Denton County, Texas - History: Historic Hispanic Families

In the Fall 2002, the Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum opened a new permanent exhibit, Historic Hispanic Families of Denton County. This exhibit was completed in partnership with the Denton LULAC Council #4366 and the Denton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Members of these organizations searched census records, visited cemeteries and documented graves of early Hispanic families, searched land patent grants from the late 1800s, and collected information, photographs, and memorabilia about historic Hispanic families of the county.

The 1920 census lists families living in Denton that were born in Mexico. These families lived primarily in the Denton, Roanoke, Justin, Sanger, Slidell, and Bolivar.

Some Prominent Hispanic Families in Early Denton County

The Menchaca Family in Denton
Juan chaca came to Denton in 1920. He owned a café on the South side of the Square where he sold tamales from his business location and from a cart. Juan was married to Candida Galindo Menchaca. She was the aunt of Ben Villanueva’s wife, Mildred Garcia.

In 1932, Juan and Candida Menchaca returned to Mexico. After his death in the mid-1940s, Candida returned to Denton and lived here until her death. When she returned to the United States she had to confirm her citizenship and certify that she had been born in Cameron, Milam County, Texas.

The Ramirez Family in Tioga, Pilot Point, and Denton
Clemente Ramirez was born in Webberville, Travis County, Texas in 1902. He was married to Pearl Garcia who was born in California. They had six children: John, Jovita, Tonnie, Amelia (Molly), Rosita, and Victoria. His parents, Serapio and Clemencia Ramirez eventually moved to the North Texas area, living in McKinney.

Clemente, known as Mike, was a rancher in Hunt County. Then, in 1942 he moved to Tioga in Grayson County where he worked for the Texas and Pacific Railroad. In 1957, the family moved to Denton. He retired after working for T&P for 35 years.

The Jose Rodriguez Family in Aubrey
The Jose Rodriguez Family lived in Aubrey. They had five children: Anna Maria, John, Marino (known as Babe), Angela, and Carmen. All of the children, except Anna Maria, attended Aubrey schools in the 1930s and 1940s. The two sons served in the military during World War II.

The Villanueva-Veanueva Family in Denton
Antonio Villanueva came to Texas from Mexico in the 1920s. He was a widower with a young daughter, Ramona. Friends arranged for a young widow, Marguerita to come from Mexico and meet him. They married and had eight children: Antonio, Braley, Trina, Margaret, Sam, Ben, Delores, and Josephine.

Antonio was a business owner. He worked with Juan Menchaca at his restaurant and he was also a vendor. Three of the sons – Ben, Sam, and Braley – and one of the daughters, Margaret, served in the military during World War II. Ben Veanueva worked for Dr. Jack Skiles in his veterinarian office.

Hispanic Men and Women Serving During World War II from Denton County

Two of the men were brothers from Aubrey and were the children of Mr. and Mrs. Jose Rodriquez:
M/Sgt Mariano Rodriquez, U.S. Army
M/Sgt Rodriguez entered the service in February 1944 and went overseas in September of the same year. He was an Armed Forces radio operator in the medical battalion and served in England, France, and Germany with the 7th Army.
Cpl. John Rodriquez, U.S. Army Air Corps
Cpl Rodriguez entered the service in October 1942 and went overseas in October 1943. He was assigned to the Army Air Corps and served in New Guinea, the East Indies, the Netherlands, and the Philippine Islands.

Although they choose to spell their name two different ways, three of the men and the woman were the children of Marguerita Veanueva and the late Antonio Veanueva of Denton:
Pfc Ben Veanueva, U.S. Army
Pfc Veanueva entered the service in 1943. He went overseas in 1944 and served in Hawaii as well as other areas.
Cpl Sam Veanueva, U.S. Army Cpl Veanueva entered the service in 1942. He went overseas in 1943 and served in France.
T/5 Bralley Villanueva, U.S. Army
T/5 Villanueva entered the service in 1941. He went overseas in 1942 and served in Germany with the 5th Army. He was awarded the Infantryman’s Badge, received many citations and was lauded for his record. He later served in Korea.
Cpl Margaret Villanueva, W.A.C.
Cpl Villanueva entered the service in 1943. She trained at Camp Lee in Virginia and served in various locations.

Note: In the 1940s, the family began to spell their last name two different ways, Villanueva and Veanueva.

Sources of Information

The information and photographs of the early Hispanic families was provided primarily by family members:

Gloria Veanueva-Villanueva Anderson, the daughter of Ben Veanueva, shared stories, photographs, and memorabilia about her family and the Menchaca family. Her mother, Mildred, was Candida Manchaca’s niece.
Tonnie and Joba Ramirez, two of the children of Clemente and Pearl Ramirez, provided information, photographs, and memorabilia for the exhibit.
Mary Alice Redding, from Aubrey and a local member of the Denton County Historical Commission, provided the school photographs and information about the Rodriguez family.
The photographs and information about the members of the Armed Forces during World War II were taken from the book, The Men and Women in World War II from Denton County.

For additional information, visit Exhibits: Historic Hispanic Families of Denton County