This is just a shot in the dark looking for any help. My wife has a close DNA match in New Zealand. He is the grandson of Francis Joseph. A mariner that jumped ship in New Zealand in the 1860s, reported that he was widowed when he married in New Zealand in the 1880s, was from the Azores and had a father named Antonio that was a carpenter. Francis Joseph did work as a cooper for his company in New Zealand. I got this information from member of this list who is also a DNA match to my wife and a nephew of the closer match. We are studying the possibility that Francisco Jose Cordeiro and Francis Joseph might be the same person hoping to prove or disprove it.
Their names and ages roughly line up. I do not know if Francisco's father Antonio was a carpenter on Graciosa, but his son and grandson were both carpenters. There is a Francis Joseph listed as a cooper on the Whaling Ship Seconet on a voyage from 1955 to 1860 (a carpenter could easily be a cooper) but unfortunately the database does not give an age or home. This vessel did go to the South Pacific. I am trying to trace Francisco Jose Cordeiro and looking for any insight. I am especially trying to figure out if he could have been absent from the Azores from mid/late 1860s and on in spite of his wife's obit saying they are still married. Here is his baptism in 1828 in Sao Mateus da Praia, Graciosa http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/GRA-SC-SAOMATEUS-B-1826-1833/GRA-SC-SAOMATEUS-B-1826-1833_item1/P30.html Here is his marriage on Sao Miguel Island in July 1849: http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SMG-PD-SAOSEBASTIAO-C-1841-1854/SMG-PD-SAOSEBASTIAO-C-1841-1854_item1/P121.html Here is his son Manuel's baptism in his home parish on Graciosa 5 months later: http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/GRA-SC-SAOMATEUS-B-1841-1855/GRA-SC-SAOMATEUS-B-1841-1855_item1/P179.html Here is his second son Joao's baptism in Urzelina, Sao Jorge in 1852 (Note that Urzelina is where his wife lived the two years prior to marriage according to her marriage): http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SJR-VL-URZELINA-B-1841-1855/SJR-VL-URZELINA-B-1841-1855_item1/P82.html That son died after just 40 days: http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SJR-VL-URZELINA-O-1841-1858/SJR-VL-URZELINA-O-1841-1858_item1/P41.html Here is his 3d son (second named Joao) baptism in Oct 1855 (note: he was born Jun 1854, about 15 months prior) http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SJR-VL-URZELINA-B-1855-1860/SJR-VL-URZELINA-B-1855-1860_item1/P14.html This marriage lists Francisco Jose Cordeiro as father of the groom and is a carpenter in 1882: http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SJR-VL-URZELINA-C-1880-1889/SJR-VL-URZELINA-C-1880-1889_item1/P24.html This obit says Maria Isabel is "casada com Francisco Jose Cordeiro" in 1901 http://culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/SJR-VL-URZELINA-O-1900-1911/SJR-VL-URZELINA-O-1900-1911_item1/P14.html The only Urzelina confessional roll available for the time in question is 1888. It does not list Francisco Jose Cordeiro. His son Joao Baptista Cordeiro is listed there along with his wife and their first two kids. Also listed in the house is a Maria Jose, mother, widow, 76 years old. I am thinking this could be Joao's mother (Francisco Jose Cordeiro's wife) but her name is Maria Isabel and she would be only 69 years old. It doubt it could be Joao's mother-in-law because her name was Rosa Ignacia and she was never married. Francisco's son Manuel went to California as a young man (about 1869) and raised a family in Sacramento under the name Manuel Jose Lamb. I can't find his immigration that might help figure out if his family were on Graciosa or Sao Jorge at the time of his departure. The only other son (just to confirm his mother's obit said she left 2 kids) stayed on Sao Jorge and had four kids, one of whom is my wife's grandfather Joao Batista Cordeiro Jr. I applaud anyone that takes the time to read through this mess and look forward to any comments Bill Seidler -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/azores.