Azores Portugal - Bernard, de Almeida, Alvares,

[anitawanita]

Hello,

I need some help looking for the siblings of my GG Grandfather - Manuel Jose Bernard.
Otherwise known as

JOSE BERNARDO DE ALMEIDA, b. 13 Mar 1841, Ponta Delgada, Santa Cruz das
Flores.

His Father: Manuel Bernardo DE ALMEIDA - born 28 Feb 1809 in Ponta Delgada , Santa Cruz das Flores.

His Mother:Teresa Candida Georgina ALVARES - born 18 Aug 1836 in Ponta Delgada Santa Cruz das Flores.

I have the family tree for Manuel which goes back hundreds of years in the Azores Islands.

The only thing I am missing is the names of his siblings and where they ended up. I believe Manuel kept in contact but sadly these letters were destroyed   

Manuel joined a whaling ship at approx 14yrs and abandoned ship in New Zealand many years later - where he settled and married Ann Eliza Rayner, the daughter of English pioneers.


I have posted on a few Azores related websites, with no luck so far...


Cheers,
Anita 

[Dave Edwards]

Ola - I'm a great great grandson of Manuel Bernard and Eliza Rayner. I'd be interested in any information about their lives and how Manuel ended up in New Zealand ... I saw on another site he was supposed to have had brother who emigrated to Buenos Aires, but no name given.  Not sure if that's enough of a lead to go on?

[anitawanita]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your message, I've been thinking about the Azores connection this week so it was timely!

Are you the Grandson of Ida Myrtle? Her younger cousin Lebenna (Pat) is my Grandmother.

Have gathered a fair bit of information over the years, happy to share it with you. I think if you make a few more posts then you are able to use the private message function and we can swap email addresses there.

Cheers,
Anita

[Dave Edwards]

Thanks Anita, yes that's right. So your grandmother has the same name as Ida's mother (Manuel's daughter)?

[anitawanita]

Hi Dave,

Yes my Grandmother was named after her Aunt LeBanna  LeBanna was the eldest sister to my Great Grandmother Ileen, who married Clement Aislabie.

I vaguely remember Grandma talking about 'Cousin Myrtle' - she may have known your Grandmother by that name.

We met a Cousin from your branch of the family last year, Karen who is descended from LeBanna's son Arthur Harris, do you know Karen?

I visited the Azores a few years ago and managed to get to Manuel's island - Flores, lovely spot!

A tree was compiled for us by a very helpful genealogist. Looks like Manuel had one brother (Antonio) who passed away (aged 40) in the Azores in 1879 and three other siblings who passed away as infants (Jose, Jose and Maria).

Manuel's father (Manuel Bernardo de Almeida) died the year he was born (1841) and his mother (Teresa Candida Georgina Alvares) died when he was about 3yrs. We think the Lebenna/LeBanna name might have been from Manuel's maternal Aunt Libania who may have cared for the boys when their parents died. Teresa was obviously a family name too..

Manuel took his father's name, Bernado (Bernard) so that's why we hadn't been able to trace the family tree prior to that discovery.

[Crispin Bernard]

Hi Anita
I am the youngest of five great grand children of Manuel Bernard & Ann Eliza Rayner and am interested in any information regards our family that you might be happy to pass on. My father who is 87 years old is Francis Rayner Bernard (Known by his second name as Ray or Rayner Bernard) and is likely able to answer some questions from this end of things as well. He is retired in Tauranga these days. His dad Manuel Bernard(Junior) started off as a printer I believe in Wellington for 10 years before going farming in Raetihi up the Ruatiti valley, alongside his brother Lou Bernard.
Regards
Crispin Bernard