Some of our relatives leave a wealth of information behind. Others seemed to have passed through this world leaving only a murmur. Rose (Caires) Vieira is one of those people.
I’m writing this on behalf of my cousin, Teresa, in hope that someone will remember Rose. This photo was taken around 1940. We believe the woman in this photo is Rose with her husband standing next to her next to the young boy.
Rose was the youngest daughter of Jose de Caires and Maria de Jesus Correia. She was born in Madeira in 1882. Her family migrated to Hawaii and settled on Kauai (probably in Kilauea), but it appears Rose was not with them. She is not listed in the ship records and there doesn’t seem to be any mention of her in Hawaiian records.
Rose’s sister, Alexandria married Francisco Pacheco, who was my great great grandfather’s brother. She also had these siblings: Maria Isabella who married Jose Henrico de Souza, Virginia who married Manoel Clemente, Jesuina “Jessie” who married 1) Manoel Gomes and 2) Peter Fitkal, and Manoel who married Theresa Silva Ganansa. Alexandria and Jesuina moved to Oakland, CA, while the others stayed in Hawaii.
Rose’s parents disappear in Hawaii around 1900. Then, her mother resurfaces as a widow who has remarried in 1910. She remarried to Manuel Silva Perreira. They lived in Wahiawa, Koloa, Kauai according to the 1910 US Census.
Not much else is known about Rose. She married a Vieira/Vierra (either Joe or Manuel) around 1900. I do not know where she was married.
We have proof that Rose left Madeira. There are two obituaries for her sister’s Alexandria and Jesuina. Both of them list a sister named “Mrs. Rose Vierra” of Oakland, CA. Also, there is a death index record for a Rose Vierra in 1958 (Oakland, CA). The father’s surname was Caires, but the mother’s was Santos. So, it’s not clear if this is the right Rose.
Between these records, we can place Rose in Oakland from 1951-1958. But what about earlier? I have found a couple possible records in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 US Censuses. They place a Joe and Rose Vierra at E. 16th Street in Oakland in 1920 and 20th Avenue in 1930 and 1940. Joe works in restaurants in various positions. The addresses are very close to where her sister, Jesuina lived. But, there is not enough proof to say “Yes, this is the one!”
No one seems to remember if Rose had children. There is a possibility that she had a daughter, Maria, born around 1903. Maria might have married someone with the last name of Goias (or Goies). There is a Maria/Mary Goias floating around Oakland in the 1940s and 1950s. A Maria V. Goies died in Santa Clara Co., CA in 1985 whose mother’s maiden name was Caires and father’s name was Vieirra. But, is this the right one? Did Rose even have a daughter?
As you can see, the holes in Rose’s story are many. We know she existed but beyond that, we can’t say much more. It would be great to find a descendant from this line who knows something about her. Then, all these loose ends might come together. Until then, Rose remains a mystery.
