My grandmother Theresa was born in the Azores Islands of Portugal in 1941. She was the 5th child of 9 kids. Born and raised on the island of Faial, Theresa aspired to become a Carmelite Sister. On her 18th birthday Theresa, her parents, and her 8 siblings left the Azores and emigrated to the United States. They settled and built new lives in California.
This is a story to introduce you to my grandmother and her siblings, and their influences.
Maria Alise was my grandmother’s oldest sister. Tía Alise was the seamstress of the family. She would make all the beautiful and formal gowns and dresses. Maria Elise taught my granddaughter how to crochet when she was a little girl. When I was little, I used to imagine that my tía Alise would help me make my wedding dress when I grew up. Tía Alise is my inspiration to learn the skills and craft of sewing.
Uncle Joe was the oldest brother. He was a tough, adventurous and charismatic man. He was a farmer and a fisherman. Before the family left the Azores, Uncle Joe used to work as a Whale Hunter. After the family moved to the United States, everyone started their new lives as farmers in the Sacramento valley area. Uncle Joe lived half the year farming and the other half disappeared to the ocean for fishing. He taught me how to dance at the Festas and also how to drive a tractor.
Uncle Albert was the third sibling. Uncle Albert was a builder. He and most of his brothers helped to build and develop the community of Lincoln, CA to the bustling City it is today. Uncle Albert has a wife named Herminia. Every memory I have of visiting with Uncle Albert and Tía Herminia involved beef stew. Even if I popped up to their house unannounced after not seeing them for years, Tía Herminia is home to welcome me in and will always offer me a bowl of something hot to eat. And the dish I always got treated to was her beef stew and papo secos.
Tía Philomena(aka Tía Minnie) was the second sister. Tía Minnie is the cake queen of the family. Every wedding cake I tasted as a child was a Tía Philomena production. Every event where a cake was needed, Tía Minnie delivered in flavor, presentation, and abundance. Whether the cake was a towering stacked wedding cake or a simple and humble first communion cake, it was so beautiful you had to touch it to believe it was a real cake and not a prop. My favorite flavor cake she made was the champagne cake she always makes as a layer of her towering wedding cakes.
My avó was the fifth child, third sister of the family. She was a conversation enthusiast, the photojournalist of the family, and she was a master at cross stitch and crochet. Every family event since Theresa first came into possession of a camera was photographed. Every birth, christening, get together, visit, occasion…, you never need worry about the moment being captured with Theresa there. Every child born to her siblings and their children and even their grandchildren and a few great grandchildren, were gifted personal and hand crafted afghan blankets and clothes. Avó learned to crochet from her oldest sister Maria Alise, and would share stories about her childhood in the Azores with me while she patiently passed the skill to me. My grandmother also imparted the virtue of a strong work ethic to her grandchildren. Every day while I was in middle school, we were required to attend morning mass and help her renovate the church garden before school. By the time I graduated from the 8th grade the church garden had gone from all juniper bushes to a layered and sectioned garden of a variety of flowers, plants, trees, and a bench. The garden remains at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church in El Cerrito California to this day. We(my siblings and I) also helped avó renovate her yard and garden at home. From junipers to a front and back yard of roses, flowers, fruit trees, and a seasonal vegetable garden.
Uncle Tony is the 6th child, third brother. Similarly to my avó, uncle Tony was on track to becoming a priest before the family came to the United States. Like Uncle Joe and Uncle Albert, Uncle Tony is a gifted builder, farmer and fisherman. Tony and avó were the closest out of all the siblings and he would visit with us regularly when I was a kid. He would always randomly stop by to come see if avó was staying on top of maintenance in her gardens. When Uncle Tony found out that I was really interested in history he would bring me books and even introduced me to my first favorite history movie, Cleopatra (starring Elizabeth Taylor).
Uncle Filsberto is sibling number 7, 4th brother. Like his older brothers he worked as a farmer and builder. Uncle Filsbert and his wife Gabriella have been growing grapes at home since their home was built shortly after they were married. Every year Uncle Filsbert uses his grapes to make homemade wine. Wine making is a traditional practice for many people from the Azores. Tía Gabriella is the bread maker of the family. Every family event you can count on Tía Gabriella showing up with a loaf of Portuguese Sweet Bread for every household. Plus some extra treats like pastel natas or meringue cookies if she really likes you.
Tía Marie Augusta is the 8th child, 4th sister. I used to spend every summer with my tía Augusta from first grade through seventh grade and it was the best experience to have. My tía and her husband Uncle Art are dairy ranchers. They have thousands of dairy cows and every summer I go to work feeding the calves. I would also get to tag along with my tía when she would provide catering for local events. Tía Augusta was also the tía who did all of the family event catering as well. Every wedding was fed by her.
Uncle Art and Tía Augusta also uphold an old Azorean tradition of slaughtering animals every year for the family. Once a year, usually in early spring while it’s still cold enough for snow, all of the original 9 siblings and their families gather together in Bieber, California and together the entire family will slaughter selected animals and process them down for their meat to distribute amongst the families. Its way of preserving the traditional Azorean custom of the community coming together in resources and labor for survival.
Tía Bernadette is the 5th sister and the 9th child. Aunt Bernie was still a young child where the family emigrated to California. She had an American upbringing and it’s safe to say she grew up in America along with the progression of the civil rights movement. Aunt Bernadette ultimately met her husband, Uncle Steve through my grandmother’s sister in law, my Auntie Ruth. Steve and Bernie made their lives in Huntington Beach California. It was always exciting to take a trip from Berkeley California to Huntington Beach. Aunt Bernie had a pool and a koi pond in her backyard.
The rule of the house was that if you want to swim in Bernie’s pool you must prove that you know how to swim. The test was to be thrown into the middle of the deep end of the pool. If you could demonstrate that you won’t drown and could complete 2 full laps the long direction of the pool, then you were free to swim as much as you wanted until she decided to go to bed at the end of the night.
It's Nicky Lynn 