Right, in most cases, the names you wrote are religious names given to the
child (not recorded on the baptismal records) so that leads me to think maybe
they were confirmation names. Others have said that was not the case; however,
again, I have to have some rational for the way things where and it just makes
sense to me that way.
I know that deJesus and Esperito Santo (usually Santos) are found as surnames.
I think that is because those who could not read or write spoke their name
(remember women did not use surnames) and these names were written by someone
as last names.
Women were baptized only by first name (men too). Women married using their
first and middle name (sometimes even here in the US). When the women died she
was listed by first and middle name and as the widow of (her husband's name.)
As this happened in my research, I had to remind myself that Portugal and the
Catholic church was run by men and you know where women stood!
Even in 1989, when I drove from Porto to Tras-os-Montes, the men could not
believe a MAN had not driven for me. I finally got the reason they were
questioning me and whipped out my driver's license and said, "That's me, I know
how to drive, I drove myself!!!" They still looked at me in disbelief.
Celeste, Hayward, CA
Celeste Perry [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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