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Subject: Re: Swilling family of Forsyth County
Date: 13 Aug 2004 16:36:43 -0600

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.

Surnames: Lara/Swilling
Classification: Query

Message Board URL:

http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Ec.2ADI/475.505

Message Board Post:

My name is Molly Bejarano, and I am the wife of Joe Lara Bejarano. My husband's maternal grandfather was a Leandro Lara, whose biological father was John W. "Jack" Swilling of Phoenix fame. The story goes back in our family quite a ways, and we've always been told Jack, and an unnamed wealthy girl possibly named Concepcion de Lara, fathered Leandro, who was born in 1860-1862(place and actual birth day unknown) and who was then given to a family with the last name of Lara(possibly parents of Concepcion) to raise. We've all been told that Jack knew of Leandro, and apparently tried to claim him at about age seven near Mesilla, Dona Ana County New Mexico, but Leandro, not knowing Jack other than as his biological father, refused to go with him.What my husband's family is interested in is finding who Leandro's mother was, where he was born, where Leandro was conceived, and how the relationship with Leandro's mother began. We know Jack Swilling is listed as Leandro's father on his!
death certficate in the state of Arizona in 1952, but it lists his mother as being a Benigna Lara. The only Benigna Lara in the family is Leandro's daughter Benigna, who is my husband's mother. (No one knows who provided this information to the state of Arizona.) She, my husband's mother, was born in Silver City, N.M. to Leandro and his wife Petra Albillar Lara. Have you ever heard of Leandro, or can you confirm or have any validity to this story. Thanks, Molly Bejarano at

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