Posted By : Ashley D'souza
I am curious about my ancestry. I don’t live in India anymore. I have oral knowledge handed down to me from my mother. It would be handy for someone who has access, to do a search for me. Have you ever seen the program “Who do you think you are” A TV series I always watch. Famous actors and actresses have their lives explored on TV, sometimes with wonderful connections to Royalty and sometimes worse. My mum said I came from D’souza or Gonsalves family, I surely would like to trace my ancestry. I know this costs money, and would hate to think that I would get a freebie. Not in my DNA. If I had the connections, I would do it for anybody myself. I’m of science/engineering background and wouldn’t know how to go about doing the necessary research separate by the oceans.
What were the surnames / family names of Catholic people before the Portuguese came to Vasai? Any documentation available?
When it comes to Bloodlines and Ancestory , it varies greatly how far back any particular person can trace his/her Lineage , Europeans were best in documenting their Ancestory while some had records but they were destroyed in wars and fires , Like in our case probably our ancestors were Christ believers before the Evangeliszing by the Portuguese or our Forefathers accepted the faith of Jesus Christ and converted themselves into Christianity , Now coming back to Names and Surnames most of the time in early days new converts we're given Priests Name during baptism priest helped these new converts with new names , Remember the battle of Vasai and destruction of salsette almost every church was burnt down by Marathas so it's obvious how could our priest or great grand parents could save these records everything was probably destroyed in 1739
For Ex : The name "ASHLEY " is of English origin Ashley was originally used for male children, but it gained popularity as a female first name in the United States in the late 20th century. Its sudden rise in popularity is generally attributed to the emergence of the female soap opera character Ashley Abbott on The Young and The Restless in 1982. In the United Kingdom the name is used for both boys and girls.
SOUZA is a common, Portuguese language surname, especially in Portugal, Brazil, and India mainly in Bombay and Goa. Sometimes the spelling is in the archaic form Souza; it also spelled as D'Souza or De Souza (from Souza). As a name, it may refer to:
Though the name CAROL was originally a masculine name derived from the Latin "Carolus," today it is primarily regarded as a feminine name , Carol is also used to refer to the English word meaning "song" or "hymn." as a girl's name is a variant of Carol (Old German) and the meaning of Caro is "Free Man".
ANTHONY English form of the Roman family name Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. The most notable member of the Roman family was the general Marcus Antonius (called Mark Antony in English), who for a period in the 1st century BC ruled the Roman Empire jointly with Augustus. When their relationship turned sour, he and his mistress Cleopatra were attacked and forced to commit suicide , The name became regularly used in the Christian world due to the fame of Saint Anthony ,Its popularity was reinforced in the Middle Ages by the 13th-century Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of Portugal.
ALL EAST INDIANS WERE ANGLO INDIAN BUT ALL ANGLO INDIAN’S WERE NOT EAST INDIANS
East Indians were originally Marathi speaking local Fisherman and Farmers who converted to Roman Catholicism under the Portuguese so they were called Portugese Christians.
To separate them from Hindu community the Portuguese gave them Portuguese names and Surnames and Dress.
The East Indian Christians of today have no racial connection at all with the early East Indians who are now known as Anglo— Indians. The racial distinctions which did not exist at the time of the Portuguese, seem to have been introduced by the Europeans in India. "The Indo-British race (later on called East Indians) had not sprung up when they were first established," but in the course of time, when marriages between the British officers and soldiers of the Company and Indian women were not only recognised, but also encouraged, "the East Indians became numerous in population,— and were every year becoming more so
The native Christians were purely of Hindu origin and the "East Indians" were generally of mixed blood, who had assumed the dress and usages of Europeans. The East Indians were rich and property holders, and could well afford to adopt the costly European costumes. The case reveals that the native Christians could also make themselves competent enough to change their class and become East Indians by acquiring wealth and property, and by adopting European customs and manners, at the same time maintaining their native blood .
The Portuguese they are not, for the greater part of them are the descendants of the converted natives who have to a considerable extent retained their own caste distinctions. Still, there are a few who claim that they are the descendants of the Portuguese settlers and can trace their origin to one of the noble families who reigned as lords in the various parts of Salsette, Bassein and Thana. Are the native Christians "East Indians"? They are, from the legal point of view, because the term includes all Christians and the English law was made applicable to them. But having regard to the racial point of view, the "East Indians" differ because they are the descendants of Europeans and native mothers.
The native Christians could be called "East Indians" having regard to the social side of the question, because it was merely competency to adopt their manners and customs that made this term applicable to them. On account of the admixture of communities on the one hand and increase of East Indians on the other, the term began to lose its significance, and a more specific term was slowly and steadily coming in vogue.
By the end of the nineteenth century, there was an enormous increase in the population of the East Indians (now known as Anglo - Indians). The manners, customs and standard of living of the East Indians rendered them a community absolutely apart from all other Indian communities. They segregated themselves from the rest of the Christians in India and proudly formed a separate community and went by the specific name of "Eurasians". Sir Henry Gidney in his Future of Anglo- Indian Community says that it was in the year 1911 that the name Eurasian by which the mixed community had hitherto been known was altered to "Anglo- Indian." As a result of this change the Europeans who had a temporary residence in India and Europeans who had a domicile or a permanent residence in India ceased to be called Anglo-Indians and called themselves Europeans.
The first use of the term “ Anglo Indians ” was to describe all British people living in India. This is the definition contained in the Indian Constitution. However in popular usage the term changed to describe Anglo-Indians as people who were of mixed blood descending from the British on the male side and women from the Indian side. People of mixed British and Indian descent were previously referred to as 'Eurasians' but are now more commonly referred to as 'Anglo-Indians'.
The Christians of different parts of India came to be known by territorial designations, such as, Goans, Mangloreans, etc. The native Christians of Bombay and the suburbs, discarded all differences and retained the original name by which the upper and educated class was already known, the more appropriate and suitable appellation of "East Indians."
The community adopted The name East Indian soon after the British ended their colonial rule in India. On the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
The idea of how and when his surname came about :
The first Portuguese settlers were the Jesuits, who established a church in the 16th century. Notwithstanding their claim in 1572 King Sebastian of Portugal granted the island in perpetuity was acquired by Antonio Pessoa who in turn bequeathed it to his son in law ‘Lionel De Souza , On 18th January 1572 the original grant was confirmed by Royal Patent and the village of Mazagaon given in perpetuity to the ‘De Souza Family’From whom The D’Souzas of Mumbai trace their Descent ( Whether of Portugese descent or Koli converts )
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