Coming to America : 1898
The Immigration Story of Grandfather Antonio Perreira Moniz
As Told By His Daughter Dorothy (Perry) Vacca
To Linda (Perry) Bradstreet
July 30, 2003
On March 10, 1879, my grandfather, Antonio Pereira Moniz, was born on St. Mickael (Michaels). His parents, Manuel Pereira Moniz and Francesca DeJesus Clemente, raised my grandfather there along with his two brothers, John, Francesco (Frank) and two sisters Senorhina and Mercedes. St. Mickael (Michaels) was a very poor island in the Azores, off the coast of Portugal, and the Catholic Church owned most, if not all of the land. Families such as my grandfather’s, would work the land and give most of the crops to the church in return for living on the property. In order to make a meager living, Grandpa, his father, and his brother Frank grew pineapples and exported them to other countries. They had heard about a better life in America and it was my great-grandparent’s desires to see their children someday move to the United States. My grandfather, who was the second to oldest in the family, was the first one to go to America in 1898 at the age of 19 years old. His brothers John and Frank, later joined them.
Massachusetts served as host to many Portuguese immigrants coming over from St. Mickael (Michael’s) at this time. My Aunt Dot, who narrated the family history to me, was not clear on whether Grandpa Perry arrived in Boston or Ellis Island because my grandfather only memtioned that when he arrived by boat, they put him on a train that brought him to Taunton center. It was a rainy night in Taunton, when Grandpa got off the train and much to his dismay, the rain washed away the contact’s name on the slip of paper that he had carried with him from home. While wandering around the streets, another Portuguese man came up to him and offered him a hot meal, a bed to sleep in and a promise to help him find his contact in the morning.
That is how it was then - Portuguese immigrants in this country formed communities and helped each other out. In order to overcome the language and culture barriers, they stuck together and lived close to one another, often referring job locations that accepted Portuguese speaking employees. Life in America was not as easy as described in the rumors spread back on St. Mickael (Michael). The Portuguese population was very low on the social class scale and jobs were often the bottom of the barrel. They faced prejudice and discrimination when applying for jobs and finding housing. Also as immigrants when completing documents for work, the government, etc., writing out all three names, for example, Antonio Pereira Moniz, was considered a nuisance and frequently the last name was omitted. Grandpa’s middle name, Pereira, became his last name and was later translated and legalized to Perry by Clemente, his oldest son.
Families rented out rooms to boarders (other Portuguese immigrants) in order to make ends meet. Often times, two people working different shifts shared the same bed. One would getting up for work, and someone else would be coming off a shift and using the same bed would get some sleep and rest. These were important features of the Portuguese community-supporting and helping each other assimilate into the American culture.
Grampa first started working at a brickyard in Taunton, and then in the cotton mills in Fall River. His brother, John, was the contact in Fall River Portuguese community. Both jobs were difficult for Grandpa, and ultimately he moved to Plymouth where he had heard that the Plymouth Cordage Company was hiring Portuguese people. Finding employment was a struggle that the Portuguese immigrants faced. He soon discovered at the Plymouth Cordage Company that the Portuguese were severely discriminated against, Germans, who hired Italians to do the middle-skilled jobs, held leadership positions and also got the best housing. Portuguese were hired as low-skilled workers and performed the “bottom of the barrel” jobs and got the worst housing. The Italians were one step above the Portuguese and received the middle class housing and higher-skilled jobs. Wages were paid in accordance with the level of work performed, leaving the lowes twage paid to the Portuguese workers. Aunt Dot said that Grandpa used to tell her stories about racist comments towards him, but he always smiled and pretended he did not know what they were saying. The Plymouth Cordage Company building is still standing today (2009) and now houses different types of shops and businesses. As you walk through the halls, you can see pictures, plaques of the men and women who worked there for many years making ropes of all kinds. Also the floors were saturated with oil, which you can still smell today.
Settling into a boarding house in the Plymouth Portuguese community, Grandpa went to work as a laborer in the Cordage Company. As a single man, he did not go to the local Portuguese men’s club or socialize with English-speaking people, which would have given him an opportunity to learn to speak English. (It was common at this time for different nationalities to lead separate lives and have their own men’s social clubs- Germans, Italians and Portuguese) Instead Grandpa attended a local Bible study with the Jesses, the Sears and some other Portuguese families and this became his social circle. This was not a Catholic Bible study group, but Protestant. Although Grandpa was raised a Catholic (which is the predominant religion for the Portuguese in St. Mickael) he did not practice Catholicism because he had accompanied his mother to her job working for the priests and nuns and saw how the church used the income from the poor people to live in better homes and have the best of foods. Choosing to be Protestant over Catholic became a cultural barrier within his own Portuguese community later in life, especially after he married Gramma.
For years, Grandpa remained single and worked hard to save money in hopes of someday getting his own place to live. However, God works in mysterious ways and used the boarding house where Grandpa lived to introduce him to his future bride. At this boarding house, Grandpa befriended a man named Manuel Almeida, who was trying to bring his wife and seven children to America. He loaned Manuel Almeida the money he needed so that the family could be reunited. Around 1904, Manuel’s wife, Maria do Carmo, and his daughters and sons arrived in the United States. At this time, Maria, his eldest daughter was 15 years old. By the time she was 19 years old, Maria became the “apple” of grandpa’s eye, but there was one problem. If they got married, Manuel (Gramma”s father) had to repay the money he borrowed from Grandpa, plus he would lose the income earned from his daughter and the hard work she did around the house. Grandpa and Gramma looked at this obstacle and decided to stage an argument and break up in front of her father, Manuel. Grandpa asked for payment of the outstanding loan and moved out of the boarding house. After all this took place, Grandma and Grandpa ELOPED !!!! They were married in Plymouth on February 28, 1909. Grandpa was 29 and Grandma was 20, and together they began their marriage of 55 years together.
As you can imagine, Grandma’s parents were not to happy about their marriage and would not have anything to do with them. As a newly married couple they lived in Plymouth for a few months and then decided to return to St. Mickael. Grandpa had left his father and brother, Frank, in charge of the pineapple exporting business and thought it would be better to return home. On Dec 20, 1909, Grandma delivered Herminia, their first of three children born in St. Mickael. Two years later on August 18, 1911, Clemente was born followed by his younger sister, Mercy, in 1913.
Exporting pineapples during the beginning of World War I became impossible since the ships could not get through to other countries. It was at this point, that Grandpa and Grandma decided to return to the United States. Grandpa came back first in 1913 and went back to work for the Cordage Company, then later sent for Grandma in April of 1914. ( He never did see his mother, father or sisters again, what a sacrafice for the privilege of living in America) Grandma’a passport stated that she came to America with two children, Herminia (4 years old) and Clemente (2 years old). At this time, Mercy was only a few months old and could not make the trip because of a skin condition. Grandma left her behind with Grandpa’s brother’s (Frank’s) fiance’, who raised her for five years, before bringing her to the United States where she married Frank. (we have a picture taken in the “old country” of Grandpa’s father, mother, Frank and Aunt Mercy as a child) As a mother, I cannot imagine the heartache involved with not seeing your child for five years, but Grandma was a strong woman and did what needed to be done in order to raise her family in America. She never did become an American citizen, never spoke English and had to register every year under the Alien Registration Act of 1940. Aunt Dot recalls her saying “ I never want to go back to St. Mickael, not even in a coffin !!!”
Upon arriving back in America, Grandma’s parents had a change of heart when they saw their young grandchildren. They helped Grandpa and Grandma with housing and the house at 84 Cherry Street, North Plymouth became their home for almost 50 years where they raised seven more children. All of the following children were born at home in America: John was born in 1914 (and died from spinal meningitis in 1943), and then came Manuel (1918), Deborah (1922), Benjamin (1924). Dorothy (1926), Lois (1927) and Daniel (1929). Grandpa worked for the Cordage Company and retired after 40+ years of service. Grandma also worked at the Cordage Company (although the husband played a patriarchal role at home, women were still expected to work) in between having babies every two years, being a mid-wife, and doing all the cooking, cleaning, canning food and making clothes for the children. Aunt Dot recalled Grandma and all the children picking and selling blueberries every year in order to buy shoes for school, during the summer months they went barefooted.
As I mentioned earlier, being of Portuguese descent and living in Plymouth was not easy. First, the German’s and Italians discriminated against Grandpa and Grandma and their children because they were Portuguese immigrants, the secondly when they changed to the Protestant denomination, they were excommunicated from the Catholic church. I addition, Grandma’s parents once again turned their backs on Grandma and Grandpa because they were committed Catholics and had priests and nuns in the family. But God is so faithful to true believers and is not contained by denominations. God used the Bible study that Grandpa attended when he first arrived in Plymouth to stir his spirit and to form a new strong community of Portuguese believers. When he returned a second time to America in 1914, Grandpa and several men from the original Bible study started and built the North Methodist Church on Standish Avenue. (Still standing in 2009) The church grew strong with other Portuguese families and their faith in God became the inspiration and bond they needed to work and grow together. Grandpa was faithful in supporting the church in many ways and received his Exhorter’s License on March 23, 1942, which allowed him to do everything in the church except communion and officiating at marriages. I believe God has honored Grandpa and Grandma’s desire to serve Him and that this is the main reason their legacy lives on through their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren today and in the future. Granted we have many diverse personalities in the Perry family today, but it is a blessing to get together every five years or so for the “Perry Family Reunion.” Grandpa and Grandma would be amazed to see how their family has grown !!!
As Told By His Daughter Dorothy (Perry) Vacca
To Linda (Perry) Bradstreet
July 30, 2003
On March 10, 1879, my grandfather, Antonio Pereira Moniz, was born on St. Mickael (Michaels). His parents, Manuel Pereira Moniz and Francesca DeJesus Clemente, raised my grandfather there along with his two brothers, John, Francesco (Frank) and two sisters Senorhina and Mercedes. St. Mickael (Michaels) was a very poor island in the Azores, off the coast of Portugal, and the Catholic Church owned most, if not all of the land. Families such as my grandfather’s, would work the land and give most of the crops to the church in return for living on the property. In order to make a meager living, Grandpa, his father, and his brother Frank grew pineapples and exported them to other countries. They had heard about a better life in America and it was my great-grandparent’s desires to see their children someday move to the United States. My grandfather, who was the second to oldest in the family, was the first one to go to America in 1898 at the age of 19 years old. His brothers John and Frank, later joined them.
Massachusetts served as host to many Portuguese immigrants coming over from St. Mickael (Michael’s) at this time. My Aunt Dot, who narrated the family history to me, was not clear on whether Grandpa Perry arrived in Boston or Ellis Island because my grandfather only memtioned that when he arrived by boat, they put him on a train that brought him to Taunton center. It was a rainy night in Taunton, when Grandpa got off the train and much to his dismay, the rain washed away the contact’s name on the slip of paper that he had carried with him from home. While wandering around the streets, another Portuguese man came up to him and offered him a hot meal, a bed to sleep in and a promise to help him find his contact in the morning.
That is how it was then - Portuguese immigrants in this country formed communities and helped each other out. In order to overcome the language and culture barriers, they stuck together and lived close to one another, often referring job locations that accepted Portuguese speaking employees. Life in America was not as easy as described in the rumors spread back on St. Mickael (Michael). The Portuguese population was very low on the social class scale and jobs were often the bottom of the barrel. They faced prejudice and discrimination when applying for jobs and finding housing. Also as immigrants when completing documents for work, the government, etc., writing out all three names, for example, Antonio Pereira Moniz, was considered a nuisance and frequently the last name was omitted. Grandpa’s middle name, Pereira, became his last name and was later translated and legalized to Perry by Clemente, his oldest son.
Families rented out rooms to boarders (other Portuguese immigrants) in order to make ends meet. Often times, two people working different shifts shared the same bed. One would getting up for work, and someone else would be coming off a shift and using the same bed would get some sleep and rest. These were important features of the Portuguese community-supporting and helping each other assimilate into the American culture.
Grampa first started working at a brickyard in Taunton, and then in the cotton mills in Fall River. His brother, John, was the contact in Fall River Portuguese community. Both jobs were difficult for Grandpa, and ultimately he moved to Plymouth where he had heard that the Plymouth Cordage Company was hiring Portuguese people. Finding employment was a struggle that the Portuguese immigrants faced. He soon discovered at the Plymouth Cordage Company that the Portuguese were severely discriminated against, Germans, who hired Italians to do the middle-skilled jobs, held leadership positions and also got the best housing. Portuguese were hired as low-skilled workers and performed the “bottom of the barrel” jobs and got the worst housing. The Italians were one step above the Portuguese and received the middle class housing and higher-skilled jobs. Wages were paid in accordance with the level of work performed, leaving the lowes twage paid to the Portuguese workers. Aunt Dot said that Grandpa used to tell her stories about racist comments towards him, but he always smiled and pretended he did not know what they were saying. The Plymouth Cordage Company building is still standing today (2009) and now houses different types of shops and businesses. As you walk through the halls, you can see pictures, plaques of the men and women who worked there for many years making ropes of all kinds. Also the floors were saturated with oil, which you can still smell today.
Settling into a boarding house in the Plymouth Portuguese community, Grandpa went to work as a laborer in the Cordage Company. As a single man, he did not go to the local Portuguese men’s club or socialize with English-speaking people, which would have given him an opportunity to learn to speak English. (It was common at this time for different nationalities to lead separate lives and have their own men’s social clubs- Germans, Italians and Portuguese) Instead Grandpa attended a local Bible study with the Jesses, the Sears and some other Portuguese families and this became his social circle. This was not a Catholic Bible study group, but Protestant. Although Grandpa was raised a Catholic (which is the predominant religion for the Portuguese in St. Mickael) he did not practice Catholicism because he had accompanied his mother to her job working for the priests and nuns and saw how the church used the income from the poor people to live in better homes and have the best of foods. Choosing to be Protestant over Catholic became a cultural barrier within his own Portuguese community later in life, especially after he married Gramma.
For years, Grandpa remained single and worked hard to save money in hopes of someday getting his own place to live. However, God works in mysterious ways and used the boarding house where Grandpa lived to introduce him to his future bride. At this boarding house, Grandpa befriended a man named Manuel Almeida, who was trying to bring his wife and seven children to America. He loaned Manuel Almeida the money he needed so that the family could be reunited. Around 1904, Manuel’s wife, Maria do Carmo, and his daughters and sons arrived in the United States. At this time, Maria, his eldest daughter was 15 years old. By the time she was 19 years old, Maria became the “apple” of grandpa’s eye, but there was one problem. If they got married, Manuel (Gramma”s father) had to repay the money he borrowed from Grandpa, plus he would lose the income earned from his daughter and the hard work she did around the house. Grandpa and Gramma looked at this obstacle and decided to stage an argument and break up in front of her father, Manuel. Grandpa asked for payment of the outstanding loan and moved out of the boarding house. After all this took place, Grandma and Grandpa ELOPED !!!! They were married in Plymouth on February 28, 1909. Grandpa was 29 and Grandma was 20, and together they began their marriage of 55 years together.
As you can imagine, Grandma’s parents were not to happy about their marriage and would not have anything to do with them. As a newly married couple they lived in Plymouth for a few months and then decided to return to St. Mickael. Grandpa had left his father and brother, Frank, in charge of the pineapple exporting business and thought it would be better to return home. On Dec 20, 1909, Grandma delivered Herminia, their first of three children born in St. Mickael. Two years later on August 18, 1911, Clemente was born followed by his younger sister, Mercy, in 1913.
Exporting pineapples during the beginning of World War I became impossible since the ships could not get through to other countries. It was at this point, that Grandpa and Grandma decided to return to the United States. Grandpa came back first in 1913 and went back to work for the Cordage Company, then later sent for Grandma in April of 1914. ( He never did see his mother, father or sisters again, what a sacrafice for the privilege of living in America) Grandma’a passport stated that she came to America with two children, Herminia (4 years old) and Clemente (2 years old). At this time, Mercy was only a few months old and could not make the trip because of a skin condition. Grandma left her behind with Grandpa’s brother’s (Frank’s) fiance’, who raised her for five years, before bringing her to the United States where she married Frank. (we have a picture taken in the “old country” of Grandpa’s father, mother, Frank and Aunt Mercy as a child) As a mother, I cannot imagine the heartache involved with not seeing your child for five years, but Grandma was a strong woman and did what needed to be done in order to raise her family in America. She never did become an American citizen, never spoke English and had to register every year under the Alien Registration Act of 1940. Aunt Dot recalls her saying “ I never want to go back to St. Mickael, not even in a coffin !!!”
Upon arriving back in America, Grandma’s parents had a change of heart when they saw their young grandchildren. They helped Grandpa and Grandma with housing and the house at 84 Cherry Street, North Plymouth became their home for almost 50 years where they raised seven more children. All of the following children were born at home in America: John was born in 1914 (and died from spinal meningitis in 1943), and then came Manuel (1918), Deborah (1922), Benjamin (1924). Dorothy (1926), Lois (1927) and Daniel (1929). Grandpa worked for the Cordage Company and retired after 40+ years of service. Grandma also worked at the Cordage Company (although the husband played a patriarchal role at home, women were still expected to work) in between having babies every two years, being a mid-wife, and doing all the cooking, cleaning, canning food and making clothes for the children. Aunt Dot recalled Grandma and all the children picking and selling blueberries every year in order to buy shoes for school, during the summer months they went barefooted.
As I mentioned earlier, being of Portuguese descent and living in Plymouth was not easy. First, the German’s and Italians discriminated against Grandpa and Grandma and their children because they were Portuguese immigrants, the secondly when they changed to the Protestant denomination, they were excommunicated from the Catholic church. I addition, Grandma’s parents once again turned their backs on Grandma and Grandpa because they were committed Catholics and had priests and nuns in the family. But God is so faithful to true believers and is not contained by denominations. God used the Bible study that Grandpa attended when he first arrived in Plymouth to stir his spirit and to form a new strong community of Portuguese believers. When he returned a second time to America in 1914, Grandpa and several men from the original Bible study started and built the North Methodist Church on Standish Avenue. (Still standing in 2009) The church grew strong with other Portuguese families and their faith in God became the inspiration and bond they needed to work and grow together. Grandpa was faithful in supporting the church in many ways and received his Exhorter’s License on March 23, 1942, which allowed him to do everything in the church except communion and officiating at marriages. I believe God has honored Grandpa and Grandma’s desire to serve Him and that this is the main reason their legacy lives on through their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren today and in the future. Granted we have many diverse personalities in the Perry family today, but it is a blessing to get together every five years or so for the “Perry Family Reunion.” Grandpa and Grandma would be amazed to see how their family has grown !!!
Certificate of Naturalization - Antonio Pereira Moniz
Grandpa became a citizen of the United States on Dec 7, 1942 at the age of 62 years old. The Certificate of Naturalization shows a picture of a dapper looking man named Antonio Pereira Moniz. During the time Grandpa worked at the Cordage Company, immigrants were offered classes to help the employees become citizens. Even though Grandpa never spoke or understood English for all the years he lived in the United States until his death on January 30, 1968 at the age of 88 years old, he did learn how to write his name and say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Grandma also never spoke English, but Aunt Dot says she could understand it very well. She died on Christmas eve, December 24, 1964 at 76 years old.
When I interviewed Aunt Dot and my father (Benjamin) about their memories as Portuguese children brought up in a home where their parents did not speak English, I uncovered many family stories about growing up as children. They explained that the oldest children, Herminia (Ede), Clemente (Cle) and Mercy had the most difficult time learning to speak English. In school, only English was spoken at this time (around 1915) and it was up to the children to learn the new language. As the older children in their family learned English, they taught their younger siblings. Everyone had jobs to do in the family in order to get by (education was not the first priority) and the oldest children were not able to complete school. Only four of the ten children received their high school diplomas: Although there was a stigma associated with being Portuguese, the second generation was able to move up the social ladder and get better paying jobs because they could speak English and were into the service in World War II and defended their country. When I asked my Dad if he considered himself Portuguese American, he said, “No, I am an American with a Portuguese heritage.”
*On a note on that statement, that statement is correct, that is why that this country has gone backwards when it comes to heritage in the United States of America to the present time of 2009.
Raising a family of ten children was an enormous task in the early 1900’s. Grandpa had a large garden and raised corn, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and other staple foods for his family. He grew pears, apples and grapes (which some of the vines are transplanted in the town of Kingston, at Lee Brocks property) and raised pigs and chickens - all in an effort to feed his family and other needy families in the area. Aunt Dot recalls thay Grandma was an excellant cook and even made her own saffron. Each day she would bake bread to serve with meals. Bread was an important part ot the daily meal and was used to stretch dinners by dipping it into a homemade tomato-base sauce always served on the food. Grandma used the tomatoes from the garden that were preserved in beer bottles to make the sauce and served with bread. Pears, apples and grapes were used to make homemade jams and pies. Sweet rice, a special dessert made by Grandma, was a family favorite.
Grandpa and Grandma were very generous people and always helped someone in need. Even though Grandma’s family did not speak to her, she still brought them food when she heard they were lacking. In later years, Grandpa sent money back to his family in St. Mickael. Whenever you wonder about where the loving, giving, hard-working, determined qualities originated in our family, remember the examples set by Grandpa and Grandma and be proud of them. They did not speak English, but they definitely showed their love and compassion for others through their actions.
As the children grew and got married, the custom was for them to live with Grandma and Grandpa, pay board for a year or so and then move on and get their own place. This worked out rather well for a number of years because of the difference in the children’s ages. One faithful daughter remained at home with Grandpa and Grandma until their deaths. Aunt Dot, or family historian, became the primary caretaker and translator for Grandpa and Grandma. Her devotion to her parents and keen memory of all they shared with her has made this oral history possible. To this day, she still liveson Cherry Street in a house built on the land next door to 84 Cherry Street where Grandpa and Grandma began raising their family in 1914.
When I interviewed Aunt Dot and my father (Benjamin) about their memories as Portuguese children brought up in a home where their parents did not speak English, I uncovered many family stories about growing up as children. They explained that the oldest children, Herminia (Ede), Clemente (Cle) and Mercy had the most difficult time learning to speak English. In school, only English was spoken at this time (around 1915) and it was up to the children to learn the new language. As the older children in their family learned English, they taught their younger siblings. Everyone had jobs to do in the family in order to get by (education was not the first priority) and the oldest children were not able to complete school. Only four of the ten children received their high school diplomas: Although there was a stigma associated with being Portuguese, the second generation was able to move up the social ladder and get better paying jobs because they could speak English and were into the service in World War II and defended their country. When I asked my Dad if he considered himself Portuguese American, he said, “No, I am an American with a Portuguese heritage.”
*On a note on that statement, that statement is correct, that is why that this country has gone backwards when it comes to heritage in the United States of America to the present time of 2009.
Raising a family of ten children was an enormous task in the early 1900’s. Grandpa had a large garden and raised corn, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and other staple foods for his family. He grew pears, apples and grapes (which some of the vines are transplanted in the town of Kingston, at Lee Brocks property) and raised pigs and chickens - all in an effort to feed his family and other needy families in the area. Aunt Dot recalls thay Grandma was an excellant cook and even made her own saffron. Each day she would bake bread to serve with meals. Bread was an important part ot the daily meal and was used to stretch dinners by dipping it into a homemade tomato-base sauce always served on the food. Grandma used the tomatoes from the garden that were preserved in beer bottles to make the sauce and served with bread. Pears, apples and grapes were used to make homemade jams and pies. Sweet rice, a special dessert made by Grandma, was a family favorite.
Grandpa and Grandma were very generous people and always helped someone in need. Even though Grandma’s family did not speak to her, she still brought them food when she heard they were lacking. In later years, Grandpa sent money back to his family in St. Mickael. Whenever you wonder about where the loving, giving, hard-working, determined qualities originated in our family, remember the examples set by Grandpa and Grandma and be proud of them. They did not speak English, but they definitely showed their love and compassion for others through their actions.
As the children grew and got married, the custom was for them to live with Grandma and Grandpa, pay board for a year or so and then move on and get their own place. This worked out rather well for a number of years because of the difference in the children’s ages. One faithful daughter remained at home with Grandpa and Grandma until their deaths. Aunt Dot, or family historian, became the primary caretaker and translator for Grandpa and Grandma. Her devotion to her parents and keen memory of all they shared with her has made this oral history possible. To this day, she still liveson Cherry Street in a house built on the land next door to 84 Cherry Street where Grandpa and Grandma began raising their family in 1914.
As a child, I remember the family tradition of all the brothers and sisters, with their families, going over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house on Sunday afternoons. The adults all spoke Portuguese. The men would sit in the kitchen, the women in the living room and the children played together outside. There was always something good to eat - Grandma’s homemade lemon squares or sweet bread (with whole eggs cooked inside for Easter). Now, my generation of Perry’s, (the third) are grown and have children and grandchildren of our own. Our Portuguese heritage is positive example for all of us. Many of us, including our children, have received college degrees and work in a variety of jobs - no longer are we just Portuguese citizens. We live in our own homes and have raised our families with faith, values and beliefs passed down through our family. At the last family reunion on June 24, 2001, we calculated that our family has spread out and live in 26 states. We still enjoy the family recipes started by Grandman Perry. Grandpa came to this country in 1898, and today 111 years later we are reaping the benefits from his incredible determination, faith and life. The fourth generation is now growing up in America because of his decision to leave St. Mickael at the age of 19 years old and come an start a new life in the United States. Now that is something we can all be proud of and join together in celebrating our Portuguese heritage !!!
Thank you to Aunt Dorothy (Perry) Vacca and Linda (Perry) Bradstreet
*Anyone that has any stories that they want installed on the web site, notify Paul Perry through the comments section of the web site.
Thank you to Aunt Dorothy (Perry) Vacca and Linda (Perry) Bradstreet
*Anyone that has any stories that they want installed on the web site, notify Paul Perry through the comments section of the web site.