Buscando informes sobre la geneologia de los Fundichely de Cueto, Mayari, Holguin.
Delia Gallardo es mi tatarabuela, tuvo 3 hijos, mi abuelo Magdaleno Diaz, y dos mas de apellido Gallardo.

Mi abuela materna era de apellidos Govin Owen, hija de Concepsion Owen y Quintin Govin

I am the grandaughter of Jose Owen Alvarez, who came to eastern Cuba from Ponce, Puerto Rico early in the twentieth century when he was nine years old. Some family traits include: tall with elegant gait (he used to walk with a cane adding to the effect), smiling blue eyes, prominent nose, large ears (he would joke about his ears), thinning hair, very congenial personality, love of family, love of politics. He was patriotic, passionate about civil rights and possessed integrity beyond reproach. The Owen family motto is: "Honesty is the best policy" and Robert Owen was a British, world renown reformer of workplace conditions. An Owen promoted child reform labor law in the United States early in the twentieth century.

Other peculiarities of my grandfather were: a preference for natural cures, study of nature especially flora and fauna, knowledge of astronomy. I believe his father was a seafaring man who possibly died of a disease related to sea travel. My grandfather would tell, with great interest, of travelling in the Caribbean islands and of learning about different cultures and customs, even prior to arriving in Cuba at nine years of age. He also told of the land owned by his father in Ponce or on its outskirts, which bordered on a river. I think I recall a mention of Martinique.

My grandfather was an amateur poet and his poetry is kept a Hudson County public library collection, and his upon his death a community newspaper article praised his personal qualities. His most memorable idiosincracies, however, were his sense of humor (a new joke, found or written, every single day) and his gentlemanly manner. His formality seemed casual but was neverfailing.

There are members of the Owen family in Ponce today. Please contact me at inesdiazowen@hotmail.com for further information.

My family with the name of Owen were slaves in Matanzas.

My great grandmother, Concepsion Owen was the daughter of an African slave and a Chinese immigrant. She was born a slave in 1886 (slavery wasn't abolished in Cuba until 1888, I believe).

If your family owned plantations (ingenios) then your family probably owned my family.

Thanks for the email.

Ivis

Dear Ms. Fundichelly,

Firstly, please allow me to tell you that I am quite shocked. I have had to catch my breath in order to calm down enough to give a reply.

Slave trade was outlawed in 1862, I believe. In fact, I was just reading a book on the history of Havana wherein it is stated that slaves working on a mansion in Havana claimed right to wages because they were being held as slaves, although they were purchased after 1862, at which time slave trade was declared illegal in Cuba.

The British enforced laws by coming to Cuba and counting the slaves, but the Spaniards would claim that the count had increased due to births in slavery. I assume that means that slaves could be born into slavery if their parents were purchased before that date on which slave trade was prohibited. Also, the Spanish would sometimes lie to appease the counting authorities.

I did hear a person (Mrs. Wirshing, a widow from Ponce) tell me of sugar mills run by the Owen family in Puerto Rico. I do not believe that branch would include anyone from whom I am directly descended, as my grandfather was an only child and his father owned another kind of business in Ponce.

In fact, my grandfather would tell of meeting the African-descended and native people of the islands, of appreciating their customs, and he married my grandmother, who as your grandmother was the daughter of a person born into slavery, in her case of the Hierrezuelo family of Santiago de Cuba. Her father fought in the Liberation army and my grandfather was his admirer as well as an admirer of the "Titan de Bronze" Antonio Maceo.

This does not negate the possibility that his father, my great-grandfather, could have had brothers who owned slaves. We have not kept touch with that family and in the past I have not been successful in getting replies from my correspondence to them. My grandfather came to Cuba young and did not remember, since they left Puerto Rico even before that.

This is still a mystery to me, but the possibility of a schism in the family has always shadowed my prior queries into the Owen family in Ponce. My grandfather never returned there despite living in the United States for over two decades. He did return to Puerto Rico, but not to Ponce. Many would try to convince him but he would not discuss it at all.

I guess this is my cross to bear. I hope to find my mother's cousins, who today appear to be in public relations and leaders in their community, and to embrace my family. I did meet one member of the family many years ago, but we lost track of him.

At least I feel comfortable that my grandfather never took an inheritance from that family. Land records cannot be taken out of Cuba when one leaves in a hurry. His very happy marriage to my grandmother and his love of his adopted land make us rich because we are proud of our roots.

My grandfather resigned the Cuban army in the 1950s when he, a tall and elegant soldier, stood outside Batista's door and listened to things he felt were detrimental to his commander-in-chief. His belief was that his children, mulatto also, should not have to hear lies and be used as puppets one day; his president should be treated with dignity.

For the above reasons I feel a little relieved that we are not directly involved. However, it is sad that your great-grandmother was deemed anyone's property at all. Your statement has made me more aware of certain possibilities in the Owen background, but it also makes me glad that my grandfather, in the end a very humble man despite decades of honorable service in the Cuban military, was a son a seafaring man and not a mill-owner.

I appreciate your prompt and informative response.

Looking forward to hearing from you,
Ines Diaz-Owen

Hello Ines,

I'm sure you're not the only person that carries a bit of guilt regarding ancestors. But we're not even sure they were your Owen family.

I'm not bitter. I've always known that part of my family were brought from Africa as slaves. As you may know, Afro-Cubans aren't usually as hung up on the slavery/prejudice thing as African Americans.

It was what happened. I'm proud of my family, what they might have gone through, and my Afro-Cuban heritage which has given so much to the culture of my country. I'm also proud that I can trace my lineage back that far and know that I'm only 3 generations removed and worlds ahead of those times.

Don't be shocked, or upset. Oh, by the way, so you know, there is a 100 year old great aunt of one of my cousins living in Bethesda, Maryland, who is an Owen. She's amazingly clear and has the history of my family in her head. My cousin even recorded her once. Pretry cool, no?

:) thanks for touching base with me. Feel free to email again.

ivis

Dear Ms. Fundichely,

Thank you so much for responding to my electronic mail. You obviously have strong values of forgiveness and were even so kind as to offer me comfort.

I think it is beautiful that you have a relative who is over 100 years old and also can remember our Cuban history. Your family has been wise to record her.

I studied journalism and among my writings was included studies of two slaves who lived in the South Florida area. I
studied at Florida International University. One slave lived on what is today Southwest 8th Street, by where that train station is close to Brickell Avenue, and another in Key West. They were described in the 1930s, when a writers' project was funded by the federal government to capture the last of the persons who had lived during slavery. Their lives were quite different, she a former house slave who had learned about the social values of plantation society, he became a cook aboard a vessel in Key West, travelling the world. In fact, the way he described it he was really kidnapped into the vessel, having cooking abilities, but in the end he became accustomed to life at sea. I wrote the essays for an African-American history class.

If it is not too forward, please give your relative a big hug for me. How beautiful that she survived so that others after her could also survive, and could live a better life!

My grandmother, Ursulina Hierrezuelo de Owen, was also descended from a man born into slavery. He was freed but during the Spanish-American war the Hierrezuelos had to hide to avoid capture, as freedom papers were apparently not worth much to the authorities. My grandmother taught me, very early on, by reading his journal, about slaves being sold and about the difficulties the Hierrezuelos underwent to survive away from society. But, it took me long to understand that, (as she would say), he did not think his masters were bad. They taught him to read and to write and I believe he also held a high self-esteem, as he had a choice to remain with the family as a servant but chose to suffer in the woods. He became an officer in the Liberation Army, and my mother remembers a military funeral with full honors.

I read a book by Jorge Amado recently, about Santa Barbara, in which a cantomble ritual began with thanks to the ancestors, who allowed the survival of the participants and their race. It left an impression on me, as strongly symbolic of how real is the legacy of the struggle which the slaves endured.

Now, hearing about your closeness with your history despite living in exile, that expression of gratitude has become vibrant in my mind and heart. I am so grateful to your family for keeping history alive. I try to keep in touch with my relatives, of late, because over the internet I can at least send messages.

I once had a friend tell me that he knew an Afro-Cuban named Owen, in Havana, but I could not understand how. Our family are mixed African, British, Spanish, but only the Owen women even used the name. My uncle spells it Oven --as you probably know the name was often mispelled that way-- so that his children are not even Owens.

I hope to hear from you again,
Ines

Hello Ines,

You can call me Ivis, by the way.

It's very interesting that you heard about an Owen in Havana.
That could possibly have been related to me. As that's where my family eventually migrated. However, since they were slaves and slave owners, goodness knows which Owen.

I can tell you that my great grandmother Concepsion Owen had 10 children, some of them were Martinez Owen and others, like my grandmother, were Govin Owen. They lived in Jacomino until they were of age to work (around 10), then they were pulled out of school to work as paid servants. Not quite slavery :).

My one of my grandmother's nieces, a Martinez Owen, married a Mederos Owen. Their mothers were born on the same plantation in Matanzas. Mederos Owen is the surname of the 100 year old, his sister who lives in Bethesda.

A peculiar tidbit, the reason my family is complete in this country was because of the Owen name, though they were not related by blood.

Turns out that there was a mix up with the names once it came time for my mom and grandmom to leave the country.
My dad and I went ahead. A couple of days later, the matter was resolved because Mederos Owen claimed my mom and grandmom.

Hope that explanation was clear. Therefore, the Owen name, though it will die with the lady in Maryland, is alive and well in a bunch of the Martinez Owen, Mederos Owen, Govin Owen decendants, my cousins and me.

I try to be informed of my family roots. It's very sad when you can't put the pieces of the puzzle together. Exile cuts you off in a way only we understand. For instance, I know there are many Fundichelys in Cuba, but have contact with very few. Evidently, it's not a Spanish name, and I'd like very much to build that family tree. That might never be possible.

Thank you for contacting me. I'd love to hear more about your Owen family.

Ivis

Dear Ivis,

I do remember hearing someone I knew in Miami tell me that he knew and fondly remembered an young man with the last name Owen in Havana. He seemed to have been a friend from school. When I remember who told me this, if I can locate him, I will let you have whatever information he gives me. Probably, that Owen man is in his forties, as was the person who told me.

I apologize for the gap in my memory. I talked to so many people in Miami, and at times people do mention the Owen name because it is unusual for a Cuban.

In my case, I derived my citizenship from both my father and mother, so immigration gave me that hyphenated last name. My brother always used Diaz-Owen, in any case.

I will see what I can do to help you in your search for your family. It is possible that your name might also be spelled with a "cc" instead of "ch" in its Italian version.

Remember in your research to include communities outside of Cuba, such as Key West, Tampa, even Jacksonville. I was quite surprised to find an Hierrezuelo who joined the United States military in World War I, from Jacksonville. There were Cubans in other cities, who travelled there with cigar factories, and cigars were the biggest industry in Jacksonville at one time. So, my guess is that an Hierrezuelo travelled here, then joined the military from here.

I believe there is a Pazos or Pazo web page which is researching Key West, which was so close to Cuba. I lived there in the early 90's and know that they had a school owned by Cuba (the San Carlos institute) and many Cuban teachers. I also know that Tampa still has deep Cuban roots going back to the time of Jose Marti.

Goodbye,
Ines

Dear Ivis,

I do remember hearing someone I knew in Miami tell me that he knew and fondly remembered an young man with the last name Owen in Havana. He seemed to have been a friend from school. When I remember who told me this, if I can locate him, I will let you have whatever information he gives me. Probably, that Owen man is in his forties, as was the person who told me.

I apologize for the gap in my memory. I talked to so many people in Miami, and at times people do mention the Owen name because it is unusual for a Cuban.

In my case, I derived my citizenship from both my father and mother, so immigration gave me that hyphenated last name. My brother always used Diaz-Owen, in any case.

I will see what I can do to help you in your search for your family. It is possible that your name might also be spelled with a "cc" instead of "ch" in its Italian version.

Remember in your research to include communities outside of Cuba, such as Key West, Tampa, even Jacksonville. I was quite surprised to find an Hierrezuelo who joined the United States military in World War I, from Jacksonville. There were Cubans in other cities, who travelled there with cigar factories, and cigars were the biggest industry in Jacksonville at one time. So, my guess is that an Hierrezuelo travelled here, then joined the military from here.

I believe there is a Pazos or Pazo web page which is researching Key West, which was so close to Cuba. I lived there in the early 90's and know that they had a school owned by Cuba (the San Carlos institute) and many Cuban teachers. I also know that Tampa still has deep Cuban roots going back to the time of Jose Marti.

Goodbye,
Ines

Dear Ivis,

Found an article on an actor with last name spelled Fundichely as well as Fundiccelli within the same page. He is from Havana.

Here is the link: http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=141627&me...

Hope this helps, but you probably already have the article.

Ines

Hola Ines,

Yes, Orlando Fundichely (actor) is my first cousin, my dad's nephew.

I met him 7 years ago when he came to this country. Believe it or not, his father, my uncle, never told him about us (Communist). He may have been afraid, Lord only knows.

In any case, my aunt in Banes (my dad's family is from Oriente) visited Habana, and his mother, who told her that he was here. My aunt let us know and I contacted him. He was so happy to have family here. He felt very alone in those times.

He's doing quite well, and has been in several novelas. He brought his older brother, and now I have two Fundichely cousins in the U.S.

Unfortunately, the elder Fundichelys aren't good at keeping a family history. They don't know anything about the origins of the name.

There are many Fundichelys, mostly in Queto, Holguin, and Banes, but there's also a faction in the Habana province. These new cousins of mine have told me about them.

Five years ago Orlando was living in Lima and I got a chance to accompany my dad there so that he could see his brother after 32 years. It was a very important time in my life. I bonded with both my coursins and we found that we were very alike even though our upbringing was world's apart.

They have run into some Fundichelys in Florida as well. Although they don't know what is their lineage. I know that my great grandparents had five children and that those great aunts and uncles of mine had kids of their own, but my dad never kept in touch.

One day I hope to visit the country an possible search for some family.

Thanks Ines

Have a nice weekend.

Hola Ines,

Yes, Orlando Fundichely (actor) is my first cousin, my dad's nephew.

I met him 7 years ago when he came to this country. Believe it or not, his father, my uncle, never told him about us (Communist). He may have been afraid, Lord only knows.

In any case, my aunt in Banes (my dad's family is from Oriente) visited Habana, and his mother, who told her that he was here. My aunt let us know and I contacted him. He was so happy to have family here. He felt very alone in those times.

He's doing quite well, and has been in several novelas. He brought his older brother, and now I have two Fundichely cousins in the U.S.

Unfortunately, the elder Fundichelys aren't good at keeping a family history. They don't know anything about the origins of the name.

There are many Fundichelys, mostly in Queto, Holguin, and Banes, but there's also a faction in the Habana province. These new cousins of mine have told me about them.

Five years ago Orlando was living in Lima and I got a chance to accompany my dad there so that he could see his brother after 32 years. It was a very important time in my life. I bonded with both my coursins and we found that we were very alike even though our upbringing was world's apart.

They have run into some Fundichelys in Florida as well. Although they don't know what is their lineage. I know that my great grandparents had five children and that those great aunts and uncles of mine had kids of their own, but my dad never kept in touch.

One day I hope to visit the country an possible search for some family.

Thanks Ines

Have a nice weekend.
Post Reply | Mark Unread | Report Abuse Print Message


<<Thread • Previous • Next • Thread>>


Find a Board: Use Soundex

Dear Ivis,

I found some interesting information at this web site:

www.cubagenweb.org/mil/mambi/search.htm

I sought Hierrezuelo family members and found many, many. I sought Owen family members and found some Oven, which is a common corruption of Owen. (We were sometimes told in Cuba that it was "supposed to be" Oven, my uncle even changed his name.) Included are Abraham, Carlos, Esteban.

I also found Fundichely spelled different ways. Look under the first letter of the last name. I even found an officer. Since you have not mentioned an officer in the Liberation Army, I assume this will be news for you. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised and proud of your patriotic roots.

By the way, it is noteworthy that the Oven persons were Oven Oven, which may indicate that they were part of that group in Matanzas which derived the last name from the Europpean Owen family.

Good luck,
Ines

Hola Ines,

Thank you very much for this information. It's quite exciting, although I don't know what to do with it, or how to find out more.

I guess the library will be a good start. Somewhere on this website I read information regarding a book that is in the New York Public Library. I'll start there.

Imagine, three Fundichelys. It's a very easy name to misspell, therefore I'm not surprised that two of them were logged in as Fundichel. Also, as you know, grammatical rules for proper names in Spanish are quite loose. You can actually spell names any way you like. Fundicheli, is very close, and, I've always assumed that the original European spelling included the Latin "i" in stead of the Greek "y". As you noted in a previous communication, it was probably something more like Fundicelli.

Also, one of my cousins who was in the merchant marine tried to find the name in Europe and traced it to some similar names in France, of all places.

Well, thanks again for your help.

Ivis

Dear Ivis,

With the information you have on the Fundichel/Fundichely, you can contact the Municipios del Exilio in Miami. There is one for Santiago de Cuba.

Typically, people from Santiago (Santiagoans?) love to tell old stories about the families they knew. They fussed about me when I was younger and attended a few times.

They might pinch you on the cheek as if you were a child again, tell you about how they knew your father when he wore a dress (they used to dress little baby boys in dresses until a certain age) and all about everyone's death.

As Key Westers, people from Santiago seem, in my opinion, to have an obsession with death. Key Westers walk by the cemetery for fun! Well, I am well-known with the Pazos and Diaz clan because my paternal grandfather, Angel Diaz, was born and died on the same date, January 28th, Jose Marti's birthday. I apologize, but it gets even more morbid. He was a carpenter, and he had already built his own coffin. He died at age of 36, so that was unusual. He was the brother of Ines Diaz Pazos, my aunt.

The people from Santiago are warm, they sing when they talk, almost similar to Mexicans (they even say "manita"). They will surround you with a feeling of home. I hope you also get to hear stories of the great struggle for Cuban independence. The Pazos family, the cousins with whom my father lived after he was orphaned by his father's death, savor every word they say. I love their Spanish, in fact it is so beautifully pronounced that it makes me self-conscious.

Please, be assured that the rewards of connecting with Santiago de Cuba roots are like tasting pineapple, like seeing the special blue of the Cuban sky, in your mind's eye, like being hugged by relatives you did not know you have, even when the strangers from Santiago. What am I saying, there is no such thing as a stranger from Santiago.

There is a fair of the "municipios" in Miami every year.

You "manita",

Ines

Hola,

I contacted the webmaster on the cubagenweb site regarding the three soldiers on their Mambi list.

I received a prompt reply explaining the origin of the list and where the original lists may reside (Habana, of course).

He promised to look up the soliers for me at a later date. He's moving to Florida and has packed up his archives.

That's a start, right?

I also found out that there's a Pedro Fundichely in Hiahleah. Pedro was the name of one of the soliders. One of my Fundichely cousins in Miami told me he ran into a man with the same last name a couple of years ago. However, Fundichelys are known for not knowing who were their ancestors, therefore, my cousin didn't get anywhere with this guy.

My coursin is also a very quiet and shy man who probably didn't ask the necessary questions.

I'm pretty excited to know that Fundichelys go back to the late 19th century. We don't know when they arrived in Cuba, but at least I know they were already there in 1895.

My parents and I will be in Miami in July. Perhaps I can convince the old man to visit the place you suggested.

Thanks for your help.

ivis

Dear Ivis,

My family on my father's side is also oblivious to its roots. My father just told me last weekend that my maternal grandmother had no brothers, no one to carry on the Hierrezuelo name. I later remembered that my mother would tell me of going to the opera house with her uncle on her mother's side. My father does not even know his paternal grandmother's name, says it may be Carey.

There is a gentleman named Ariel Pevide in Santiago de Cuba. I came across his name researching the troops who fought in the Spanish American War on the side of the United States (there was a rather valiant Owen, by the way, but again I have been unable to find a relationship) and he had a message stating something to the effect that he lives within walking distance of the cemetery and San Juan Hill.

His e-mail address is ariel@rpr.uo.edu.cu but I have not heard from him in a while. I was always very careful to limit my correspondence to nonpolitical, nonreligious issues and he did tell me he knew a few Hierrezuelos. He is no longer in the ancestry business, but maybe he can take a walk and tell you whether your ancestors are buried in the military cemetery.

Another acquaintance may be a cousin, he is an Hierrezuelo. His e-mail address is alexis@ecotur.com and he manages Ecotur in Brasilia, Brazil.

I am not advertising anything, you might want to look up the website so that you know what they are about. But, he does travel in and out of Santiago quite a bit and is planning to go there this summer to visit his clan.

I asked his permission before giving you his address. He said he personally would be of help if he can.

This is getting so exciting!

As far as the Owen clan, the chances are exactly the same as finding a needle in a haystack. The research has been both dramatic and traumatising. A particular lot, the Owen family. But I love them, they are still my blood. So far, a Colombian Owen with war medals to be traced, a Mexican poet Owen, an Owen killed by Pancho Villa, a lost Canadian Owen, a Canadian officer Owen Protheroe in Puerto Rico, Quaker Owens being disciplined for participating in war, among other items.Owens fighting for Britain, the North, the South, for Mexico and against it, Owen DNA projects, Owen slaves, Owen pirates (well, that is my conjecture), Owen who founded the Bentley car company, Owen who was grandfather to King Henry IV, the last prince of Wales Owen, Robert Owen who founded colonies and basically invented socialism (although he forced no one to "volunteer" for his experiments) and even more drama. No wonder the twinkling blue eyes.

I believe I may have a soap opera to write soon.

Ines

Hola Ines,

The Owen saga is quite the mystery. I'd love it if you let me know what else you find out.

Thank you for your help, but I don't want to bother anyone or take them out of their way.

I appreciate you're giving me the emails of your contacts, you are very sweet.

I will also try to grill my Miami cousins this summer and see if they heard anything growing up. They were in Cuba and one of them grew up very close to one of my father's Fundichely aunts. It's always been incredible to me that they don't talk about their family. My dad never does. I grew up with a grandmother who told us everything she knew. She told us about each of her brothers and sisters and her parents.

I guess that's where I get my natural curiousity for family history.

Thanks again,

ivis

Dear Ivis,

I have found a Fraticelli y Fraticelli family in Yauco, Puerto Rico. I was doing research on the Sanchez y Troche family of Yauco, (a coffee growing town in Puerto Rico), as I think there may be a Yauco factor in the Sanchez and Oben family of Puerto Rico.

I posted on the Fraticelli board, where there was mention of Italian Fraticellis. However, the family I found were from France. Please read my posting (a reply to a 2004 posting from a Fraticelli). I posted it today.

How are you doing on your search? I have found LIVING Fraticelli, including one listed under some organization of radio amateurs. Might be worth a Google search for you.

I have been having fun learning about the many immigrants who came to Puerto Rico to toil the land. They came from everywhere. Some were told: "Look, it's too late to get any flat land, it is all taken. So, go up, young man!" They planted coffee, they found some sort of discarded, abandoned machinery and made it into a coffee roaster, and now, they can look back on the history of some of the most expensive coffee in the world. I have been reading about the history of Ponce, Puerto Rico, too.

Cordially,
Ines (maybe "Mujer con Aroma de Cafe?" I do have coffee-color eyes.)

Dear Ms. Fundichely,

I have found an OBINE in New Orleans, born in Cuba.

Name: Camille OBINE
Age: 39
Estimated birth year: <1841>
Birthplace: Cuba
Occupation: Farm Laborer
Gender: Male
Father's birthplace: Cuba
Mother's birthplace: Cuba
Year: 1880; Census Place: 4th Ward, St. Bernard, Louisiana; Roll: T9_467; Family History Film: 1254467; Page: 289A; Enumeration District: 148; Image: 590.

He lived with Raphael LEON and they were both farm laborers.

There may be a relation to the OWEN as it was sometimes written as OBEN or as OBIN in some places. I had never come across the OBINE, although recently I read about OUBAIN in Haiti, probably related.

How is your search coming along?

Cordially,
Ines

Hello Ines,

I haven't been following up this summer. I just got back from Florida, but I didn't do any searching.

My dad was pleased when I showed him the 3 Fundichelys that showed up on the list of soldiers from the Revolution.

I thank you for that.

Ivis