A date with history

In 2015 I started to plan a trip to the US but it didn’t come together well, so in the end I decided to go to New Zealand for 10 days.

When I started considering a trip this year around the International Focusing Conference in the UK in July and then attending the Focusing Institute Summer School in Joshua Tree in California, I roughly plotted where I could go in the 4 weeks between the two events.

After spending a couple of hours thinking this through, I sat back and sensed how I felt about this trip. Pretty meh actually.

So I asked myself, “If I could go anywhere in the world, where would I go?”

Almost immediately I knew that I wanted to go to Cape Verde. Quickly the plan formed to include Jamaica and see what I can find about my ancestors. Of course I’d pick a journey that really covers some ground (and air) and not so neatly circumnavigates the globe. Over 5 weeks I’ll be travelling over 50,000 km.

I’ll be spending time in Cape Verde and Jamaica trying to understand what life was like there when my ancestors were born and grew up. As I prepare to depart, I’ve gathered what photos we have, in case they help me at all in trying to get a clearer picture.

Thomas Bennett came to Australia from Jamaica c 1854. He was born towards the end of the slave era c 1828. Based on some information we have, Thomas was of mixed race. I don’t have any photos of Thomas.

Antonio Albress was born on Boa Vista, Cape Verde c 1841-1847. We have such a large window when he was born because with 10 children, his wedding and death certificate, there is a lot of paperwork with his age through time, but none say Date of Birth. Obviously some of the information on certificates is incorrect (he was the same age on the birth certificates of two daughters born two years apart). He came to Australia c 1867.

It is unclear if Antonio is of mixed race. Cape Verde was a Portuguese outpost until 1975. It was a vital stopping place during the slave trading era.

It would seem that Antonio and Thomas worked either together or in the same area. Antonio married Thomas’ third daughter Maria and they had 10 children: Rachel, Thomas, Pantaleon, Cecelia, Maria, Saraphina, Juelo, Louis, John and William.

My great grandmother was Cecilia.

Below, left to right: Rachel, Saraphina, Maria (mother), Cecelia, Maria

Cecelia married William Medley 9 June 1905

Left to right: Thomas Albress, William Medley, Rachel Albress, Cecelia and Antonio Albress.

This is the only photo we have of Antonio.

The date of the images of Maria in what looks like mourning attire is not known. Antonio died August 1909 and Maria remarried by the end of November 1909. This was fairly normal for that time, particularly as the 3 youngest boys were aged 12-16. More research is required to determine if she is in mourning for Antonio or her second husband. Maria lived until 1930. [A cousin contacted me after reading this blog and advised that the black clothes wasn’t for a husband as she was not living with Antonio when he died and the second husband ran off with another woman. I don’t have any proof of this.]

Left to right: Juelo, John and Louis. Interestingly, these 3 men lived the longest of the siblings.

Saraphina died 1915, Thomas in 1917, Cecelia in 1919 and Rachel in 1920. Another 20 years would pass before Pantaleon died at the age of 57.

I’m not sure which brother is in the left of the photo, but I’m sure that Louis is seated at the piano. Not sure what Bronzetti’s is. It was the name of a horse that won the Caulfield Cup in 1917, but I’m guessing that isn’t what this sign is about.

Louis (above) lived quite an interesting life, working on the Melbourne docks where he stood on a narrow plank strung high above the cargo hold of ships to guide the winch driver. During sheering season he’d head off to that, returning to the docks when sheering ended. His story is told in the book “Under the Hook; Melbourne Waterside Workers 1900-1980”

Wow, Google really is your friend. I was searching for the book to get the correct title and found the recordings done with Lou in 1979 on Trove. I’ve bookmarked that to listen to later.