A free woman of color who shared the household of Bernardo Pargas in Pensacola, Florida. The 1820 Spanish census of Pensacola lists Bernardo as a pulpero (which can be translated as “grocer” or “tavern keeper”) born in Spain.
Born about 1785 in Africa. Race is recorded as negra.
The 1820 Spanish census of Pensacola lists only the two of them in the household, though several enslaved individuals associated with the household have been documented elsewhere. The census calls her “Maria” and lists her as a laundress. They may have been living as husband and wife; couples of mixed ethnicity were common in West Florida under the Spanish. They were not legally married and she may or may not have used his surname.
Bernardo died on 16 January 1837. In his 1836 will, Bernardo Pargas bequeathed to Ortauna half of his lot at the corner of Baylen and Romana Streets and a portion of the house that was on it; several hundred dollars in cash; and a bequest of his furniture and household items (including the silver). He also gave her five years of service of the enslaved woman Julie, after which service Julie was manumitted.
SOURCES:
Will of Bernardo Pargas, 9 DEC 1836 [Ancestry.com. Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1827-1950 [accessed 18 SEP 2021]
Coker, William S. and G. Douglas Inglis. “Census of Pensacola, 1820.” The Spanish Censuses of Pensacola, 1784-1820: A Genealogical Guide to Spanish Pensacola. The Perdido Bay Press, 1980, pp. 93-126
Escambia County [FL] Deed H/13.