Nicolás Fernández Torres was the progenitor of the Fernández family spanning Sabana Iglesia. He was the son of José Fernández and Luisa Torres and had one documented brother, Vicente Fernández Torres. His paternal uncles included Juan and Manuel Fernández, whose descendants populated Puñal and La Vega. Nicolás instead populated the countryside south of Santiago de los Caballeros owning properties from Los Ranchos de Babosico to Sabana Iglesia. Through dispensations I have been able to determine that Nicolás married Gertrudis Gil Tineo, daughter of Diego Gil and Francisca Tineo Grullón.

Nicolás Fernández Torres was a prosperous landowner living between the historical period prior to the Era de Francia and dying just before the Haitian conquest of the Spanish colony. The first record in which he appears was for evading taxes in 1776 for a slave named Ramón, a congolese aged 11-12 years old, for which he paid 11 pesos, 1 silver real, and 11 copper maravedíes.

"Nicolás Fernández, neighbor of of this city (of Santiago de los Caballeros) and rancher/breeder in (Los Ranchos de) Babosico presented to this tribunal a black named Ramón, a Congolese of eleven to twelve years old without any markings, that his mercy regulated half the price of the Indias and imported - eleven pesos, one silver real, and eleven copper maravedíes"

On January 18, 1808, Nicolás Fernández sold a slave named Remigio (mulato, aged 48) to Pio Núñez y Rio for 167 pesos in Salvaleón de Higüey. The record noted Nicolás as a native of Santiago and also mentioned Sabana Iglesia. At some point in Bayaguana, Nicolás sold a slave named Viviana (mulatica, criolla, aged 15-16) to Manuel Rodríguez for 200 pesos.

He next appears requesting a document on the territorial limits of Los Ranchos de Babosico on February 24, 1812. The document describes the borders of sitio de Babosico and was originally dated April 5, 1759 for Juan Suriel1. As a prominent landowner in the area it is not odd that he would request this document, possibly needing it to settle a border dispute or some other land related problem. Soon after this review of the border of Babosico, Nicolás Fernández died in 1816 widowing Gertrudis Gil. His assets were reviewed and inventoried by Antonio López on September 12, 1816.

There is a vast amount of information from various documents. His daughter, María Fernández, inherited 25 pesos of terreno comunero (common land) in Boca de Bao. She sold this to her grandson Juan Tineo.

María Fernández appears to be the mother of Juana Acevedo, wife of Patricio Tineo Peña and mother of Juan Tineo Acevedo who is the only Juan Tineo residing in Boca de Bao during this time.

The estate of Nicolás Fernández which his widow, Gertrudis Gil, maintained after her husband's death was valued at 353.50 pesos of land in Babosico and 2,866 pesos, 4 silver reales, and 4 copper maravedíes of other possessions, not counting land.

Some notable assets recorded:

• Houses in Sabana Iglesia, Babosico, and Santiago

• Gold and Silver garments

• 2 basins for washing gold

• A sugar mill

• A pigsty

• "most of the old plantation"

• A coffee plantation

• 2 horses

• a male mule

• a female mule

• An old male donkey

• 16 cattle

• 155 pigs

• 2 goats

• 1 male turkey

• Juan, black slave valued at 150 pesos

• Estevan, mulato slave valued at 110 pesos

Two more slaves recorded in his assets brings the total slaves owned by Nicolás Fernández to three. Slavery would soon end with the Haitian conquest of the island of Hispaniola in 1822. It would seem he had his operation in Los Ranchos de Babosico while expanding his family south towards Sabana Iglesia.

1. Juan Suriel was possibly the father of Pablo Suriel, the son-in-law of Nicolás Fernández through his daughter Manuela.