The Jorges
A family tablecloth
My Family's Immigration
from Portugal
by Matt Jorge
6/5/97
My ancestors on my father's mother's side arrived from Portugal around the turn of the century. My great-grandfather's name was Manuel Medeiros. He was born in Saint Michael. He met and married Maria Esterio (my great grandmother) while he was a farmer in Portugal. They settled in Fall River, Massachusetts and farmed their land, raised their animals, grew their own food, and raised their eleven children. They had ten girls and one boy.
My Vovoa (grandmother), Florence Medeiros, met and married my Vovoo (grandfather), Charles Jorge, even though their families didn't like it because they were from different islands. My Vovoo's family was from Madeira.
My Vovoa worked in the mills as a stitcher until she retired. My Vovoo also worked in the mills and had a farm that he ran with the help of my mom and dad. They had six children, three boys and three girls. My Vovoo's parents were Manuel Jorge and Maris Esterio. They came to the United States and settled in Fairhaven and later moved to Dartmouth where they also farmed their land. My great grandfather also worked in the mills while my great grandmother took care of the farm and their thirteen children. When my great grandfather came home after working in the mills, he would take over the farm chores. They all were very hard workers.
My ancestors on my mother's father's side also came from Portugal. They came from the Azores. My great grandfather met my great grandmother after arriving from Portugal. She lived in New York, and he lived in Rhode Island. They married and settled in Dartmouth. My great grandfather was a longshoreman and my great grandmother ran their farm, dealt in antiques and raised their four children, three boys and one girl. They were Manuel Pacheco and Mary Medeiros.
My grandfather worked in the mills and helped his mother run her farm until her death. He continued to work until his retirement and then worked part-time as caretaker at a golf course. He had met and married a woman who was not of Portuguese decent. She was not easily accepted by his family and never by his mother. She wanted her son (Jesse Pacheco) to marry someone who was Portuguese. My grandmother was Native American and English. They had one girl and one boy.
I come from a long line of hard-working, dedicated people who were very good at farming the land and were proud to be in this country.