Asturian-American Migration Forum

Hello,

I am very new to Ancestry.com and Asturian-American Migration forum. I must say I am so pleased to be viewing all this great info on our migration from Asturias to Cherryvale and then to Donora.

My grandparents, Rafael & Consuelo Suarez settled in Donora, Pa, I believe in the late 1920's after leaving Cherryvale, Kansas. They lived on Martin St, right across the street from the Edgar Zinc mine. My father is Joseph M. Suarez, born in Cherryvale, Kansas, attended school and played baseball in Donora, has since passed away in 1992, leaving very little information to search my Spanish heritage.

I can remember visiting my grandparents every summer and attending the Spanish Club picnics along with my aunts, uncles and cousins. I have been told that my grandparents ran a small butcher store in Donora. I can also remember walking downtown to the fresh bakery to buy bread and pastries for my grandmother. I also remember the horse/mule driven wagon delivering fresh items to my grandparents door!

I truly miss all the wonderful cooking that took place in my grandparents home and her delicious sheet empanada, that she took frequently to the picnics.

My other relatives who were from Donora, some passed away and some are still alive and living in the area, are:

• Ceferina (Sef) alive and now living with her daughter Marylouise in Michigan;
• Mercedes (Bertha) passed, married Harry Dudro; both worked at "Williams" clothing store in Donora;
• Carmina, living, married John Patrick;
• Joseph Suarez, my father married/divorced Lyda Bell Bou (spelling?), whose oldest son Joseph Suarez may still live in the area, and
• Rafael Suarez, the youngest sibling, who passed away very young in 1952.

If you have any information on my immediate family that may shed more insight into our family, we would be most appreciative.

Thank you so much!

Linda Suarez

Hello Art!

I posted some info on my grandparents migration from Spain to Donora, Pa, back in June 2012. I noticed that I have had 111 views, but no responses from anyone. (Rafael & Consuelo Suarez--Cherryvale KS & Donora PA).

Is there someone who could translate my message? If so, I might be able to reach a few more viewers, and hopefully someone will have some knowledge to share with me.

Any advice would be most appreciative...

Linda Suarez

Hello, Linda,

At this point the problem isn't translation. You haven't told us what kind of information you want.

If you want information about your family from others in the US, then you'll have to tell us more specifics of where they lived, worked, the dates, etc.

I've tried to clean up the family list, but am not sure I understood it correctly. Please let me know if you need help editing that list again. I should say that it's very important to write very clearly so we understand exactly what you're saying. If your readers can't figure out who's related to who, they're like to get frustrated and ignore your message.

If you want genealogical information about your family in Asturias, you'll need to provide more information related to Asturias. Suarez is a fairly common name and isn't likely to be limited to one area in Asturias.

Do you know the name of the town in Asturias your grandparents came from or even the concejo (county)? Do you know their second last names? Do you know when they arrived in the US and how they got here? Without that kind of information it will be very difficult to trace the family back. This message will explain the kind of information you need to provide:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2409

It will also help if you read the other "sticky" messages at the top of the genealogy section:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=2

Finally, it's essential to know that a forum is asynchronous. That means that you might write something today, but the person who can answer your question might not find the question for two years. That's why its so important to keep your email address up-to-date on the forum in order to receive notice about replies.

Linda,
Here is a photo from the Donora Spanish Ladies Club... Consuelo is in the front row, first seat. Rafael must have had a nickname... if you have a photo of him, please post it. I reviewed the 1930/1940 census with their names here in Donora.

I'll try to add somemore info later. Who remembers the other ladies?

Linda... this was another Consuelo... now I remember Rafael, he worked with my grandfather in the Zinc Works.

Jim, the lady standing in the back row fifth from the right, do you know her name?

The fifth from the right is Mary Campa Alvarez... her husband was "Calabaza"!
The fifth from the left is Mary Fernandez... her husband was "Cardina"!

I remember her but didn't know her name , as a kid I would visit in Donora with my mom and grandmother. My grandmother had a sister who lived in Donora Primativa Arrojo Tamargo she had one son Joe.