Asturian-American Migration Forum

From the Parish San Martín de Lastra - Castrillón, there are baptism books since 1685, marriage books since 1685, deceased books since 1685. In 2001, they were in the parish, but today, perhaps, they can be in Diocesan Archive of Oviedo, this Archive is closed in August and September.
In Aviles, there are several parish, and the books.

Mindi, in Spain, the first surname is of the father and second surname is of the mother, and the wife doesn't lose her surname. It is also true that since year 2000, an individual can choose to use their mother's surname first and father's surname second. [Edited by Art for clarity.]
Example: Ángel Fernández González, son of Gabriel Fernández and Manuela González.

In this video, you can watch, Castrillón and Avilés, 2:10 until 22:30, I am sorry, it is in Spanish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztydTX4F8Lk

I apologize by my English, I don't speak English.

Hi, JASM, that's helpful. What do you mean with this sentence?

JASM wrote:It is true that since year 2000, mother's surname in first place.

If you write it in Spanish one of us will translate it for you.

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Hola, JASM, el mensaje es útil. ¿Qué quieres decir con esta frase?

JASM wrote:It is true that since year 2000, mother's surname in first place.

Si lo escribes en castellano, uno de los miembros lo traducirá.

Desde el año 2000, en España se puede intercambiar los apellidos, en vez de primero el del padre y después el de la madre, se puede hacer al revés
http://www.elmundo.es/sociedad/2017/05/ ... b476a.html

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In Spain, since the year 2000, you can reverse your two surnames. Instead of the father's surname first and then the mother's, you can reverse them.

Translator's note: A child could be registered as Miguel Fernández Inclan (with the father's surname first) or Miguel Inclán Fernández (with the mother's surname first).

Thanks, JASM, I've edited the original post to make that clearer.

A friend has swapped the order of his surnames so that his mother's surname is first because it's less common and that makes it easier to identify him.

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Gracias, JASM, he editado el mensaje original para que quede más claro.

Sí, un amigo cambió el orden de los apellidos para que el apellido de su madre está primero porque es menos común, Ahora es más fácil identificarle.

The books of Parish of San Martín de Laspra - Castrillón, are in the Diocesan Archive of Oviedo. There are
Baptized: 1685-1753, 1712-19, 1753-97, 1797-1820, 1820-37, 1837-60, 1852-60, 1861-77, 1877-83, 1884-94, 1895-1903, 1904-15
Married: 1685-1754, 1755-1838, 1838-1884, 1850-60, 1884-98, 1899-1908, 1908-20
Deceased: 1685-1760, 1751-1860, 1852-60, 1861-94, 1895-1907

One month ago, I lived out my dream of visiting our ancestral homeland of Asturias! Thank you to everyone that contributes to this forum. Your advice and information was extremely helpful in planning this exciting trip. From the moment we arrived in Asturias, it felt so familiar…almost like coming home. There is so much I could say, but here’s an overview:

My stepfather, mother and I began in the charming and very clean city of Oviedo. The Cathedral was spectacular and the Sudarium was on display in the Holy Chamber. What an awe inspiring experience! We went to Mt Naranco and saw the churches of San Miguel de Lilo and Santa Maria. We tasted our first Sidra Asturiana on Gastona Street, enjoyed the statues all over the city and parks, heard our first Gaita band outside the Cathedral following a wedding, listened to a guitarist on the streets, and ate the best Paella at Bodega Estrella Galicia.

A tour guide drove us to the Picos de Europa where we watched the sun rise over the mountains and the lakes of Enol and Ercina. The landscape combined with the sounds of cowbells ringing through the air was pure tranquility. We drove to Covadonga to see the Basilica and the Holy Chapel in the cave. Preparations were underway for a week long celebration of the Virgin. There we learned about the hero, Pelayo, who defeated the Moors from conquering Asturias. Many people joked that Asturianos are the only true Spainards! Next, we stopped by Cangas de Onis to see the bridge of the River Sella, then we drove to Quesaria Vega de Torin and had a wonderful tour from a sixth generation Cabrales cheese maker. It was delicious!

In Aviles, we stayed in the lovely Apartamentos Entrepalacios on Calle La Fruta just off Plaza de Espana where we savored every bite of our tortilla Espanol at Uxia Café. The apartment manager Alba took great care of us and was most helpful and kind. We walked the gorgeous tiled streets of La Farreria and Galiana, watched the Magpie birds (Pica Pica) in Ferrera Park, ate the most delicious food at Tataguyo in Carbayedo Square, saw the Los Canos de San Francisos Fountains, visited the Franciscans church (oldest building in Aviles) with a beautiful statue of the Holy Virgin, and we walked the colored bridge to the Oscar Neimeyer cultural center, but unfortunately didn’t have time to visit.

We met with a distant cousin in Piedras Blancas/San Martin de Laspra where my great great grandparents were from. She took us on a personal tour through the church where all of my ancestors would have been baptized and married. We walked through the cemetery admiring the beauty of those sacred grounds. The whole experience brought my mother and I to tears. We also enjoyed a giant plate of churros and hot chocolate! What a truly special day that was.

We took a tour (in Spanish) of the mines at Arnao where my ancestors would have worked. It was unbelievable to see the conditions the miners had to work in. I was disappointed that there was nothing in English and also no mention of the surge of emigrants to the U.S. that went to work in the Zinc mills. In fact, most people we talked to thought the emigrants only went to Mexico, Cuba, or South America. I hope to see some changes there in the future. Maybe something Luis Arego and James Fernandez can help with??

From there we went to the beach of Salinas and walked the open air museum of Anclas Phillippe Cousteau and saw the handsome bust of Phillippe Cousteau situated on the rocky cliffs. We rented a car and continued onto Gijon for a quick walk on the promenade to see the haunting, yet powerful statue of Madre de Emigrantes. We made our way down the coast stopping at the coastal towns of Luanco and Ribadesella before making our way to the town of Llanes.

In Llanes, we stayed at hotel Miraolas next to the fishing harbor and across from the Cubes of Memory. Everything was within walking distance. The beauty of Playa de Toro just took my breath away. We went at such a good time, most of the beaches were deserted. The town was busy preparing for the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Guia. The locals were getting their hair done and being fitted for their traditional costumes. On the night of September 7th, the procession began as people lined the streets hoping to glance the patron saint being carried from the Chapel to the Basillica, accompanied by women wearing traditional Spanish mantillas. Young men carried pyramids of bread and flowers. Flower petals were thrown from the windows as they passed. The following day is the procession that takes the Virgen back to her shrine. The regional folk music, Bando de Gaita, tambourines, drums, and song of “Los Nardos” filled every corner of Llanes. Town residents dressed in provincial costumes to participate in the parade that seems to go on and on for miles. It was such a joy and privilege to be present for that Fiesta! On the morning we left Llanes, my mother and I walked Paseo de San Pedro to watch the sunrise at Punta del Gurunu. A perfect ending to our unforgettable trip.

Well, this is a wonderful story, Mindi! It sounds like you had a marvelous time in Asturias and saw many of the most popular sights. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I was charmed by your statement, "From the moment we arrived in Asturias, it felt so familiar…almost like coming home." I think a lot of us have had similar sensations. I often wondered if my own feeling of being at home was partly that I wasn't working in Asturias but taking classes or visiting family. I sometimes experience that on vacations state-side, too. But I think there's another component to it that makes Asturias especially attractive: the social patterns. I was chatting with an Asturian cousin the other day and mentioned that I feel more social and more alive in Asturias. He agreed. He is temporarily living in the south of Spain and really misses the kind of social connections he has in Asturias. I'd love to do more "research" on this phenomenon!

Mindi, not sure if you are still watching this post, but I found it helping to do research on my Aunt’s family. I believe that your grandfather may be her first cousin. Her grandfather was Angel and her father was Gabriel. Would you be willing to share some of your findings?

Thanks,

Mike