Update!

[MJ]

The things a person can find out when they sit down and ask older relatives!

Turns out, my great grandfather, Claudio, actually made several trips out of Spain in the early part of the 20th century. He first went to Tampa, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida, then to Cuba, back to Asturias where he married my great grandmother, Sabina, and then, somewhere between 1912 and 1914, they moved to Cuba. Her neices/nephews also went, and their family name was Mateo. However, when the depression hit Cuba in 1930, they returned to Asturias, and my great grandparents were the only ones that stayed behind.

I find it interesting because there is actually a listing for a Jose Antonio Mateo Tarano in the Spanish white pages in the Parres area of Asturias, which is where my family is from. I have actually found a lot of Sanchez or Suarez in the Llerandi listings, and given the size of the place, I have every reason to believe that they are distant relatives.

My next step is to find out, and I have composed a polite letter to send to all these people, basically stating that I don't wish to bother them, but any information, particularly confirmation of the family ties, would be appreciated, as well as any other information they have at their disposal.

I did find San Cosme de Llerandi, the local church, but cannot find the address to contact them for any records. Is there anyone out there that can get me their mailing address?

My mom is all into this project now, and she has been collecting pictures for me of the family, which will eventually be scanned.

This is truly exciting for me.

[Terechu]

Hi MJ,
Great to see that you're making progress! As to the San Cosme Curch, it's more likely a chapel given the size of Llerandi (I was there once and I don't believe there are more than 40 houses scattered in the whole parishl). Due to its location up in the hills - the road ends there - it's also likely that the church is no longer used, and that the archives are in the Diocesis of Oviedo. In fact, even if the church is still in service, the files should still be in the main archives. Their address:

Archivo Histórico Diocesano de Oviedo
Corrada del Obispo s/n
33003 Oviedo (Asturias).
Tel. +34-985216161

Let me know if you need help translating.

At all events, if you catch a plane and come over, the moment you arrive in Arriondas and start asking about your relatives, the word will spread like a wildfire and before you get to Llerandi, your relatives will find you. That's what happened to our own Corsino Fernández (see his story in the section "Civil War Refugees").

[Bob]

Hi MJ,

I think that Terechu's advice is good. You might also check the website for the Archdiocese of Oviedo at http://www.iglesiadeasturias.org/

According to the website, San Cosme de Llerandi falls in the Zona Arciprestal de Parres in the Arciprestazgo de Covadonga. According to the diocesan website, the Arcipreste is D. Francisco Donate López, whose telephone number is 985 71 01 18. He should be able to tell you where the records are located and who the priest in charge of the church is. In my experience many priests in Asturias cover several churches.

Bob Martinez

[MJ]

Thank you so much!! Both of y'all! I'm going to get busy now.

That is so neat. I cannot wait to actually get out there physically, which may be a year or two down the line. I cannot thank you all enough. This means so much to me!