Greetings from sunny Miami: Jorge Rodriguez

[JIRodrig]

My name is Jorge Rodriguez. I am a 29 year old Asturian-Cuban-American from Miami. A few years ago I got into researching my family history. I got into it with the help of my dad's first cousin who lived in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately he passed away last year and I have become the official family historian. We are about 40-50 living relatives in total. That includes grandparents, granduncles & aunts, cousins, brothers, nieces and nephews, etc.... My family tree looks like the Nile River delta Just to give you a thought...think about us getting together on Noche Buena.

Well, here's my story...at least the Asturian side...the rest is too long:
My great-grandparents were Tomas and Josefa Rodriguez of Cangas de Onis in Asturias. They emigrated to Guanabacoa, Cuba around the turn of the century. Why...well they were cousins. OH THE SCANDAL that apparently formed. According to history my great-great-grandfather, Tomas' father, was livid and I guess disinherited him for marrying a relative. So Tomas and Josefa packed up and as a Jimmy Buffett lyric states, "Hopped on a freighter skidded the ocean, and left England without a sound." Well they actually left Spain and I imagine it was on a steamer. In Cuba, they had, I think, 5 children. Only 2 survived until adulthood, my grandfather Ramon Lorenzo Rodriguez (9/5/1908-4/20/1962) and his sister Marina. Tomas was a successful businessman. He owned several interests in real estate and he opened the Louvre Bakery in Guanabacoa in the 1910's or 20's, which is still open to this day, though it has gone through many owners. He sold it after a few years. His life was cut short in the 1920's when he died of a heart attack while in his 40's.

My grandfather married my grandmother Herminia Cipriana Lagoria (9/28/1912) on July 6, 1934 in Guanabacoa. She's going to be 92 this September 28th...the matriarch of the family. They only had one son, my dad Sergio Max Rodriguez (8/21/1935).

My dad married my mom Mirta Zoa Rodriguez (7/5/1936) on December 19, 1959 in Guanabacoa. Their first son was my brother Sergio, Jr. born 1/14/1961 also in Guanabacoa.

Then the almighty a-hole came into power in Cuba, Fidel Castro. My grandfather decided that he was not going to live under Commie rule and he, my grandmother, parents and infant brother came to Miami in August of 1961. Unfortunately it seems exile killed my grandfather. He died of a heart attack in April of 1962.

Through the following years my father finished medical school and became a well-respected doctor in Miami. My parents had 2 more sons in 1963 and 1967, my brothers Juan and Javier. In 1975 yours truly came into the world...apparently the product of a second honeymoon trip to where else...Spain.

[Art]

Welcome, Jorge! That's an amazing story.

I'm betting that many of us have Cuban connections. Many in my mom's family went to Cuba, worked for a while and then returned to Spain with their earnings.

It's hard to imagine today that Cuba was where Spaniards could go to find work or start a business--and make a good income. Well, everything changes, and Cuba will be no exception.

I wish we could all get over what has happened there and normalize relations with Cuba. Maybe with the next generation that will be possible.

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¡Bienvenido, Jorge! Es una historia increíble.

Adivino que muchos de nosotros tienen conexiones cubanas. Muchos en la familia de mi madre fueron a Cuba, trabajaron un ratito y luego volvieran a España con sus ingresos.

Es difícil de imaginar hoy que Cuba era el destino donde los españoles podrían ir a encontrar trabajo o comenzar un negocio - y hacer un ingreso muy bueno. Bueno, todo se cambia, y Cuba no será ninguna excepción.

Lamento que no terminemos con la obsesión sobre lo que ha pasado allí y normalize relaciones con Cuba. Tal vez con la siguiente generación sea posible.

[el californiano]

Hello Jorge,

Very interesting story. My grandparents actually left Asturias (Infiesto-Pintueles) in the late 1920's for Tampa. Though they wound up in Cuba and my Father, aunts and uncle were born there. Once the devolution came they all left. In Cuba until the Castro regime (and after politically to certain extent) there had been strong cultural ties to Spain due to a strong immigration from Asturias, Galicia and Canarias.