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The Azorean Brides
By Melody Lassalle
In 1864, eleven young women from the Azores Islands made their migration to Hawaii. They were pledged as brides to Portuguese men already living in Hawaii. All were arranged marriages, paid in full before the young women boarded a ship. Accompanying them were two married women--the chaperone and a newly wedded bride. These women were the first Portuguese women to settle in Hawaii.
It's unclear as to who arranged the marriages or how the deals were made. What is known is that Joseph Seabury (aka Jose Furtado Silveira) was entrusted with travelling to the Azores and bringing the women back safely. He was also in charge of the money. His job was to complete the transaction.
Jose Furtado Silveira left Faial in the 1850s. He left behind his wife, Maria Magdelena Furtado. On his voyages as a sailor he acquired the name Seabury. It was given to him by a Captain who could not keep his two Silveira employees straight. From that point on he went by Joseph Seabury. The trip back to the Azores would be a reunion for Jose and his wife. Maria's role was to be the chaperone of the eleven women. Also on this voyage was Joseph Robert (aka Jose Roberto), Joseph's friend.
Seabury and Robert left Hawaii in 1864. Their voyage to the Azores went without incident. Joseph Robert boarded the ship for the return voyage with a bride, Maria Costa of Faial. The young women, the Seabury's, and the Robert's started their voyage back to Hawaii.
The return trip was not as easy as the voyage to the Azores. Joseph Seabury became very ill. When they docked in San Francisco, California, he and his wife left the ship to seek medical care. This set back created a place in Hawaiian history for one woman, Maria Loriana Goncalves. For whatever reason, Maria continued on without the others. Thus, she became the first Portuguese female to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands.
Joseph Robert and his wife, Maria, decided to return to Hawaii with the rest of the women. They boarded the DC Murray with the rest of the young women and left San Francisco. They arrived in Hawaii on the 8th of September 1865.
Life changed quickly for the Azorean women. Many would marry within days of arriving in Hawaii--one on the same day! One has to wonder about those young maidens. Though their ages are unknown, they probably were no older than early twenties. They probably had never left their home village let alone the Azores Islands. These pioneers soon found themselves married to a stranger in a strange land away from family and the place where they were born. Most likely they never returned to the Azores Islands.
The Azoreans Brides and their Portuguese Husbands
This information comes from the books of Edgar Knowlton. All were married at Our Lady of Peace Church in Honolulu, Oahu, HI.
Maria Loriana Goncalves of Pico m. Antonio George Cunha of Sao Jorge, 11 Jan 1865
Maria Francisca m. Joseph George of Faial, 9 Sep 1865
Rosa Felician m. Manoel Thomas of Pico, 8 Sep 1865
Justina Rosa of Sao Jorge m. Jose Teixeira [Machado Lopes?] of Sao Jorge, 9 Sep 1865
Maria Maclina m. Francisco Antonio Silveira, 16 Sep 1865
Anna dos Anjos Henriques m. Jacinto Pereira (aka Jason Perry) of Faial, 24 Sep 1865
Rosa Clara Dutro of Faial m. Manoel Januario da Silva of Faial, 30 Sep 1865
Rita Constancia m. Joseph Corea, 1 Nov 1865
Margarida Candida Leal m. Henricus Vieira d'Avila of Pico, 19 May 1866
Maria Gloria m. Gaspardus Silva of Sao Jorge, 2 Dec 1866
Filismena de Avilar [sic] m. Joao Joaquim of the Azores, 8 Dec 1866
© 2003 Melody Lassalle
Read the article about Maria Loriana Goncalves
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