If Joao Afonso (de Pimentel) "das Grotas Fundas" is who genealogists say he is
(son of the 3rd Count) then he would have been born in Spain, not in Portugal.
It would be nice if DNA technology could be put to use here to determine if he
does descend from the Counts.
Best regards,
John Miranda Raposo
On Thursday, July 28, 2016 8:38 PM, cathybourgeois1218
<[email protected]> wrote:
There is a discrepancy as to where he was born. Was he born in Portugal or
Baesa, Galiza Spain?
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 11:48:19 AM UTC-4, John Raposo wrote:
João Afonso (de Pimentel) “das Grotas FundasDied 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
nevergives him the family name Pimentel nor does he ever make reference to
arelationship to the Spanish Counts of Benevente. This claim is made by his
grandson JoãoAfonso, o Moço, of Faial da Terra, where he died on 16.4.1577. On
the cover of his will, in an old script, itsays that the said João Afonso, o
Moço descendesfrom the Condes de Benavente of Castile. BIOGRAPHY:"The
Pimentels and the Resendes families of the island of São Migueldescended from
João Afonso de Pimentel who came with these names in the lastquarter of the
15th century" [FamiliasAntigas 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, wherehe had a large family and
house, by which he became well-known on the island asJoão Afonso das Grotas
Fundas [Frutuoso]." "The origin of this JoãoAfonso is wrapped in some mystery;
nevertheless, his 5th grandson [through adaughter of João Afonso], Padre Pedro
Furtado Leite, outlined hisancestry in a letter in which he wrote that his
mother was descended from JoãoAfonso 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 ofBenavente (there is a perfect coincidence of
dates), of the name João Afonso,who left Spain, anddisappears from history. The
third Count of Benavente, Alonso dePimentel, also known as the Count of
Mayorga, was married to Dona Maria deQuinones y Toledo. The subsequent
nobiliaries referred totheir son João Afonso de Pimentel [Familias]."No further
details are given in Genealogiade los Condes y Duques de Benavente (at the
Madrid Library), however. [J. Guill] Thisson would have been 60 to 70 years old
when João Afonso das Grotas Fundas madehis 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 mostillustrious families of the Iberian peninsula and
originate in Benavente, wherethey had a castle at the juncture of a gigantic
triangular territory formed bythe lands of Leon, Asturias, and Galicia and
bordered by the rivers Esla and Orbigo[Familias]." One Count built a hospital
by the name ofNossa Senhora do Piedade to benefit the pilgrims traveling the
Silver Route onthe way to Santiago de Compostela. The church in Ponta Garça
that serves theGrotas Fundas area where João Afonso was the first settler, was
also calledNossa Senhora do Piedade, thus further suggesting the connection
between JoãoAfonso das Grotas Fundas and the Counts of Benavente. [Familias.]
It may be this same João Afonso that ismentioned to have contributed 80 moios
of wheat toward a program to directfresh water from the land of Gaspar de
Bettancurt to Ponta Delgada becausebefore this time the residents of that town
had to rely on well water (perhapsthe town's population was growing too large
to sustain itself on the number ofwells then available) [Alverne]. João Afonso
das Grotas Fundas was againcredited as being the earliest settler of Grotas
Fundas at the very beginningof Ponta Garça's settlement. (It was also suggested
that, given the isolationand difficult access to Grotas Fundas, it could be
assumed that João Afonso dePimentel had a motive to flee to so remote a spot
[J.Guill].) He made his willon 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 setaside to produce a benefit of 10,000 reis [system of
money later replaced bycruzeiros] for the purpose of having three masses said
one week a year inperpetuity; the first on Monday for his faith in God to be a
blessing on hissoul; the second on Saturday in honor of the Peace of Christ and
the last oneon Saturday in honor of "Nossa Senhora" with all her prayers
[Vida]. [Alverne] Chronicas da Provincia de São JoãoEvangelista 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 BenaventeRadicados in Açores Desde o
Século XV.
John Miranda Raposo
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