Muniz Family in Donora, PA

[David Alvarez]

My maternal grandparents, Casimiro and Delfina Muniz lived in Donora in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They previously lived in Cherryvale, KS. In Donora they owned a bar/grill which may have been called the Spanish Bar or Spanish Cafe. Their daughters were named Alicia and Maria. Maria married Joseph Fornaciari and Alicia married Julio Alvarez (son of Jose and Trinidad Alvarez of Cherryvale, Canton, OH, and East St. Louis, IL). In 1943 or 1944 the family moved to San Diego, CA. In Spain both the Alvarez and Muniz sides of the family came from around Aviles and I believe Casimiro owned a house in Bango. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with a memory of these names, the Spanish Bar, or of Spanish life in Donora.

David Alvarez

[Art]

Welcome, David!

If you do a search in the forum on "donora", you'll find that some of the members have strong connections with Donora. You might want to use the email button (under each message) to contact authors who seem to know something about Donora.

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¡Bienvenido, David!

Si haces una busqueda en el foro sobre "donora", encontrarás que algunos de los socios tenian lazos íntimos con Donora. Querrías usar el botón correo (abajo de cada mensaje) para contactar a los escritores quienes saben algo de Donora.

[Sonia Garcia Mandzok]

David,

I lived in Donora and know a Muniz family, but I am not sure if they are the same family. I grew up with Joe Muniz but I can't remember his parent's names. Hopefully I will see him this August when I return there for a week. I will check with him or others in the Spanish community that still live there. There was a Spanish Grill in Donora, but when I was growing up, I don't believe it was owned by the Muniz family. I believe it was owned by Manuel Garcia (no relation to me) and Gus the Greek. I also know several Alvarez families. You can email me if you'd like for further info. I will be out of town from 6/23 to 6/27.

Sonia Garcia-Mandzok

[RichardandCrystal]

My name is Richard Arden, I was born Richard Alvarez. My grandparents are from Donora, Joseph Alvarez and Amor Rodriguez. My grandfather's family started out in Cherryvale as well. My grandmother's family moved to Donora from West Virginia. I recently went to Donora to look into my family's history a little. My great grandfather (pork-chops) used to run the Spanish club in Donora, I stopped in there for a bit and found out a lot of neat things about my grandparents. I even ran into my Granmother's cousin, Ping. He showed me around town and was very hospitable. Anyhow, I guess my grandfather,Joe, had the nickname Kans. His brother Manuel lives in California now, and his sister Maria just passed away, she had still lived in Donora. My Grandmother has a brother named Jessie who live in Philly., and a sister named Freida who is living in Columbus, Oh. I am posting this for them to see if anyone they may know is posting on here.

[ramona]

My name is Richard Arden, I was born Richard Alvarez. My grandparents are from Donora, Joseph Alvarez and Amor Rodriguez. My grandfather's family started out in Cherryvale as well. My grandmother's family moved to Donora from West Virginia. I recently went to Donora to look into my family's history a little. My great grandfather (pork-chops) used to run the Spanish club in Donora, I stopped in there for a bit and found out a lot of neat things about my grandparents. I even ran into my Granmother's cousin, Ping. He showed me around town and was very hospitable. Anyhow, I guess my grandfather,Joe, had the nickname Kans. His brother Manuel lives in California now, and his sister Maria just passed away, she had still lived in Donora. My Grandmother has a brother named Jessie who live in Philly., and a sister named Freida who is living in Columbus, Oh. I am posting this for them to see if anyone they may know is posting on here.

I am from Donora and know of your family. I also found a post from your grandfather Kans. My mother and dad were the best man and maid of honor for his wedding. Your grandfather was also the best man for my parents' wedding. I have replied to his post hoping to hear from him. As I told your grandfather, I met Jessie in Asturias in 1978. I also know Ping very well. It's great to find family members of Donora families.