Dear Mr. Mendes Abravanel,

My family was dit OBEN in Santo Domingo, and married into the VICTORIA family, descendants of ABRAHAM VICTORIA, Jews from France (Bourdeaux, it is claimed in the family tree which I read) and it is also claimed that they came to Santo Domingo from the Virgin Islands.

Do you have any further information on the Victoria family or would you have any information on the OWEN, OVEN or OBEN family of Santo Domindo, Haiti or the Virgin Islands? It would be a very big favor for me.

My grandfather was JOSE ALEJANDRO OWEN (dit OBEN) ALVARES, son of CARMELO OBEN y SANCHEZ (Auditor, Sugar Mill) and MARIA ALVARES SANTOS. My grandfather was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where in 1899 the worst hurricane ever had in that area ocurred when he was only 4 years old.

I have found other reasons to believe that the family was descended from the OBEN family to which the document "Bani: Raices Historicas" refers. My grandfather told me that his family came from St. Martin, and he also related wonderful stories of his family's travel throughout the Caribbean, including, of course, fondly, stories about Santo Domingo.

My grandfather arrived in Cuba rather young and we were not able to take vital documents with us when we left.

I hope I can be of assistance to you as well with any information you seek. I have access to U.S. and British Censuses.

Cordially,
Ines Diaz-Owen