A Ship Manifest, a Passport, and a Newspaper in your research
My great grandfather, Francisco Machado Drummond, grandson of Francisco Ferreira Drummond, the historian from São Sebastião, Terceira Island – Azores, emigrated from the Azores to Brazil, for the first time, when he had just completed 13 years old. His passport was clear with several information about himself. I found it at the archives in Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island (see footnote 1.). This was the first of several other trips he was going to do during his lifetime between the Azores and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Finding his passport records at the Angra's archives brought so much life to my great grandfather, his family history, thus my family genealogy.
The second time he traveled to Rio de Janeiro was in the company of his second wife and a son of six months old. The year was 1893. After obtaining a copy of their passport for this second trip from the archives in Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira, BPARAH, I was able to learn when they were traveling - June or July of 1893. Attached to the family passport there was also the ship ticket’s receipt. On the ticket receipt there was the ship's name, the Lissabon. What a great find to continue my research.
I decided to find more about my great grandfather, his family and his arrival in Brazil. I knew the year and the approximate months of arrival in Rio de Janeiro. The best place to start my research was using the Arquivo Nacional do Brasil and their online database. This is the equivalent of the National Archives of the USA. If I could find the ship manifest with his name and his family new doors were going to open, bringing more information and evidence. The Arquivo Nacional has a large online database in Portuguese immigration and is always updating their digital archives with more records.
After looking on some steamers arrivals at that time, all in pdf format, I finally found the ship they traveled to Brazil, the Lissabon, from the SÜDAMERIKANISCHEN DAMPFSCHIFFAHRTS GESSELSCHAFT , a german company leaving originally Hamburg, in Germany. After downloading the pdf to my computer, I took a careful look at the manifest and was able to find the date of arrival, July 8th 1893, the commandant’s name, Holm, and an extensive list of 363 passengers, all in 3rd class. Although the ship steamer had 2nd and 1st class, only the third class was listed. No death took place during the trip and all arrived in good condition.
The newspapers of that time usually had information on what was happening on the Ports of Brazil, and knowing that the main library in Brazil, the Biblioteca Nacional, had them digitized and fully researchable, my next step was finding those with the approximate date of the ship’s arrival. I not only found the newspaper of my interest, but got more new information. The names of other passengers that were not listed on the ship manifest from Arquivo Nacional do Brasil were found on the newspapers. I don’t know why they did not list these passengers on the manifest, but they were probably traveling in the 1st and/or 2nd class. The number of days the ship took from São Miguel to Rio de Janeiro was 16 days, from a total of 27 days. The newspaper also has a list of all the ships that were arriving on that day besides the Lissabon, as well as other ones that were expected to arrive on the next couple of days.
I learned that we really need to go as further as possible in our research, searching all kinds of sources. When we less expect we can find something new that can lead us to unexpected discoveries!
Detail of "O Pais - Domingo, 9 de Julho de 1893"
Biblioteca Nacional
Find more about how to research in the Azores and Portugal at:
https://myportuguesegen.blogspot.com/p/researching-in-azores-and-portugal.html
Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional Luis da Silva Ribeiro
Rua do Morrão, 42 - 9700-054 Angra do Heroísmo
Telefone: (+351) 295 401 000Fax: (+351) 295 401 009
email: bparah.arquivo@azores.gov.pt
http://www.bparlsr.azores.gov.pt/html/index.html
Can anyone possibly give me some help with locating a 5th great grandfather from the 1700's? The only thing I know of him is that his last name may have been Grifo/Griffon/Griffin and he was a Portuguese ship owner. His daughter, my 4th Great Grandmother was Martha Griffon/Griffin Bacon Morrison.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, Thanks for visiting my blog. If you email me, myportuguesegen at gmail dot com, I may help you, but I will need more information on your 4th ggrandmother.
DeleteDoes anyone know anything about any Goveia's immigrating to British Guiana? Im also tryign to find out about a John Drummond who moved to Madeira in the 1800's and married a un named Portuguese woman and moved to Madeira. Their divorce neded and the mother moved bck to Madeira with her daughter, and the other daughter ( my great-great-great grandfather Augusta Drummond stayed in British Guiana
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog. The Drummond family is well known in Madeira and Azores. I have one page just dedicated to research in Madeira on one of the tabs on the top. You can also click here: https://myportuguesegen.blogspot.com/p/researching-in-madeira-islands.html
Greetings Isabella,
ReplyDeleteWhen my família came to America, they never passed their culture, language and family history to their great grandkids. So I'm having to traceback from little tidbits here and there from my last surviving 2nd cousin who was around them back then and then they wouldn't give her much either, like it was a secret to speak of família from the Islands. Here's where I am so far.
The following link bellow is my dilemma and trying to read the info at the top of the page.
http://www.culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/PASSAPORTES-PDL-1903-1905/PASSAPORTES-PDL-1903-1905_item1/index.html?page=88
When reading this ships manifest/passport at the top of the page I get everything EXCEPT the word before Edade (Age). It looks like Estado but, not sure. What is the word listed and the single letters that follow in that column below, i.e.,(C). Is there a sample page somewhere that is clearer to read? It's just to dark to make out.
Also, I wish they had a Index link for Sao Miguel like the Indexed Genealogies Citcem (Centro de Investigação Disciplinar) pages on Pico, Corvo, Faial, São Jorge, and other regions in Portugal. Do they and I'm just not seeing it? Thank You for your assistance, your website has been such a lifesaver to my família.
Blessing to You.
Hello Anonymous,
DeleteThank you for stopping by and ask the question about the passport request book headline. A great reminder for me to translate it and post it online. You can see the translation in this link - https://myportuguesegen.blogspot.com/p/researching-in-azores-and-portugal.html
Just scroll down the above page and you will see an image with the translation.
There are a few online indexes here and there. You can find some of them here - http://www.worldgenweb.org/azrwgw/maps-churches-and-villages/sao-miguel/sao-miguel-indexes.html
or here
https://genealogiafb.blogspot.com/2014/10/indice-de-registos-paroquiais-acores.html
I hope this will help you. I do my best to help anyone who stop by and ask a question. Sometimes it takes a few days, but I will answer. I am just one doing all on this side. Thank you.
Greetings Isabella,
DeleteThank you so much, this helped me a great deal. Wishing you the best.
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