Stewart Skloss’ Canary Islander Lineage Tied to San Fernando Cathedral and San Antonio’s 1731 Founding

A documented descendant story connects San Fernando Cathedral to the Isleños who established Texas’ first civil government in 1731

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES, December 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The legacy of San Antonio’s Canary Island settlers, the civilian families who helped establish the Villa de San Fernando in 1731, continues to resonate today through descendants whose family histories remain closely tied to the city’s earliest institutions, including San Fernando Cathedral.

Among those families are the ancestors of Stewart Skloss, a twelfth-generation Texan and a documented descendant of the Canary Islanders, or Isleños, who arrived in San Antonio nearly three centuries ago. The enduring relationship between Canary Island descendant families and San Fernando Cathedral was highlighted in a San Antonio Express-News feature examining the living heritage of the Isleños, including the baptism of Skloss’s daughter, Mae, at the historic cathedral.

In March 1731, sixteen Canary Island families completed a difficult transatlantic and overland journey to what was then San Antonio de Béxar. Their arrival marked the formation of the first organized civil government in Spanish Texas, a foundational moment that historians continue to recognize as central to the city’s origin story. The Isleños were not missionaries or soldiers, but civilian families charged with establishing governance, agriculture, and community life, roles that helped anchor San Antonio’s early development.

Historical records identify Stewart's 9th Great Grandparents, Juan Curbelo and Gracia Umpierres ,as members of the original Canary Island settler community, figures whose descendants would remain active in civic, educational, and community leadership across generations. That lineage is part of a broader Canary Islander narrative that has been preserved through church records, municipal documents, and the ongoing work of descendant organizations dedicated to safeguarding this chapter of Texas history.

For Texas historians and cultural scholars, the Canary Islander story represents a parallel founding narrative, one that complements the mission and presidio histories more commonly associated with early San Antonio. The continued presence of Canary Island descendants in civic life, worship, and preservation efforts underscores the idea that San Antonio’s founding is not merely a distant past, but a living inheritance.

Today, descendants of the Isleños remain engaged in efforts to preserve the cultural, historical, and educational significance of San Antonio’s earliest civilian families, ensuring that the values of service, resilience, and stewardship that shaped the city’s beginnings are not lost to time.

About Stewart Skloss

Stewart Skloss is a twelfth-generation Texan and a documented descendant of the Canary Island settlers who helped establish San Antonio’s early civil government in 1731. This release focuses on his family’s historical ties to the Isleños and to San Fernando Cathedral as part of Texas’ living civic heritage.

Media Contact

Caroline Mitchell
Veritas Heritage Group
media@veritasheritagegroup.com

Caroline Mitchell
Veritas Heritage Group
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