Additional family history for great grandfather (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Island)

[Shaleece Haas]

Hello! 

I will be traveling with my brother and my mother to Santa Maria Island in August to visit the birthplace of my great grandfather, Bernardino Cabral (b 1865). I have his birth (or maybe baptism?) record from the Church of Santa Barbara and a photo of the house where he was born in Feterias. We plan to visit both areas, but I am wondering if there is more I might be able to learn about him, his family, and the life he would have lived on Santa Maria in the mid 19th century.  Are there records you recommend searching for - or places where I could research more of his history or the history of his community before I arrive or once we get to Santa Maria?

Thank you!

[Cheri Mello]

Shaleece,

A Google search should get you an idea of the history of the island and possibly the community.

Unless your ancestor was very prominent, you'll only get baptism (listing his birth date), marriage, and death information on him. Most of our ancestors were working people and we have very little on them.

Cheri Mello
Listowner, Azores-Gen
Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada

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[Liz Migliori]

Shaleece

I have a lot of your information.  My cousin would be your cousin.  He’s my cousin on his mother’s side.  Your cousin (Cabral) on his father’s side. 

Liz

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On Jul 18, 2026, at 2:17 PM, Cheri Mello <gfsc...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Linda Mare]

Hi Shaleece,

I'm a first generation US American and my maternal side of the family are all from Santa Maria. The church records do offer some insight into their lives at least with family connections, locations and occupations. During the time your g-grandfather lived the majority of Marienses were born into a family that did agrarian type labor; with such large families most had a manual job, task or skill once they were old enough. With that said, not every male was a farmer; there were potters, shoemakers, carpenters, masons/builders, etc. If you found his marriage record (assuming he married in Santa Maria) it should state his occupation. If not, his baptism should state the occupation of his parents. Outside of work, the Catholic religion and its ceremonies and festivals would have been a huge part of his life and the community at large. The festivals still occur in the Azores and if I'm not mistaken there may be one in August in Santa Maria; I would recommend attending if your time overlaps. Maybe visit the Museum of Santa Maria when you are there for more cultural insight.

I also just came across this book today titled Echoes of Azorean Life. It is newly published in English and is specific to the island of Santa Maria. It may be too late to order it online but if you are in Ponta Delgada for your layover this might be available at the bookstore. The store is in the same area as the Portas da Cidade. https://www.letraslavadas.pt/echoes-of-azorean-life/

Have a great trip.

Linda M.

             

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[Admin Desk]

Thank you for this insight Linda.

The book looks great too but the postage to New Zealand is double the price of the actual book unfortunately.

Maybe one day 🤞.

Good luck on your Santa Maria trip Sharleece. I’m envious. We were due to be there in September but have had to put off our trip.

Regards

Mark

Get Outlook for iOS

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From: azo...@googlegroups.com <azo...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Linda Mare <lin...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, 31 July 2026 13:23:01
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Subject: Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Additional family history for great grandfather (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Island)

 

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