 |
| Manuel and his second wife, Mary Norma |
I never had the chance to meet my Great Grandfather - a Portuguese man named Manuel Silva (That's like John Smith in Portuguese). He was my Nana's first husband - my biological great grandfather. I know very little of him:
- He came from the Azore island of Pico (b. Aug 15, 1891)
- He was a master cheese maker
- He married my Nana in a somewhat arranged marriage. Her heart belonged to another (that's another story)
- His second wife was Mary (May) Norma
- He passed away after the great flood of 1964 in Garberville, CA (d. Sept 4, 1965)
 |
| Manuel and his first wife, Alice - my great-grandparents |
As a cheese master he could easily get a job at any cheese factory on the west coast. As a Portuguese man he had a fiery temper and would quit work easily. I was told he would travel up and down the west coast from California to Oregon to Washington and back again. From what I understand this is what led to the dissolution of his marriage to my Nana - the being away from home so much. One story I heard is that he was working in Newman, CA and someone came running to tell him that his house burned down. He asked if his wife and children were safe. Once he found out they were, he continued working. I don't think this set well with my equally fierce tempered Nana. They soon divorced later. A frowned upon act given the time (the 1930s) and the fact they were Catholic and Portuguese. My grandmother does not remember any arguing...no fights...it just happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment