This is a combination of two family tree:  LABOY-TORRES
 and TALAVERA-BORRERO.

It has been a life-long dream of mine to research my family tree, Mi Raices.  My family is more than just a name. They lived, struggled and set their names  for future generations to remember. Their names meants something to them and it  means even more to me! I want to be able to locate every member of my family,  not just the immediate family, but all! I am proud of the white, beige, bronze,  ebony to deep mahogany colors of Mi Raices!

I was born in Ponce, Boriken (aka Puerto Rico)en el hospital Tricoche, La Perla del  Sur. The majority of my ancestors live/lived in Marueno, Magueyes, Quebrada Limon,  Tibes, Maraguez, Playa de Ponce y Rucio Penuelas, and Heaven forbid if I   forget to mention Bo. Cantera - Grandmother lived there, but was born in Guayanilla. My dad was born en el Barrio de los Caricusio (dirty faces)Ponce. In furthering this research I have  learned that my paternal 4X g grandfather was from Cabo Rojo. Also my maternal great grandmother's  father was from Utuado.

Mi Raices consists of a French pirate from Louisiana, and merchants from France,  England, and Spain. Bodon is a blue-blood name. Whoever has the name in  their tree, has royal and aristrocratic blood. The Bodons originally came from  Sussex and Warwickshire England. They descended from the noble Anglo-Saxon  family Boveton. The name eventually changed from Boveton to Boton to Bodon. The  name appears in France not because it is French but because for centuries in  the Middle Ages the Northwest part of France was part of England. Many English  nobles had estates in the English part of France. There is a small town  named Bodon, in the part of France that used to be controlled by England. We are  related if not descendents from a long line of Counts in France as well as from  English nobles and Princes.

Many English, Irish, and French people immigrated 
 to Puerto Rico. Not all white Puerto Ricans were descendents from Spain;  certainly not all of mine!!! Laboy is a French name which can be traced to the  canary islands, and Feliciano is an Italian name from Naples,Italy.

On my maternal side of the family - Maurice Jacob Gueits-Malet and Carlina Merlo arrived to  Boriken via the Virgen Island, but originally were from France.  Carlina crossed over in Penuela  after childbirth, 
 Maurice than married an Ysabel Velazquez who bore him 13 children. Mauricio applied to live in  Boriken on May 10, 1822. I don't enjoy mentioning this but Carlina Merlo's family were slave  traders, and quite possible Maurico was too. I do know that Maurico's ship sunk but not certain  where this may have happened. I am not fond of that fact*(

My paternal great-grandmother, Margarita Cedeno Torres was born in Guayanilla.  Margara as she was  called by the family is probably the daughter of a slave. But I can't verify that fact.  There is a possibility that one of her parents was a black slave. I wish I could learn more about  her and I will some day.

The stories that my maternal grandfather, Felix Torres Medina, told my mother (Iris Torres-Vazquez) is a lost memory of our Taino heritage. She was around 11 years of age when her father passed  away. But on 11/23/2007 Mom visited the sacred site in Tibes, Bo.Jacana, Ponce and  had the pleasure of dancing for/with our ancestors.  He told her to be proud of the  Taino blood that flows thru her vein. My great grandparents (Bodon)lived on the site where the  present Yacimento (Sacred site) was located in Ponce, Jacana. They lived in front of this sacred  site where there was also a stone from the Spaniards. It is believed to be the oldest Taino site  and unfortunately a dam is being built on that sacred site. My Indian blood also stems from my  paternal side of the family.

TALAVERA-BORRERO

My husband was born in Mayaguez, Boriken. The majority of his  ancestors born/live/lived in San German, Mayaquez, San Sebastian, Guayanilla and as of this date  4/8/2015 the Talaveras were from Aguadilla.  
  
 Husband's side of the tree - "The Talavera family can trace their ancestors back to the ancient  territories of Spain between the 11th and 12th century." There is a small town in Spain  named Talavera de la Reina, which we visited during our travels. His great-grandfathere was a  soldier from Spain that served at El Morro, San Juan (in fact he went awol and was placed in the  brig as a form of punishment).
 Irving's grandfather, Santiago Borrero was a soldier during WWI and became a professional gambler  with his brother Pastor.  He was supposedly killed over 24.00 and Irving's mom, Monserrate Borrero- Sanabria, who wanted to be a teacher because the wage earner.  He owned several homes that were sold  in order to survive.

The Borrero were a very close knit family, but once the elders crossed over that changed.  Unfortunately not much is shared and my research will solely be based on what I can locate and from  the few that cooperate. (I will shortly separate my tree from my honey.)

The following was published in the
 San Juan Star, dated October 13, 2003: "Tres de cada cinco tiene sangre taino.  Estudio ADN refleja que tres de cada cinco boricuas descienden de los tainos."

Genetic Journey (DNA testing) for $99.00 
 https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/participate.html

I recently had my DNA done thru 23and me.

My Ancestors And Their Descendents ** 
 www.us.genwb.org/index.shtm
 Family Search - (free site) http://www.familysearch.org
 Find a Grave -  www.findagrave.com
 http://aolsvc.ellisisland.aol.com/
 http://www.nps.gov/archive/saju/archive.html
 www.ancestry.com
 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~prhgs/index.html#Index
 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~prsanjua/
 https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&countryId=5931730

The following are excellent Taino website: 
 http://www.uctp.org or 
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sobaokokoromo2/
 http://www.taino-tribe.org/tedict html  (Taino Dictionary)
 http://www.uctp.org/bprr.htm#el
 http://tainonation.info/index.html
 http://www.presenciataina.tv/video1.html
 http://conciliotainopr.org/

Juan Carlos Martinez Cruzado, Professor of Genetics
 http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/41/308.html

http://www.ladanza.com/himnopr.htm  (Himo La Borinquena.) 
 http://www.ladanza.com/verdeluz.htm (Verde Luz) My favorite!