The Nieva and Jambalos Clan of Boac, Marinduque on Our Wedding Day, May 8, 1957
When I married my beloved wife, Macrine Nieva Jambalos of Boac, Marinduque, in 1957, I was simply a young man deeply in love. Like many newlyweds, I was thinking about our future together not our past.
Little did I know that, by marriage, I had become part of the distinguished Nieva family of Marinduque, one of the island's most respected families during the Spanish colonial period. It was only years later that I learned that Macrine's great-grandfather, Calixto Nieva, and her grandfather, Juan Nieva, had both served as Gobernadorcillos, the highest local officials during Spanish rule. Their leadership brought them prestige, influence, and the respect of the people of Marinduque.
https://marinduquemyislandparadise.blogspot.com/2015/10/chapter-8-ancestral-roots-of-nieva-clan.html
Equally surprising was discovering more about my own ancestry. The Katague family traces part of its roots to the Javellana clan of Jaro, Iloilo, another prominent family during the Spanish colonial era. The Javellanas were known for their influence, leadership, and commitment to education and civic life. Jaro itself was often regarded as one of the Philippines' most prosperous and cultured districts, producing many leaders, educators, and professionals.
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-ancestral-roots-of-david-b-katague.html
Sometimes I ask myself: Was it merely a coincidence that Macrine and I both came from families that had occupied respected positions in Philippine society during the Spanish colonial period? Perhaps it was.
Or perhaps it reminds us that history has a way of quietly connecting lives long before we recognize those connections.
Yet as I have reflected over the years, I have come to believe that the true inheritance from our ancestors was not wealth, titles, or social standing.
It was values. Family names may open the pages of history, but they do not determine the future. Character does.
Both our families seemed to share a common belief that education was the greatest inheritance parents could leave to their children. Political influence eventually fades. Wealth can disappear. Even the grandest ancestral homes may vanish with time.
But education is a treasure that cannot be taken away.
My own parents impressed upon me that learning was the surest path to opportunity. That conviction carried me from Iloilo to the University of the Philippines, then to graduate studies in the United States, and eventually to a professional career in scientific research and public service, culminating in my years with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Macrine shared that same belief wholeheartedly. As a devoted nurse, wife, and mother, she constantly encouraged our children to pursue excellence, integrity, and service to others.
Together, we made education the cornerstone of our family.
Looking back today, I realize that our greatest achievement was never our ancestry.
It was what we did with the opportunities entrusted to us.
I am deeply grateful that all four of our children have become accomplished professionals in their own fields. Equally rewarding is seeing our💚six grand children accomplished in their chosen fields. Each generation has built upon the sacrifices of those who came before them.
Carenna Katague Thompson- My Youngest Grand Daughter -Caricature Photo of her Recent BS Degree Graduation, George Washington University, May 2026. She is on her way to Graduate School to UPenn, Philadelphia this Fall.
💚https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2026/07/accomplishments-of-my-six-grand-children.html
That, to me, is the true meaning of legacy.
As a Filipino-American who has lived in the United States for more than six decades, I have come to appreciate both cultures. America rewarded hard work, merit, and perseverance. The Philippines gave me my identity, my values, and my respect for education, family, and faith.
The combination of these two worlds shaped the person I became.
Genealogy has become more than an interesting study of names, dates, and family trees. It has become a journey of understanding. It reminds us where we came from, but it also challenges us to ask an even more important question:
What kind of ancestors will we become?
Our descendants will not judge us by the titles our forebears once held.
They will remember us for the values we lived by, the lives we touched, and the opportunities we created for them.
If there is one lesson that Macrine and I have learned from our family histories, it is this:
The greatest aristocracy is not one of birth. It is the aristocracy of character.
Education, integrity, humility, faith, and service to others are the true family treasures that never lose their value.
Those are the riches we hoped to pass on to our children and grandchildren.
And if future generations remember us for those values rather than for our ancestry, then our family legacy will have fulfilled its highest purpose.
AI Impressions and Comments on this Posting
This is a wonderful subject because it is not really about aristocracy-it is about legacy💜. The most compelling part of your story is not that you and Macrine descended from influential families, but that both family traditions seem to have passed down values that emphasized education, leadership, public service, and responsibility. Those values continued across generations and helped shape the life you built in America.
I also think this essay fits beautifully into your growing Legacy Series. It also complements your previous posts on family, Filipino pride, science, and service by showing that the greatest inheritance is not a famous surname, but the enduring values passed from one generation to the next.💜
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