Asturian-American Migration Forum

I just came across a list of asturianos living in Niagara Falls, in my mother's handwriting, probably based on my father's memory. The list was compiled in 2002, according to the postmark on the envelope. I hope the information is useful to our members.

Mauro Pérez
María Pivida
Ida González
Aurora Vásquez
Mr. & Mrs. Angel Medina (Cuca)
María Mieres
Ramona Suáarez
Ramon Zoyal
Vicenta Cueto
Carmela Menéndez
José Medina
Zalo Huerta
María Sabina
Ramon Muñiz
Florinda Menéndez
Andres Pinales (from Spelter, WV)

a large part of my family lives in Niagara falls and is not listed. They would be the Fernandez and Hevia family.

Thanks for the additions. Can you give some individual names? The Asturian community was much larger than the list of names I posted.

Bob,
From your list I recognize all of the names but four, and they all lived in Spelter. The four are: Vicenta Cueto and Zalo Huerta, Ramon Zoyal, and Maria Sabina. But there was a Jose Huerta and a Cueto fanily that lived up the street from me when I was a young boy. Six of the names on your list are my family; nine of them were neighbors. I think your dad sent me the same list some years ago. I have it around here some where. I think it was a list of people who sent flowers to someone that had passed on in Nigara Falls.

If you remember the pumpkin story, well, it was Mrs. Cueto's pumpkin!

Bob,

My grandfather, Francisco Montequin of Langeloth, PA, lived for a short time in Niagara Falls, NY on 441 Portage Road. If what I can determine they moved from Langeloth in 1923 or '24. Delayed birth registrations for three children, born in Cherryvale, were filed from this addres on 14 January, 1926. They returned to Langeloth in 1926. When my grandfather's brother, Manuel Montequin, died in 1926, my grandfather purchased the grocery store in Langeloth from Manuel's estate.

Jim

My family moved from Spelter, West Virginia, to Niagara Falls in the late 1920s, and I never recall any of them mentioning a Montequin family. All of the asturianos there knew one another, so I suspect the Montequins had already moved on.

The address you cited is close to where other asturianos lived.

You'll have to remind me again... what were the Asturians doing in Niagara Falls? Was there a zinc smelter there? Or did someone find a job in another industry and invite others to join them?

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Tendrás que me recuerda de nuevo de lo que los asturianos hicieron en la ciudad de Niágara Falls? ¿Existe una fábrica de zinc? ¿O alguien encontró un empleo en otro sector e invitó a otros a unirse?

No zinc smelter but lots of heavy industry, thanks to what was at the time cheap electric power. My grandfather and others worked for Carborundum in the hot furnace room, not too unlike what they did at the zinc smelter in Asturias. He retired in the 1950s after 25 years of service.

It was another story of no work, someone finds works and lets everyone know of the opportunities. There was never a big Asturian community in Niagara Falls, probably 50 to 100 workers and their families, including some of my grandparents' friends from Asturias and cousins.

That's interesting. Were there any Asturian businesses? Could people buy Asturian foods? Maybe not, and that's why you still make homemade chorizo!

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Éste es interesante. ¿Hubo unos negocios asturianos? ¿Fue posible comprar comidas asturianas? ¡Pues, tal vez no, y por eso todavía haces chorizo casera!