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….
Tag: Azores
I Didn’t Plan to Research the Whole Village of Maia
I didn’t plan on researching the whole village. No, really. I didn’t. I started out following the trail of my great grandmother, Maria (de Braga) Pacheco Smith, in Maia like a good genealogist. Maia is a village on Sao Miguel Island in the Azores. I found more ancestors and added more lines. I found…
The Case for Sharing Your Genealogy Work: Proving Manuel Melo Castanho is Related
My mom used to tell me that sharing was good especially when my siblings and I were fighting over over a toy. Not only is sharing good for siblings, it’s good for genealogists. Case in point, I’ve confirmed the relationship of a man on a “Fiche de Emigrante” card all because I posted a link…
Mello Castanho Migrating from the Azores: Hawaii, East Coast, and Canada
Sooner or later it was bound to happen. I was going to make a connection to Canada with my Portuguese lines. It was just a matter of time. I had thought it would be with Canadian tenor, Remigio Pereira, instead it is on a different line. Working from Maia to the Kingdom of Hawaii to…
52 Ancestors Week 40: My Grandfather was Married on the Same Day as His Great Grandfather
In the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series, Week 40’s theme is birthdays and anniversaries in October. I’ve already written about my Grandma Lassalle and about my maternal grandparent’s marriage. Who else could I write about? In going through my database, I found something of interest. My maternal grandfather and my maternal great grandfather chose…