Froliano Bermúdez was born in 1516 and was twenty-four years old when he went on the Expedition. He was probably in New Spain by 1528 and in 1534 he was in Desaguadero, Tierra Firma with fellow expeditionary Pedro de Benavídes. Froliano was present at the 1540 muster as an unassigned horseman. After the Expedition he seems to have been present in Mexico City and Compostela. His first name appears on various documents as Froliano, Froylano, and Florián.
1540-1550:
1540, Feb: Muster in Flint & Flint, Documents, Document 12 [2 horses, native arms]
AGI, Justicia, 258, pieza 1, “Relacion de los salarios” [fol. 821v: a florian bermudez...May 23, 1545...L pesos]
1550-1560:
AGI, Contaduría, 663B [Payments en quitas: to Froilano Bermúdez, 150 pesos as a grant made by Antonio de Mendoza for the year ending in August 1551];
AGI, México, 204, N.33 [Froliano, witness for Pedro de Benavídes, Feb. 14, 1551, Mexico City, 35 years old, estante in Mexico City; went on the conquest with Captain Machuca [Diego Machuca de Zuazo] to Desaguadero [April 6, 1539] and came from there with Pedro and thence to Tierra Nueva] [Bermúdez could sign his name-no signature on copy];
AGI, Justicia, 336, N.1 [witness: 1552, Froylano Bermúdez, estante in Compostela, more than 35 years old, is de parte witness in Compostela] [says he heard Vázquez de Coronado say he spent 50,000 pesos de oro on the expedition] [este testigo fue con el dicho exercito] [por la misma tierra pueden ir a la florida] [Vázquez de Coronado went 500 leagues beyond Cíbola por satisfazer por vista de ojos e no se hallaron bastantes poblaciones para poder poblar] [could sign his name-no signature]
?AGI, Contratación, 198, N.20 [Antequera, 14 Nov. 1559, Bartolomé Sánches de Reyna, clerigo, deceased; albacea: Francisco Gutiérrez; 1560 in Antequera; will of Bartolomé: bequeathing 200 pesos tepuzque to a mestiza in the house of Alonso de Canseco, called Catalina, for the good service she gave to him; purchaser of goods: Alonso Hernández, shoemaker, Bermúdez , Alonso Maldonado]
1560-1570:
?Luna Papers, Priestley, ed. [2:311: Bermúdez stayed in Española after Villafaña left for Havana];
?AGI, Patronato, 19, R.10 [Información, jornada de Florida, Tristán de Luna y Arellano, August 11, 1561; he left Captain Juan Jaramillo with 50 men and slaves at the coast; later Luna y Arellano agreed to send 100 men with three captains (including the contador Alonso Pérez) upriver to search for Indian settlements; eventually all were reunited at Ochuse and the men sent a letter to the viceroy saying that Luna y Arellano was incapable of governing and that they should be sent another leader; Ángel de Villafaña is then sent from Mexico with 50 men; Luna y Arellano then embarks for Spain with only two criados and one negra; left behind are Alonso Pérez and the treasurer Alonso Velásquez (Velasco?) and all the others to pledge obedience to Villafaña; everyone but 50 men then sailed for Habana, where a review of the people (about 160) was made; 90 agreed to go on with Villafaña to Santa Elena (about 75 actually departed); another hurricane hit at Santa Elena, sinking two ships, so Villafaña sailed for Española; then he went on to Habana with everyone on the ship except this witness and a ?Francisco Rodríguez because they were ill, and a Miguel Sánchez Serrano, a Cristóbal Velázquez, a Martín de Menchaca, a Baracado (arcabuzero), an Antón Núñez, a ?Bermúdez, a ?Gutiérrez, and another 11 who fled; second witness, Cristóbal Velázquez, vecino de Vadillo de la Sierra (tierra de Ávila), more than 26 years old, son of Cristóbal Velázquez and Catalina Muñoz, he mentions a review of the men that was made before departure from México; as a soldado de a pie he received 100 pesos as ayuda de costa; lists those who remained on Española as Alonso de Montalban, Miguel Sánchéz, Machín de Menchaca, a Baracaldo, an Antón Núñez, an Antón Sánchez, a Villescas, a Tomás Rodríguez, a ?Bermúdez, a ?Juan López, a Montoya, a Francisco Sánchez, a ? Francisco Gutiérrez, and a ? Francisco Rodríguez]
?AGI, Patronato, 69, R.5 [1569, Mexico, Rodrigo Ruíz; 1558, witness: Froylano Bermúdez, vecino, has known Rodrigo for 30 years (1528), witness also present in Chiapas, Higueras, Honduras, more than 40 (<1518), signed, no signature; witness: Melchior Pérez, vecino of Mexico, has known Rodrigo for 26 years (1532), more than 34 (<1524), was in Guatemala but only heard about the conquest, signed]
Other Info:
Logic for age: in 1551 he says he is 35 (1516) and a year later more than 35 (still 1516); however, in 1569 he says more than 40 when he would be 53];
AGI, Patronto, 78A, N.1, R.6 [méritos y servicios de Jorge Báez, Jan. 7, 1585] [witnesses: Pedro Bermúdez de Meneses (says a fulano Bermúdez, who went, told him about Báez); Florian?];
Piferrer, Nobiliario, 4:82, #1660 [family name from Galicia, descended from the animoso guerero Pedro Bermúdez, nephew of El Cid; vanquished the infantes de Carrión in single combat; one line is from Grimaldo, Estremadura; escudo jaquelado de oro y sable]