Did you know that women were employed through the WPA during the Depression just like men? The 1940 US Federal Census is one place where we can find out if our relatives were working for the WPA. Look under the employment section. If you see WPA in the Industry column, it means the person was…
Category: Azorean Roots
My Kindred Spirit Ancestor Had a Secret
Why did I choose my great grandfather, Theodoro Pacheco, for the Kindred Spirit Ancestor challenge? Theodoro had a secret. Through research that I fleshed it out. He became more than a name and dates. His secret is why he is my kindred spirit ancestor. A Child Uprooted Theodore was born in 1876 in the…
SNGF: Miguel do Monte Had 21 Children
Randy’s latest Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge over at GeneaMusings.com asks us to write about our ancestor who had the most children. It’s funny because I’ve been working on the line of my most prolific ancestor, Miguel do Monte who had 21 children. Who was Miguel do Monte? Miguel is my 6th great grandfather. He…
Book Review: Islands of Magic: Legends, Folk, and Fairy Tales of the Azores
Would you like to understand more about your Azorean heritage? Do you have an interest in all things Portuguese? Or, are you a fan of folklore and fables? Then, you might be interested in a volume by Elsie Spicer Eells titled “The Islands of Magic: Legends, Folk, and Fairy Tales from the Azores”. This is…
Josefa de Mello wasn’t a Mello at all: Or, Why You Can’t Trust Portuguese Surnames
Curious thing about Portuguese surnames. They are inconsistent at best and downright frustrating most of the time. Surname research is out of the question because you can’t depend on any consistency. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Josefa de Mello’s surname turned out to be completely different than the name on her son’s marriage record….