  They lived in 404 Barasoin St., Makati, which was in the province of Rizal at the time of his death.  Their home is in the south of the Sta. Ana Racetrack where Juan worked as a steward.  Interestingly enough, a street to the north east of the race track was named after him.

4.  According to my dad, Juan left ex-President Quirino’s home on Novaliches to go to V. Luna General Hospital in Quezon City.  He came in for a check-up and accidentally slipped and hit his head, as he was getting off the examination bed.  On the document, we can see Juan was confined on 29 July 1957; and was attended to by Dr. Felix Sibal.  After 19 days of confinement, Juan passed away on 11 August 1957 at 3:45 pm.  He was 72 years old.  While his obituary reads that he died from a heart attack, his death certificate states that the condition directly leading to death is “undetermined”.  No autopsy or investigation followed.

5.  Juan’s wake was at the Funeraria Popular along 2139 Rizal Avenue, Manila.  He was finally laid to rest on 15 August 1957 at the La Loma Cemetery, also called North Cemetery, in the city of Manila.

Family History Research Notes

1. Philippine Death and Burials, 1726-1957, Quezon City.  CLDS microfilm roll 1775568, viewed on 13 April 2011.

Juan's Bio

Owing to serendipitous googling, I found a book that mentions his name.  Yet another search led me to the Heritage Library (now my favorite library!), where a copy of the book is in active circulation.  Towards the end of the chapter covering the Colonial Senate (1916-1935), I found, to my utter joy, a brief biography of my great-grandfather:

Assisting the Senate as Sergeant at Arms was Juan Anderson Hernandez.  He was born in Lipa, Batangas in 1885.  He had a colorful career during the American period, serving as officer of the Philippine National Guard, a captain in the Reserve Corps of the US Army, and a brigadier general of the National Volunteers of the Philippines — an organization he helped organize before serving in the Senate.

Need I spell it out?  Eureka!

Family History Research Notes

1.  Agpalo, Remigio et al.  ”The Philippine Senate”.  Manila: Dick Baldovino Enterprises, 1997.  Page 62.

Among the details I have been trying to look into is my dad’s memory of him being a Superintendent or Commandant of the Philippine Constabulary School, the precursor of the Philippine Military Academy, headquartered at the Cuartel De Santa Lucia (Santa Lucia Barracks) in Intramuros, during the Japanese occupation.  My dad remembers how his father, Segundino Magno, was given a job as a school cook by his father-in-law Juan.  There is a sense of family pride in the lore that Segundino unlocked the armory at night for the guerillas to loot — his tiny contribution to the war effort.  On the flip side, Juan was supposedly tried after the war, together with Laurel and other leaders, for his complicity to the Japanese invaders.  So much data to verify!  I need materials that will collaborate the oral histories.  So off I went to the National Library of the Philippines in TM Kalaw St. Manila today.

In reference to the PMA’s transfer to the Baguio Campus, I found this communique from the American administrators in 1908:

Bureau of Constabulary
Manila, PI
August 1, 1908
General Orders No. 24

1. The following named officers of the class graduated July 31, 1908, at the Constabulary School, having been recommended by the school staff and superintendent for their conduct, application, and proficiency in the course of study, are announced as honor graduates:

Third Lieutenant Bernabe Nicolas.
Third Lieutenant Jose V. Agdamag.
Third Lieutenant Maxon S. Lough.
Third Lieutenant Oliver Soow.

2. The station of the Constabulary School is changed from Santa Lucia Barracks, Manila to Baguio, Benguet.  Santa Lucia Barracks will be used as a station for general service companies and band, quarters for unmarried officers on duty in the city, and casuals.  Detachments from the provinces heretofore directed to report to the adjustant of the Constabulary School will hereafter be ordered to report to the commanding officerm Santa Lucia Barracks, Manila.  The supply officer and supply sergeant of the Constabulary School is discontinued.  Such supplies and property pertains to the school as are considered necessary by the Chief Supply Officer will be shipped to Baguio in time to be available for the term beginning September 1, 1908.  Upon completion of business pertaining to this transfer, officers and employees of the school will proceed by first available transportation to Baguio for duty.  The travel enjoined is necessary for public service (21808-G).

By order of Colonel Harbord:
RALPH W. JONES
Acting Executive Inspector

From this, I confirmed what is written on the historial marker at the ruins of the Sta. Lucia Barracks — that the precursor of the PMA moved to Baguio in 1908, a good 35 years before World War II.  Combine this tidbit and the confirmation from PMA that Juan’s name does not appear on the list of PMA superintendents, of Corps of Professors and of Commandants of Cadets, I am ready to disprove one of the family myths and conclude that Juan was never part of that organization.

So, what was the Santa Lucia Barracks used for during the war? My dad remembers it as the Constabulary School; but with the PMA fully transferred to Baguio, who were training there?  This excerpt from the memoirs of an American who served in the Philippine Guerilla Movement clarifies a lot:

In an effort to deal with the guerillas, who were passing from nuisance to menace, the Japanese organized a new Philippine Constabulary. This body should not be confused with the old prewar Constabulary which, along with the Philippine army and Philippine Scouts, had been closely linked to the American army. The new Constabulary was composed, in part, of civilian volunteers and of men who simply needed jobs to feed their families. The core of it, though, consisted of Filipino prisoners taken after the fall of Bataan and Corregidor. These men were gradually released by the Japanese with the proviso that they join the new Constabulary. Nominally, there were then to perform ordinary police duties. Actually, the Japanese planned to train them to become a new army to help defend the Philippines against a possible future American attack. The commander of the new Constabulary was General Guillermo Francisco, a Filipino officer who had served in Bataan and whom the Japanese put though a de-Americanization program before his “promotion”.

So, it seems that my great-grandfather’s Constabulary was Japanese-run and was not part of the Philippine military.   My search for details on Juan continues.

Family History Research Notes

1. Bruner, E Murray.  ”Southeast Asian Images and Texts“.  Wisconsin Philippines Image Collection, 1906-1910.  Date accessed: 24 March 2011.
2. Magsino, Florencio F. and Lumabas, Rogelio.  “Men of PMA”.  1978.
3. The Historical Marker Database.  Published: 07 December 2009.  Accessed:  15 March 2011.
4. Pacific Wrecks.  Published:  23 February 2011.  Accessed:  15 March 2011.
5.  Hunt, Ray C. and Norling, Bernard.  “Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla in the Philippines“.  University Press of Kentucky. 2000.  Accessed:  16 March 2011.