Giving Life To Your Ancestors II

Colorizing Old Photos

Copyright Dana Keller

After reading about Dana's work in an article on the web and seeing her colorized photos, I became very interested to "bring to life" one of my ancestors, my great grandfather Francisco Machado Drummond, from Terceira Island, Azores. The result was great and it reflects what I was waiting for a long time, to be able to see my great grandfather like in the real life. I love it!



My great grandfather Francisco Machado Drummond, 1927.

I kindly asked him for an interview and the result you can read below.

Interview with Dana Keller from History in Color Copyright Dana Keller

Dana, tell me a little bit about you, your bio.

My name is Dana Keller, and I'm currently finishing up grad school in Boston, MA, studying archival science. My undergrad was in graphic design, and I've had several years experience in photography, which helps in understanding the roles that light and color plays in images. I've been colorizing photos for about 10 months.

How your background as an archivist creates awareness on preserving photos and the impact on what you have been doing with historical photos.

The controversy around this is interesting. Firstly, the overall response to the colorizations has been very positive. The majority of people see the photos in a new way when they are colorized, and it actually helps them to appreciate the events and figures of the past as more relevant. Conversely, as an archivist, it is essentially my job to conserve documents/photographs as they are, and to preserve them for future generations. Several archivists in my circle (and many people in general), tend to see colorizations as a misrepresentation of history or even a deliberate defacing or violation of the original record. While I can see their perspective, it should be clear that colorizations are done out of a reverence and respect for history, and the reason they exist is to give the viewer an opportunity to see an image from history with a different perspective, not to replace or change the original records. The originals are still here for us all to see and enjoy.

Copyright Dana Keller

How did your work of coloring photos in a digital format started and when you realized that people was responding well to it?

My interest began when I discovered a collection of colorized photos online that was getting a lot of attention for being very realistic. To me, these photos, while very carefully and skillfully colorized, did not really look true-to-life, but more like paintings. They no longer looked like photographs. I had seen many colorizations before, and it has always been very obvious that they were colorized. I wondered if it was possible to colorize photos and concentrate on the subtleties of realistic colors and shading, perhaps with enough skill to make it seem as if it really was an actual color photograph. I posted a few images online as I was getting started with colorizations, and the response was very positive. People were recognizing them as a little different than previous colorizations they had seen, in that they weren't distracted by the fact that it was a colorization, and were rather viewing the photo in a new way, as if it was really in color.

Family heirlooms are very important to the families they belong and an old photo from a relative means a lot to them. Can you explain how your work is done in a digital format and that the original photo is not changed or affected in any way?

Photos of our family members are very important, and people want to keep those photographs safe and close to them. Often times a black and white photograph is all someone have ever seen of their relatives from long ago. They do not want anything to happen to those heirlooms. When families want their photographs colorized, it is always because they want to feel a closer connection to the history of their family, and to see them in color would make them seem that much more real. Of course, we want to have the original photo remain untouched. The photographs are scanned into a digital image, and all of the colorization is done in a digital environment, with no alterations to the physical photo.

Copyright Dana Keller

I know you have been coloring a broad amount of subjects in photographs, but I would like to know more about your work with family photographs. What type of photos people usually send to you, adult portraits, children portraits or family portraits? Do they have any special requesting for you?

There is always a wide variety of photos, which makes it very interesting: family portraits, weddings, military, vacations, casual snapshots, holidays, etc. Each photo is unique, so there is no typical photo. Usually, any requests beyond the colorization involve some restoration work to clean up scratches and tears in the photo. There aren't many unusual requests, though I have had one request to extend a photograph in order to include a little bit of a person that had been cropped in the photo, which means I had to essentially paint in the missing pieces!

If someone willing to have their family member photo digitally colorized but doesn’t have a scan to do it, can you scan the photo for them? Tell me the steps, if you do so.

I don't currently scan photos myself, though I do plan to soon invest in a high quality scanner so that I can offer that as an option.

Copyright Dana Keller

Last but not the least, is there any special family photo that you worked on and have touched you in some way?

I recently worked on a photo of a man's grandmother, which depicted her in a park when she was a beautiful young woman. The grandson who commissioned me was planning on giving her the colorized photo this Christmas. It is one of his favorite photos of her because it is one of the few in which she was smiling. Tragically, his grandmother passed away before he had the chance to give it to her. He has let me know that the photograph will be displayed at her funeral, and even though she did not get to see it, he was so happy that the last image people will have of her will be of her smile and her love of life.

Contact info for Dana Keller:

Facebook page 

and email

thehistoryincolor at gmail.com

Also visit Giving Life To Your Ancestors I

The Santa Cruz Church, Matriz of Vila da Praia da Vitória, Terceira Island

The Santa Cruz Church is one of the oldest in Terceira and Azores, built by Jacome de Bruges, in 1456, and remodeled several times, in special after the earthquakes that damaged its structure - 24 May 1614; 24 Jun 1810; 15 Jun 1841 and 1 Jan 1980.

 

Batalha da Praia da Vitória (11 de agosto de 1829) and Detail showing Santa Cruz Church on the top of the hill. Circa 1830 Source: Palácio de Queluz. D. Pedro d'Alcântara de Bragança, 1798-1834. Lisboa: Secretária de Estado, 1986.

In March 2013, I went to Terceira Island and visited the places where my ancestors lived, married, had their children and prayed. Santa Cruz Church, located in Vila da Praia da Vitoria, has a very special place in my family history as it was there that the only child of Francisco Ferreira Drummond and Maria Theodora, Adrianna Emilia, my 2nd. Great Grandmother, was baptized.

The Church is also very meaningful in Francisco’s own life as besides being an historian and paleographer; he was a musician as well and started working there as an organist with only 15 years old, in 1811. I can see him, as a young man, going to Vila da Praia da Vitoria, to play the organ in Santa Cruz Church when the resident families met there for worship - masses, baptism and marriages. For more than 45 years he was the one responsible for playing the organ in the religious ceremonies of Santa Cruz Church.

Photos and collage by Isabella Baltar, Interior of Santa Cruz Church, Matriz of Praia da Vitória, Terceira, Azores. 2013.

I’m sure it was there he met Maria Theodora, the mother of his only daughter. When Adrianna Emilia was born, Maria Theodora was 24 years old and Francisco was 26 years old. This was the year of 1822. They never married, but Francisco recognized the paternity some years later and was very present in the life of Adrianna Emilia, as I was able to verify on all the religious documents celebrating the birth of his grandchildren from her marriage with Joao Machado Valladao, a teacher from Vila de Sao Sebastiao. He was always present as a Godfather or as a testimony.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praia_da_Vit%C3%B3ria
http://orgaos-a-cores.blogspot.com/2009/06/francisco-ferreira-drummond_17.html
http://abelvieira.no.comunidades.net/

- Correia, Virgílio. Os Portais da Matriz da Vila da Praia da Vitória. in: Memorial da Muito Notável Vila da Praia da Vitória, no Centenário da Acção de 11 de Agosto de 1829. Coimbra: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 1929.

Rio de Janeiro 1937

I need to share this video with all you. Those who had ancestors in Brazil will be able to see how the city of Rio de Janeiro was in the late 1930's. It was such a beautiful place with an amazing landscape. You will also be able to see a steamer arriving at the Rio de Janeiro Port. Hope you enjoy as much as I did! The link is right below the image.

Rio de Janeiro - 1937 - MGM Colored and in English

A Casa de Francisco Ferreira Drummond, na Vila de São Sebastião

Click here for this post in English

Foi num sábado pela manhã, dia 9 de Março passado, que eu visitei pela primeira vez a casa de Francisco Ferreira Drummond. A casa está situada a apenas alguns passos da Igreja Matriz da Vila de São Sebastião e ao lado da Igreja da Santa Casa de Misericórdia. A casa foi restaurada para servir como um pequeno museu da comunidade, preservando  a memória deste ilustre historiador como também as tradições da Ilha Terceira, servindo de espaço vivo para visitantes e escolas locais.

Vista da casa

A casa vem sendo mantida pelo Provedor da Santa Casa de Misericórdia, o Senhor Paulo Gonçalves de Melo e sua esposa. Ambos tem colocado enorme esforço na manutenção deste pequeno centro cultural, não somente em sua manutenção, como recebendo doações da comunidade e também doando pequenos objetos e móveis de sua própria família que caracterizam a cultura dos Açores e, em especial, a da Ilha Terceira. Por toda a casa nota-se o carinho e empenho que a ela dedicam.

Entrada principal

Tear

Cerâmica local 

Eu fui abençoada em poder conhecer o Senhor Paulo, por um acaso do destino, naquele sábado. Quando lá cheguei a casa estava fechada e sem nenhuma informação de seus horários, mas deixa estar que o Sr. Paulo estava algumas casas adiante com amigos na calçada e, vendo minha frustração, veio conversar comigo, se apresentou e, muito gentilmente, disse que abriria a casa para minha visita. Eu não podia acreditar, tenho certeza que meus ancestrais ali o colocaram, para poder conhecer o local em que meu tetravô viveu e passou seus últimos anos de vida. 

Provedor da Santa Casa, o Sr. Paulo Gonçalves de Melo

Entrada principal da casa

The House of Francisco Ferreira Drummond, in Vila de São Sebastião

It was a Saturday morning, March 9^th.2013, when I first visited the house of Francisco Ferreira Drummond. He was a historian, paleographer, musician and politician, author of Anais da Ilha Terceira as well as Apontamentos para a História dos Açores, a scholar of his time.

The house where he lived was restored to serve as a small community museum and is situated just a few steps from the Igreja Matriz da Vila de São Sebastião and besides to the Igreja da Santa Casa de Misericórdia.  The house preserves Ferreira Drummond's memories as well as the memories of Terceira Island, making the house a live place for visitors and local schools.

Francisco F. Drummond's house

The house-museum is very well maintained by the Provedor da Santa Casa de Misericórdia, Mr. Paulo Gonçalves de Melo and his wife. They have been effortless doing things for this small cultural center, not only taking care of it, but as well as donating pieces of furniture and small objects from their family that characterizes the Azores culture and the local community. Throughout the house you can see their dedication.

Main hall of the house, with the kitchen at the end.

Loom

Local ceramic in the kitchen.

I was blessed, due to the circumstance, to have met Mr. Paulo on the street beside the house on that Saturday. While I was walking by, I realized it was closed and I became so frustrated. He was close by, with some other people, and came to talk to me, introduced himself, kindly opened the house and made a tour with me to make all the story short. At the end of our conversation, he gave me a copy of my 3rd. great grandfather's book Apontamentos Topográficos, Políticos, Civis e Ecclesiásticos para a História das Nove Ilhas dos Açores. That day, Mr. Paulo was placed  there by my ancestors, I’m sure he was, and I will never forget it.

Mr Paulo Gonçalves Melo, Provedor da Santa Casa.

Myself at the entrance of house in March 2013.

Visitando a Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião, na Ilha Terceira

 Click here for this post in English

Uma das primeiras coisas que eu desejava fazer assim que chegasse a Ilha Terceira era visitar a Vila de São Sebastião, onde muitos dos meus ancestrais viveram, incluindo meu bisavô, Francisco Machado Drummond, que emigrou para o Brasil, pela primeira vez em 1874, com apenas 13 anos de idade.

Igreja de São Sebastião

Nos primeiros dias que por ali passei o clima não cooperava comigo. Era inverno, frio e sempre a chover. Eu queria caminhar por onde eles caminharam, e o tempo não cooperava. Em um desses dias, parei o carro e aproveitei para visitar a Igreja Matriz que se situa bem no centro da Vila, e que foi muito significativa na vida  de meus ancestrais.

Eu com o portal Manoelino ao fundo

Afrescos do período medieval tardio.

Esta histórica Igreja foi construída inicialmente em 1455 pelos primeiros povoadores da Ilha Terceira. Durante os séculos de sua existência, a Igreja sofreu vários acréscimos que a descaracterizaram, mas hoje em dia, depois de vários restauros, guarda o que de mais significante lhe pertence desde sua origem, como o belo portal manuelino, e os afrescos do fim do período medieval,  que ainda hoje continuam a ser restaurados; além de outros aspectos arquitetônicos aqui omitidos, mas nem por isso de menor relevância.

O altar principal.

 Nesta mesma Igreja Matriz todas as mulheres pertencentes a minha linha materna açoriana se casaram, como muitas também ali foram batizadas; portanto, era local que além de eu estar visitando, também me tocava o coração de maneira profunda. O meu mtDNA falava mais alto, eu não estava naquele lugar como mera turista, vendo mais um monumento de valor arquitetônico; tudo à minha volta provocava certa emoção. Poder entrar pela porta pela qual meus ancestrais entraram; ter olhos para apreciar o que eles apreciaram através dos séculos; orar, me benzer, me ajoelhar, praticas católicas transitórias, que outrora ali se realizaram e se repetiam, voltavam intensas estimulando minha imaginação, me transportando ao tempo de meus ancestrais.

Pia batismal

Enquanto estive na Ilha Terceira, voltei a Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião algumas vezes mais para tentar observar sua arquitetura, e guardar um pouco mais da sensação que me tomou no primeiro dia que ali estive. Dela guardo memórias que procuro reconstruir através dos documentos e história que venho pesquisando.

Visiting Igreja Matriz of Vila de São Sebastião in Terceira Island

One of the first things that I wanted to do as soon as I arrived in Terceira Island was to visit Vila de São Sebastião, where many of my ancestors lived, including my great grandfather, Francisco Machado Drummond, who immigrated to Brazil, with 13 years old, in 1874.

The first days I spent at the island the weather didn’t cooperate too much. It was cold, windy and always raining. I wanted to walk where my ancestors walked, and that wasn’t helping me in my endeavor. One day, I decided to stop the car anyway and visit the Igreja Matriz, which is situated in the middle of the Vila of São Sebastião, and was really significant in the lives of my family.

Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião, Terceira Island

 This historic church was built initially in 1455 by the first settlers of Terceira Island. During the years of its existence, the church has suffered lots of remodeling which changed the original building, but today, after some conservation work, it shows what is the most expressive from the original plant of the church, like the portal from the Manoelino period and the frescoes from the late medieval period that were recently uncovered and are being restored right now.  Many other architectonic aspects are relevant and characterize this church as the “gem” of the Azores.

Manoelino portal and I

Late medieval frescoes

In this Igreja Matriz, all the women from my maternal lineage were married, and most of them were baptized as well. Therefore, this place was beyond just a tourist visit, it was something that I knew was going to touch my heart. My mtDNA was speaking higher and I could felt I wasn’t there as a simple tourist, looking at one more “gem” of the architectural history of Azores; everything that was surrounding me was enticing. Being able to enter the doorway where my ancestors walked through; having eyes to appreciate what they had appreciated in the centuries before was very moving. I prayed, I made the sign of the cross, I kneel down; transitory catholic gestures that took place in the centuries before, but all coming back to my imagination, taking me in a tunnel of time, while I was doing it.

The main Altar where marriages were celebrated.

Baptismal font

While in Terceira Island, I came back a few times to Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião to have a closer look to its architecture and to keep fresh the great sensation that I felt before. I have great memories from that visit which I try to reconstruct with my heart, documents and history I have been researching on my Azorean family.

Genealogia e Genealogistas da Ilha Terceira

In English - Genealogy and Genealogist from Terceira

Enquanto estive na Ilha Terceira, nos Açores, tive a oportunidade de conhecer alguns genealogistas locais. Foi uma ótima oportunidade para vê-los trabalhando, como também para aprender um pouco de seus métodos de trabalho.

Um desses genealogistas foi o Dr. Jorge Forjaz, que aqui aparece na foto comigo, na Sala de Leitura da Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Angra do Heroismo. Nas prateleiras que se veêm atrás estão os livros de sua autoria e, em especial, o Genealogias da Ilha Terceira, obra imensa onde Dr. Forjaz trabalhou juntamente com Dr. Antonio Ornelas Mendes.

Dr. Forjaz e eu conversamos diversas vezes sobre minha família enquanto trabalhavamos na Bibloteca. Mostrei a ele minha pesquisa e dividi as informações novas sobre meus ancestrais que emigraram para o Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, em meados do século XIX. Para confirmar toda a informação e datas que lhe passei, apresentei os registros de nascimento, casamento e falecimento que obtive em minhas pesquisas, como também informações dos jornais da época. Por outro lado, ele dividiu comigo a pesquisa que realizou e está publicada nas Genealogias da Ilha Terceira, sobre minha família, tanto pelo lado Drummond quanto pelos Oliveira Jacques. Isto teve grande impacto nos meus estudos já que agora estou nos idos do século XVI com minha genealogia.

No final, ainda descobrimos que somos primos distantes! Que mundo pequeno. Como diz um outro genealogista da Ilha: “...em Terceira, todos são parentes!”

Autor de inúmeras publicações em genealogia, Dr. Forjaz fez a gentileza de me fornecer a lista de seus trabalhos publicados que segue abaixo:

1.     Algumas considerações em torno da expulsão dos jesuítas da Ilha Terceira, Angra,  I.A.C., 1973, 14p.

2.     Carta de brazão de armas (XXI), Angra, B.I.H.I.T., 1977, 24 p.

3.     História e Técnica da Gravura Artística (Bibliografia analítica), Angra, I.H.I.T., 1977, 200 p.

4.     As Casas de Luís Meireles, Angra, I.A.C., 1978, 24 p.

5.     Repensar Portugal, «Atlântida», 1978, p.115-118.

6.     O inventário dos bens de Francisco de Ornelas da Câmara, Angra, I.A.C., 1979, 12 p.

7.     A família de Vitorino Nemésio, Angra, I.A.C., 1979, 58 p.

8.     O Solar de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Canto e Castro), Angra, I.H.I.T., 1ª edição 1979, 210, il.; 2ª edição, I.H.I.T., 1996, 230 p., il., enc.

9.     Carta de Brazão de Armas XIV (O morgado dos Amarais em Elvas), Angra, I.H.I.T., 1980, 55 p.

10.  Angra, uma cidade a recuperar ou de como pela batalha da Salga se chega a uma teoria sobre a recuperação da cidade de Angra, «Atlântida», 1981, 15 p.

11.  Novos elementos para o conhecimento da revolução de 1828 na ilha Terceira, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1982, 20 p.

12.  Angra do Heroísmo,«À Descoberta dos Açores», Lisboa, ed. Selecções do Reader’s Digest, 1982.

13.  12.Cartas de dadas do séc. XV na ilha Terceira, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1983, 11 p.

14.  Seis cartas de desespero (Um caso de falência social no séc. XIX angrense), Angra, I.A.C., 1985, 7 p.

15.  40 pistolas da colecção do Museu (sécs. XVII a XX) (organização, prefácio e notas), Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, 1985, 56 p.

16.  Exposição Comemorativa dos 450 anos da Diocese de Angra, (organização, prefácio e notas), Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, 1985, 34 p.

17.  16.Cartas políticas de Eduardo Abreu para o Visconde das Mercês, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1987, 42 p.

18.  O diário quinhentista de João Dias do Carvalhal e sua família, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1987, 28 p.

19.  Os Monjardinos - Uma família genovesa em Portugal, Açôres e Brasil, Angra, ed. do autor, 1987, 270 p.

20.  Carta dos Açores, Revista «Oceanos», Comissão Nacional dos Descobrimentos, nº 1, Junho, 1989, p. 99-101

21.  Uma varonia real (capetíngia) em Macau, «Revista de Cultura», Macau, Instituto Cultural de Macau, , nº 23 (II Série), Abril/Junho 1995, p. 34-46; versão chinesa no nº 22, de Janeiro/Março 1995, p. 174-187.

22.  Famílias Macaenses, Macau, Fundação Oriente, 1996, 3 vols, 1114 p.+ 1100 p. + 1087 p., il.

23.  Os Teixeira de Sampaio da ilha Terceira, Porto, Universidade Moderna, Centro de Estudos de História da Família, 2001, 601 p., il.

24.  Cândido Pamplona Forjaz . Centenário do nascimento, Angra do Heroísmo, Ed. da Família, 2001,

25.  Correspondência para o Dr. Eduardo Abreu - Do Ultimato à Assembleia Nacional Constituinte - 1890-1912, Lisboa, Academia Portuguesa da História, 2002, 680 p. il.

26.  Os Luso-descendentes da Índia Portuguesa, Lisboa, Fundação Oriente, 2003, 3 vols., 811p.+889 p.+1015p., il.

27.  Os Colaço – Uma família portuguesa em Tânger. Seguido de «Memórias Tangerinas» de Alexandre Rey Colaço, Lisboa, Ed. Guarda-Mor, 2004, 221 p.

28. De Mazagão a Damão (De Azevedo Coutinho a Correia da Cunha),

29. Cunhas na Índia. De Tristão da Cunha, o da Ilha, a Miguel Carlos, fino fidalgo luso

30.  Genealogias da Ilha Terceira, Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, 2007, 10 vols (em co-autoria com António Ornelas Mendes)

31.  «Emigrados na ilha Terceira (1828-1832) – Notas Genealógicas», Revista Dislivro Histórica, Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, nº 1, 2008, pp.239-313.

32. Genealogias das Quatro Ilhas (Pico, Faial, Flores e Corvo), Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, 2009, 4 vols. (em co-autoria com António Ornelas Mendes)

33. Famílias Portuguesas de Ceuta, Ceuta, Archivo General, 2011, 457 p.

34. Genealogias de São Tomé e Príncipe - Subsídios, Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, 2011, 750 p.

35. «Os parentes brasileiros de Bernardino Machado», Atlântida, IAC, 2011.

36. Mercês Honoríficas do Século XX (1900-1910), Lisboa, Guarda-Mor, 2012, 632 p.

Genealogy and Genealogists from Terceira Island

While in Azores I had the opportunity to meet some local genealogists. It was a great occasion to learn from all of them and see their working methods.  That has shed new lights in my research, and in the way I have been working.

One of them was Mr. Jorge Forjaz, here he appears with me on the photo, at the main reading room of Biblioteca Publica  and Arquivo Regional of Angra do Heroismo.  On the shelves behind us, is the set of books Genealogias da Ilha Terceira. Mr. Forjaz is one of its authors, besides Mr. Antonio Ornelas Mendes.

Mr. Forjaz and I talked several times, at the library, about my family. I shared with him some new information of those mine relatives that emigrated, in the middle 1800’s, from Azores to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and about the new family they build there. To confirm all the dates, I also shared relevant documentation, including birth, marriage and death certificates, as well as newspapers information that I have. On the other side, he shared with me his research he has done on my Drummond’s family, as well as on my Oliveira Jacques. That had a great impact on the development of my genealogy that is now in the middle of 1500’s.

By the end, we found out that we are distant cousin! What a small word. This just confirms what another genealogist from the island told me: “…in Terceira, everybody is part of our family.”

Author of numerous publications on Portuguese genealogy around the world, Mr. Forjaz list of books is as follow:

1.     Algumas considerações em torno da expulsão dos jesuítas da Ilha Terceira, Angra,  I.A.C., 1973, 14p.

2.     Carta de brazão de armas (XXI), Angra, B.I.H.I.T., 1977, 24 p.

3.     História e Técnica da Gravura Artística (Bibliografia analítica), Angra, I.H.I.T., 1977, 200 p.

4.     As Casas de Luís Meireles, Angra, I.A.C., 1978, 24 p.

5.     Repensar Portugal, «Atlântida», 1978, p.115-118.

6.     O inventário dos bens de Francisco de Ornelas da Câmara, Angra, I.A.C., 1979, 12 p.

7.     A família de Vitorino Nemésio, Angra, I.A.C., 1979, 58 p.

8.     O Solar de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Canto e Castro), Angra, I.H.I.T., 1ª edição 1979, 210, il.; 2ª edição, I.H.I.T., 1996, 230 p., il., enc.

9.     Carta de Brazão de Armas XIV (O morgado dos Amarais em Elvas), Angra, I.H.I.T., 1980, 55 p.

10.  Angra, uma cidade a recuperar ou de como pela batalha da Salga se chega a uma teoria sobre a recuperação da cidade de Angra, «Atlântida», 1981, 15 p.

11.  Novos elementos para o conhecimento da revolução de 1828 na ilha Terceira, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1982, 20 p.

12.  Angra do Heroísmo,«À Descoberta dos Açores», Lisboa, ed. Selecções do Reader’s Digest, 1982.

13.  12.Cartas de dadas do séc. XV na ilha Terceira, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1983, 11 p.

14.  Seis cartas de desespero (Um caso de falência social no séc. XIX angrense), Angra, I.A.C., 1985, 7 p.

15.  40 pistolas da colecção do Museu (sécs. XVII a XX) (organização, prefácio e notas), Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, 1985, 56 p.

16.  Exposição Comemorativa dos 450 anos da Diocese de Angra, (organização, prefácio e notas), Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, 1985, 34 p.

17.  16.Cartas políticas de Eduardo Abreu para o Visconde das Mercês, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1987, 42 p.

18.  O diário quinhentista de João Dias do Carvalhal e sua família, Angra, I.H.I.T., 1987, 28 p.

19.  Os Monjardinos - Uma família genovesa em Portugal, Açôres e Brasil, Angra, ed. do autor, 1987, 270 p.

20.  Carta dos Açores, Revista «Oceanos», Comissão Nacional dos Descobrimentos, nº 1, Junho, 1989, p. 99-101

21.  Uma varonia real (capetíngia) em Macau, «Revista de Cultura», Macau, Instituto Cultural de Macau, , nº 23 (II Série), Abril/Junho 1995, p. 34-46; versão chinesa no nº 22, de Janeiro/Março 1995, p. 174-187.

22.  Famílias Macaenses, Macau, Fundação Oriente, 1996, 3 vols, 1114 p.+ 1100 p. + 1087 p., il.

23.  Os Teixeira de Sampaio da ilha Terceira, Porto, Universidade Moderna, Centro de Estudos de História da Família, 2001, 601 p., il.

24.  Cândido Pamplona Forjaz . Centenário do nascimento, Angra do Heroísmo, Ed. da Família, 2001,

25.  Correspondência para o Dr. Eduardo Abreu - Do Ultimato à Assembleia Nacional Constituinte - 1890-1912, Lisboa, Academia Portuguesa da História, 2002, 680 p. il.

26.  Os Luso-descendentes da Índia Portuguesa, Lisboa, Fundação Oriente, 2003, 3 vols., 811p.+889 p.+1015p., il.

27.  Os Colaço – Uma família portuguesa em Tânger. Seguido de «Memórias Tangerinas» de Alexandre Rey Colaço, Lisboa, Ed. Guarda-Mor, 2004, 221 p.

28. De Mazagão a Damão (De Azevedo Coutinho a Correia da Cunha),

29. Cunhas na Índia. De Tristão da Cunha, o da Ilha, a Miguel Carlos, fino fidalgo luso

30.  Genealogias da Ilha Terceira, Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, 2007, 10 vols (em co-autoria com António Ornelas Mendes)

31.  «Emigrados na ilha Terceira (1828-1832) – Notas Genealógicas», Revista Dislivro Histórica, Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, nº 1, 2008, pp.239-313.

32. Genealogias das Quatro Ilhas (Pico, Faial, Flores e Corvo), Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, 2009, 4 vols. (em co-autoria com António Ornelas Mendes)

33. Famílias Portuguesas de Ceuta, Ceuta, Archivo General, 2011, 457 p.

34. Genealogias de São Tomé e Príncipe - Subsídios, Lisboa, Dislivro Histórica, 2011, 750 p.

35. «Os parentes brasileiros de Bernardino Machado», Atlântida, IAC, 2011.

36. Mercês Honoríficas do Século XX (1900-1910), Lisboa, Guarda-Mor, 2012, 632 p.

Terceira Island, land of my ancestors!

Last month I spent almost one month in Terceira, Azores, place of most of my maternal ancestors. What an amazing time I had there not only researching my family history, visiting the towns where they lived, spending time praying at the churches they married, baptized, and eventually were buried, as well as working in Biblioteca Publica e Arquivo Regional of Angra do Heroismo, as an intern. 

 Holding Francisco Ferreira Drummond's manuscripts, my 3rd Great Grandfather,

at Biblioteca Publica and Arquivo Regional of Angra do Heroismo.

My internship gave me opportunity to deal with book conservation and restoration and, at the same time, browse all those shelves filled with historical books and documents that are there for centuries. Going deeper on my family research, and work with such a splendid historical library and archive was unforgettable! I cannot forget to mention the wonderful people I met, without them it wouldn't be as fun as it was. Food needs a special post here, it couldn't be fresher and better, made my life better as well as I'm eating more fish right now. With all these, I have to tell you that my heart is definitely connected to Terceira, and with plans to go back soon.

I will share with you what I saw in Terceira and what I learned from being there on the following posts. Also, if it is in your plans to travel to Terceira in the future, I can give you great advice; don't hesitate to send me an email. I'm thinking even to organize a group for a genealogical trip to Azores for the next year, so if you are interested, let me know.

Requesting Photocopies From the Family History Library

This is good news from Family History Library, making our research easier! You will now be able to receive free copies of  films, book pages, cds and records directly on your e-mail. See below the information and the email for contacting them.

"Policy Change for Patrons Requesting Photocopies From the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah

Please note the following change in the policy for patrons who are requesting copies from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

All requests for information copied from films, book pages, CDs, marriage, death or birth certificates, wills and/or deeds, etc. will be copied in digital format and emailed to patrons in a zipped PDF or JPG file format. There is no charge for this service if we are able to email to information to patrons.

If a patron does not have an email address, we can mail the information to the patron using the US Postal Service.  However, as much as possible, we will rely on emailing all requests for information through the internet. If patrons do not own a computer or do not have an email address, they can request to have the information emailed to their local Family History Center, where they can print the information at the center.

Patrons should request copies by emailing their request to Photoduplication@familysearch.org.  All requests MUST include the following information:

• Film or Fiche number
• Item number
• Name of Individual(s) referred to in the record
• Title of the record
• Name of parents, spouse, grantor, grantee, etc.
• Event type (Birth, Death or Marriage)
• Complete event date and place
• Event place (county, parish, township, etc.)
• Volume or page number
• Registration or Certificate Number
• Any other information that will help us locate your record."