Is a marginal notation enough to identify paternity?

[Carlos Melo]

Hi all,

My 4th great-grandmother Eugenia Rosa/Ignacia was the daughter of a single woman, Rosa de Jesus/ Botelha from Ribeira Seca, Ribeira Grande, according to the grandchildren's records. 

Eugenia Rosa/Ignacia married Manuel Pacheco Alves on April 5, 1807 in Ribeira Seca. Her marriage record states that she was baptised in NS Estrela, Ribeira Grande:

http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-RG-RIBEIRASECA-C-1797-1822/SMG-RG-RIBEIRASECA-C-1797-1822_item1/index.html?page=90

So, I combed through birth records in Matriz, RG, and I believe that she was baptised on September 24, 1782:

http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-RG-ESTRELA-B-1776-1782/SMG-RG-ESTRELA-B-1776-1782_item1/index.html?page=213

Eugenia was abandoned by her mother at Manuel Pacheco Navalha's house and then assigned to foster care (Rosa Maria, wife of Joao da Ponte). However, a marginal notation dated February 17, 1807, less than 2 months before Eugenia's marriage, states that her mother Rosa Botelha showed up at the Archive and declared that this Eugenia was her daughter Eugenia Rosa and that she had raised her as such. 

For a few months I just gave up on this line. But for some reason, I kept wondering whether Manuel Pacheco Navalha was the father. I then used the Machado.gedcom to search for marriages with a Manuel Pacheco in Matriz, RG, after 1782 (he was single then), and found one from September 25, 1784:

https://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-RG-ESTRELA-C-1784-1798/SMG-RG-ESTRELA-C-1784-1798_item1/index.html?page=11

Lo and behold, on the right-hand side of this marriage record, another marginal notation dated April 14, 1806 identifies Eugenia Rosa as the groom's daughter, i.e., as Manuel Pacheco's daughter. 

Does this marginal notation confirm that Eugenia Rosa was Manuel Pacheco's daughter?

I don't believe that Manuel Pacheco ever legitimized Eugenia as his daughter, but I have no idea how to got about researching this matter further. 

I may be wrong, but isn't it incredible how we can reconstruct a story over 200 years later just from nuggets of information left on side notes? 

Ironically, I may never be able to find who were Eugenia's maternal ancestors, even though her mother did raise her. I have no clues. But now I know her paternal ancestors.

Cheers,

Carlos

 

[Cheri Mello]

I'm inclined to think that Manuel Pacheco is the father.

Did you do DNA and do you have any matches to Manuel Pacheco and Antonia de Jesus' descendants? That would complete confirm it.

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

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[Carlos Melo]

Hi Cheri,

That's a good suggestion, but I haven't done any DNA ancestry test. I just enjoy this historical puzzle/ 'detective work'. 

Rosa Botelha faced the stigma of being a single mother head-on and got the certificates for her daughter's wedding. I'm impressed by my ancestor's determination. 

The priests in NS Estrela, Matriz, Ribeira Grande who issued the certificates did the right thing. They knew... all of them signed Eugenia's certificate.

Now, this may be an unorthodox approach to genealogical research, but I think I found Rosa Botelha's family, even though the priest in Ribeira Seca never acknowledged her parents in any of her children and grandchildren's records, unlike in other parishes. But that didn't stop me from digging.  

Rosa Botelha died on June 1, 1829:

https://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-RG-RIBEIRASECA-O-1828-1860/SMG-RG-RIBEIRASECA-O-1828-1860_item1/index.html?page=12

The record states that she was a single and independent (sui juris) woman and that she died at approximately 64/74 years of age (the first t may not be crossed because it's blotted). Even if it's 64, I went through the records over a 20-year interval. 

I believe that Rosa was born on January 18, 1756:

https://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-RG-RIBEIRASECA-B-1755-1765/SMG-RG-RIBEIRASECA-B-1755-1765_item1/index.html?page=20 

The priest issue a certificate of this record on January 17, 1807. The same day, the priest issued another certificate of Rosa's maternal grandparents' marriage. All of this exactly one month before Rosa went to NS Estrela, Ribeira Grande to get the certificate of her daughter's baptism and within two months from the wedding. 

I checked the death records to make sure that Rosa had survived childhood.

I looked through all marriage records with a Rosa within a 20-year period in Ribeira Seca and found no Rosa daughter of Manuel de Medeiros (Saudades) and Jacinta de Medeiros. 

So, is there anyone out there who is an expert in Ribeira Seca or has a database? 

Please let me know if I am wrong. 

Lack of evidence does not proof anything. This Rosa could have gotten married in a number of parishes. Maybe I failed to spot her death record during childhood. But the date of the marginal annotation.  just before her daughter's wedding, suggests that I am right. 

No stone left unturned. 

Thanks!

Carlos