Dear Pat, I only WISH I had found something more than you about my great grandfather Egydio da Camara. No...I have also dead-ended at him. When one has a pais incognito as we have, there does not seem to be any way to know anything more. Funny someone should mention the DNA thing. I just sent away for a kit for a program being run by National Geographic. No it won't tell me who my great great grandparents were...it is not nearly that detailed. It is more of a mapping project. Theoretically, they will be able to tell where my anscestors came from...more like thousands of years ago. It is quite expensive, but it sounded like such a worthwhile project that I couldn't resist the temptation. Here's the link to the info if anyone cares to read a little about it... www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic Good to hear your "voices" again after such a long sleep... :-) Cece -----Original Message----- From: Patricia Corbera [mailto:papagaia2@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 6:58 PM To: PRT-MADEIRA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [PRT-MADEIRA] Disasters Madeira Dear Luis, You're probably correct in what you have written. With all the research that I have done, I still keep coming back to this one ancestor, knowing that I will probably never learn who his parents were. It's like "saudade," something keeps telling me not to give up. I'm hoping that one day, I will be as successful as Cece in learning the identity of my "incognito," ancestors, but with a very common name of Antonio, there doesn't appear to be much hope of finding who his parents were. Do you know of anyone that has had their DNA tested for genealogy purposes... If so what was learned ? Is Paulo, from Madeira still active on this list? Thank You, Pat Silva Corbera. Luis Beal <luisbeal@yahoo.com> wrote: I don't know that you will ever find an explanation for your ancestors with "pais incognitos." Chances are either the parents were too poor to care for the kids and left them on someone's front steps, or the mother was a single girl that got pregnant and did not want the baby. If the parents had died of cholera or another disease I believe the neighbors would have known who the child belonged to since the sick homes would have been quarentined. Maybe one day when DNA testing is very avanced we'll all be able to find who our ancestors real parents were and then maybe we may find out the reason why they did not keep their babies. Luis Beal Patricia Corbera wrote: Hi Ed, Thank you for suppling source media to help answer my questions on disasters that Madeira experienced. I especially want to find something that would help to explain the only "paes incognitos," that I have come across in my direct line ancestry. My maternal great grandfather Antonio da Camara, from Estreito da Calheta, was born abt 1850 of "paes incognitos." I feel that something must have happened to his parents, possible death from one of the disasters. As for the the early Madeira records, you're so right. I ordered a marriage record from ARM, and it appeared just as you described. Not one word could I read, nor figure out. Thank You! Pat Silva Corbera edjardim wrote: Pat: One useful source is the Insight Guide to Madeira, one of the series of APA travel publications. Insight Guide books always provide historical summaries -- I write some of them myself. www.nesos.net has excellent historical material, including the encyclopedic Elucidario Madeirense, and has English-language material as well. Madeira has had its share of floods, quakes, famine, crop failures and health crises like the cholera outbreak of the 1850s. I know of nothing like a casualty list whereby victims of such disasters are enumerated. I mentioned here earlier this year my interest in film for Calheta and Estreito da Calheta as well as the Funchal cathedral for the very early years. I never did report that they turned out to be largely unreadable, much of it totally so in an archaic script often resembling hieroglyphics. Ed Jardim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patricia Corbera" To: Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 5:25 PM Subject: [PRT-MADEIRA] Diasters Madeira Not sure if this list group is still available, since no postings have been received in many months. I would like to know what is available with reference to the diasters that occurred on the Island of Madeira. Apparently in 1842 an exceptional storm flooded the city of Funchal, swepting away lives and property into the sea. Is there an accounting of the lives lost in this diaster? In 1856, the island is said to have suffered from Asiatic Cholera, claiming over 8000 lives. This information was obtained in 1995, from an online friend, she quoted her reference as the publication of "Madeira Old and New. Is Paulo still a member of this group? I recall he was very helpful, being a fountain of information, with the added plus of residing on the island. Thank You, Pat Silva Corbera ============================== Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx ============================== Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx ============================== Find your ancestors in the Birth, Marriage and Death Records. 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