Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Digest for azores@googlegroups.com - 4 updates in 1 topic

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Sarah Mello

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Jan 3, 2026, 2:58:21 PM (6 days ago) Jan 3
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Wow this is juicy stuff!!

Sarah Mello






On Sat, Jan 3, 2026 at 12:09 PM <azo...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Carlos Melo <chviei...@gmail.com>: Jan 02 09:54AM -0800

Hi Rick,
 
Riding on your coattails, I have another record to share, but this was not
a case of adultery; instead, this was a case of a man who was unwilling to
recognise the paternity due to alleged adultery and who was refusing to get
married if I understood correctly. This must have been a huge scandal in
Ponta Delgada back in the day because it involved "noble families"
according to the priest. This is the longest baptism record I've found so
far (attached to this email). I could write a screenplay for a prestige
drama out of this record alone.
 
I can transcribe and translate the full text if anyone would like to learn
more about this affair, but basically Manuel da Camara was refusing to
acknowledge the paternity of Manuel, son of D. Isabel Eston even though
everyone knew that they were a couple ("... como constatemente se diz por
ai estar esposado com ela...."). That is quite something to write down on a
baptism record, trust me, especially in 1711.
 
Cheers,
 
Carlos
 
 
On Thursday, January 1, 2026 at 10:24:36 PM UTC+1 Richard Francis Pimentel
wrote:
 
You could make a soap opera out of these cases.
 
Rick
On 1/1/2026 4:19 PM, Cheri Mello wrote:
 
I think the adultery cases were few and far between so the content varies.
 
I'm reading that Francisco Carreiro, absent, native of the church of the
Apostle of Sao Pedro of Ribeira Seca, of this vila. It does say "natural"
and not "moradores" (sp) for resides. So Francisco is absent. Who knows for
how long.
 
Thank goodness the sun came out. I can now read the record.
Cheri Mello
Listowner, Azores-Gen
Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente,
Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada
 
 
On Thu, Jan 1, 2026 at 1:00 PM Richard Francis Pimentel <ah.da....@gmail.com>
wrote:
 
Ribeira Seca is on the 7th Line. Line 6 reads natural da Igeria
Apostolo de Sam Pedro. Seca is scrunched up and small.
 
The record you show doesn't name her husband but names the other party
where mine names her husband but she is not telling who the other party is.
Your record also says that both parties are natives and parishioners in
that parish.
 
Rick
On 1/1/2026 3:01 PM, Cheri Mello wrote:
 
I have seen one too. This one says that the mother, Antonia, is married to
Francisco, who is absent (auzente). Both are natives of Ribeirinha. I don't
know where you are reading Ribeira Seca.
 
The one I have is for Antonio, #57, top left. It's from 1880.
https://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-VF-PONTAGARCA-B-1870-1880/SMG-VF-PONTAGARCA-B-1870-1880_item1/index.html?page=527
Cheri Mello
Listowner, Azores-Gen
Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente,
Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada
 
 
On Thu, Jan 1, 2026 at 9:34 AM Richard Francis Pimentel <ah.da....@gmail.com>
wrote:
 
I thought I should share this record as I have only seen a few others with
this situation.
 
https://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-RG-RIBEIRINHA-B-1847-1852/SMG-RG-RIBEIRINHA-B-1847-1852_item1/index.html?page=160
 
Maria page 159 (right side)
 
This is what I see: “Maria filha adulteria de Antonia Jacinta a residente
nesta lugar Ribeirinha Freagu…. Da Pario… Igeria de Nosa Senhora da Estrell
da Villa de Ribeiria Grande, Casada com Francisco Carriaro …zente natural
da Igeria Apostolo de Sam Pedro da Ribeira Seca da dita Villa, neta paterna
pai ingnito e materna de Manuel Jose da Silva e de Claudina de Jesus, nasco
os venti dois dias de mes d Abril de Mil oito centos cincuenta e hum annos,
foi baptizma emo s Trinta dias de dito “
 
Maria daughter of adultery of Antonia Jacinta. The father is not named but
it appears to give the name of her husband as Francisco Carriaro, I cannot
make out the word after Carriaro.
 
If I am reading it out correctly she is living in Riberinha and her husband
is in Ribeira Seca.
 
Any thoughts or comments on this record?
 
 
*Rick*
 
*Researching, Riberia Grande, Riberinha, Achada Grande, Bretanha, and
Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Acores*
 
 
 
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Richard Francis Pimentel <ah.da....@gmail.com>: Jan 02 01:09PM -0500

Carlos,  your record takes the cake. These days all questions of
paternity are resolved with a simple DNA test. Thanks for sharing.
 
Rick
 
On 1/2/2026 12:54 PM, Carlos Melo wrote:
Bill Seidler <bsei.azo...@gmail.com>: Jan 03 12:26AM -0800

I used Google Gemini to read and translate Carlos' record. According to
this AI, the father, Manuel da Camara, said the baby was his and that he
intended to marry Isabel. The priest Ambrosio do Rego refused to baptize
the child as the son of Manuel since they weren't married. Another priest,
the Cura of Feteiras (I think) Padre Mateus Godinho, agreed to baptize the
child and acknowledge the father. The father, Manuel da Camara insisted
that the baptism be witnessed by many notable people so the child's
parentage could not be questioned in the future.
 
A very interesting record indeed.
 
Bill Seidler
 
On Friday, January 2, 2026 at 10:09:38 AM UTC-8 Richard Francis Pimentel
wrote:
 
Carlos Melo <chviei...@gmail.com>: Jan 03 02:11AM -0800

Hi Bill,
 
I am sorry, but this is an inaccurate translation.
 
Just to clarify, I will transcribe the text as a native Portuguese speaker
and scientific translator with over 15 years of experience:
 
*Excerpt 1: The text clearly states that the mother, not the father, had
the child baptised as Manuel da Camara's son.*
 
"Manoel filho de Dona Isabel Eston natural da freguesia de S. Pedro desta
cidade e freguesa desta Matriz de S. Sebastiao e de Manoel da Camara desta
freguesia como constantemente se diz por estar esposado com ela e a dita
mãe por filho dele o mandou bautizar com muitas testemunhas nobres que
foram presentes (...)"
 
"Manoel, son of D. Isabel Eston, born in the parish of S. Pedro of this
city and congregant of this Mother Church of S. Sebastiao, and of Manoel da
Camara of this parish, who is *betrothed** to her, as is consistently
reported, and said mother had him baptised as his son in the presence of
many noble witnesses..."
 
*Please note that "esposados" e "esposos" meant "bethroded" in 18th century
Portuguese, unlike the current meaning of husband and wife (esposos) in
modern Portuguese.
 
*Excerpt 2: The father did not contest the paternity judicially but asked
the priest not to baptise the child as his son:*
 
"... e o dito esposo nao impugnou judicialmente, somente no dia antecedente
do baptismo vai dizer a mim Ambrosio do Rego, cura desta freguesia, perante
algumas pessoas que estavam presentes, que não baptizassem por seu filho..."
 
Translation: "and the said betrothed man did not contest it judicially, but
on the day before the baptism [he] told me, Ambrósio do Rego, curate of
this parish, in the presence of other people who were there, not to baptize
[the child] as his son..." . (there is a technical translation issue at the
end of this section regarding the use of subjunctive, but this is the most
idiomatic translation based on the context of this excerpt; alternatively:
"... that the child not be baptised as his son"
 
*Excerpt 3: The priest and other parishioners did not believe Manuel da
Camara and they knew that he did not want to marry her*
 
"..., cuja razão não nos pareceu concludente, aos paracos desta Matriz,
assim por ser sua esposa mulher nobre e muito recolhida como por se dizer
constantemente de proximo que nao queria casar com ela..."
 
Translation: "..., whose reason did not appear to us, the parish priests of
this Mother Church, to be conclusive, both because her betrothed is a noble
and secluded** woman and because he did not want to marry her as is
consistently reported [by people] in his inner circle ...
 
Notes:
**Secluded is the translation of "recolhida", which encodes behavioural
restraint, meaning that she lived under close family or household
supervision, did not circulate freely in public or male company, was
protected from suspicion of sexual impropriety and conformed to ideals of
female honor (honra feminina). In canon law, this mattered enormously in
paternity disputes.
 
"assim por... como por..." translates into "both because...and because..."
 
So, while this is just a first draft our rough translation, I wanted to
make clear that Manuel da Camara had no intention to marry Isabel Eston
despite being betrothed to her, which is why he asked the priest not to
baptize the child as his.
 
This is the problem with AI translations...
 
Cheers,
 
Carlos

 
On Saturday, January 3, 2026 at 9:26:34 AM UTC+1 Bill Seidler wrote:
 
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