My only contribution to this is a wild guess. There are families named Marçal in Madeira, both as a first name and last name. -----Original Message----- From: Luis K W [mailto:luis_k_w@clix.pt] Sent: June 7, 2006 8:31 PM To: PRT-MADEIRA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [PRT-MADEIRA] Madeiran Archives Website Sorry for this, Marcia. This msg should have been sent yesterday! Luis ---------- > From: Luis K W <luis_k_w@clix.pt> > To: PRT-MADEIRA-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [PRT-MADEIRA] Madeiran Archives Website > Date: Quarta-feira, 7 de Junho de 2006 2:31 > > Marcia > The correct spelling of those names is: > CALDEIRA (not Calderia) > de ABREU > MARCEL > > SERENA is an uncommon family name, but it STILL EXISTS IN LISBON (you made > a mistake looking for this name in Madeira. Lisbon is in mainland Portugal, > not in Madeira!). Take a look into the portuguese telephone book on-line at > www.118.pt. > > FATI is a neek name for FATIMA (or MARIA DE FATIMA). > > DELOURES should be DELORES, but is not common in Portugal (it looks too > castillian to me). Could it be "Maria de Lurdes"? > > You could be entitled to Portuguese citizenship if your parents were > portuguese. Was your deceased grandmother portuguese? > > If you want to look further in your ancestry, you have to find DOCUMENTS > telling you 3 things: > DATES (birth or marriage) > PLACE (parish where it took place) > NAMES (full names, and/or parents names) > And those documents have to be found right there where you are. > Otherwise, you'll be looking for something almost impossible to find. > > You must try EVERYTHING: Your parents and grandparents birth and marriage > documents: Passengers lists from the boats coming to S.A. Army lists. > Census. Etc. > > And, above all, you must NEVER QUIT. > Good Luck > > Luis K W > Lisboa-Portugal > ---------- > > From: Marcia & Roland > > Date: Terça-feira, 6 de Junho de 2006 19:11 > > Good evening > > My name is Marcia and I live in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. I > have > > just been reading with interest all the mails that have come through to > me > > from the mailing list regarding the Madeiran Archives Website. I also do > > not speak Portuguese and am having great difficulty in tracing my > ancestry. > > My great-grandparents were born in Portugal. My great-grandmother was > Maria > > Clara (Calderia) de Abreu/de Abreau/Deabreu (not sure of the spelling). > She > > was born in Madeira but unfortunately the parish is unknown to me (I have > a > > faint suspicion though that it may very well have been Funchal - don't > ask > > me why, I just get these feelings sometimes). My great-grandfather was > > Marceal/Marcial/Marcel Vieira Serena and he was born in Lisbon. They > both > > came through to South Africa in the early 1900's (I think). > > I today tried to do a search on the Madeiran Archives for the surname > > "Serena" but nothing comes up. I came up with lots of Vieira's and de > > Abreau's but nothing at all that comes close to my great-grandparents' > > names. I have been assured that Serena is definitely a Portuguese > surname > > so can't understand why nobody else has that surname. I have basically > hit > > a "brick wall" with my research. I have so far been unable to obtain > birth > > certificates or any sort of family record from my grandmother's family > > members. Unfortunately the person who probably would have remembered the > > most (my grandmother), passed away in 1990. > > My great-grandparents' childrens' names were - De Lourdes Serena (died at > > age 19) (I think she may have been born in Portugal), "Fatti" (not sure > if > > this is a Portuguese name or a nickname - He may also very well have been > > born in Portugal) Vieira Serena, Luiz Jose Vieira Serena, Antonio Vieira > > Serena, Deloures Serena, Theresa Maria Serena (born in South Africa I > > think), Beatrice (Beatriz) Serena (born in South Africa), Angelina Clara > > Serena (my deceased grandmother) (definitely born in South Africa) and > > Lawrence (Lourenco) Serena (he died as a baby from consumption). > > The reason I started my research in the first place was to try and see > > whether I would be able to obtain my Portuguese Passport through my > maternal > > grandparents - So far the Portuguese Embassy in South Africa has been > most > > unhelpful in that they refuse to give me any information as to whether I > may > > or may not be entitled to a Portuguese passport. But, as my research has > > gone on, my curiosity has just gotten the better of me. > > My maternal side of the family seems to think that there is some huge > secret > > about my great-grandfather's departure from Portugal - something to the > > effect that he could have stolen someone else's surname - but this has > not > > been confirmed. > > Is there somebody out there that can perhaps help me in my quest for my > > heritage? > > Kind regards, > > Marcia Bezuidenhout ============================== Find your ancestors in the Birth, Marriage and Death Records. New content added every business day. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13964/rd.ashx