What can we learn from obituaries?
[Research journal #3, entry #3]
I now knew that Helen was in Oakland by 1927. Since there were five sets of Pacheco parents that Helen could belong to, it was important to firmly establish who her birth parents were. So, the next step was to track down her possible siblings. Since she was thought to be one of “The Reds” (a nickname given to one Pacheco family), that’s where I’d start my search.
I staked out a microfilm reader at Cal State Hayward’s library and went through obituaries. The obituary research proved helpful. I found a few obituaries in the Daily Review that contained Helen’s name as a sibling: John (1982), Antone (1975), and Francisco (1960). No obituary was found for her sister, Maria. Her other sister Isabella was alive at the time, but was very ill and did not remember much.
The next step was to look at the Oakland Tribune and hope that the family paid for an obituary for their mother. Joana’s obituary was easy to find. She was listed as the wife of Januario Fernandes, her second husband. All the children above were listed as well as “Helen Correia”. As Joana died in 1952, I now had my earliest piece of evidence tying Helen to her parents.
Helen Correia’s Story
[Research Journal #4, Entry #2]
Helen Correia’s name was mentioned many times in interviews. She fit in with the Pacheco’s somewhere but her story was clouded as she was given away for adoption. Not official adoption, but a family adoption.
It was possible that she was the daughter of Joana (Gonsalves Cardozo) and Joao Pacheco. They had been known to give children away. The reason was that Joao contracted tuberculosis. He died of the disease in October 1906. He left Joana 8 months pregnant, with 6 children aged 1 to 10 to raise. It was hard enough to raise a family on a sugar plantation with two parents. Doing it with one was near impossible. Joana had to make some choices to save herself and her children.
Oldest son, Francisco went to live with Joana’s sister. Daughter, Maria, went to Joana’s parents. Daughter Isabella went to Jose and Maria (Jacinto da Camara) de Braga. Three sons, John, Theodore, and Antone stayed home with their mother. Joana gave birth in November 1906, just a couple weeks after her husbands death.
It was said that the baby was named Helen. She was given away to someone named Jesuina. Did Helen (Pacheco) Correia really fit in with this family? And, who the mysterious Jesuina? Was she family or friend? How can one trace a woman when only her first name is known?
Helen and Jesuina
This month we explore the mystery of Helen Correia and her adoptive mother “Jesuina”. Helen was part of the Pacheco clan, but it was unclear which part. There was some belief that she belonged to the group called “The Reds” (because of their red hair).
She was given away for adoption to someone named “Zuweena”. That’s all we knew about her adoptive parents. Zuweena was definitely a literal translation! So, what was her adoptive mother’s name? And, who was her adoptive father? Who were her real parents?