Asturian-American Migration Forum

My name is Joseph Manuel (Alvarez) Buylla. My nickname that stuck is Pepe, as I am sure that all of you know is a nickname for Jose' or Joseph.
I am an signwriter/ artist/ muralist, and I live in Pittsburgh, Pa. I grew up in McKeesport, Pa., which is a few miles from Pittsburgh. I'll be 50 in September. My father's parents came from Gozon to the U.S. in 1912.
They went to St. Louis where my father was born. Their boat papers said Manuel and Marcelina Alvarez. Buylla was left off the papers. They later moved to Donora, Pa. where they had a Gulf Station on Meldon Ave., a beauty salon, a speakeasy (my grandfather had his own "distillery"), wrote numbers, and had a coal delivery business "Buylla Transfer". They delivered coal to homes, businesses, the Donora school district, and the Spanish Club of Donora. Grandfather Buylla was a charter member.
Along with my father, they had five other children while in Donora,
Trinidad, Esther, Sarah, Mary (Maria), and Joseph (Pepe) who died in WWII., and is buried in a National Cemetary in Epinol, France. There were three other children, one I know is buried in St. Louis, that died before they came to Donora.
My Mother's father came here in the early 20's. His name was Jose Manuel Artimez (y Vega). He came here by way of Cuba. He worked in a restaurant called La Cafe Central in Havana. He left and went to McKeesport, PA. where he met my grandmother Mary Clementina Gonzalez(y Gonzalez) who was born in Salinas and came here when she was 3 years old. My grandfather by the way, came from Aviles. He worked in the steel mills here. He was a charter member of the Spanish Club of Donora also. My mother's name was Clementina Mary Artimez (Buylla).
There is much more that I would like to say, but unfortunately I am running out of time, so for now "Adios!"


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Me llamo Jose Manuel (Alvarez) Buylla. Mi apodo es Pepe, el que se utiliza (como seguro que todos sabeis) para Jose o Joseph.

Soy compositor/artista/muralista y vivo en Pittsburgh (PA). Crecí en McKeesport (PA), que está cerca de Pitssburgh. En septiembre cumpliré 50 años.

Los padres de mi padre llegaron a EE.UU. procedentes de Gozón en 1912. Vivieron en St. Louis, donde nació mi padre. En los papeles del barco aparecen como Manuel y Marcelina Alvarez. Buylla no se incluyó en los papeles. Posteriormente se trasladaron a Donora (PA), donde regentaron un establecimiento de GulfStation en Meldon Ave., un salón de belleza, un speakeasy (mi abuela tenía su propia “destilería”) y tuvo un negocio de reparto de carbón (Buylla Transfer). Repartían carbón a domicilios y negocios, al colegio de Donora y al Club Español, del que el abuelo Buylla era socio.

Además de mi padre tuvieron otros 5 hijos mientras vivían en Donora: Trinidad, Esther, Sarah, Mary (María) y Joseph (Pepe) quien murió en la Segunda Guerra Mundial y cuyos restos descansan en el Cementerio Nacional de Epinol (Francia). Tuvieron otros tres hijos que fallecieron antes de su traslado a Donora.. Uno de ellos está enterrado en St. Louise.

Mis abuelos maternos llegaron principios de los años 20. Su padre se llamaba Jose Manuel Artimez (y Vega). Llegó vía Cuba y trabajó en un restaurante de la Habana llamado La Café Central. Se fue de allí y llegó a McKeesport (PA), donde conoció a mi abuela, Mary Clementina Gonzalez (y Gonzalez), nacida en Salinas y llegada a los EE.UU. a los 3 años de edad. Por cierto, mi abuelo era de Avilés. Aquí trabajo en la fundición y también era socio del Club Español de Donora. Mi madre se llamaba Clementina Mary Artimez (Buylla).

Hay muchas más cosas que me gustaría contarles pero, desgraciadamente, no tengo tiempo, así que por el momento, Adiós.

The Buylla surname doesn't remind me of anything, and I can't find any cognates in my dictionaries. I'll check my DALLA in a couple of days, when we return to Rockport.

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El apellido Buylla no me dice nada y no encuentro ninguno parecido en mis diccionarios. Lo consultaré en el DALLA en un par de días, cuando volvamos a Rockport.

Bob, I have found the name without the "a" "Buyll". It seems to have come from Scotland and means "bull". That would fit some members of my family to a tee.... (sorry I can't help myself...) . Any help that you could give is much appreciated.

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Bob, he encontrado el apellido sin la "a", "Buyll". Parece que deriva del escocés y significa "toro", significado que le viene que ni al pelo a algunos miembros de mi familia (lo siento, no puedo evitarlo....). Cualquier ayuda será muy apreciada.

The Alvarez is easy - son of Alvaro. The Buylla puzzles me. Standard linguistic transformations to look for are u=o, ll=l, y=i, b=v, etc.

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Con Alavarez es fácil - hijo de Alvaro. Buylla me desconcierta. Las transformaciones lingüísticas más comunes son u=o, ll=l, y=i, b=v, etc.

Hi Pepe,
The Alvarez-Buylla family is quite wellknown in Asturias, there is a hospital in Avilés named after one, for instance. I believe there are some Alvarez-Buylla children in an old photograph posted in the Photo Album section.

Buylla, by the way, is the somewhat "florid" spelling of the Asturian word "buílla" (Abubilla in Spanish), which is a hoopoe in English. I don't know if they exist in America. I'm posting a picture of one.

Cheers

Further to the photo in the Photo Album, I just looked it up and the picture is of two Alvarez Vuilla children (spelling variation), relatives of our webmaster Art Zoller Wagner.
I'm sure you'll find more info on the Buyllas and the Artimez in this web site if you use the "Search".

Don't forget that Artime and Artímez were used interchangeably by some (my own family for example).

Terechu, no, hoopoes do not exist in the EEUU as far as I know, at least not where I live. I was fascinated by the magpies (urracas) in Samartín de Laspra. I haven't seen the same bird here either. And what I first thought were hummingbirds gathered around a flowering vine turned out to be moths.

Our family coat of arms (Buylla) has an oak tree in it with a bear on each side of it. I have never seen it, but that is the description that I read about it. The article said that the family had an important part in the reconquest.
Considering what "events" directly followed, perhaps we were on the wrong side......
Terechu, (love your name) thank you for your findings on "Buylla",
It explains a couple of bird brains in the family...duh...

Pepe, espero que puedas comprender esto en español, si no es así, supongo que alguien lo traducirá.

Tu verdadero apellido completo es Álvarez-Buylla, aunque también se escribe Álvarez-Builla, e incluso con V.

Otra cosa es que al llegar tus antepasados a EEUU les suprimieran el Buylla (o el Álvarez). En USA sólo hay un apellido, mientras en Asturias y en España se utilizan dos. Pero Álvarez-Buylla no son DOS apellidos, sino UNO COMPUESTO, separadas las dos partes con un guión. Es decir, tus antepasados o cualquier otra persona que lleve este apellido se pueden llamar Fulano ALVAREZ-BUYLLA MARTÍNEZ, o ALVAREZ-BUYLLA RODRIGUEZ, o lo que sea. El ALVAREZ-BUYLLA no se modifica ni pierde ninguna de sus partes al transmitirse de padres a hijos.

El hecho de ser compuesto se debe a que se trata de un apellido de la antigua nobleza medieval. En Asturias prácticamente todo el mundo era noble, aunque no tuviesen un céntimo. Eran lo que se denomina "fidalgos" en asturiano e "hidalgos" en español (= hijos + de + algo > hijosdalgo > hidalgo). Es un caso idéntico al de la actual esposa de Carlos de Inglaterra: CAMILLA PARKER-BOWLES.

El escudo que te corresponde es éste:



[Art: he puesto otra imagen, ya que la original no fue disponible. Espero que sea la correcta.]

El componente Álvarez está claro de dónde proviene. El "Buylla" no tiene nada que ver con pájaros. Tiene su origen en un topónimo. Aunque no tengo nada a mano para consultar con certeza, seguramente su etimología debe de basarse en un BOVILIA = lugar donde se guarda o recoge el ganado (del latín BOS/BOVIS). En Asturias hay algunos nombres de lugar con etimologías similares:

BOVIA, LA BOVIA, A BOVIA, LA UVIA, LA BUVILLINA, LA BUEIGA, LA BOIGA, quizás BUAL, BUERES y BUYERES. (Cif. Xosé Lluis García Arias: "Los Pueblos Asturianos. El Porqué de sus Nombres")

Sabrás que en tu familia asturiana hubo y hay personajes de renombre. Por ejemplo, en Oviedo hay una estatua dedicada a Plácido Álvarez-Buylla, que fue Jefe Clínico de Medicina y profesor de sala del Hopital General de Asturias, entre cuyos alumnos se encontraron personalidades de la talla de Severo Ochoa (Premio Nobel asturiano) y Francisco Grande Covián.

En San Francisco, USA, vive y trabaja Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, catedrático de Neurología:

http://tematico.princast.es/huca/notici ... ebrero.htm

Entre los asturianistas es bien conocido José Benito Álvarez-Buylla (1916-1981), poeta en lengua asturiana y defensor de la misma, perteneciente al bando republicano durante la Guerra Civil, y que estuvo encarcelado en la prisión de Celanova (Galicia), donde escribió el poema La Torre. Aquí te pongo uno de las más hermosas composiciones de la poesía asturiana contemporánea, a la que le puso música el grupo Nuberu:

TEDIUM VITAE

Duélgome de mió mesmu esta mañana,
duelme lo que nun fice col destinu,
duelme tar a la vera del caminu
y sentime vencíu de desgana.
Nun me tienta la moza na quintana,
solo quiero vivir sin empecinu,
dexame amortecer debaxu un pinu,
dexame apigazar ena antoxana.
Duelme y nun sé qué ye lo que me pasa,
mírome dientro y toi amortecíu,
miro enredor de mí y todo calla.
Toi fartu de combayar la humana basa
p'alcontrar al final solo'l vacíu
y un agudu dolor ena vidaya.

"Me duelo de mí mismo esta mañana,
me duele lo que no hice con el destino,
me duele estar a un lado del camino
y sentirme vencido de desgana.
No me tienta la muchacha en la aldea,
solo quiero vivir sin empeños,
dejarme amortecer debajo de un pino,
quedarme adormecido en el porche.
Me duele y no sé qué es lo que me pasa,
me miro dentro y estoy alicaído,
miro a mi alrededor y todo calla.
Estoy harto de adular la condición humana
para encontrar al final sólo el vacío
y un agudo dolor en la sien."

Saludos.

Carlos,
Thank you for what appears to be some very helpful information, but my Spanish is not all that great, could some help me with a translation, por favor?

OK Pepe, here's a quick and dirty translation (of ideas, not word for word) in Carlos' post. Sorry I don't have time to do the whole thing.

Pepe, I hope that you can understand this in Spanish, but if not that someone will translate it.

Your real complete last name is Álvarez-Buylla, even thought it is also written Álvarez-Builla, as you do.

Another thing is that when your ancestors came to the US, they dropped the Buylla (or the Álvarez). In the US, there is only one surname, while in Asturias and Spain two are used. But Álvarez-Buylla are not two surnames, but one compound name, separated into two parts by the hyphen. That is to say that your ancestors or whoever else had that surname could have been named Fulano ALVAREZ-BUYLLA MARTÍNEZ, or ALVAREZ-BUYLLA RODRIGUEZ, or whatever. The ALVAREZ-BUYLLA is not changed and does not lose any of its parts when transmitted from fathers to children.

The fact that it is compound must be because it is an old medieval noble name. In Asturias just about everyone is a noble, even though they may not have a penny. They were those who are called "fidalgos" in Asturian and "hidalgos" in Spanish (= hijos + de + algo > hijosdalgo > hidalgo). It's the same thing as the wife of Prince Charles of England: CAMILLA PARKER-BOWLES.

The coat of arms that belongs to this name is this one: [Image left out.]


It's clear where the Álvarez part of the name comes from. The "Buylla" has nothing to do with birds. It has its origin in a place name. Even though I don't have anything at hand to verify it, surely its etymology must be based on a BOVILIA = a place where cattle are gathered or kept (from the Latin BOS/BOVIS). In Asturias there are many place names with similar etymologies:

BOVIA, LA BOVIA, A BOVIA, LA UVIA, LA BUVILLINA, LA BUEIGA, LA BOIGA, perhaps BUAL, BUERES and BUYERES. (See Xosé Lluis García Arias: "Los Pueblos Asturianos. El Porqué de sus Nombres")

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Carlos goes on to talk about some famous people with the name, and ends with a poem in Asturian by one of them.

Thanks again Bob for your assistance. When my Grandparents Manuel and Marcelina first came over they only used the name Alvarez. Later on the used Buylla. I know this because a couple of years ago I tried to reseach their migration here on the Ellis Island website, but could not find any Buylla"s. It was later on that it occured to me to try Alvarez and BINGO!, there they were. They came here on a ship, the S.S, St. Larent that started out in France in 1912. They had a 3 month year old baby with them (Jose) that my father Oscar who died in 1997, had told me about. The baby died young, and is buried in St. Louis where they lived and where my father was born in 1917. A few years ago, I contacted a Spanish Club in St. Louis, and a Mr. Diaz from that club who is one of the older members, and is a cousin of "Stone Wall" Diaz of Donora, told me that there were two cemetaries that most of the Spaniards were buried in there. Some day I will go there to find the grave, my Grandfather made the tombstone, my father said.
One other thing, the coat of arms that I found for buylla is different than the one that Carlos found. The one I found is described as having an oaktree with a bear on either side.

I don't understand coats of arms very well, but from what I've read on this forum, I get the sense that the assumptions we in the US tend to make about them are not correct.

For example, I'm not sure that coats of arms are passed down the generations. They're assigned to one person. Maybe they're passed down to the eldest son (I'm not sure), but I'm almost positive that a coat of arms isn't "owned" by everyone who has the name.

And I think it's possible for there to exist a number of different coats of arms for members of one family. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Maybe one of the Asturians could explain this.

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No entiendo muy bien los escudos, pero de lo que he leído en este foro, tengo la idea que las suposiciones que nosotros en EU tendemos sobre escudos no son correctas.

Por ejemplo, no estoy seguro que se transmita un escudo de una generación a la próxima. Se lo asigna a una persona. Tal vez se lo transmita al hijo mayor (no estoy seguro), pero soy casi positivo que un escudo no está "poseído" por cualquier fulano quien tenga el nombre.

Y pienso que es posible que hay una variedad de escudos distintos de miembros de una familia. Por favor corrígeme si me equivoco.

Tal vez uno de los asturianos pueda explicarlo.

The website from where I got this description was " origiens de appellidos". It was a spanish website. Another one was " escudo de armas".

There can be hundreds of different arms for one surname, as they were a personal battle-field distinction. Heraldry started in the 12th Century with the Crusades and in the 11th Century in Spain, where we had our own Crusade. Those who never went to war (first-born sons who inherited the parents' estate for instance) never got a coat of arms. In fact, some people would consider a coat of arms as something mercenary, something for "segundones"; a "Segundón" being the second son or any other sons, who had to become clerics, seamen of militiamen to survive. The rural gentry had other titles.

In short, just as Winston Churchill's father did not inherit the title of Earl of Marlborough, because his older brother did, and just as there's only one Duke of Alba (Duchess in our days... who by the way no longer bears the surname Alvarez de Toledo, but Fitz-James Stuart), there is no such thing as a coat of arms for all people sharing one surname.
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Puede haber cientos de escudos para un solo apellido, ya que eran una distinción personal en el campo de batalla. La heráldica empezó con las Cruzadas en el Siglo XII y en España, donde teníamos Cruzada propia, en el XI. Aquellos que nunca fueron a una guerra (hijos primogénitos que heredaban las propiedades de los padres, por ejemplo, no solían tenerlos).
De hecho hay gente que considera los escudos de armas como algo mercenario, algo para segundones, aquellos segundos o terceros hijos que tenían que meterse a curas, navegantes o militares para sobrevivir.
La nobleza rural tenía otros títulos.

En resumidas cuentas, que al igual que Winston Churchill no heredó el título de Duque de Marlborough, porque lo heredó el hermano mayor de su padre, y al igual que sólo puede haber un Duque de Alba (en nuestros días duquesa...que por cierto ya no lleva el apellido de Alvarez de Toledo, sino Fitz-JAmes Stuart), no existe un único escudo de armas para todos lo que comparten un apellido.