My Portuguese Gen: RESEARCH FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS

Fraternal Organizations

"Mutual aid societies are unique to the Portuguese. It began in the

15th century as support groups for widows when fishermen were

lost at sea. In the United States, these societies were formed

again to be beneficial to those fellow-countrymen who needed help

in time of need. They provided a life insurance policy that paid

burial costs and other expenses. But their purpose went much

further. They provided forums for communication to the immigrant

at their meetings and celebrations. They also kept the Azorean

culture and Portuguese language alive. It gave the new immigrants

programs that would help he or she settle in their new country…..

Most anyone can join these organizations, men, women, children,

Portuguese, and non-Portuguese."

http://library.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/Bob_Santos-Azoreans_to_California.pdf - Accessed on 9 Jun 2019.

A few of the California societies and their creation dates:

- Associação Portuguesa Protectora e Beneficente (A.P.P.B.) - San Francisco, 1868.

- União Portuguesa do Estado da Califórnia (U.P.E.C.) - San Leandro, 1880.

- Irmandade do Divino Espírito Santo (I.D.E.S.) - San José, 1881.

Women societies:

- Sociedade Portuguesa Rainha Santa Isabel (S.P.R.S.I.) - Oakland, 1901.

- União Portuguesa Protectora do Estado da California (U.P.P.E.C.) - Oakland, 1901.

Individual island societies, mainland societies and other Portuguese in the United States were also created, although not as much successful as U.P.E.C., I.D.E.S., S.P.R.S.I., and U.P.P.E.C.

Portuguese Union of the State of California

The article below was found in the Sacramento Daily Union dated of 7 Oct 1895. It is part of the California Digital Newspaper Collection website. It gives a brief history of the UPEC society and demonstrate its purpose as a benevolent society.

U.P.E.C. - União Portuguesa do Estado da Califórnia

Source: California Digital Newspaper Collection - accessed on 10 Jun 2019 - https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU18951007.2.51&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1

The Membership registers books for the U.P.E.C. (the last three links on the list below), can be found online at FamilySearch.org. It is possible, and I found this true in a few cases I researched, that the membership occurred just after the arrival of the Portuguese immigrant, or a few months after. Let’s say, you know the approximate year of arrival of your ancestor in California, you can then start searching the digital record books after that year. Other record books are also found at the same website.

Fraternal societies records at Family History Library

The following titles are available digitally for research at FamilySearch.org. These records are not indexed and the search must be done image by image. They are organized by a council name and the town name.

Lists of deaths, & widowers, 1880-1914 Death claim registers, v. 1-3, 1880-1916
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008266225?cat=468170

Death claim registers, v. 3-4, 1916-1937
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008525385?cat=468170

Death claim registers, v. 4-6, 1926-1937
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008525386?cat=468170

Death claim registers, v. 6 1937-1949
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008525387?cat=468170

Death claim registers, 1949-1979 Juvenile death claim register, 1943-1951 Membership registers, v. 1-5, 1880-1914
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008117994?cat=468170

Membership registers, v. 1-22, 1880-1938
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008117995?cat=468170

Membership registers, v. 22-49, 1896-1952
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008118001?cat=468170

Membership registers, v. 50-93, 8, 1898-1964
https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/008118052?cat=468170

Sample of a Membership registers books.
Translated by Isabella Baltar in 11 Jun 2019.

List of Members from the Council of [name of council]