I remember when I showed my grandma this photo of her mother-in-law several years ago. Her comments come to me today. She said “Look at how her eyes droop. That’s from malnutrition. Poor Voe.” Voe being the Portuguese word for grandmother. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but it has crossed my…
Category: Azorean Roots
No More Descendants to Follow in my Mello Tree
When the records for Maia, Ribeira Grande, Sao Miguel Island came online, I was so excited. Finally, I would be able to fill in some gaps in my tree. One of my hopes was to find out if my ancestors, Felicianno de Mello and Rosa Boteilho, had anymore children that I might be able to…
My Azores Pinterest Board
Pinterest is a great way to waste time on a rainy day, isn’t it? Well, that’s what happened and now I have a board devoted to the Azores. Over time, I’ll be adding my own writing and photos. For now, I have started a collection of the landmarks and landscapes of the Azores. If you…
Answer to My Question about My DNA Results
The other day I posted my thoughts about my DNA test at FTDNA. It was a 3 month follow up on my observations. One of the observations I made was that I had very few Azorean matches despite their being an Azores DNA Group at FTDNA. Cheri Mello who is one of the people who…
Why did all these children die in Maia in 1861?
I’m working through the Obitos (death records) for the village of Maia, Ribeira Grande, Sao Miguel Island, Azores. Sometimes death records can be depressing. They also present questions that can’t really be answered unless someone has written a history of the area. Case in point, I am working on the 1860s. In 1860, there were…