Thank you very much John! I think I read this years ago but it Was very good to read again and I will file in a place for safe keeping!
Susan Vargas Murphy >> On Oct 6, 2019, at 6:22 AM, 'John Raposo' via Azores Genealogy >> <[email protected]> wrote: > > Here is the work on expostos by Eloise Cadinha. Some years ago she shared it > with me and she also gave me permission to share it. It has been published on > this list before. I know because I get e-mails from people who have found it > and either want more information, want to express their surprise at how awful > this situation was, and to express their appreciation for Eloise's hard work > and erudition on this subject. > > You will not find very much on this subject. Until recent times it was taboo > just as slavery in the Azores is and as Jewish roots used to be. Times > change, and what might have been an uncomfortable discussion 50 years ago is > now open for discussion. I am waiting for some serious research on slavery in > the Azores. > > What follows is the work done by Eloise for whom I have much admiration and > to whom I owe much for her sharing erudition.: > > Most of us as we research our ancestors will find an exposto or two. It is > indeed miraculous that they were able to survive to adulthood, to marry and > to have children. > Expostos - a translation : A very sad situation. > Eloise Cadinha > (The following is my poor translation/distillation of part of an article > written by Henrique Bras (1884-) in Boletim de Instituto Histórico da Ilha > Terceira, 1947.) > In the last three centuries there is a long list of filhos da igreja > (children of the church), also known at times in baptismal records in the > parish registers of Terceira, as children of unknown fathers and mothers > (filho(a) de pais incógnitos), who were often baptized with the most noble or > notable or the very rich people of Terceira serving as godparents. In more > recent times the number of children secretly abandoned at the rodas (wheels) > had greatly increased, despite the many recently born innocents who died when > abandoned, and the few for whom the fear of discovery, still did not keep > them from being strangled before seeing the light of day. Providing support > for these children who survived became one of the most difficult problems for > the various city halls on the island, demanding a new special tax...which the > people agreed was needed but not without grumbling and finding fault with the > new tax. > > On April 29, 1800, the Conde de Almada, Captain General of the Azores in > Angra, informed an official of the Royal Court that in the last ten years the > Cathedral had annually registered the baptism of an average of 97 expostos > and also registered an average of 83 who had died! And this number was only > of those engeitados (abandoned ones) who had arrived at the Cathedral to be > baptized, those that had been left in the Casa da Roda, and this number was > only for Angra. > The city council continued without resources to provide for these children > and thought about creating a lottery for that purpose. > It needs to be said: with a population of about 10 to 12 thousand people, > there were yearly on an average 97 newborn abandoned children of unknown > parents, legally registered and of which 83 of these died -- naturally by > affectionate handling, sheltered and well wrapped care. > [Translator’s note: the author mentions Carlota, a weaver of Angels, from the > famous novel by Eça de Queiroz. I asked a cousin if he knew of this novel, O > Crime do Padre Amaro, and he said that he had read it long ago, and it was > about a woman who got rid of unwanted infants. She killed them by wrapping > them up and drowning them in the river. She was referred to as something > like the "maker of angels," (tecedeira de anjos) the idea being that she was > creating angels by killing the babies.] > On October 20, 1782, the vicar of the diocese of Angra, Dr. João Vieira de > Bettencourt, commissioned the rector of the Cathedral, Pedro da Cãmara > Merens, to organize a separate book to register the baptisms and deaths of > these abandoned children. > In the year of 1783 there were registered 120 baptisms and 81 deaths of > expostos: > In 1784, 94 baptisms, 73 deaths; > In 1785, 97 baptisms, 86 deaths; > In 1786, 94 baptisms, 105 deaths; > In 1787, 86 baptisms, 100 deaths; > In 1788, 100 baptisms; > In 1789, 95 baptisms. > There were no deaths recorded for the years 1788 and 1789 but resumed again > the following year. One can see that in 10 years the births and deaths of > the foundlings was astounding. > Painful emotions squeeze the soul when one looks through the pages, tiny > tragedies sown through this separate book of the Cathedral. The records > indicate the names of the amas (wet-nurses) nominated by city hall for each > exposto. They were single women, 'loose' women, married women and widows. > In the Casa da Roda...in the city of Angra, there was the rodeiro (the man in > charge of the wheel) who had at least one assistant, in order to rescue > quickly any of the new guests secretly left at the door in the silence of the > night. The newborn was left there, shivering in the cold until the door > providentially was opened. It was rare to announce a visit to the Roda, for > fear of the discovery of the mother’s identity which was of great importance > to the municipality, in order to avoid the expense of providing a wet-nurse > for the child -- and so that justice also intervened. > Sometimes a little one was carried there by a caring person saying he had > found the abandoned child in some hidden place. Thus on 16 September 1782, > Francisco da Silveira, gravedigger of São Pedro, Biscoitos, arrived at the > Roda with a bundle. It was a baby girl who had been placed at the door of > the home of the sexton of the church. She was soon baptized and given the > name Delfina. This man delivered this baby to the Roda knowing that she > would not cost the finder any money for finding the child. He also presumed > that she would be cared for, but this child died and her death was not > recorded in the church register. > The Casa da Roda was next to the residence of the pai dos engeitados (the > father, i.e. guardian, of the abandoned ones) who was a councilman in the > senate of the city hall, and who had the municipal duty to care for the > expostos, and also the responsibility for the place elected by the > municipality for the receiving of these abandoned ones. > This councilman had a most distressful mission. The city did not have money > for the number of abandoned children, growing larger each year, and for the > prompt payment of the wet-nurses, and for this and for other reasons, the > milk from these women was not sufficient to fulfill the need for these > babies. > The expostos arrived at the Casa da Roda and there they waited two to fifteen > days for a wet-nurse. The priest noted the baptism of the children in the > register: baptized in the Casa da Roda, with the name of Francisco, found > very young and had not been given a wet-nurse and he lasted a few days; Jose, > baptized in the Casa da Roda, died without a wet-nurse; Manuel after being > baptized died in the Casa da Roda. > One particularly unhappy exposto to whom the godfather, Cosme de Mascarenhas, > the bell ringer of the Cathedral (this man throughout the years became > godfather to nearly all the newly baptized expostos), gave the name Abraão > (Abraham), and none of the wet-nurses wished to care for him the priest wrote > in the record of baptism (20 March 1783, p19, book number 1). The bell > ringer had discovered that the newly born child was Jewish and had given him > a suitable name. These wet-nurses ... they refused to nurse this newborn > heretic. Sixteen days passed, with Abraham suffering and in pain, until he > finally died. > These death records note the approximate age of the child. These > unfortunate children said farewell to their miserable existence between three > days and three months. Few of the expostos reached the age of 1 year and > very few beyond one year. > The author does not know if the position of the city official in charge of > the wet-nurses was lucrative -- but it was truly an industry. The wet-nurses > naturally came from the poorest sections of the city and outlying areas, but > it was the city that provided most of the wet-nurses. At times it was not > enough and the city had to go to the peasants in villages such as Sao > Bartolomeu and Santa Barbara. It was an industry that had wet-nurses who > could kill off these charges with hideous rapidity. The wet-nurses received > three expostos each year, one following the other after the death of the one > before. > [The author listed three wet-nurses and the infants received. One of them > in 1785 had 5 expostos. Inacio, April 5; Marilia, May 17; Violante, July 22; > Antonio, Aug 20; Mateus, Sept 21.] > This separate book of the expostos from the Cathedral made it easy to study > them. In previous times it was extremely difficult to learn about them > because there were no statistics. But whoever turns the first pages of this > register of the Cathedral rarely turns two pages. > There were many reasons why children were abandoned by their mothers and > fathers. Some of the reasons being: an illegitimate child, extreme poverty > and too many mouths to feed, perhaps the death of the father, or just simply > an unwanted child. > One can research the smaller villages and not find a single exposto in the > baptism records.. At least this has been my experience. In the larger towns > and villages many expostos are found, certainly many abandoned from the > smaller villages. In years of famine more children were left as foundlings. > These abandoned children were left at churches, convents, and at the doors of > many homes. > Many children were left at convents. In many of the convents through Europe > there was what was called the Roda, or the Wheel which in antuality was in > the form of a cylinder. It was a wheel that could spin from the outside of > the building to the inside. Goods or other articles for the convent were > left on the wheel, and usually there was some kind of a bell to let the nuns > know that something had been left on the wheel. In time, desperate mothers > and fathers left their children on the wheel. > In reading some of the exposto baptism records in certain villages, the > priest notes to which mother in the village the child was given. The child > had to have a nursing mother, and usually one can check back and find that > nursing mother in the record. And sometimes the priest noted where the child > had been found. > When an exposto (male) married he already had a surname or perhaps was given > one at the time of the marriage. I wish I knew more about this. As for > surnames of the exposto, they run the gamut from Azevedo to Xavier. As for > the exposta (female) I don’t think she was ever given a surname, or at least > I can’t remember seeing one on her marriage record or on the baptism records > of her children. > Many parents when abandoning their children believed it would only be for a > certain period of time. When the child was left at the convent or at church > or at the doorstep some clues were left so that the parents could later claim > their child. Notes sometimes were left with the name of the child, or > perhaps a certain type of clothing, some colored ribbons or an embroidered > blanket. These were the clues and apparently the church did keep a record of > these identifying clues. > The following comes from a baptism record on Sao Miguel in 1861. A copy of > the record was given to me by a fellow researcher. It touched her heart as > she read it; it also touched mine. > A baby girl had been left at the home of a proprietor. The lady of the house > with her servant took the child to the public roda of the Vila. The child > was number 312. > The baby was dressed in a cotton white shirt, a rose colored dress, with two > ribbons, one white and the other yellow. > In all the baptisms of expostos that I have seen as I researched I never > saw anything such as this. I have often wondered what happened to this > baby. There was no notation in the margin. The baby must have come from a > family of means. > Eloise Cadinha > ______________________________ > The abandoned child brought forth a new statute, that of the Exposto and, > with the foundling emerged the Roda or foundling hospital. In the 16th > century the protection of the foundlings was handed over to the municipal > councils and then to the charity hospitals as soon as they were founded. > Eventually, the children were abandoned at the "Roda dos Expostos” (next to > convents) which reached their peak of operation at the end of the 18th > century. > "The foundling turn box was a revolving mechanism situated vertically at the > main doors of the convents where the children are place and abandoned. Roda > was the name which was commonly given to the institution which took the > foundling into custody. D. Maria I recognized it officially in a > proclamation on 24 May 1783. She decided that in all cities and villages in > the reign there should be a "Casa de Roda," situated in a discreet location, > so those who gave up the children could do it without risk of being > recognized." (Source: Translated by L. Polsky from Atlântico Revista de > Temas Culturais No.20 Winter 1989). > In practical terms, I think that the convents were therefore set up to > receive these expostos better than smaller churches. The women having > unwanted babies in the other parishes would arrange for someone to take the > newborn and put them on the "roda" which is a wheel that spins from outside > to inside a convent. The wheel spins between a wall so you spin the wheel and > what is outside the convent is now inside it and thus these babies enter the > convent. My description is based on what those records say and what I've > heard from others. So I might be a bit off in accuracy, but that's the > general thing. > I just found a better example of the Roda. The revolving door of an Hotel in > which the floor would also go with it. The differences is that the revolving > door is divided in FOUR parts and the Roda only in TWO and about 80 cms high. > Another interesting thing I now recall:. > The mothers or fathers when abandoning a children did have their reasons. > Unwanted pregnancy, an illegitimate child, lack of resources to feed the > child and so on. (How many Portuguese soldiers and sailor died during the > Portuguese age of discoveries leaving their families without resources of any > kind? Portugal at that time had somewhere between 2 and 3 million inhabitants > and at one given time half of the known world was under the Portuguese flag. > It has been a tremendous effort and so no wonder the importance of the > abandoned children and the Kingdom’s protection of them. The strain went to > the point that a saying stated that ALL Portuguese homes had something in > common: either a Sailor, a Widow or a Priest !) > Some abandoned their children believing that the abandonment was temporary, > until conditions improved, or for whatever reason they thought they could > come and claim the child sometime later. So it was a custom to leave > something to identify the child, a medal, a ribbon and sometimes a note > saying the first name of the child. > The Institutions receiving the Expostos kept those identifying materials to > identified the children and to give them back to its family. Most of them > never came for them so, the Institutions kept the identifying material. > The Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa is one of those Institutions and, > by far, has the biggest known collection of those identifying objects and > messages, some centuries old, lovingly guarded in books and boxes, a pungent > collection of souvenirs of unwanted children, or wanted children but > abandoned for lack of whatever reason, that well deserves being seen. > (Luis,C. L. Porto / Portugal) > > > > > > On Saturday, October 5, 2019, 8:37:09 PM EDT, Cheri Mello > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > We know historically that the rodas were to be used for offerings to the > church and that the abandoned babies were left there. > > What about today? Do they use the rodas still for offerings? What does a > woman or young girl do if she cannot provide for her baby today? > Cheri Mello > Listowner, Azores-Gen > Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, > Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada > > > On Thu, Oct 3, 2019 at 3:53 PM Rosemarie Capodicci <[email protected]> wrote: > Well, I just looked for it and didn't find it so I guess it never was there! > I could have sworn that it was on the site but I guess not. > > Rosemarie > [email protected] > Researching Sao Jorge, Terceira, Graciosa, Faial and Pico, Azores, > Isola delle Femmine, Sant' Elia, Sicily > > > On Thu, Oct 3, 2019 at 10:03 AM Cheri Mello <[email protected]> wrote: > Rosemarie, where? I can't find it. Where did you see it? > > I've emailed Eloise asking her permission to have the article posted on the > Azores GenWeb (unless it's already there - as I said, I can't find it.) > Cheri Mello > Listowner, Azores-Gen > Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, > Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada > > > On Thu, Oct 3, 2019 at 7:58 AM Rosemarie Capodicci <[email protected]> wrote: > I think that Eloise's article is on the AzoresGenWeb site here: > http://www.worldgenweb.org/azrwgw/ go and check it out. > > Rosemarie > [email protected] > Researching Sao Jorge, Terceira, Graciosa, Faial and Pico, Azores, > Isola delle Femmine, Sant' Elia, Sicily > > > On Wed, Oct 2, 2019 at 10:10 PM JesseAndDeborah Mendonca > <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Linda, > > I found your cousin Eloise’s work cited as a source on a search, but never > found the actual articles she wrote. If you have copies, may we have access > to them? Will Eloise give us permission? > > Cheri will know if it’s acceptable or not to use her article on this site. > I can help make them into a link if you need help. My email is below. > > Thank you! > > Debbie > jessdebmendonca at gmail. Com > > > > On Wed, Oct 2, 2019 at 4:01 PM Linda Jardin <[email protected]> > wrote: > Eloise Cadinha is my cousin. I have spoken with her regarding this subject > as we have an exposta whom was left at the Matriz Sao Sebastiao. She has > written articles regarding the abandonment of babies. Some of these may still > be available on the internet. I do have copies if anyone is interested. I > also have direct contact with Eloise. She is a lovely lady and sharp as a > tack! > > > > From: 'John Raposo' via Azores Genealogy <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, October 2, 2019 2:13 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Expostos left at the roda of the churches > > > > The towns and cities had Foundling homes, usually convents, but not all > churches in the cities and towns were foundling homes. In the villages, as > can be seen in baptismal records, the foundlings were left either at > somebody's door or in a place where they would likely be found. Eloise > Cadinha studied this situation extensively and I have her notes. > > > > John Miranda Raposo > > > > On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, 3:35:49 PM EDT, Cheri Mello > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > I seem to remember Joao Ventura, the archivist, stating that many babies were > given up at the Matriz churches more so than the smaller parish church. The > information is on the Azores GenWeb (I'm pretty sure). I'll look when I get > home. > > Cheri Mello > Listowner, Azores-Gen > Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, > Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada > > > > > > On Wed, Oct 2, 2019 at 12:32 PM Maria Sousa <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I know this question comes up often and I am familiar with the "roda" and the > "oxpostos". My question is, did every church have the "roda" system or was > it just certain churches? Maybe even each frequesia had a "matrix" church > which had the roda? Does anyone happen to know? > > > > It was very heartbreaking looking for my ancestor in Sao Sebastiao Church in > Ponta Delegada and the amount of expostos that I read was astounding. So > much so that each exposto was given a number. My ancestor happened to be a > number in the 600s. I noticed the number on her marriage certificate and > then was able to match the same number to her birth certificate. Still a > deadend for me, but so heartbreaking to think of the hundreds of people who > were going to this church to hand over a child. I can't image what was going > on in the 1860 to 1890 in that area, that so many were just giving up their > children. > > > > Would love to hear your thoughts. > > > > Maria Sousa > > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAE_yQQVb-5ceuWZAwFr8Cty7bf8p%2B8FWAicc64aWcoANXJ2z9A%40mail.gmail.com. > > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_FL4cXTqmhqg4FJ6ZzXgVSq04dLBtaZZBKCwPWpDgN4yA%40mail.gmail.com. > > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/375168660.1799035.1570050766683%40mail.yahoo.com. > > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/0585C5DE2150594390CFB84053F8E0E50154F729%40ORD2MBX03C.mex05.mlsrvr.com. > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAJ7050sAAPM52A5Nvxdh_WooF12tj6QW8TbWzGupEdaB5qeOLA%40mail.gmail.com. > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKnzR7mAkC7uyDBsvTtXmQGevT2%2BVZ3AvTjgbz%3Dt3q16g25ivQ%40mail.gmail.com. > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_EwZ%2BvSuX7LBpABfFRah1C-douJsDK07N4%2BN5ogDRHywg%40mail.gmail.com. > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKnzR7nCaWuLdzmfmRa7WShLyYNM315mDqGU9qULvgB3FPEtFQ%40mail.gmail.com. > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/CAKUUw_Fr8e-apqi0Dt5zdriGMdWG%2Bc-SDWp%3Drn4xqB1rxvKuZQ%40mail.gmail.com. > -- > 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]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/1178758625.2759315.1570368170315%40mail.yahoo.com. -- 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]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/6DE253F4-0041-4FFC-8CD8-86E5E7300541%40aol.com.
