Until about 1800s, usually the "donas" were wives or daughters of men of high social ranking. Gradually "dona" was becoming just a way of showing respect, like Mistress.
JS Lopes Em Terça-feira, 29 de Abril de 2014 14:53, Dano <[email protected]> escreveu: Doug, I just wanted to clarify my comments about "Dom & Dona." Basically, I used the terms in the metaphorical sense, just to provide an example of the point I was trying to make. Now, I've done enough research to know that those titles didn't go as "package deal," but, I also know that seldom, if ever, did a shoemaker get elevated to the rank of Capitao, over a period of seven years - especially, in a world where royalty and nobility ruled, and, where most everyone else was relegated to peasantry. As for that nobility, none of it rubbed off on me, either - although, I too, am descended from persons of title. As for my eyesight, it is was it is. It was a shock when my eye doctor first broke the news, last year, but I'm lucky, at least, that I still have one eye that has been able to become the workhorse for two. If I didn't have the experience that I have researching these old documents, I probably wouldn't be able to decipher anything. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On Tuesday, April 29, 2014 2:17:22 AM UTC-4, Doug da Rocha Holmes wrote: Hi Dano, > > >I just wanted to mention that I have many ancestors who were capitao, alferes, >sargento and one tenente, plus another ajudante, not one of them whose wife >was called "Dona." Mine are from Pico and Terceira - mostly Pico for my >military ancestors. I do know they were "from old and noble families" or some >such wording in priest applications. I guess they just didn't get that higher >level treatment for some reason. > > >Come to think of it, I even have some Capitao-mor ancestors or sons of my >ancestors and still their wives were not "dona." > > >But you are right in most cases that on other islands we would see "dona" for >their wives. I guess it's just a quirk on Pico, but "dona" was certainly found >on Pico. I have one single ancestors with "dona" and she was the wife of an >administrator of a "vinculo" so I guess that finally was enough to qualify. >But her mother was not a "dona." It came from her husband, yet his mother was >not "dona" either! > > >Since my only comment was about the use of this word, I changed the subject. > > >By the way, your comment about your failing eye sight came as a surprise, >since you still show no sign of it preventing you from reading the records >well. Impressive, but sorry to hear about that. > > > >Doug da Rocha Holmes >Sacramento, California >Pico & Terceira Genealogist >916-550-1618 >www.dholmes.com > > > >-------- Original Message -------- >>Subject: [AZORES-Genealogy] Re: Marriage and Death Record help >>From: Dano <[email protected]> >> >> >>The obito is not for your Francisco, as he seems to have acquired a new >>surname, and the high level military title of Captain, not even a full eight >>years after his marriage, when his occupation was "shoemaker." People just >>did not rise from artisan/craftsmen to the class of Captain "ever." Only >>those of the privileged (noble) class could expect any such appointment, and >>I don't see any Dom or Dona title for any of the people mentioned. >> -- For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores. -- For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores.
