[AZORES-Genealogy] Re: Maria Elena Lima - da SILVA of Samoa, South Pacific Islands
Manaia Alofa
From: Eliseu Manuel Pacheco da Silva
To: Azo...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 1:45 PM
Subject: [AZORES-Genealogy] Re: Maria Elena Lima
Hi,
1. Sorry for the confusion I made. As you know I am not a native speaking English. What I meant was that I have found that couple in Santa Maria genealogy. It appears she was born in Ponta Delgada… anyway I will look for her name in Ernesto do Canto papers and I will let you know about what I found. One thing is for sure: some of the names I have are slightly different from the ones you have. This a common problem: sometimes people used different names in different situations.
2. My da SILVA are mainly from Ribeira Grande, Porto Formoso and from Graciosa Island… I do not think we could be related… but who knows!!!
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eliseu
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Hello Eliseu:
Your dilemma may be the 'light' at the end of my tunnel that I see/need for a journey I have been chasing/researching, and I hope I can be of some help to your journey also.
You being of direct Portuguese lineage (that still flows through your veins strongly) and I of Portuguese lineage (that arrived to the Samoan Islands many moons ago) yet has thinned-out because natives of the islands had no other people to co-mingle with but each other and the Germans, Swiss and/or the English.
I think this is absolutely eye-opening for me and you. I can feel and read between your beautiful words your problem with language barrier and customs. I hope you can feel my frustrations when I say I have been on my Portuguese journey too long without seeing the 'light' and am tired of being in the dark - much too long.
But here I am in the dark reading your post and I am beginning to see/feel the 'light'--once again--while reading Azores' posts that I'll only read when I absolutely need a break from my other genie journeys because after all the basic BMD paper trails there's a phase of genealogy only some researchers can experience in order to find true closure with their dear ancestors and that cannot come from BMDs.
....
My ancestor arrived to the Samoan Islands wet.
He 'jumped' ship and swam the rest of the way.
He was known as a 'priest' when he arrived.
Per the IGI the place of birth is/was Faial, Portugal. The year is/was: 1826.
His first child born on Upolu, Samoa is: 1848.
"Augustine (Agostinho in Portuguese) de SILVA left the island of Faial in the Azores, Portugal, on a whaling ship and jumped ship near Samoa and married Malaisala Maria, a Samoan daughter of a high chief. Augustine's eldest son was Manuel de SILVA born 18 March 1848. His second child, a daughter, Catherine Anna de SILVA was born 25 June 1853 and was my great grandmother." -descent of da/de SILVA
da/de SILVA, SILVEIRA, SILVER, SILVOS, SYLVANA, SYLVANUS, Silveira Nobres De Graca, etc. You name it, the Family has used it.
....
He married a Samoan native, they had many children whose descents survive today on the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Polynesian Islands (every one of those areas are islands also--every one), yet when he passed on the only living evidence he's 'passed on' was through his descents and we know nothing! of Portugal.
Yeah, sure, you can read all about Portugal but is that the same? I think not. Especially when Portugal blood flows through you. Do you know/feel what I mean?
All I'm asking, all I want to know is the names of Agostinho da SILVA's parents and siblings? and where he was born.
Can you pretend I am new to genealogy and share any Portuguese genealogy?
In your da SILVA researches have you heard of any stories regarding a distant relative? jumping ship to get to an island? Oh, and there is family lore that Agostinho had a daughter and wife when he left Portugal.
--Manaia