Thank you you the information! Cheri, I read through John's postings and found it very helpful, I even noticed Exposto in his obit.
Gayle, I took your advice and searched for his birth record. I believe I may have found it: Top Left: http://www.culturacores.azores.gov.pt/biblioteca_digital/PIC-MD-CANDELARIA-B-1793-1812/PIC-MD-CANDELARIA-B-1793-1812_item1/P80.html I believe it says he was left at the house of Jose da Silva? I am having a difficult time trying to read what it says and I can't understand most of it. I see there are quite a few names but I can't figure out their relationships with everyone else On Monday, May 22, 2017 at 8:00:50 PM UTC-7, Cheri Mello wrote: > > People can abandon their baby today. In my county and state, a baby can be > left at a hospital or fire station, no questions asked. Back then, in the > Azores, they left the baby at the church. Sometimes, they left the baby at > someone's door step, but a lot of the time, it was the church. > > The reason is probably the same then as it is now. The mother was unwed. > She cannot provide for the child (she's too young, she has no means to > support the baby) or perhaps her parents made her give the baby up. > > If your ancestor's parents came forward it would be noted in his baptism > margin or in a book of legitimizations. If it's not there, then his parents > never claimed him. The city paid a family to raise him for 7 years. At that > point, he could chose to remain with the family or make his own way. Many > of these children did not live. > > John Raposo wrote about this a few months ago. You can find his post here > https://goo.gl/OyLyJT or you can search the forum/web board archive for > "exposto roda" (without the quotes) and you will find a lot about this > subject. > > Cheri Mello > Listowner, Azores-Gen > Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, > Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada > > -- 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 https://groups.google.com/group/azores.
