Catherine Nescior was born in what is now Jaroslaw, Poland on 24 Oct 1896. At the time, the city was within the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, a crownland of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She, along with hundreds of thousands of other Galicians – ethnic Poles, Ukrainians, Germans and Jews – emigrated from the region due to the extreme and widespread rural poverty. Catherine and at least two of her cousins left the region arriving in the United States in May 1912 on the SS Kroonland out of Antwerp. I’ve tried to capture here what I know of Catherine’s story. Do you know part of it? Notice something here that needs correcting? Please contact me – I’d love to hear from you.
Catherine worked as an indentured servant in Amherst for about five years to pay for her transport to the US. After repaying her transport, she moved to Chicopee, Massachusetts to take a job in the mills as they were hiring at the time. She met Joseph at the textile mill where they were both employed.
Joseph was born on the island of Brava, Cape Verde in Santa Barbara, Sao Jao Baptista. Brava is the smallest inhabited island in the Cape Verde archipelago. It was first settled in the early 16th century, but it’s population grew significantly after Mount Fogo, on the neighboring island of Fogo, erupted in 1680.
Images from Joseph Barboza’s birthplace on Brava 
Above are photographs of the family home on Cape Verde taken by Anna Lima. She’s my second cousin, 2x removed. Be sure to visit her site for MUCH more information about the history and culture of the Cape Verde Islands and to connect to our extended family. At the time of Joseph’s birth, this home would have been considered a mansion and one of the largest on the island. It had two floors and there is still a working well on the property.
- Links:
- Parents and siblings of Joseph Perry Barboza
- Parents and siblings of Catherine Nescior
- Children of Joseph and Catherine
- Photographs of Joseph, Catherine and their children and grandchildren
- Letters and documents