José Román Ortega was a presido solider who left behind him a record of his life in the Spanish Archives of New Mexico, allowing us to see him as an individual.    His great grandfather, Simón Ortega  came with Vargas to New Mexico in 1692.  He attempted to abandon the colony and was executed by Vargas, leaving his wife and son, Gerónimo Ortega (José's grandfather) left behind. José Román was a presidio soldier, a donor to the presidio fund for support of the American Revolution, and lived in a house on Palace Avenue.  We know about him and his family because of presidio records and a lengthy probate case where the fifteen children from Gerónimo’s two marriages argued, called each other names, and generally disagreed over Geronimo’s meager estate.