This is fantastic thank you! So many of my ancestors trace back to him.
Todd On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 11:48:19 AM UTC-4, John Raposo wrote: > > *Jo**ã**o Afonso (de Pimentel) **“**das Grotas Fundas* > *Died 2 Sept 1512* > > NB: this is the work of several people including Rodrigo Rodrigues, Andrew > Rapoza, George Pacheco, Diana cestodio Silva, in addition to those cited. > > NAME: He became known in St. Michael, Açores as "João Afonso das Grotas > Fundas" [Frutuoso]. Frutuoso never gives him the family name Pimentel nor > does he ever make reference to a relationship to the Spanish Counts of > Benevente. This claim is made by his grandson João Afonso, o Moço, of > Faial da Terra, where he died on 16.4.1577. On the cover of his will, in > an old script, it says that the said João Afonso, o Moço descendes from > the Condes de Benavente of Castile. > > > BIOGRAPHY: "The Pimentels and the Resendes families of the island of São > Miguel descended from João Afonso de Pimentel who came with these names in > the last quarter of the 15th century" [*Familias** Antigas da Povoação**]*. > (It was also suggested that he arrive in the middle of the 15th century > [James > Guill]. "He settled in the place of Grotas Fundas, on the island of São > Miguel, where he had a large family and house, by which he became > well-known on the island as João Afonso das Grotas Fundas [Frutuoso]." "The > origin of this João Afonso is wrapped in some mystery; nevertheless, his > 5th grandson [through a daughter of João Afonso], Padre Pedro Furtado > Leite, outlined his ancestry in a letter in which he wrote that his > mother was descended from João Afonso who, in turn, was the descendant of > the Counts of Benavente, of Spain. In truth, there are some nobiliaries > that refer to a son of the third Count of Benavente (there is a perfect > coincidence of dates), of the name João Afonso, who left Spain, and > disappears from history. The third Count of Benavente, Alonso de > Pimentel, also known as the Count of Mayorga, was married to Dona Maria de > Quinones y Toledo. The subsequent nobiliaries referred to their son João > Afonso de Pimentel [*Familias*]." No further details are given in *Genealogia > de los Condes y Duques de Benavente* (at the Madrid Library), however. [J. > Guill] This son would have been 60 to 70 years old when João Afonso das > Grotas Fundas made his will, His great-grea-greatr grandson, Father > Belchior Manuel de Resendes, in a letter, says that his 4th grandfather, > João Afonso das Grotas Fundas was the son of a Count and exiled himself to > S. Miguel for having committed a crime in Portugal. > > > "The Pimentels belong to one of the most illustrious families of the > Iberian peninsula and originate in Benavente, where they had a castle at > the juncture of a gigantic triangular territory formed by the lands of > Leon, Asturias, and Galicia and bordered by the rivers Esla and Orbigo [ > *Familias*]." > > One Count built a hospital by the name of Nossa Senhora do Piedade to > benefit the pilgrims traveling the Silver Route on the way to Santiago de > Compostela. The church in Ponta Garça that serves the Grotas Fundas area > where João Afonso was the first settler, was also called Nossa Senhora do > Piedade, thus further suggesting the connection between João Afonso das > Grotas Fundas and the Counts of Benavente. [*Familias*.] > > > > It may be this same João Afonso that is mentioned to have contributed 80 > moios of wheat toward a program to direct fresh water from the land of > Gaspar de Bettancurt to Ponta Delgada because before this time the > residents of that town had to rely on well water (perhaps the town's > population was growing too large to sustain itself on the number of wells > then available) [Alverne]. > > João Afonso das Grotas Fundas was again credited as being the earliest > settler of Grotas Fundas at the very beginning of Ponta Garça's settlement. > (It was also suggested that, given the isolation and difficult access to > Grotas Fundas, it could be assumed that João Afonso de Pimentel had a > motive to flee to so remote a spot [J.Guill].) He made his will on 26 May > 1511. In it he made his oldest son, João Afonso, and his son's wife, > Catarina Manuel, the executors and ordered that a third of his lands be set > aside to produce a benefit of 10,000 reis [system of money later replaced > by cruzeiros] for the purpose of having three masses said one week a year > in perpetuity; the first on Monday for his faith in God to be a blessing on > his soul; the second on Saturday in honor of the Peace of Christ and the > last one on Saturday in honor of "Nossa Senhora" with all her prayers [ > *Vida*]. > > [Alverne] *Chronicas da Provincia de São João Evangelista das Ilhas > dos Açores* > [Familias] *Familias Anitgas de Povoação* > [Frutuoso] Doutor Gaspar Frutuoso, Livro Quatro: *Saudades da Terra* > [J. Guill] Letter from Dr. James H. Guill, FEB 98 > [Vida] *A Vida de Nossos Avós* > > See also Miguel Figueiredo Corte-Real: *Os Descendentes dos Condes de > Benavente Radicados in Açores Desde o Século XV.* > > ... -- 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.
