Rafael Tobias Maes Mora County, New Mexico

Rafael Tobias Maes, county assessor of Mora County, and a resident of Wagon Mound, is, as his name indicates, of Spanish descent. He was born in Taos County, New Mexico, May 25, 1863, son of Jose Maria and Maria Antonia (Pacheo) Maes, natives of Embudo, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Jose Maria Maes was a cattle and sheep rancher of Taos County, a temperate, honest, industrious farmer, well known and highly respected. He lived to the ripe old age of ninety-six years and died in August, 1905; his wife died October 17, 1803, at the age of eighty years. The subject of this sketch lived on his father's ranch in Taos County until he was eighteen years of age. Then he came to Wagon Mound, where for five years and nine months he clerked in a store. Returning to Taos in 1889, he accepted a position as clerk and bookkeeper, and was thus occupied until 1890, when he was appointed chief deputy United States marshal for Taos and Rio Arriba counties, with headquarters at Taos. This office he filled two years. The next two years he clerked, and served as deputy county clerk of Taos County.

In 1893 Mr. Maes returned to Wagon Mound and engaged in the hay and sheep business in partnership with J. R. Aguilar, under the firm name of Aguilar and Maes, which partnership continued three years. During 1896 Mr. Maes conducted the business under his own name. In April, 1897, he returned to Taos County, where he farmed till 1899 February 1, 1900, he was appointed postmaster of Wagon Mound. In the meantime he had returned to Mora County and located on his ranch on the Mora grant, where he lived seven months. He still owns the ranch and a number of cattle and horses. Until March 31, 1905, he filled the position of postmaster, and in the spring of that year he was elected to his present office, that of county assessor.

Mr. Maes, married, August 10, 1895, Miss Anna Maria Paltenghe, and they are the parents of four sons and one daughter, viz., Tobias Louis, Antonia, Julianita, Saul and Eloida.

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Source: History of New Mexico, Its Resources and People, Volume II, Pacific States Publishing Co., 1907.