Hi, Cheri Thanks again for the info. It is encouraging that Faial has a smaller number of villages to search in.
The information that I have on my great+ grandfather is: Name: Jose Emanuel DaSilva DOB: 1833 as recorded on his grave marker. Place of Birth: Faial, Azores DOD: 5/14/1914 Place of death: Sag Harbor, NY He was aboard a vessel (most likely a whaling ship) when it ran aground off of Wainscot, Long Island. He was around 15 years old so I am guessing this was around 1848. I am currently researching wrecks off the coast of Long Island at this time for the vessel name, type, etc. He swam ashore and was rescued by a local family (Topping) whom he worked for until he learned enough English and set out on his own. He married Catherine McLane sometime between 1860 and 1865. Together they had 7 children. Sometime between 1880 and 1900 the last name of (then) Silva, was changed to Silvey, which it remains today. The "Da" was dropped somewhere along the line between the time he arrived and his marriage. This fact and that of his wife's maiden name having several different spellings is proving quite challenging to say the least. But little by little each day I get closer to completing the tree. Thanks again for any help you can provide. Best regards, Robert On Sat, Jan 5, 2013 at 1:13 AM, Cheri Mello <gfsche...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Robert M, > > If several records state your ancestor's place of birth as Faial, then > it's Faial. Faial has only 13 freguesias (villages) to search. Sao Miguel > has something like 70 to search. > > Why don't you list what records you've found and what they say about your > ancestor? I'm guessing that an ancestor born in 1833 probably didn't live > long enough to see the Smith Act (Alien Registration) enacted in 1940. And > naturalization rules changed from time to time. So did the information > that the census takers collected. And some state had state censuses that > you could utilize. > > Let us know what you've found and maybe some list members can give you > some ideas. > > Cheri Mello > Listowner, Azores-Gen > Researching: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das > Tainhas, Achada > > -- > 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." > -- 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."
