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Here is a bit of the history of ancestors who emmigrated to New England,
California, and many other places in USA from the Azores. DeRoza (Rose) was
one of the surnames whose origins are back thrugh souther
Netherlands/Flanders.
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Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:55:02 -0800
From: Martin Verhaegh <verhaegh(a)thegrid.net>
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Subject: [PORTUGAL-L] Azores
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The Azores islands were discovered on 14 August 1432 by Goncalo Velho.
This date was obtained from a Portuguese royal letter dated 2 July 1439.
Henry of Portugal had royal licence to populate the islands. Frei
Goncalo Velho was one of the 69 knights of Henry's military-ecclesiastic
Order of Christ, and received orders from Henry to establish settlements
in the Azores islands. He thus brought together settlers from the
continent and Madeira, and foreigners from Spain, England, The Southern
Netherland, Genoa and Normandy. Duke Philip of Burgundy and his wife
Isabel, a sister of Henry of Portugal, sent settlers from the the
Southern Netherlands. This in punishment for the uprisings against
Philip in not defending the population against the raids of the English
Duke of Gloucester in 1436. But about 1438, Isabel also requested Henry
to find suitable employment for a bevy of some 30 bastard sons of her
husband and his father, John the Fearles, many of them living in the
Ducal Court.
One of them selected was Willem van der Hagen, a grandson of John the
Fearles. With others he entered Henry of Portugal's household and became
one of his trusted lieutenants. Willem van der Hagen was the first to
transport Flemish settlers to the Azores to supplement the activities of
Goncalo Velho. Van der Hagen's story illustrates the mode of Southern
Netherlands expatriation and the manner in which foreigners merged into
Portuguese culture. Willem was born in Bruges, and was married to
Margarida of Savoy.
Willem landed his settlers on the north coast of Terceira in the area
known as Quatro Ribeiras. He built the first church or chapel on the
island, devoted to Saint Beatrice. After 1450 van der Hagen returned to
The Southern Netherlands and brought back new settlers. He then moved
onto the island of Faial near a location now called Praia do Norte. In
1642, Maria de Vilhena asked captain van der Hagen to take settlers to
her island Corvo. Once again Willem returned to The Southern Netherlands
and brought new settlers whom he settled on Flores, not Corvo. On Flores
he built several houses near a creek which he named Santa Cruz. This was
his residence for the next seven years. At that time he took new
settlers to the island of Sao Jorge, where he founded the town of Topo
on the south eastern end of the island. He built a church devoted to Our
Lady of the Rosary, and changed his name to Guilherme da Silveira, the
Portuguese equivalent of his Flemish name. He remained there for the
rest of his life, and Silveira's children married into well-to-do
Azorean families. Manuel Jose de Arriga Brum da Silveira, the first
president of the Portuguese Republic was one of his descendants. And so
was Milton Silveira who served as chief engineer for NASA. Antonio, son
of Willem van der Bruyn (Guilherme de Brum) the rich urzela and pastel
trader, married Barbara da Silveira the granddaughter of Guilherme da
Silveira. My thanks to James Guill, the author of "A history of the
Azores Islands", which book presents more information on the former
Willem van der Hagen.
To all the Silveiras and other Netherlandic descendants out there, what
we have here is just the kernel of the story on your origens in The
Southern Netherlands. Anybody who would like to dig further with another
namesake researcher, please post your info.
Thank you, Martin Verhaegh
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