Descendants of Francisco Rodrigues
March 28,2007
This is an update on the results of my research into our Rodrigues genealogy to date. I am hopefully in the next few months going have some more success because I have found the marriage for FRANCISCO RODRIGUES and MARIA ANTÓNIA in Estreito da Calheta. This should take me back another generation once I receive the marriage document.
I have included a map of Madeira so that you can relate to where Estreito da Calheta is as compared with São Pedro in Funchal.
Incidentally Calheta is said to be the sunniest place in Madeira because of the direction it faces and the fact it is a seaside village which in the mid 1800’s had an economy based on fishing.
Estreito da Calheta is inland and in the 1850-1880 there were but roughly just forty families living there.
It so happens I am reading a book given to me by Jose Fernandes who has done some translating for me. The book is based on the diary of an English lady in 1850 about a trip to Madeira to meet with family of her husband whose parents were Madeiran. In it she writes about visiting Estreito da Calheta and meeting her husband’s cousin Manuel Rodrigues. As you will see later, MANUEL3 RODRIGUES was born in 1822 in Estreito da Calheta, at some point in time he moved to São Pedro, Funchal Madeira and went into business there. The book gives quite a descriptive picture of life there in the 19th century.
Picture of the village of Calheta Madeira
Generation No. 1
1. FRANCISCO1 RODRIGUES was born Abt. 1770, and died Abt. 1830. He married MARIA ANTÓNIA 1792 in Estreito da Calheta1. She was born Abt. 1775, and died Abt. 1835.
Child of FRANCISCO RODRIGUES and MARIA ANTÓNIA is:
2. i. MANUEL2 RODRIGUES, b. Abt. 1795; d. Abt. 1860.
Generation No. 2
2. MANUEL2 RODRIGUES (FRANCISCO1) was born Abt. 1795, and died Abt. 1860. He married ANTÓNIA DOS SANTOS 1821 in Estreito da Calheta2, daughter of JOSÉ BORRAGEIRO and DOMINGAS SANTOS. She was born Abt. 1800, and died Abt. 1870.
Notes for MANUEL RODRIGUES:
Francisco Rodrigues Maria Antónia Estreito da Calheta 1792 1064 71 v.º
Notes for ANTÓNIA DOS SANTOS:
José Gonçalves Borrageiro Domingas dos Santos Estreito da Calheta 1787 1064 35 v.º
Child of MANUEL RODRIGUES and ANTÓNIA SANTOS is:
3. i. MANUEL3 RODRIGUES, b. Jun 1822, Estreito da Calheta, Madeira; d. Abt. 1892, Madeira.
Generation No. 3
3. MANUEL3 RODRIGUES (MANUEL2, FRANCISCO1) was born Jun 1822 in Estreito da Calheta, Madeira, and died Abt. 1892 in Madeira. He lived with GUILHERMINA DE JESUS for many years. She was born Apr 1843 in Madeira, and died 12 Dec 1938 in Georgetown, British Guiana3.
Notes for MANUEL RODRIGUES:
I am convinced that based on the passport application I found on the Madeira archive web site on January 14,2007, that this Manuel Rodrigues, was the father of José Rodrigues, and that he went to Demerara with Guilhermina de Jesus the mother of his son José. They were accompanied by 3 other children all females named Maria (8years old), Matilde (7 years old) and Guilhermina (7 months old)
This is exactly the number of people that I expected to find traveling together to Demerara. I never expected however that Manuel would have travelled himself.
I believe he accompanied them on the boat to Demerara, made sure they had proper accommodations and then returned to Madeira in order to continue with his business interests there. He probably left them some money to assure that they were taken care of for the immediate future.
José was 4 so he probably remembered his father but more than likely never saw him again.
In the application it said that Manuel was a widower. It also said that Guilhermina was never officially married to him but they lived together for some years. Why he did not marry her will probably remain a mystery forever. However my hunch is that it had a lot to do with Madeiran society and the shame it would have brought on his family. As of today March 28, 2007 I have not been able to find Manuel’s marriage to the wife who died.
They were also accompanied by a boy Manuel de Freitas eleven years old listed as a criado (servant) the son of Gregoria de Freitas from the parish of Ribera Brava. Could this be Sylvina de Andrade’s maternal Grandfather? That is a question I will hope to explore later.
The boat they travelled on, arrived in Demerara on November 27, 1879. Unfortunately I don’t know the name but it was one of only two barques (boats) arriving from Madeira in 1879. Together they carried 150 Madeiran immigrants.
More About MANUEL RODRIGUES:
Baptism: 02 Jul 1822, Calheta, Madeira4
Immigration: 1879, Demerara5
Notes for GUILHERMINA DE JESUS:
Guilhermina de Jesus arrived in British Guiana from Madeira on November 27th, 1879 with four children. Three girls Mina, Maria ( Sister Inez) and Matilde, and a boy Jose born in San Pedro, Madeira in 1875.
She supported her children by working as a seamstress in the houses of well off Portuguese in Georgetown.
Guilhermina was not married when she gave birth to Jose Rodrigues in April 1875 in Sao Pedro in the area "Cruz do Cavalho" Sao Pedro Funchal Madeira.
It was passed on to my sister Margaret from Jose's daughter Angela or Clarice, that Jose's father was
" Manuel Rodrigues".
Jan 14/07: This has now been confirmed by the discovery of the passport application for Manuel Rodrigues on the Arquivo da Madeira web site. ( refer to Source document dated 1879 Box 23 Process No. 94 passport no 610)
. Guilhermina could not speak English but for a few words and therefore no one seems to know much of the life she left in Madeira.
Small in stature but full of energy and determination, she walked briskly to church at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Main Street every morning of the week from her home on Charlotte Street Georgetown.
Her son JOSE who went on to own a small dry goods store in Water Street married Leopoldina de Caires in 1897 and had seven children.
His daughter Marie (Sister INEZ) became a nun in the Virgo Fidelis Order in the Caribbean island of Dominica. Sister Inez was instrumental in the subsequent induction of her niece May into the same order in Dominica where she remained until it was closed in the 1930's.
Her daughter Guilermina (known as Mina) married Manuel de Caries and had a son Martin. Mina died from cancer in 1935.
There was another daughter Matilde who lived in obscurity as regretfully nothing is known of her life after arriving in Demerara.
More About GUILHERMINA DE JESUS:
Baptism: 07 May 1843, Se6
Immigration: 27 Nov 1879, Demerara7
Individual Note: 11 Apr 1875, São Pedro, Funchal Madeira, Guilhermina de Jesus was not married when she gave birth to Jose
Occupation: Feb 1875, Domestic worker living Cruz de Cavalho
Marriage Notes for MANUEL RODRIGUES and GUILHERMINA DE JESUS:
According to my mother Sylvina Rodrigues de Andrade- Guilhermina told her mother Philomena ( my grandmother) who spoke some Portuguese that she worked for a rich man in Madeira and had four children for him because he promised to marry her after divorcing his wife- however this did not happen so she left Madeira for a better life for her children in Demerara.
Children of MANUEL RODRIGUES and GUILHERMINA DE JESUS are:
i. MARIA 4 RODRIGUES, b. Abt. 1871, São Pedro, Funchal Madeira; d. Abt. 1940, West Indies.
Notes for SISTER MARIA INEZ RODRIGUES:
Sister Maria Inez Rodrigues was a Nun in Dominica in the Caribbean with the Virgo Fidelis Order.
I have written to the London England Convent in January 2007 to find out more information about her.
http://www.ourladyoffidelity.org.uk/
More About SISTER SISTER MARIA INEZ RODRIGUES:
Baptism: 1871, Sao Pedro Funchal, Madeira8
Ordination: Abt. 1889, West Indies
ii. MATILDE RODRIGUES, b. Abt. 1872, São Pedro, Funchal Madeira9; d. Abt. 1930, British Guiana; m. LOJA.
More About MATILDE RODRIGUES:
Baptism: 1872, Sao Pedro Funchal, Madeira10
Immigration: 27 Jun 1879, Demarara11
iii. JOSÉ RODRIGUES, b. 24 Feb 1875, São Pedro, Funchal Madeira12; d. Abt. 1956, Georgetown, British Guiana; m. LEOPOLDINA DE CAIRES, Abt. 1897, British Guiana; b. Abt. 1882, Georgetown, British Guiana; d. Abt. 1945, Georgetown, British Guiana.
Notes for JOSÉ RODRIGUES:
Jose came to British Guiana November 27th, 1879 with his mother and sisters. They were quite poor as his mother had to support the family working as a seamstress for local Portuguese families.
He told his son Walter that he had to go out to work from the age of 10 years to help support the family and he worked as an office boy.
He often worked quite late and had to walk home past the Camp Street jail and was scared by the prisoners who were at the windows in the jail and used to call out to him.
He was a clerk at Wm Macgregor Read Thomas Street Georgetown before opening a small dry goods store in Georgetown, which reportedly was prosperous.
Jose lived in his latter years in Robb Street in a little cottage with his spinster daughters Angela and Clarice. The cottage belonged to his son Joseph who was a very successful insurance salesman.
I remember as a little boy, my father and I visiting him in the little cottage in Robb Street next door to his son Joseph's house. He lived there with his two spinster daughters Angela and Clarice. He was a man of few words, and he sat at the window and watched the world go by. He used to see Biggie go by on her bicycle and often asked his where she was going in such a big hurry. Celeste Parris (Biggie) did some grocery shopping for Aunt Angela and Clarice.
He died about 1957 or 58.
More About JOSÉ RODRIGUES:
Baptism: 11 Apr 1875, São Pedro, Madeira13
Immigration: 27 Nov 1879, Demerara14
iv. GUILHERMINA RODRIGUES, b. 24 Dec 1877, São Pedro, Funchal Madeira15; d. 20 May 1935, Georgetown, British Guiana; m. MANUEL DE CAIRES, Georgetown.
More About GUILHERMINA RODRIGUES:
Baptism: 27 Jan 1878, Sao Pedro Funchal, Madeira16
Immigration: 27 Jun 1879, Demerara17
Generation No. 4
4. JOSÉ4 RODRIGUES (MANUEL3, MANUEL2, FRANCISCO1) was born 24 Feb 1875 in São Pedro, Funchal Madeira12, and died Abt. 1956 in Georgetown, British Guiana. He married LEOPOLDINA DE CAIRES Abt. 1897 in British Guiana, daughter of MANOEL DE CAIRES and LEOPOLDINA D'ANDRADE. She was born Abt. 1882 in Georgetown, British Guiana, and died Abt. 1945 in Georgetown, British Guiana.
Children of JOSÉ RODRIGUES and LEOPOLDINA DE CAIRES are:
i. MARY PHILOMENA5 RODRIGUES, b. 10 Dec 1898, Georgetown, British Guiana; d. 05 Oct 1921, British Guiana; m. ALFRED REGO; b. 21 Sep 1887, Buxton, B. G.; d. 27 May 1967, British Guiana.
More About ALFRED REGO:
Occupation: 1926, Clerk WM Forgarty Ltd. Water Street Georgetown, British Guiana.
ii. JOSEPH RODRIGUES, b. Abt. 1900, Georgetown, British Guiana; d. Abt. 1979, Barbados WI; m. ELSA DE FREITAS, Abt. 1970, Barbados.
Notes for JOSEPH RODRIGUES:
Joseph was the oldest son of Jose and Leopoldina.
He was an insurance salesman and was very successful and became quite wealthy. In the 1960's he emigrated to Barbados and lived there until his death in the late 1980's .
In Barbados he invested in the stock market and apparently accumulated even more wealth.
More About JOSEPH RODRIGUES:
Immigration: 1960, Barbados
iii. ANGELA RODRIGUES, b. 10 Jun 1902, Georgetown, British Guiana; d. 13 Apr 1984, London, England.
iv. JOHN RODRIGUES, b. Abt. 1904, Georgetown, British Guiana; d. 1944, Trinidad WI.
v. WALTER RODRIGUES, b. 27 Apr 1906, Georgetown, British Guiana15; d. 01 Oct 1990, London, England; m. SYLVINA D'ANDRADE, 25 Jan 1939, British Guiana16; b. 09 Oct 1918, Georgetown, British Guiana17.
Notes for WALTER RODRIGUES:
Walter Rodrigues (my father) was the fifth child and third son of Jose Rodrigues. He was educated at Sacred Heart RC and Saints Stanislaus College (A Jesuit run College in Georgetown) After finishing his education, he returned to the college as a teacher for two years before leaving to join Mrs. Da Silva's Polar Bear Rum distilling business in Georgetown as its bookkeeper. He remained a bookkeeper for the rest of his working career sometimes working several part time jobs at night to make ends meet. He retired from John Fernandes Shipping Ltd. before immigrating to London England in 1975.
My father was a devout catholic and served as Master of Ceremonies at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Brickdam Road for many years. He was also an accomplished amateur actor taking part in many plays over several years in Georgetown. His last play was "Pearl the Fisher Maiden" in which he had a leading role as the fisherman. It played for about a week to sell out audiences at the Charlestown convent hall. He sang and acted in a performance that was greatly enjoyed by everyone.
My father's other great love, after his family to which he was very devoted, was his enjoyment of Cricket. During the test matches he always carried around a transistor radio listening to a running commentary of the game. I remember playing with him and friends in our yard, however this often ended prematurely when inevitably someone would hit the ball through Mrs. Austin's window next door. Usually she would return the ball if my father was part of the proceedings.
More About WALTER RODRIGUES:
Immigration: 1975, London, England