Researching my family history

My great, great grandmother is Caridad Grave de Peralta. She was born in Cuba about 1847 and married Jose Parra about 1863. She came to the US in 1890 and died in Tampa, Fl on 11/17/1937. Is there any connection with your family?

El apellido Pubillones, está presente hoy en el lugar de Corao, concejo de Cangas de Onís (Asturias - España). Es conocido en este lugar desde principios del siglo XIX. Consta en la familia, según me comunicó en su día uno de los así apellidados, que su procedencia es griega. Aclaro: al naufragar un barco de dicha bandera, frente a las costas de Gijón, el capitán del mismo entró al servicio de la familia Llanos de aquella vecindad, uno de cuyos miembros se estableció por matrimonio en el mencionado lugar de Corao y con él se trasladó el primer Pubillones, cuya función sería la de secretario o cargo similar. Como me lo contaron, lo cuento, desconozco su verosimilitud. Enteramente fiable, es la noticia de la emigración de personas de este apellido a la isla de Cuba, a finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX, como se recoge en noticias de prensa de la época: "Ha salido para su casa de Guantánamo (Isla de Cuba), nuestro amigo y constante suscriptor don José Pubillones. Feliz viaje." [El Auseva, año VIII, núm. 354, 16 de enero de 1898, pág.3] Dicho señor, regresó a su Asturias natal, pero si él u otros de su apellido dejaron descendencia en Cuba, ya no puedo decirlo, pues me es desconocido.
Atentamente,
Francisco Pantín

Mark, this may be a bizzare coincidence, but I have been researching my Macias ancestors on the 1900 census of Hillsborough County, Florida and sandwiched in between two of my Macias families on the census is a Parra family, but the head of house first name is obliterated (He is 39 yrs. old, b. in Cuba, married for 20 years). Ages don't line up with your Parras but maybe they are related. Wife is Maria (38 yrs. old, b. in Cuba), children are Luis (b. Cuba), Juan (b. Cuba), Lena(?)b. in Fla, as are the rest of the children:, Amparo, Ophelia, & Pedro M. The reason I am aware of them is because my Macias family also named a daughter "Amparo" and probably named her after Amparo Parra next door. Email me and let me know if you want me to send you a scan of that census page, it's a copy of the original from microfilm.

Mark, besides knowing some Parras, I also knew a Grave de Peralta family from the Cuban town of Holguin. You might try to research the two oldest churches in that town for your great grandmother Caridad. She might have been from Holguin. On the otheer hand, I might have some information about both the Grave de Peralta and Parra families in a Manzanillo - another Cuban town in the same region : get yourself a cuban map-- but as the book is olf fashioned and written in a non- historiographical way, it does not have name indexes.
Every time I want to find a data I have to browse again and again; As I am doing my own research, so slowly... It will take me time to find it for you. But I promise to post your name in the monitor, so to remember it.
Nevertheless keep posting it. I knew a certain angelita Grave de Peralta, born ca. 1940. We went to school together.
The churches in Holguin are: The Iglesis Catedral de San Isidoro (Cathedral Church of Saint Isidoro), and the Iglesia de San Jose. There telephone numbeers might be available at the Catholic Archidiosesis of Miami, whose nmber I dont know.
Good luck, Marta

Unfortunately neither the 1900 Census not the death certificate for Josw Parra (husband of Caridad) mention the specific place in Cuba. Jose died of tuberculosis at age 52 on 6/6/1918 and was a cigarmaker in Tampa. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Tampa, Fl. Caridad actually died in Manhattan, New York City on 11/17/1937 and her body transported to Tampa (also Woodlawn) for burial. She had been in the United States for 44 years according to her death certificate. Caridad's parents were Jose Maria Grave de Peralta (from Cuba, place unknown) and Juana Alegre (from Cuba, place unknown). Caridad was a dressmaker and died of heart disease at age 91. Sorry I can't provide more. It's always difficult to get information when the trail leads to Cuba.

Does the US census says where Jose Parra was born in Cuba. i guess from your message to me that it was not so. Maybe if you check the Death Certificate, it will tell you more.

The Jose Parra that was married to Caridid Grave de Peralta was born about 1837 in Cuba and died in Tampa, FL on 9/18/1905. According to the 1900 Census, he had been in the US 10 years. Jose and Caridad had a son also named Jose who was born in Cuba about 3/1866 and died 6/6/1918 in Tampa, Fl. Perhaps the Juan Parra y Grave de Peralta in Key West was a relative (cousin?) to Jose Jr. Caridad'a parents were Jose Maria Grave de Peralta and Juana Alegre (dates unknown). I'm not quite sure how Juan connects in. Thank you for the information, though.

Solo tengo datos de esta familia PARRA en 1906 en Key West.

Juan PARRA y GRAVE DE PERALTA, casado con Concepcion Marcelina CARDENAS y VALDES. Tienen 4 hijos:

Juan, nace en La Habana, ca 1889 (17 años)
Alicia, nace en Tampa, ca 1892 (14 años)
Amado, nace en Tampa, ca 1898 (8 años)
Jose, nace en Key West, ca 1901 (5 años)

Victor

Unfortunately, I don't yet know where Jose Parra was from in Cuba. In correction to the place of death for Caridad Grave de Peralta, I recently found out that she died in New York. Her body was taken to Tampa Fl for burial.