Surprise Found in Maria's Mortuary Record

Research Journal #1, Entry #1

My great grandmother was Maria (de Braga) Pacheco--later changed to Smith. Countless interviews and letters reported the same facts. 1. Maria was from Sao Miguel Island, Azores. 2) She came to Hawaii with her parents. 3) Her siblings were: Jose and Marie Grace.

Along the research trail, I wrote a letter for Maria's mortuary records. I was so excited when I received their response in my mailbox (You know the feeling!) Most of the information confirmed what I already knew. I was sure in for a shock when I read the names of Maria's surviving siblings. They were: Mary Grace Bonito and Saffarin De Braga. Mary Grace Bonito was Marie Grace Bonita. But, who the heck was Saffarin De Braga? The letter had a few errors, so was Saffarin the figment of someone's imagination?

I poured over five years worth of research material to see what clues I might find. Binders and charts were spread out everywhere. Nowhere in the stack of cemetery, obituary, marriage, and other records was the name Saffarin De Braga. Even the most obvious variant, Seraphin, turned up nothing. The only clue I had to an existence of another line was the mention of a Joe & Bella Braga in my Mom's baby book. Since Jose de Braga had no children, Joe couldn't be long to him. I was long way from proving connections!

Soon I was on the phone with everyone who remembered the de Braga's. I wrote letters as well. No one had ever heard of him. The closest I got was the mention of a "Seraphina". Seraphina turned out to be Maria (de Braga) Pacheco's baby who died minutes after birth. After chasing myself around in research circles, I had to admit that Saffarin was a mystery that might remain unsolved.

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Information from Mortuary:
Mary P. Smith
D of D 2-25-38
D of B 6-2-1877 San Miguel, Port.
Father: James De Braga
Mother: Mary ?
Mother of Joseph, Theodore, John Smith & Mrs. Mary A. Souza
Sister of Mary Grace Bonito & Saffarin De Braga