Monthly subsidy - a new thread

[George Sousa]

Thank you to everyone who responded to my earlier post. I realize that I didn't do a very good job of explaining what I was trying to investigate, so I'd like to restate the finding and my question more clearly.

I came across a rather unusual 1865 baptismal record from Vila do Porto, Santa Maria, Azores, for Antonia, daughter of Maria Pereira, unmarried. (https://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMA-VP-ASSUNCAO-B-1865-1869/SMA-VP-ASSUNCAO-B-1865-1869_item1/index.html?page=28)

The unusual part isn't simply that Antonia was born out of wedlock. The priest recorded that a neighbour, Anna de Chaves, had been sent by Maria Pereira to present the child to the Municipal Council so that Maria Pereira could receive a monthly subsidy provided by law to mothers who wanted to raise their natural children but lacked the means to do so.

In other words, the record appears to document an unmarried mother seeking public financial assistance specifically so that she could keep and raise her own child, rather than abandoning her.

This was in July 1865, two years before the major 1867 reforms concerning the Roda dos Expostos. I don't think the subsidy should therefore be attributed to that later reform; the priest explicitly describes it as a monthly subsidy “concedido por Lei” — granted by law.

What I'm trying to establish is quite specific: What law provided this subsidy in 1865, how was it administered, and might there be surviving administrative records relating to Maria Pereira's application?

More importantly, has anyone else come across this specific type of reference in a Azorean/Portuguese baptismal record — a mother being represented at the Câmara to obtain a legally established monthly subsidy to raise her own child? If so, I'd be very interested in the date, location, wording, or any other details you found.

I'm particularly interested in comparable records and in the administrative context of this specific finding, rather than a general discussion of the Roda dos Expostos.

I hope this clarifies my previous post.

George

[Carlos Melo]

Hi George,

Thanks for your clarification. I believe that the mother in question was requesting a nursing subsidy from the Council.

The Decree issued on September 19, 1836 and the Administrative Code of 1842, both of which predate the birth of this child, transferred responsibility for needy children from charities to municipal councils. This subsidy allowed poor mothers to receive financial aid directly from the Council to raise their children rather than abandoning them. You may find further evidence on municipal archives, more specifically in Atas da Camara Livros de Matriculas and Livros de Receita e Despesa.

So, while 1867 marks the year when anonymous child abandonment was ended, the process of transferring power the central  to local government started decades before. 

Sources:

https://advis.dglab.gov.pt/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2016/06/boletim_28.pdf

https://repositorium.uminho.pt/server/api/core/bitstreams/7b1546ad-b07a-4e1d-bc12-4926b0218d84/content

http://www.index-f.com/cultura/31pdf/31-077.pdf

https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/8199641.pdf

https://run.unl.pt/entities/publication/ab32c730-1bb6-4ff3-8a53-5374db1897dc

Best regards,

Carlos

[George Sousa]

Carlos, thank you so much for this information and the links. This is very helpful and now I have some reading to do.

In your research have you seen this type of reference to a monthly subsidy in a baptismal record? This is the first one that I have seen.... and I've looked at hundreds of baptismal records of children of unwed mothers.

Thanks again,

George

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to azores+un...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/aa3b4567-331d-4eb1-9d1e-b8c1ea0a1446n%40googlegroups.com.

[Ângela Loura]

Hi George,

One of my ancestors was an exposto, and was "dado a criar à mãe". CCA has some books only regarding expostos and these subsidies, so i know this specific mother received this subsidy for 3 years.

 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAMjxMo-wYJk%3DxEc1sFunZro3idkNBNAui7Bxd_9b2B54vNpxBg%40mail.gmail.com.

[George Sousa]

Thank you Ângela.

By CCA do you mean Catálogo Coletivo de Arquivo (Ponta Delgada)?

George

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAHSkNFe0bWcc49qPsBmwH5Gk1zTifZvbbiuryDMPWueUOVfPYg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ângela Loura]

Hi George,

Sorry, I meant Archeevo. Here are 2 examples:

- https://arquivos.azores.gov.pt/descriptions/1178791

- https://arquivos.azores.gov.pt/descriptions/1178696

BR,

Ângela

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAMjxMo-k%2BZfToB8ZZA0XGUaHDaupnGrY1v5COsAKKq_QY-tnPA%40mail.gmail.com.