COMING TO AMERICA: VASCONCELLOS...Part 1

de   VASCONCELLOS

 

Funchal, Madeira, Portugal  1834

Funchal, Madeira today


Madeira is a beautiful Island which is part of Portugal.  Funchal is a lovely port city that sits on a harbor.  The temperature is mild and the city is lovely and sunsets are breathtaking.  Over the years, Funchal became an attractive port for international trade.  (Thus, an interesting preference to our family and their love of port cities). 

 



This is a story of a typical family living a normal life in the 19c.  They were born, fell in love, married, had children, lost children, fought in a war and some even died in a war.  They enjoyed prosperity and struggled through devastation.  This is the story of the Vasconcellos' from Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.  [I must mention that like many other immigrants from foreign lands they changed the spelling of their names to accommodate their new home.  Consequently, you will see various spellings of the names.  This includes given and surnames.  When researching one must look for all variant spellings.  Thus, for Ferdinand, (Sarah Colma Cellos Malrose's grandfather) we have Vasconcellos; de Vasconcellos; Cellos; and V. Cellos.  So I will use the name I find in the source I am using.]

 This is the Story of Captain Ferdinand de Vasoncellos and his devoted and loving wife, Sarah H. Lyons, their parents, and their children.  This also covers Ferdinand's father, Fernandez Vasconcellos and Henrietta (possiblly Henriqueta and Americanized to Harriet).

"Our Lady of the Mountain"

Funchal, Madeira  constructed 1741

 

 

The Monk

 This story begins in Funchal,Madeira, Portugal in the early 1800s.  Fernandez Vasconcellos was the firstborn son of an aristocratic family in Madeira.  The family owned vineyards.  Unfortunately, it was the tradition that the firstborn son would be sent into the service of the Church to join a monastery.  Also, in those days it was required that the firstborn daughter was sent to the convent for religious duty.  Fernandez loved business and desired to help manage the family vineyard. However, the Church had other plans for Fernandez.  He was to be a monk.

 

But Fernandez had other dreams and opportunity came for Fernandez to leave his beloved harbor on the Island.  A Sea Captain of a ship that Fernandez had worked for developed into a friendship.  The Captain told him of a "wonderful country, America."  Fernandez didn't have to think twice on this chance and he ran to his sister to tell her that he was going away to America and wanted to tell her good-bye.  She did not want to be a nun, nor did she want a life of strict church rules.  She wanted to be married one day and have a family.  She begged Fernandez to take her with him to the New Land.  Hand in hand they ran back to the ship and told the Captain their decision.  He gladly gave them passage in exchange for help on the ship.  And off they sailed to America. (Story to be continued)

 

 



 1850s