On Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:27:21 +0100, Betty <bbffrrpp@comcast.net> wrote: [..] > The MOURA family was in Sao Roque, but I have not been able to find out > their town. I have been told by people on the Azores List that the > MOURA's might have come to Sao Miguel from another island ! Hello Betty, We have Mouras here at Madeira. I know of a family still living in Porto da Cruz, at a place named Cruz da Guarda. The name came to this island by way of a daughter of João de Moura, Royal Hunter of D. Manuel. She was Cecília de Moura, married to João de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, as any Nobiliary will tell. The surname Moura appears early in popular and middle classes living near the noble Mouras mannor at Caniço, therefore I presume there is a relation. I first detect them in Machico, then a branch established at Porto da Cruz using the surname Moura e Mendonça. This branch, which at a time attained some social proeminence, decayed into poverty. Some of them moved then into Câmara de Lobos. It is possible that one branch passed into the Azores. Best regards, Paulo -- " Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas regumque turres." -- Horacio