João Baptista Darin Filho, 1944 appointment book

I started visiting Marília-SP in the early 1990s, when I was 44 years old. Although I was born there in May 1949, I left town with my family in December 1960, when I was 11 years old, and never looked back except for a few quick visits while I was in my teens. 

By 1993, when I visited Marília for more than a few days, most of my Darin uncles & aunts had already died. My Mother's sister Rosa Darin (1915-1996) and sister-in-law Maria da Gloria Redondo Batista (1931-2021) were the only ones still alive. I still had quite a few cousins alive then but the earlier generation was basically gone. 

When I visited Marília, I usually stayed at aunt Rosa's little house built in the back of a larger one at Rua 9 de Julho, 2008, in which João Baptista Darin Filho & family lived since they moved out of Rua Campos Salles, 350, a couple of years after my grandfather Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan died in August 1959. 

Rosa Darin (1915) was only 4 years younger than João Baptista Darin Filho (1911). They lived together their whole life for Rosa never married and João married late in life (37). When João finally married he went on living with his father & sister; he only brought the wife in to live with them. Rosa was the family 'archivist'. She kept family mementos which other people would've chucked out. That was my luck. 

Here's a little 1944 Appointment Book (day-book) which belonged to João Baptista. It is amazing what one can surmise reading these little notes João wrote during part of 1944. 

João must've got this little appointment book for 1944, from his friend Eikichi Kaneno. João lived on Rua Campos Salles, 350 and worked as a mechanic and truck driver at Fábrica de Cigarros Sudan S.A., on Avenida 10 de Novembro, 859. João wore shoes size 38, weighed 62 kg and stood 1.70 metres tall. 

João Darin Filho was born on 18 April 1911, so he was 32 years old when 1944 started. He was the last Darin male child left at home with his father Marco Giovanni (72) and sister Rosa (28). João could be described as a melancholic person (sanguine, choleric & phlegmatic are the other 3 kinds). See his first entry in the little book: 'I started 1944 very bad. What a weight!' (Comecei o ano de 1944 muito mal. Que peso.) João's spelling was not really good. He had had only elementary education at the rural property owned by his Father in São José do Rio Pardo, before moving to Marília, when he was 16 years old. 

His 2nd entry on Thurs, 10 Feb 1944, is not much different: 'Estou de azar. Entrei o ano de 44, com o pé esquerdo' ('Bad luck. I started '44 with the left foot'. 

17 February 1944, Thursday: 'I had lunch at Pompéia-SP.' (Almocei em Pompéia); Friday, 18: 'Passei em Vila Fortuna' (I passed through Vila Fortuna); Saturday, 19: 'Cheguei de viagem de Bela Vista'. (I have just arrived from Bela Vista). 

20 February 1944, Sunday (Carnaval): 'Chuva. Fui ao cinema'.) (It rained, I went to the movies.); Monday, 21st: 'Carnaval péssimo. Fui ao cinema'. (Carnaval festivities were bad. I went to the movies.); Fat Tuesday, 22nd: (Destination: Lucélia-SP; the road was impassable.) (Destino: Lucélia. Estrada intransitavel.); Ash Wednesady, 23rd: 'Passei em Quintana'. (I went through Quintana-SP). 

24 February 1944, Thursday: (I had lunch in Quintana-SP) (Almocei em Quintana); Friday, 25: 'Saída para Tupã-SP; muita chuva; destino: Lucélia.) (I left for Tupã; a lot of rain; destination: Lucélia.); Saturday, 26: 'Cheguei em ... (unclear handwriting); não tinha quarto.) (I arrived at ...there was no room at the hotel.) 'Almocei em ...).

27 February 1944, Sunday: ('Passei o domingo em casa. Muito mal'.) (I spent Sunday at home. Too bad.)

28 February 1944, Monday: 'Viajei para Garça-SP. Almocei em Vera Cruz-SP; Posei em Garça'. (Traveled to Garça; had lunch in Vera Cruz; I stayed overnight in Garça.) Corinthians x Flamengo (two football teams). João probably listened to the match broadcasting on the radio of his truck; 29 February 1944, Tuesday: 'Destination Gallia; had lunch in Gallia; stay overnight in Gallia; 1st of March 1944, Wednesday: Destination: Marília. 

2nd March 1944, Thursday - João, candidly says, he spent some time at a whorehouse (zona) in Garça-SP; Friday, 3rd: I paid for the fixing of my watch (Conserto relógio, pago).

5 March 1944, Sunday: 'I started getting 560.000 a monthly in 1944. It's too little' (Em 44, passei a ganhar 560.000 réis. Muito pouco'. 

13 March 1947 (apparently 3 years later) João writes: 'Segui para São Paulo para tratar saúde'. (I went to São Paulo in order for health reasons.) João doesn't explain what kind of ailment he had or why he wrote the note 3 years later.

15 March 1944, Wednesday - Taça Cidade de São Paulo: Corinthians F.C. 2 x São Paulo Football Club 3; João must have been happy for he 'rooted' for Corinthians F.C. 

16 March 1944, Thursday - 'Troquei o relógio; CrS 300.00. (I changed my watch.) Confusing statement. João probably wanted to say, he either exchanged his watch for another one or most likely he bought a new watch and paid Cr$ 300.00 for it. Now, things get more confusing still for Brazilians were introduced to a new currency named Cruzeiro Cr$ on 5 October 1942. It usually took a few years for people to get used to the new currency...maybe that's why João kept on writing Real symbols instead of the new Cr$ one. 

9 April 1944, Easter Sunday - 'A maior surpresa do ano: Corinthians 1 x Jabaquara 2'. João's favourite football team lost to Jabaquara. 

10 April 1944, Monday - 'Quebrei o meu relógio. Que azar.' (My watch broke. What bad luck.)

12 April 1944, Wednesday - 'Fiquei doente.' (I got sick). Not much information about what kind of sickness João came down with. 

13 April 1944, Thursday: 'Idem.' (The same; João was still sick).

14 April 1944, Friday: 'Idem. Um pouco melhor.' (Still sick, but a little better.)

15 April 1944, Saturday: 'Não viajei.' (I have not traveled.) Things get more confusing for João writes the word 'Junho' (June) below 'Saturday, 15). Now, we don't have means to know whether it is April or June. 

6 August 1944, Sunday - After 4 months with no entry at all, João Baptista shows a new vigour in his hand, writing with block letters: 'Hoje, domingo, 6 de agosto, um dia de pouca alegria para mim. Pensei muito, mas não resolvi nada.' (Sunday, 6 August, a day with little joy for me. I thought a lot, but have come to no conclusion.). God only knows what kind of thoughts João had on the Sunday. 

8 August 1944, Tuesday: 'A maior surpresa do ano: Palmeiras 1 x São Bento 2.' 

13 August 1944, Sunday: 'Irei jogar bola.' (I will play football.' It's surprising to know João could actually play football and not only listen to match broadcasts.

3rd September 1944, Sunday: 'Cortei o cabelo bem curto.' (I had my hair cut very short.)

4 September 1944, Monday: 'Aniversário do Francisco José. Completou 4 anos'. (Francisco José's birthday. He was 4 years old.' We don't know who Francisco José might be. Not a relative for sure. Could be some friend's child. 

1st October 1944, Sunday: 'Fui à Missa.' (I went to Mass.) Darin Family was very religious but João Baptista in particular was not really a regular Mass goer. 

2nd October 1944, Monday: 'Mandei fazer uma blusa.' (I ordered a blouse to be made.) One doesn't know what kind of 'blouse' João ordered. Or who took the order. 

7 October 1944, Saturday: 'Fui ao cinema'. (I went to the movies). João could have go to either Cine São Luiz, on Rua 9 de Julho, or Cine Marília, which was only 3 blocks away from his house. 

2nd November 1944, Thursday (Day of the Dear Departed): 'Finados. Dia muito chuvoso. Bem inferior ao do ano passado. Passei o dia bem triste, um pouco adoentado'. (A rainy day. Inferior to Departed Days of 1943. I was sad most of the time. A little under the weather.' We may only speculate what was João's reason for being sad the whole day. He probably thought about his Mother, Erminia Billò, who died 10 years before. Apparently, he was very attached to her; he was 23 when she died on 25 May 1934. 

6 November 1944, Monday: 'Comecei gozar férias contra a minha vontade'. (I started my annual vacation against my will'. 

7 November 1944, Tuesday: 'Não saí de casa'. (I stayed home.)

8 November 1944, Wednesday: 'Idem'. (Ditto.).

15 November 1944, Wednesday (National holiday): 'Fui pescar. Peguei...' (I went fishing...). João maybe intended to keep on writing about his fishing... but lost courage half-way the first word. 

18 November 1944, Saturday: 'Hoje, sábado 18, ainda estou na mesma. Nada resolvido'. 

24 November 1944, Friday: 'Vou entrar em serviço. Acabaram as minhas férias bestas. (I'm going back to work. My foolish vacations are through.)

March 1944 - Cash Account - Figures indicate João borrowed money from his friend Mioshi, and was paying him back bit by bit. He still owed Mioshi 50.00 whatever currency it may have been. 

February 1944 - Cash Account - 'Falta um motorista. Comecei a viajar em 28 February (Zona de Garça) até 1o. de Julho; depois viajei outra vez'. (We're short of one driver. I started driving on 28 February (Whorehouse in Garça) until 1st of July; then I traveled again'. 

September 1944 - Cash Account - 'Mioshi. Mandei fazer um terno, dei Cr$ 200.00 cruzeiros'. João writes Mioshi's name but then changes subject: 'I ordered a suit. I gave 200 cruzeiros instalment'. 

Addresses & telephones: 'Fábrica de Cigarros Sudan S.A. Avenida 10 de Novembro, 867, phone: 3260'. 

Addresses & telephones: João Batista Darin Filho, Rua Campos Salles, 350; phone: there is none.

João Baptista Darin Filho with a mate on a Sunday afternoon romp at a bar. As one can see João knew how to laugh and have a good time. He must have been in his late 20s or early 30s, probably 1944, the year he wrote about himself in his appointment book. 

The impression one gets after reading João's day-book is of someone who's a loner. There is something that bothers him. He feels he needs to take some action or change something in his life but he doesn't say what it is. Apart from Mioshi's name, João seems not to relate to anyone; at least he doesn't write names of people, apart from the 4th birthday of a boy named Francisco José, whose relationship with him remains a mystery. 

João, surprisingly writes about visiting a whorehouse in Garça twice. But he doesn't expatiate about it. He seldom writes about his feelings except to complain about 'having to go on vacation against his will' or contrast this year's Finados (Day of the Departed was not as good as 1943's) with last year's.

João also seemed to be sick many a time. At one time he had to travel all the way to São Paulo to get treatment of a disease that remains unknown. Apparently, listening to football broadcasts on the radio and going to the movies were João's only pleasures in life. He also mentioned (only once) he would go out to play football (with friends, I suppose).

When I reach for the past for a glimpse on João Baptista Darin Filho's personality I don't come to any conclusion. I met him many times before I was 12 years old for he lived in the same house as my Grandfather's and aunt Rosa's. At first I thought he was mopey & gloomy but that may not have been the truth. If you look at some of his photos you know he had a bright jovial side too but he behaved in a very low-keyed way when I saw him as a child.

João ended up marrying a woman with an opposite personality to his own. Maria da Gloria Redondo was an outgoing and sociable person. They say opposites attract each other... then that must have been a marriage made in heaven. They got married on 13 October 1949, some 5 years after João wrote this day-book.

I once asked Maria Redondo why Marco Giovanni Darin sold his farm (Fazenda Apparecidinha) in São José do Rio Pardo and moved to Marília in November of 1927, and what she told me was almost unbelievable. 

In the mid-1920s Marco Giovanni Darin leased part of Fazenda N.S.Apparecida do Rio Verde to a Black man who tilled the land and planted coffee beans. After harvesting was done and the crop was sold, Mr Darin would collect the rent as usual. Something happened that particular year and the man failed to pay the rent. When it came to collect next year's rent, Mr Darin went to the man's house and while he was there the man had a heart attack and died. Some of the man's friends blamed Mr Darin for his death and bad blood set in. Life at the farm was not the same anymore with recriminations and threats flying around.

Just at this juncture (circa 1925), João Baptista who was 14 years old fell ill after eating a fruit everyone thought it was poisoned. The boy started having seizures similar to those afflicted by epilepsy which alarmed Marco Giovanni a great deal. Father took his son to be examined by doctors in the city but nothing came of it. Some said João had been the victim of witchcraft from those who blamed his father for their friend's death. We don't know details about the case but it was reported that once João vomited a ball of hair. 

Marco Giovanni was a deep Catholic man but he must have been superstitious too. Besides, Marco was 54 years old and probably tired of the hard work he had to put up in that farm. He had six sons: Rissieri (26) already married to Elisa Surian (32) since 16 June 1924, who was Apparecidinha's elementary teacher; Jácomo (25) about to marry his cousin Maria Corsini (20), Luizinho (20), Octavio (16), João Baptista (14) and Valdemar (4) but no one seemed to be interested in working hard.

In other words, Marco Giovanni was deeply unhappy. He saw the solution to all his woes would be to move away from it all; sell his property and with the money go west to Marília, where they said the streets were paved with gold. That's what happened in a nut shell. The sons and daughters: Maria (23) already married since 27 September 1923, to Gumercindo Dutra (31), Apparecidinha's milk man, Angela (21), America (18), Nina (12), Rosa (10) and Yolanda (6) would soon know a new life in town. 

All the children who were 10 or older rejoiced in the idea of leaving the farm they all had been born in and move to a town filled with excitement. Less than 2 years after, on 15 November 1927, the whole family took a train to Campinas-SP and from there another train that took them to the end of the railway line Garça, where they alighted and took a bus to Marília which was only a village by then.