Winston wrote an article way back about the Ortegos.
The Ortega Family: Three Generations in Louisiana
Winston De Ville
La Voix Des Prairies
Number 24
Volume 7
January 1986
I have some Ortego in me and think his story is pretty interesting. The progenitor of the Ortegos was Joachin de Ortega y Prieto from Spain. He married Marie Josepha Damesainte de Soto y Juchereau de St. Denys. Man, they had some names back then yeah!
Anyway, Ortega was a military guy too. It seems Southern Evangeline Parish has a lot of military history. He was supposedly in Mexico, Natchitoches, Opelousas, Pensacola, and then back to the Opelousas area where he had some land. He, if I’m reading this right, supposedly died in Chicot or Pine Prairie. His sons and daughters later on married Fontenots, Soileaus, Vidrines, Guillorys, etc – the French Creoles in the Evangeline/Opelousas area. I also see an Acadian Pitre mentioned in the family. I have Pitre ancestry too.
I never think “Spanish” in Evangeline but there is a lot of Spanish history in the area. Well, Louisiana had a very strong Spanish influence. I have to keep that in mind.
Right after Winston's article is Jackie Vidrine's article on the Manuels. I thought the Manuels were of Spanish origin but it looks like they were French from Illinois. I gotta go but that's what it looks like.