Fazenda Apparecida do Rio Verde, in São José do Rio Pardo-SP

 

13 May 1924 - 68 children comprised the whole school at Fazenda Apparecida do Rio Verde, owned by my Grandfather Marco Giovanni Battista, who is the man standing up on the far left of the picture. Among the children there are at least 4 of João Baptista's children who will be identified further down. 

Left-side.

Right-side. 

João Baptista Darin Filho (13) is the boy in the middle of the left-side photo; on the right-side one can see Octavio Darin (15) & Olympia Darin aka Nina (10).

Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan (52) aka João Baptista Darin, owner of the Farm and father of Rosa Darin (9) the hatted-girl looking at the camera on the right-side. 

on the left, Victoriano Romano, school inspector; at centre Elisa Surian, teacher; on the right Julio de Faria e Souza, teacher & regional deputy of teaching. 

Darin clan in 1959

Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zodan aka João Baptista Darin in 1945 (on the left) and in the mid-to-late 1950s. 

Marília's geography

We lived in a wooden plank house of 2 bedrooms on rua Mato Grosso, 393. Grandfather's house was on rua Campos Salles, 350; it was on the other side of town, but it wasn't too far; actually 11 blocks away, even though it seemed far because one had to climb a hill, descend it and climb it again. We always walked to Grandpa's. We went up and cross Avenida República, rua Pedro de Toledo, rua Nelson Spielman, then turn left towards rua Paraná, turn right and cross the railway line until we got to Avenida Sampaio Vidal, which was on top of the hill. 

After entering Avenida we walked past rua Arco Verde, where the Post Office stood, walked another block where wondrous Art Deco Cine Marília reigned supreme, turned right into rua Campos Salles and descended the hill, past rua 4 de Abril, rua São Luiz, rua XV de Novembro, at the bottom of the hill. From the bottom it was only half-a-block up when we got to Grandpa's house, rua Campos Salles, 350 which was on the right side.

Our Grandfather's house 

My Mother (Yolanda Darin Amorim) used to visit her Father Giovanni Battista Darin at least once a fortnight so that house became part of my own upbringing. I used to like going there for the house was always filled with guests from various parts of town sometimes even out of town for the Darin Family grew larger by the 40s and 50s with 11 children having got married and had a lot of children of their own which were my cousins. Some of my cousins were already adults and had children themselves like Moacyr Dutra married to Zefa and Ivo João Darin who had 3 or 4 children even though they lived far away in São Paulo city.

In 1951, when Marco was 80 years old he was submitted to a successful prostate surgery in Campinas-SP. Rosa, his only not-married daughter had accompanied him on the trip by train having been guests of Joana Uccella & her husband Victor Caroni. Joana Uccella was loosely related to him as she was the youngest daughter of Angela Nani, Giovanni's mother-in-law, who had re-married (Luigi Uccella) and had a few more children from the 2nd marriage. Victor Caroni worked for Cia Paulista de Estrada de Ferro, a branch of São Paulo Railway, built by the British when they set up Santos-Jundiaí Railway in 1867. They lived in a house coupled to a bar where they sold 'pastéis' and other delicacies. While they were Caroni's guests Rosa Darin used to help Joana with frying stuff and keeping the place clean.

Giovanni lived most of the 1950s in good health until he had a stroke in December 1958. He then took to his bed. He developed bed sores for staying in bed for too long. Maria Redondo told me in 1997, Giovanni sometimes left his bed and walked to the kitchen to have his dinner. After the stroke he developed a habit of dragging his feet. Marco Giovanni once made fun to Maria saying that if she ever heard the sound of someone dragging his slippers after he died it surely would be his ghost. He had been down but not out. 

Every now and then Mother & we visited Grandpa's after having our lunch at 11:30 am. Mother used to like to mingle with her sisters and occasional brother in the afternoon. Sometimes they all listened to a soap-opera broadcast by powerful Radio Nacional from Rio de Janeiro-DF. Cuban author Felix B. Caignet's 'O direito de nascer' (The right to be born) ruled the radio waves from 1952 through 1954. While Mother talked with aunts Rosa, América, Nina, Maria, Angela or sisters-in-law we kids played with our cousins in the large backyard which contained a chicken coop, orchard and a beautiful vegetable garden. 

But the real exciting visit was on Sunday nights. That's when we had the chance to meet all our uncles, aunts and cousins. We usually arrived at Grandpa's a little before sunset. Rua Campos Salles came alive with the First Presbyterian Church all alight for their Sunday worship and just across the street, at 350, our Grandpa's house was also alight filled with sons, daughters, in-laws, grandchildren and great-grand-children. 

Sometimes we arrived a little later so we had to go through a 'Polish corridor' of sorts. We entered the house through the living room but all the action happened back at the kitchen which was the largest room in the house. Rosa Darin & Maria Redondo, the women from the house, placed chairs with their backs to the wall so the whole place was 'covered' with people on all 3 sides; the fourth side stood a great big red stove made of cement with a hot coffee pot always ready to be served to those who just arrived or those who wanted a 2nd or 3rd cuppa.  

What I call 'Polish-corridor' was the routine we, poor kids, had to go through as soon as we entered the kitchen. We had to kiss the hands of every aunt & uncle who sat at the chairs which was not a really pleasant activity. Especially when our older cousin Moacyr Dutra used to play a trick on us. As Moacyr was already in his 30s, we, innocent kids thought he was our uncle, instead of our oldest cousin. So many a time I kissed his hand which he allowed and thought 'quaint'. He smirked with pleasure for he had duped me. Moacyr actually had a son called Junior who was only one year younger than I. We had other cousins in their 30s too but they were civil people, not as rogue as Moacyr, and left us alone.

 Giovanni Battista Darin's death on 28 August 1959

As we have previously seen, the Darin clan had a major disruption on 25 May 1934, when Erminia Billò died of hypertension aka high blood pressure. 

25 years later (a quarter of a century) on 28 August 1959, Erminia's widower Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan known in Brazil as João Baptista Darin died of natural causes. 

My Grandfather was revered by all and sundry especially by his offsprings. It was a great commotion when he finally died in the early hours of 28 August 1959. His death was expected so the whole family was aware it could happen any time. Dr Catalán had warned the family that his heart was rather weak and it could stop beating any time. On that Thursday night he had asked his eldest daughter Maria Darin Dutra to stay overnight but she refused. As Marco died at 3:00 am of that day, there was plenty of time to notify relatives and in-laws both near and far. 

I remember waking up in my bed on the morning of 28 August 1959. It was still dark, it must have been 5:00 am! The sound of the motor of a vehicle woke me up. It was my uncle João Batista Darin who had driven across town to tell his baby sister Yolanda, that their father Giovanni Battista had (finally) died in the early hours of that day. That was to become one of the longest days in my whole life for soon we were on our feet to see how things progressed. I had turned 10 three months before and was a solid young man coursing the 3rd year of Elementary Education at Grupo Escolar Thomaz Antonio Gonzaga.

Telegrams were sent to São Paulo, where his oldest son Rissieri Darin lived with wife Elisa Surian and their only surviving child Ivo João Darin. 

Telegrams were also sent to São José do Rio Pardo-SP, where his only living sibling Marianna Darin lived with her adult children plus his Billò in-laws. Marianna Darin (86) would live 8 more months dying on 11 April 1960. 

A telegram was sent to Parapuã-SP, where daughter-in-law Corina Lopes lived with Wandyr and Wanda Darin. 

28 August 1959, a Friday, turned out to be one of the longest days of my life. We must have left our house on Rua Mato Grosso at 6:00 am. Mama said we children, Fernando (13), Myself (10) and Maria Lúcia Martins (9) didn't have to go to school which was always cause for happiness. We directed our feet towards rua Campos Salles, 350, which would take us 25 minutes to reach it. 

When we arrived at Grandpa's house his body had already been laid out in a coffin surrounded by four great candlesticks already lit. As it was common then with middle class families, a great yellow brass crucifix fixed on a round metal sheet imitating radiating flames stood near the head of the deceased. It would have been utterly sinister if we, children of 9 or 10, weren't used to attend funerals regularly. But me and Maria Lúcia had a penchant to enter any private house open to the public whenever there was a funeral in the neighbourhood. 

I remember we cried our eyes out when we saw dearest Grandfather's face in the coffin. Looking back at that particular day, I guess it was the saddest event in my whole life for we cried many a-tear! But being children, after 5 minutes we were outside, on the side of the brick house talking to whoever listened to us. We always had something to do... go and visit the hens with their ckicks and sometimes a turkey which would respond to our calling with a gobble-gobble. 

funerals mostly took place in a family home, with family members performing all aspects of after-death preparation of the body, to present the deceased to visiting friends and family in the home.

Weddings after the Funeral 

Beatriz Scarpetti married Francisco José Almeida on 17 December 1959, a Wednesday, at Santo Antonio's in Marília.

Wanda Darin married Lauro Miotto on 29 December 1959, a Tuesday, in Parapuã-SP. 

Marco Giovanni Battista in Santos-SP where he visited his eldest son Rissieri Darin who lived in hired-quarters with his wife Elisa Surian and their only child Ivo João Darin. This is obviously a clipped photo of Marco in Santos. I found out Octavio Darin was on Marco's right side and has been excised by someone who bore a grudge against him. Now, have a look below which is the back of the picture:

Someone wrote: 'Retrato do meu querido Pai, tirado em Santos', which means: Portrait of my dear Father taken in Santos. I kept on thinking whoever the person who expunged Octavio from the picture might be. At first I thought it might be a daughter of Marco's, based on the writing 'my dear Father'. I thought of all 6 daughters but couldn't agree on anyone. Then I thought it could only be a male child and after going through a few names I guessed it must have been João Baptista Darin. Especially when I remember I got this picture through Rosa Darin who lived with her brother João all her life.

Betty Scarpetti holds Paulo Roberto (born in 1952) next to the Darin Patriarch sitting on his sparkling living room. Note the portrait of Alécio Scarpetti, Betty's older brother on the left.  

Darin clan in 1934

The family of Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan had a few important dates in which we can stop to gaze upon and imagine how happy or sad the Clan was at that particular moment in time. Marco Giovanni was born on 11 November 1971, which makes that date the most important of his life. 

Marco's father was Giovanni Battista Antonio Da Rin Zoldan, born on 7 June 1839 married Maria Antonia Da Rin de Lorenzo born on 9 June 1939. Man & wife were born only 2 days apart. Both had extensive names but both were known by Antonio and Antonia and as both had Da Rin as surname with Zoldan (for him) and Lorenzo (for her) makes one wonder think they must have been cousins of some sort. 

I'd like to tell a little story about the popularity of the Da Rin surname in the Cadore region of Belluno. Once in the 1990s, while I was living in Sydney, Australia, I paid a visit to an Italian friend who worked at the Italian Consular legation in that city. While I was waiting for him to see me, I went into a corner where there were dozens of Telephone Books of all regions of Italy and made a point of getting the telephone book of Vigo di Cadore. I soon I realized there were hundreds of Da Rin entries. Then I realized Da Rin was a 'general' name linked with another surname which I thought was the 'real' surname like Zoldan, Sandrè, Lorenzo, Nicolo etc. The great irony is that when it came to 'shed' one of his surname Marco Giovanni dropped his 'real' surname which was Zoldan and kept the 'general' surname Da Rin (from the brook) which would soon become Darin. 

We don't know much about Marco's early life except that at a young age (12 or 13) he entered a Catholic seminary in order to become a priest but due to poverty (couldn't pay the fees) he didn't stay there too long. We also know that their native Vigo di Cadore, a village in that beautiful alpine region suffered a major fire in which many houses burned down to the ground. Unfortunately, one of the houses destroyed in the great fire belonged of Antonio & Antonia Da Rin so they were in dire straits. That's when someone had the bright idea to leave for America in search of better days. Even though Antonio Zoldan had 11 siblings and Antonia Lorenzo must have had quite as much they up and left Cadore, first travelling to Genoa and then boarding the great vapor Fortunata Reggia which would take them to Brazil in September 1888. 

Antonio Zoldan (49), Antonia Lorenzo (49) with Marco Giovanni (17), Marianna (15) and Appolonio Francesco (13) arrived in Santos on 1st October 1888.  

OCTAVIO DARIN & SEBASTIANA MACERA

Sebastiana Macera & Octavio Darin on their wedding day flanked by nieces Ariene & Lila. 

As his name infers Octavio Darin, born on 8 May 1909, was the 8th child of Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan & Pasqua Billò aka Erminia and sometimes Emilia Billò. 

I have seen Pasqua's name written on her children's birth certificate as Erminia and Emilia... and to my great surprise I only found out her real name was Pasqua when I saw her own birth certificate (Certificato di Nascita) I had ordered from an Italian agency. Apparently she didn't like being called Pasqua even though Italian males don't mind being called Paschoal.

Marco Giovanni Darin (60) walks along side his son Octavio (21) in 1931, in São Paulo (probably).

Octavio a little later probably standing at the entrance o Cine São Luiz, where he worked on many positions. 

 

LUIZ DARIN & CORINA LOPES

 

Luiz Darin holds Wandyr next to his wife Corina Lopes. 

I remember when I was a child, I used to listen to my mother talk about her large family with much interest. Mum whose name was Yolanda Darin, used to tell stories about all her five sisters and six brothers. I had met most of her siblings except for 3 of them: Rissieri, the eldest (born in 1899) who lived with his wife Elisa Surian in São Paulo... and 2 of her brothers who had died before I was born: Jácomo Darin aka Jacó (1900-1938) and Luiz Darin aka Luizinho (* 1st September 1905 + 26 November 1940). 

Luiz Darin was my grandparents' 6th child; he was the 4th male of the Darin clan. If one looks at this family one notices that it is almost divided in two camps: the fair group which were blonde and with green or blue eyes (which my Mother and Uncle Luiz belonged to) and the 'swarthy lot' like Uncle João, tia Nina, tia Rosa who were a little 'darker'... not really dark but darker than the 'fair lot'. 

As I didn't have the chance to meet Luiz Darin, I was surprised when I finally saw this photo and realized how much Luizinho resembled my Mother, Yolanda. Same sort of countenance, fair hair and a mouth that looked just the same. 

I don't know much about Luizinho's earlier life, but my aunt Rosa once told me, Luiz, who was already 30 years old met a 20 year-old dark girl called Corina Lopes at Santo Antonio's kermesse (it comes from Dutch kirk (church) and mis (mass) and fell desperately in love with her. Not long after they tied the knot on 29 September 1936. Luiz had just tuned 31 and Corina, who was born in Rio Claro-RJ, on 23rd December 1914, had not turned 22 yet. 

Corina Lopes's father: Arlindo Joaquim Lopes (*2 July 1887 +15 July 1967); Corina's mother: Maria dos Santos Lopes (*23rd May 1897 +26 April 1943). 

After getting married they lived in a house on Rua Lima e Costa. Rosa said Luizinho got into the habit of drinking spirits but never got drunk. Rosa also said Corina had a brother-in-law by the name of Faria who would gossip to Corina's father saying Darin was an alcoholic good-for-nothing. Rosa also said that Faria himself became an alcoholic in no time. 

On 5 September 1937, Corina gave birth to a baby boy who would be called Wandyr Darin. I think Luiz worked as a projector operator at Cine São Luiz (this has to be confirmed) where his younger brother Octavio also worked. One a half year later, on 16 July 1939, Corina gave birth to a girl called Wanda.  

It was a few months after Wanda's birth that Luiz Darin started having health issues. No one knew exactly what the problem was but drinking only aggravated the situation. As 1940 wore on, his health only grew worse. So much so that his father Giovanni Battista thought they should take a train and find a cure in São Paulo, 500 km away. Rosa Darin also boarded the night train with Luiz and their Father. They all checked into a hotel next to Santa Casa de Misericórdia in Vila Buarque and after waiting two days Luiz was finally admitted but to no avail. He was already in a hopeless state and died on Tuesday, 26 November 1940. As it was very dear to transport the body back to Marília, it was buried at Cemitério do Araçá, on the following day 27 November 1940. 

Here's what I found at Araçá's office when I researched Luiz Darin's death:

Aos 27 de Novembero de 1940, enterrou-se o cadáver de Luiz Darin, com 35 anos de idade, casado, natural de Marília-SP (sic), filho de João Baptista Darin, falecido ontem, 26 de Novembro, às 8:00 horas, vítima de OBSTRUÇÃO INTESTINAL. 

It must have been really sad when Giovanni Battista (69) & Rosa Darin (25) arrived in Marília the following day without having Luiz (35) with them. How sad Corina (26) must have felt with two young children to raise: Wandyr (3) and Wanda (1 year 4 months).

Domingos Elecio Bastasini sends a post-card to his friend Luiz Darin wishing a Good 1935; Ao amigo Luiz, agradece e retribui as Boas Festas, fazendo votos que o anno de 1935 seja para ti cheio de Felicidades. São os sinceros votos que lhe almeja o amigo Domingos. 

A year later, 1935-1936 Domingos did it in style and sent a printed card bearing his photo to Luiz Darin: Domingos cumprimenta-lhe, desejando-lhe Boas Festas e feliz Anno Novo. 

It seemed like sending friends printed greeting cards with their photos during the festive season was the new 'craze' in Marília by the mid-1930s. Carlos Nogueira (who may be related to Euclydes Nogueira, married to America Darin, Luiz's sister) was a hip kid.

Corina Lopes & Luiz Darin on 29 September 1936 .

Corina & Luizinho flanked by Corina's young sister Marina & Luiz's niece Gecely Dutra.

Deolinda Lopes, 24 December 1938; Corina's sister.

Deolinda Lopes in an earlier shot, offers it to her 'little friend' Yolanda.  

MARIA DA GLÓRIA REDONDO

 

Benedita Redondo aka Ditinha, Glorinha's younger sister. 

Maria da Glória Redondo was born on 27 October 1931, in a rural area of Gália-SP where her father Benedicto Redondo (born on 29 June 1907) worked in a farm. It's funny but only now I realize I never asked her about her early years. We know she was addressed as Glorinha by her family for she had been named after her paternal grandmother. Glorinha's mother was Maria Conceição (born on 15 August 1910). Benedicto & Conceição had 3 more daughters: Cota (circa 1935), Benedita aka Ditinha (circa 1944) and Mariza (1947). 

We don't know where the Redondo family came from or when they arrived in Gália, but it was pretty common for people to migrate from place to place in the 20s & 30s as the railways stretched further into the indigenous people's land. As Marília was further away in the West and only became a municipality in 1929, I suppose Benedicto Redondo must have moved there in the mid-1930s when the town started to grow in a faster pace. 

The fact is that by 1949, Benedicto, his wife and 3 daughters left Marília for São Paulo in search of better employment, leaving Glorinha, who had been working as a maid & cook at the house of a certain dona Letícia, local manager of a large cigarette company called Sudan with a branch in Marília. 

We cannot be definite about dates but as Glorinha was an intelligent and resourceful young lady she must have started her employment with dona Letícia when she was 14 years old, in 1945, around the time her sister Ditinha was born.

It's around this time that Glorinha's path crossed that of my uncle João Baptista Darin, who worked as a truck driver for Sudan, the cigarette company. 

João Baptista had to see dona Letícia to account for the packs of cigarettes he delivered at outlets in Marília and around neighbouring towns. One day, he noticed the pretty young maid and thought he might start a romance after she grew a little older. João was already a mature man having reached the ripe age of 36 in 1947. João soon fell in love with Glorinha and they started to date.

In 1949, when push came to shove, Mr Redondo gathered his family and took the night train to São Paulo leaving Glorinha behind. It was understood Glorinha would be married to João Darin as soon as possible. Glorinha waved goodbye to her family at the railway station, never to see them again in Marília.

João and Maria could have married before the Redondos left for São Paulo, but Giovanni Battista Darin, João's father, was on the process of building a new brick house on the same lot they had a wooden house on rua Campos Salles, 350, where the whole Darin family had lived since the mid-1930s. The old man who worked as an accountant (book-keeper) by then had saved enough money to pay for the building of a brand-new brick house that would be the pride & joy of the Darin Family for the rest of the 1950s. It was in a good part of town, being opposite to a Presbyterian Church which was abuzz with activities on Sunday mornings and evenings. The house was not far from Saint Anthony Church, 4 blocks away from glorious Art-Deco Cine Marília and 3 blocks away from rua São Luiz, a major shopping thoroughfare.

João Baptista Darin & Maria da Glória Redondo got married on 13 October 1949, as soon as the house was complete. Maria must have felt like Cinderella when she moved into the beautiful brick house on rua Campos Salles, 350. She and João Baptista had the main bed-room in the house which looked out into a front garden and the gothic Presbyterian church across the street; the old-man Giovanni (78) known as Senhor Darin had a smaller room off the living room with a single window to a small rectangle space between the next-door neighbour's wall. João's sister Rosa Darin (34) had a bedroom off a large kitchen with a great red-brick stove for burning logs.

João & Maria's first child was a baby boy born on 21st February 1951, who they named José Carlos Batista. When João Baptista Darin married Maria Redondo in 1949, there was a mishap with the Notary official who mistakenly thought Baptista was João's surname, not his middle Christian name. That should have been easily fixed the next few days, but João Baptista never bothered with it and in the end this new family adopted a brand-new surname: Batista.

To complete the little family happiness, Maria gave birth to a baby girl on 28 February 1953, calling her Hermínia Maria Batista. She was named after João Baptista's mother Erminia Billò and Maria's own name. These kids were all born during the time their parents lived on the beautiful brick house on rua Campos Salles, 350. 

The last 10 years of my Grandpa Giovanni Darin were the best of his long life. From what I understand of my Grandfather's early life in Cadore, Belluno, his was a hard life. Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan was born on 11 November 1971, the year Italy finally got its act together and completed the Unification of Regno di Italia which started in 1861, under the House of . from Sicily to Turin and Como at the boards of Switzerland and Austria under the House of 

When Yolanda Darin (my Mother) and I visited her Dad during the 1950s, he stayed in bed most of the time so Mother went to his bedroom to say hello first; she usually brought him a tin of Nestlè's Cerelac milk-flour; had a little talk and then she went on to salute her sister or sister-in-law. I remember I used to stay by my Mother's side listening to her conversation and I realized looking out my Grandfather's window that this 'dead-end space' reverberated people's voice in a 'funny' way. 

Maria Redondo told me in the 1990s, she still remembered when my cousin Ivo João Darin visited Marília with Ruth de Mello in 1950, as part of their honey-moon. She said Ruth was a bit anti-social for she stayed in the guest's room most of the time not even taking meals with them. Some of Ruth's relations lived in Marília and apparently were well-to-do for they owned posh Casa Dias which was on Avenida Sampaio Vidal, the town's main drag. Maria said that even Nonno (our Grandfather) noticed Ruth's slight in not taking her meals with the rest of the family. 

15 April 2004 - The last time I saw my aunt Maria da Glória Redondo Batista:

Visit of Maria Redondo, widow of my uncle João Baptista Darin (* 18 April 1911 + 7 February 1984) at our house in Rio Pequeno. 

Less than 2 years before my dearest Mother Yolanda Darin Amorim died (on 13 February 2006), her sister-in-law Maria Redondo rang us at home asking me if I could go and fetch her at her sister Cota's home in Vila Gustavo (a northern suburb of São Paulo) for she longed to see Yolanda again. I reckon she suspected Yolanda didn't have too long to live which she was right. 

I rang my cousin Beatriz Scarpetti and invited her to come along for this once in a life-time chance to see an old relative and catch up with old times. Beatriz was glad to oblige, took a bus from Lapa, where she lived by herself in an apartment at Central-Park, and arrived at our place while I was still out having taken the long way to Vila Gustavo to bring our Special Guest to Rio Pequeno. Tia Maria (that's how we used to call her) had arrived from Marília a few days before and was staying at her sister's. 

I always had a special predilection to aunt Maria Redondo since I was a child still living in Marília, so I performed this task with the utmost pleasure. Actually, I felt honoured to be able to 'go & fetch' my dearest aunt on this Thursday, 15 April 2004. This would be the last time I ever saw her. 

I made a point of taking notes and writing it all down on the following day, 16 April 2004, the very day my grand-mother Erminia Billò would be 128 years old if she hadn't died on 25 April 1934. I asked most of the questions for I knew it would be a rare occasion to shed light on many aspects of the Family's past. And here it goes:

Maria Redondo's relationship with her sister-in-law Maria Corsini aka Mariquinha.

Maria said that as soon as she was introduced to members of the Darin Family, a few months before she married João Batista Darin on 13 October 1949, Mariquinha started spilling the beans about the skeletons in the Family's closet.

I had a long talk with Maria Redondo on 13 February 1997, a Thursday, about those heady days in the late 1950s before Giovanni Battista Darin died. 

I was staying in Marília for a few days and usually slept over at tia Rosa's, who occupied a small 2-bed-room house at the back of Maria Redondo's house on Rua 9 de Julho, 2008. Maria hardly ever stayed in that house for she preferred staying at her daughter's Rita de Cassia Batista, who had a few young children and needed her mother's help. 

the last Darin

By February 1997, there were not many Darin members left. Rosa Darin had died in 1996, so Ecydir Darin was the only person living in that house on rua 9 de Julho, 2008. 

Rua 9 de Julho, 2008:  Rosa Darin moved into with João Batista & Maria Redondo when they moved out of the house on Rua Campos Salles, 350 which was sold after we had already left Marília, some time in 1961 or 1962.

Maria da Glória died on 31st January 2021, in Marília, 9 months before she turned 90 years old. She managed to outlive all Darins even though she had been suffering from dementia for some years. At the end she came down with pneumonia, was taken to a hospital on Friday, having died on the Sunday. 

As previously said, I hadn't seen tia Maria for 17 years. A Facebook friend who lived near my cousin Hermínia Maria Batista, told me some years back that Maria Redondo had  dementia, having wandered away from the house where she lived with Hermínia and wouldn't know how to go back again. It took them some time until they located her again. Ever since that, they had to leave doors locked for she might slip out again. 

Rita de Cássia Batista, her mother Maria da Glória Redondo & niece Ana Paula Zapola. 

Rita (12), Maria Redondo (44), Ana Paula (3), Yolanda Darin (56), Rodrigo Zapola (1) & Rosa Darin (60).

Summer 1974-1975, in Marília.

Rosa always took care of plants in the garden at their place on Rua 9 de Julho, 2008.

Rosa Darin seems proud of Hermínia's son Rodrigo. 

ROLDÃO IGNÁCIO LACERDA, my Father's cousin

Roldão Ignácio Lacerda in the 1940s.

My Mother had 6 brothers & 5 sisters; my Father had 3 brothers & 3 sisters...so I was used to meet 'uncles' and 'aunties' by the droves. Sometimes, I didn't know whether the person I was introduced to was my cousin or uncle.

After we left Marília-SP and moved to São Paulo in December 1960, I had the chance to meet further relatives I had never heard of before. One of these 'new' relatives was this man called Roldão, who was a cousin of my Father, João Amorim. 

Maria Rosa de Jesus, Roldão's mother was my Father's Mother's sister. Roldão was actually older than him by 3 years. The reason why I had never seen him in Marília was due to his having moved to São Paulo in the late 1940s and as he owned a bar in Penha he could hardly take time off and go visit his relatives 500 km away westward. Now, let me introduce Roldão Ignácio Lacerda properly and explain how we are related. 

My Father's grandparents were Florencia Rosa de Jesus & Quintino Pavão de Oliveira who had at least 10 children; all of them were born in or around São Sebastião do Rio Bonito-RJ.

1. Olímpio Pavão de Oliveira * 26 July 1891

2. Altina Rosa de Jesus * 29 June 1893

3. Maria Rosa de Jesus * 6 June 1895

4. Altina Rosa de Jesus aka ALBINA Rosa de Jesus * 2 August 1897

5. Anna Rosa de Jesus * 8 September 1900

6. Augusta Rosa de Jesus * 20 May 1904

7. José Pavão de Oliveira * 12 April 1906

8. Joaquim Pavão de Oliveira aka Quincas * 19 April 1908 

9. João Pavão de Oliveira * 26 October 1910

10. Margarida Rosa de Oliveira * 30 June 1915

You may have wondered why there were two girls called ALTINA... Quintino, who was parcial to drinking of alcoholic beverage, pinga aka cachaça, was a bit fuzzy when my Grandmother was born on 2nd August 1897. He went to a Registry Office (cartório) to have the new baby registered and when the Official asked what name it would be called he said: ALTINA. In his fog he probably must have forgotten his second child had already been named ALTINA. When he got back home, Florencia didn't like what she heard but as they didn't have the means to rectify it, it was settled the second Altina would be called ALBINA... and that's how the family ended up with two Altinas. 

By 1920, most of this family ended up migrating to São Paulo state trying to get away from the Spanish Flu Pandemic (which actually started in China or Kansas, USA, according to different sources) that was wreaking havoc in Rio de Janeiro state.  

On the move to São Paulo, Altina, who was already married to a man called Quintino (like her father) went astray from the pack and ended up going to a different region in the state. Everyone else headed south to Ourinhos-SP, near the board of the state of Paraná, with its great coffee plantations where most of them found employment. That was the last time they saw Altina. Some years later Fernando Antonio Amorim who married the second Altina aka Albina made an effort to find the long-lost sister-in-law sending letters to radio programmes specialized in finding long lost relatives but to no avail. 

Let's zoom in on Maria Rosa de Jesus and see what happened to her. Maria married José Ignácio Lacerda in São Sebastião do Rio Bonito-RJ and had 3 boys:

1. Jacinto was born in 1919, but died in infancy. Soon after the couple joined the rest of the family and moved to Ourinhos-SP. 

2. Roldão Ignácio Lacerda was born on 23rd November 1920, in Ourinhos-SP;

3. a 3rd boy was still born in 1921 or  early 1922 and due to the fact of the baby had died in Maria's womb for a few days Maria ended up dying of septicemia (blood poisoning). 

As soon as José Ignácio saw his wife's funeral, he up and went away abandoning little Roldão who ended up being cared for by his grandmother Florencia Rosa de Jesus who lived with her not yet married children José (14), Joaquim aka Quincas (12), João (10) and Margarida (5).

Pavão de Oliveira-Rosa de Jesus family members gravitated around Albina Rosa de Jesus who had been married to Fernando Antonio Amorim since 1918, before they left for Ourinhos-SP. Fernando who was a dutiful man - after working as a labourer at coffee or cotton plantations - managed to work as a chauffeur for Jacinto Ferreira de Sá who had been a local landowner and mayor of Ourinhos since its becoming a city on 20 March 1919.

In July 1932, Fernando's luck suddenly came to an end and he became unemployed. Jacinto Sá lost his job as Ourinhos mayor when troops from Rio Grande do Sul stormed the town and deposed him. São Paulo state lost its sheen (power) when Getúlio Vargas became President of Brazil. It took a while for Fernando to make his next move. By 1933, he had moved to Marília-SP and let a house on Rua Minas Gerais to settle the family. 

Albina's mother Florencia with her 3 kids and her grandson Roldão soon joined her daughter and son-in-law Fernando in Marília. José Pavão had died suddenly when he exerted himself too much on putting out a fire and came in contact with cold water afterwards. People said José died of 'stupor'. 

Fernando Antonio Amorim had all sorts of jobs in Marília. He owned a grocery store for some time but probably wasn't cut out for this sort of business. He then started selling imported women's fashion magazines - known as 'figurinos' by the populace - from town to town in the state of São Paulo and Northern Paraná. 

José Ignácio Lacerda in Brotas-SP, in 1941, soon after Roldão met him for the 1st time.

One day, in one of his many business trips, Fernando bumped into his former brother-in-law José Ignácio Lacerda who lived in Brotas-SP and had a formed a whole new family by then. When Fernando was back in Marília he told Roldão he had met his father by chance. Roldão got all worked up and wouldn't know peace-of-mind again until he went and met his real father.  

Roldão took a train and went to Brotas, met his father for the 1st time in his life and also his half-brother Aparecido Lacerda aka Cido. He decided to stay in Brotas and Fate made he meet a tall girl called Aparecida Coniglian aka Cida, whose father was a military man. Cida would soon become his wife. Roldão & Cida got married in 1944. Roldão was 24 years old, Cida was 19 (born in 1925). They had 3 children:

1. Antonio Ignácio Lacerda (30 January 1945) born in Brotas-SP

2. Diva de Lacerda (6 October 1946) in Barra Bonita-SP

3. José Carlos Ignácio Lacerda (10 February 1950) in Penha, São Paulo. 

Now we come to a junction where I don't know how but Roldão and Cida, after getting married and having had their first child (Toninho) in Brotas-SP they moved to Barra Bonita-SP circa 1946... and before the 1940s were up they moved to São Paulo and settled at Penha where they lived for the rest of their lives. 

from left to right: Edes Garbelini (married to Mario Amorim, who probably took the photo), Toninho, José Carlos, Roldão & Diva, his only daughter. 

Toninho, Diva & José Carlos circa 1952, in Penha, São Paulo.

Roldão (60), Cida (55), Edes Garbelini (49), Dulce Amorim (51), Albina Rosa de Jesus, Yolanda Darin (61) & Claudio Amorim (49).

Everyone celebration Albina Rosa de Jesus on her 83rd birthday, on 2nd August 1980.

Roldão (60) and his only living aunt Albina Rosa de Jesus (83) and his wife Aparecida Coneglian (55).