The Serra Vazquez from Spain (19th century)
*English version of the July Post
By/Owner: serra.lineage@gmail.com
It should be noted that the SERRA family deriving from Joaquin Serra (referred to below), whose origin is estimated in Catalunya, does not come from the line of Jose Maria Serra de Castro in the Dominican Republic who had no descendants and his surname is the product of an error in the records (being his real surname SIERRA of Italy. His father is listed as SIERRA).
The SERRA surname in Catalunya is very common (not all SERRAs are family). For better context, it could be compared with the surname PEREZ in America (for example, in the records of Catalunya you may notice many SERRA Serra, married to a Serra from a different family).
Another similar surname is SERRANO, in Puerto Rico, with its origins in the kingdom of Leon (currently the region of Salamanca, Zamora, Valladolid, Palencia and León in Spain). We have a connection to Matches with the SERRANO last name but it connects to the RODRIGUEZ side of the family and not the SERRA lineage.
*Other Spanish surnames that resemble the last name (surname) SERRA are SERRES, SERRALLONGA, SERRAT, etc., they are surnames from Spain that are not of the same lineage as the surname SERRA and SERRA, at the same time, has several origins hence two SERRAs are not necessarily related.
*We found interesting to note that in some Catalan records SERRA appears as SERRÁ (emphasis in the A). It is inferred that Joaquin was possibly JOAQUÍN SERRÁ, if the records that we understand correspond to him are correct.
Below we provide a breakdown of the information collected to date; consider that until it is verified with documents it is an estimate. That is, at the moment it is where the diligence points us to (this could vary).
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Joaquin Serra. It is estimated that he was born approximately in 1828 in Catalunya, Spain and married Felipa Vázquez around 1854 (estimate). He is presumed to have been a businessman / business owner.
*The place of birth comes from a combination that includes the analysis we have conducted on the DNA of Joaquin’s closest living descendants and the information available so far. Note that this analysis has been performed by people specialized in the area of genealogy and DNA reporting studies, as well as searches of physical records not available online conducted by volunteers in the United States archives.
Felipa Vazquez. She was born approximately in 1830-1834 in Spain. She marries Joaquin and we are not sure if she was his first or second wife. We do not have documentation indicating whether Felipa was a housewife or had a profession.
*We cannot disregard the potential of Felipa being Joaquin’s second wife; In this case, Juan Jose could be their only child. No records of any other SERRA VAZQUEZ have been verified in the territories of Spain in the Americas in the 19th century; if he had siblings there is a high probability that their records are in Spain. In the event that Joaquín and Felipa had several children, it was potentially 5-11 (average at the time) with one of them being Juan Jose Serra Vazquez who was born in Spain, more specifically Catalonia.
*It should be noted that the Sierra Vasquez family of Puerto Rico comes from the surname "Sierra" of Italy and are not related to these SERRA.
*The surname VAZQUEZ was written in the justification record of Juan Jose (1884) with combinations of S and Z. We understand the correct surname is with two z's based on the fact that the surname in Spain only appears as VAZQUEZ coming from Galicia. This led us to conclude that Felipa was potentially originally from Galicia (and/or her parents).
*Resulting from the DNA analysis of a distant cousin, the furthest known document shows that the Vazquez came from Portugal and emigrated to Spain. Some of these Vasquez or Vazquez went to Castile and Leon in the 15th-16th century and some are estimated to have moved to Galicia. We do not rule out the possibility that they emigrated from Portugal to Castile and Leon and then Galicia, where Felipa potentially comes from.
*There is a significant wave of women from Galicia to Catalunya that coincides with the time that we estimate Felipa lived as a result of an economic crisis.
*We have also conducted an in-depth search of the Vazquez families in the Spanish territories in the 19th century, more specifically in Puerto Rico, where vast studies have been carried out and there is a complete tree, as well as detailed books of the descendants. Felipa does not appear in the same and we couldn't find similar names that could potentially be our Felipa; nor are there any variations or people that coincide with the Felipa married to Joaquin referred to herein.
*Likewise, we have reviewed the other family tress coming from the Vásquez line and have not found Felipa or any family member. In fact, thanks to the cross-referencing of information between the DNA companies and Family Search, we are highly certain that Felipa did not leave Spain.
*Both died before 1884 and this date is deduced from the marriage certificate of Juan José in 1887 and the supporting certificate of 1884 cited. The first indicates that his parents had already died and in the second his parents do not appear as witnesses, which is applicable in the case of a late declaration (in this case, at age 29).
*At this time it was very common to obtain false justifying records due to the lack of cross-checking of evident information of the time. That is, it is understood that the 1884 certificate was created for a paperwork need at that time and the lack of records in birth sources (ie. Police, hospitals, churches, etc.) supports this fact. Another important point is to note that Angela's parents, Juan Jose's wife, are listed as his godparents. For example, take note at Angela's mother, María Francisca Rodríguez, as a godparent whowas born in 1850 and Juan José in 1855.
**We have been in the process of reviewing Spanish records since 2015, including all towns in Catalunya. We will also start from the records in Galicia for potential references of Felipa.
*Note that we have reviewed the civil, police, hospital, slave, personal or family records and related records regarding the birth, baptism, confirmation, marriage and death in the Spanish territories of the family, as well as newspapers, literature (from the 15th century to XX) regarding Joaquin, Felipa, Juan Jose and possible siblings, cousins and relatives. There is no documentation except what is mentioned herein.
Juan Jose. He was born the 24 of june of 1855, in Spain, supposedly Barcelona, Catalonia; however, therei s a record in Ponce that he sought at the age of 29 stating he was born in Ponce. It is possible he wasn't born in Puerto Rico, but we are certin that he lived there. He died the 10 of October of 1945 in the Dominican Republic.
*Under the premise that he was born in Barcelona, it is understood that Juan Jose went to Puerto Rico at approximately the age of 25-29, possibly alone and his siblings (if any) and parents stayed in Spain as was the custom at the time. The eldest son (the heir) never went, the youngest or the 5th son usually went. Note that there is no record of him in Puerto Rico or the other Spanish territories from the time prior to 1884.
*According to our research, it was very common at that time, after a fire in Ponce, for the Spaniards to create documents indicating that they were born in Puerto Rico to avoid reprisals from the rebels during the uprisings of the time.
*We understand that he went to Puerto Rico with a marriage and work arrangement between 1880-1884 (Catalan wave to Puerto Rico) and decided to emigrate to the Dominican Republic with his wife and children in 1912.
*It is important to note that there are records of people allied to the Spanish crown and the rebels and no Serra Vazquez appears in them. Nor in the publications of the time where the Spaniards in charge of neighborhoods and information relevant to the war were indicated.
*The Catalans who emigrated to the Spanish territories went with everything prepared and to work in the family business or a close friend.
*They departed from the port in Barcelona and the main destination was Puerto Rico.
He married Angela Maria Eulalia Rodriguez (daughter of María Francisca Rodríguez) on July 30, 1887.
*Angela, according to the information derived from the due diligence, was born in Puerto Rico (as was her mother), her father being a journalist who did not recognize her and, therefore, her mother, Maria Francisca Rodriguez, registered her in the Dominican Republic. Later documents (travels) indicate her place of origin as Puerto Rico.
*Despite being Spanish by origin, having been born in Spanish territory, she married a Spaniard. Her nationality is not disputed. Her birth registration in the Dominican Republic is incorrect.
*Most of his children were born in Puerto Rico, including Elio Euripides Serra Rodriguez who was born Spanish during the transitional process after Spain's war with the United States. Juan Jose and Angela lived in Puerto Rico in 1909 and settled permanently in the Dominican Republic in 1912 when they baptized several of their children that same year.
*Their nationality is not in dispute since US citizenship for those born in Puerto Rico was acquired in 1917 when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shaforth Act; Elio was born in 1909. Likewise, for a citizen of Spanish origin to acquire US nationality, he had to do so officially by signing a contract and formal waiver and/or naturalization process.
*It should be noted that in the records of Puerto Rico, other children of Juan José and Ángela are found as “born in Ponce”, “Spanish” and “natural of Ponce” in birth and marriage records of their immediate descendants as well as in travel documents.
*According to the research we have carried out with historians, government institutions, and historical archives in Puerto Rico, these civil and airport or travel records required prior registration, so the probability that they are incorrect is very low. They told us that the only way for something incorrect to be registered is because they come from another country with an irregular identification document being the only possible reference at the moment.
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About the Due Diligence
The research began in 2007 formally under the format of a project referred to as SerraRD or FAMILIA SERRA, started by a great-granddaughter of Juan Jose Serra Vazquez with the support of professionals in different areas such as genealogists, historians, genetic cousins, etc. Over the years we have obtained help from people who have more than 40 years of experience in the area, as well as interviewed key people in important organizations worldwide and carried out site verifications. That is, the information included here has been purified, verified and analyzed correctly.
However, the process of forming a tree doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and dedication, and many times the documentation varies when the original documents are found. For example, a document in Puerto Rico is a guide to get to Spain and, as the documents in Spain are older and there was greater control of the information, these documents from Spain will corroborate or deny the information we obtain in Puerto Rico; As a precautionary measure and integrity of the work, it will not be until the documents are located in Spain that we will be able to corroborate our results and present them as final.
For this reason, we ask the public for help to contribute what they deem appropriate and complementary to our search. Below we detail what we need.
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People, information and documents that we are looking for to follow the tree:
>>>Any Serra Vazquez child (if any) in Puerto Rico or Spain.
>>>Any family member of Joaquín or Felipa who has emigrated to Puerto Rico or has stayed in Spain.
>>>Any documentation of Joaquín or Felipa (or their family and friends) regarding their birth,
residence/movements, business, marriage, death records and documents of any kind in Puerto Rico or Spain.
>>>Any documentation of movements, records, employment or businesses of Juan Jose and/or any brother, cousin, family member in Puerto Rico or Spain.
>>>Any documentation of residence, birth and movements of the children of Juan Jose Serra Vázquez and Angela in Puerto Rico or Spain.
>>>Any documentation of residence, birth and movements of Angela and/or her family members in Puerto Rico or Spain.
>>>DNA results or kit (invitation to view the tree) of your Serra family. Note that the results of descendants who are great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren onwards will not be useful to us as they are very diluted. If possible, from generations born in the 1920s and prior.
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fyi: Jose Maria Serra De Castro's information comes from an interview with genealogists specialized in the Trinitaria branch in 2011 and information available to the public.
We reiterate that this information is the product of years of online search, interviews with historians, genealogists, consultation of archives, books, records, newspapers, DNA analysis, etc., (worldwide) however, if a family member or third party has different or new information or documentation /additional, please send it to the email (or direct message via social media) indicated below.
**Note: Until the records of the online platforms are updated, we can confirm that we have already exhausted everything online and in the civil and parish registries, newspapers, platforms, etc. in the Spanish territories in America from the discovery to date. Please do not send information taken from this blog.
**It is important to keep in mind that the fact that a document indicates something does not mean that it is correct (research must be done to confirm or discard the information) since some have been based on documents with errors or information added incorrectly. (as is the case Juan Jose's Justification Act of Juan Jose's of 1884) or false and Elio's death certificate with an incorrect nationality. For this reason, we require that you send us the information to properly review it.
*Completing the tree means reaching the furthest available documentation of the family and/or connections to the 11th century.
Because this work has been done by a great-granddaughter of Juan Jose's on her own, that includes physical and online searches of documents and tree / DNA match analysis, etc., with the help of genealogists, distant relatives through DNA Match, your help is essential to be able to continue with the progress. Please note that when this article refers to "we", "us", it is indicating assistance provided by third parties, which could include you.
The purpose is to reach as far as possible in this Serra branch and get the family's information and documents in order to complete the tree.
No information will be considered definitive until the tree is completed after the research and due diligence have been completed.
We hope to be able to count on your support.
To contact us:
Email: serra.lineage@gmail.com
Warning: This information is the result of approximately 16 years of research and is the property of the owner. Please cite the work correctly and only if you have contacted the previous email and obtained proper authorization. The work continues so it could change at any time.
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