Here is an interview with Joseph Sousa from the book: In Search of My Father: Interview with Joseph Sousa*In Search of My Father Interview with Joseph Sousa*
by Marsha McCabe *Joseph Sousa's love affair with Madeira began when his immigrant father told him how big everything was on that small island -- big vegetables, big flowers, big mountains. His father, who died at 51, never got the chance to return to the island. "Right then, I promised myself I would visit my father's birthplace," says Joe. "My heart and soul wanted to go there. The island was like a magnet, pulling me toward it."* *Joe Sousa didn't just find his father's house, he found his heritage. Today Joe Sousa is the guiding spirit behind the creation of a Madeiran museum in New Bedford, featuring art, photographs, family history, textiles, embroidery and other delights. "My father was a farmer and factory worker in America. But he was also a poet, singer and story teller, traditions he brought with him from Madeira. Why should they be lost?"* *In Search of My Father's House* I promised myself I would visit my father's birthplace when he died, but it still took a long time to get there. We had six children and I was spending long days, sometimes nights and weekends, working as a commercial artist so it wasn't easy to get away. Finally my wife Dolores and I made the trip on New Year's Day, 1980. Tears came to our eyes in the plane when we looked down and saw the island. Then, when, we saw we were going to land on top of the mountain -- the runway begins at one edge and ends at the other. Some of the passengers started blessing themselves! The island is a dream, a regular Shangrila. It's only 35 miles long and 14 miles wide, but it's amazing what the island holds. You're in a different world. You can smell the flowers. People will give -- 129 -- you anything. I went to the archives and was able to locate my mother's house in Santa Cruz. But my father's house was more of a problem. I went to his village, Gaula, and asked to see the oldest person there. Several old ladies came out of their houses, curious to know who I was. I said I'm looking for the family of the Sousas. She says there's a lot of them and she tells me different Sousa stories but none are the right Sousa. Then I take my sunglasses off and walk toward her, and she points her finger. ‘You have the face of Virginia Sousa,’ she says. Well, that's my father's sister, Virginia! "Where is my father's house?" I asked her. She points and says -- "It's the last house on top of the mountain." I know it's going to take a day-and-a-half for us to get there and we don't have the time. I swore I'd come back soon. In 1983, I returned with three of my children, June, John and Rosemary. Before leaving the U. S., I had corresponded with an old Madeiran in Oakland, California, a man who came from the same village as my father, and I asked him for directions. They read, "Go to the church, go down the path, pass by the Vieira house, pass the banana plantation, go along the *levada*(canal), and so forth." A taxi took us part way, then we began climbing. At the top of the mountain, we found my father's house. It was all broken down, open windows and door, dirt floor, pieces of a bed. But that didn't matter. I was swept away by the beauty of the place, and I bawled. Then I got mad at my father for ever leaving Madeira. No matter how poor he was, he had it all already! *My Father in America:* My father left his beautiful island at 18. His mother died when he was 12 and his grandfather was left to raise seven children. When they grew up, some of these kids went to Brazil, a sister went to France and my father Joe came to the U. S., where he settled in New Bedford. Joe saw the woman who would become my mother from a distance and liked her. She (Maria) would go to church with her family and he would go too, just to see her. He would wink at her and he knew she knew. Gradually, he inserted himself into her family, but he could never be alone with her. Even when my father went to get the engagement ring, he had to take one of her sisters. After they married, they settled in Central Falls, Rhode Island, where they both worked in a cotton mill. Madeirans stick together no matter what the locale, and there were lots of Madeirans in Central Falls. But my neighborhood was like the U. N. with Syrians, Polish, Irish and Italians as well as Portuguese. My parents spoke to us in English. During the Depression, nobody had anything and my father made moonshine to survive. We lived in a six-tenement house and he made moonshine in the cellar. He figured he would rather work than collect, right? He sold it in five-gallon cans to clubs, bars and homes. The other families in the tenement house would not complain because he was paying their rent too and providing liquor and beer for celebrations like confirmation. My father was like the banker. The police loved my father but when the federals came in, that was a different story. My father was always tipped off. It worked like this: A guy would stop traffic manually for the trains coming into town. When this individual saw the feds on the other side of the train, he'd tip off the kids playing baseball near the tracks and they would run home and warn their parents. I was one of those kids. My father and mother returned to New Bedford in 1940 when I was 16 and my dad bought a farm in Acushnet. He also worked as a longshoreman at Quonset Point. During World War II, we raised pigs and chickens. My father wanted me to continue my education, but I joined the Navy and served three-and-a-half years. The day I got home, my father asked me to leave on my uniform and go with him to Central Falls. He needed to pick up some citizenship papers and thought the uniform would impress people so he'd have no problem getting the papers. -- 130 -- When we walked inside the police station, the chief beamed. He said -- 'Jeez, Joe. Good to see you. You making moonshine in New Bedford?' Nobody even noticed me in my uniform. My father always talked a lot about Madeira and how big everything was -- big flowers, big vegetables, big mountains. He talked about running along the *levadas...* Even today I picture him running. When I saw his house, I realized how far he had to go to school. He had to go miles and miles every single day and he ran all the way. After school, he worked cutting sugar cane. But incredibly, he was a poet, a singer and a songwriter and I thought he must have had some amazing teachers. He could meet you and make up a song about you, just like that. He was extraordinary. I would ask myself: How does he do that? Where does this come from? When I visited the island, I knew it came from Madeira, where singing and storytelling is an important part of life. The people brought these traditions with them to America and I don't want them to be lost. That's why I'm working to create a Madeiran museum in New Bedford. We already have a building on Hope Street near Madeira Field. On my trips to Madeira now, I return with more information on the culture and history of the island. I have lots and lots of family histories. We plan to keep the story of Madeira alive through art, photographs and family histories. The museum will display Madeiran tapestries and embroidery. Trees and plants will be planted around the building, even a grapevine. I'm writing grants now and learning how hard it is to build a museum. But the thought of my mother and father keeps me going. They came here with a rich tradition. Why should these people be forgotten? *Joseph Sousa was honored by the Club Madeirense in a celebration at the Century House in January 1998. His engraved gold plaque reads: Lifetime Achievement Award. Joe Sousa. In keeping alive the heritage, culture, religious beliefs of all Madeirans.* *Author Marsha McCabe is senior editor and writer at Spinner Publications and an award winning columnist at* The Standard-Times. -- 131 -- On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 2:53 AM, Don <drt...@aol.com> wrote: > Amazon has the following info on cotton mills, etc. you might be able > to find the cotton mill in Taunton, there were a few of them all over > the south east coastal area of Mass. > > > 1) -- The Third International Congress of Delegated Representatives > of Master Cotton Spinners' and Manufacturers' Associations: Held in > the Large Hall, Kunstlervereinshaus, ... Bremen, June 25th to 27th, > 1906 [1906] by International congress of delegated representatives of > master cotton spinners' and manufacturers' associations (Paperback - > Dec 15, 2009) Buy new: $20.99 Get it by Thursday, Aug 19 if you order > in the next 11 hours and choose one-day shipping. Eligible for FREE > Super Saver Shipping. > Excerpt - Front Matter: "... THE CONTINENT 31 DAMP IN COTTON.. 45 THE > UNION OF PORTUGUESE COTTON SPINNERS 52 SECOND DAY'S ..." > > 2) -- Portuguese Spinner: An American Story by Joseph D. Thomas, > Donna Huse, Marsha L. McCabe, and Susana Coelho (Paperback - Nov 1, > 1998) > 8 used from $45.00 > > You also might find information from the Spinner Publications of New > Bedford, they have a lot of information in the form of books, > articles, photos, etc. site isas follows. > http://www.spinnerpub.com/Home.html > > Hope this helps. > > Don Correia > > > > > > On Aug 17, 8:58 pm, Cheri Mello <gfsche...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Sorry, it's worldcat.ORG > > There's 115 hits. I'm in CA, so it's routing based on my location (USC, > > UCLA, many Cal State Universities). Yes, you can go into a university > and > > use their library. You may not be able to borrow the book, but you can > copy > > the relevant pages. > > > > Cheri > > -- > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<azores%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. > Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. > For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail > (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the > right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my > membership." > -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership."
