Eugenia Campo.

Auguste Agostini, another son of Simon the Cedulant, was born in 1816....

There is a charming tale told of him, that one day he was riding through the dusty main street of Arima, which had been the Indian Mission, when he cast his roving eye on a beautiful Amerindian young woman. He immediately alighted from his horse and swept the young lady off her feet, married her, and began the lifestyle of a new breed of Agostinis. Since at this time, Auguste was over fifty years of age we may choose to believe that he had earlier been married and that his wife having died and left him without issue, he was searching for a new companion for his middle age.

We may presume that they enjoyed marital bliss if we are to judge by her fecundity, for Eugenia Campo bore him at least eleven children. We can only trace the descendants of two sons - Cedar, born in 1875, and Auguste, named after his father and born in 1883. Cedar married Lavenia Dean and they were blessed with eight children.

Source: Anthony de Verteuil C.S.Sp., The Corsicans in Trinidad, p.76.


It has often been related in family circles that Eugenia was a "Carib Amerindian", or Island Carib, and there no reason to doubt that, but with a qualification I'll add later.

The Caribs are believed to have migrated from the Orinoco River area in South America to settle in the Caribbean islands about 1200 AD, according to carbon dating. Over the two centuries leading up to Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs mostly displaced the Maipurean-speaking Taínos by warfare, extermination, and assimilation....

In the early colonial period Caribs had a reputation as warriors who raided neighboring islands. Early Europeans claimed that they practiced cannibalism – the word "cannibal" derives from a corruption of their name. However, Europeans may have embellished these aspects to rationalize enslaving the Caribs....

The Caribs were skilled boat builders and sailors. They appeared to have owed their dominance in the Caribbean basin to their mastery of warfare....

Several hundred ethnic Carib descendants live in Puerto Rico, U. S. Virgin Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad, Aruba as well as in St. Vincent....

Also from The New World Encyclopedia, Carib :

Carib, Island Carib, or Kalinago people, after whom the Caribbean Sea was named, live in the Lesser Antilles islands. They are one of the two main tribes of Amerindian people who inhabited the Caribbean at the time of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, the other being the Taino (also known as the Arawak)....

Often the Carib are remembered for being ferocious warriors and for cannibalistic customs. Although it may be true that they were warlike, fighting and displacing other tribes such as the Taino, they have often been maligned by exaggerated early European propaganda that over-looked their many accomplishments and skills, such as sailing, navigation, and basket weaving....

The social structure of Carib tribes were mostly patriarchal. The men trained as warriors, traveling by canoe on raiding parties. Women primarily carried out domestic duties and farming, and often lived in separate houses from the men. However, women were highly revered and held substantial socio-political power. The Caribs usually lived in small groups, but these groups were often not exclusive from one another.

An important point to remember in regard to Eugenia Campo:

After successfully conquering parts of the Caribbean, the Carib language quickly died out while the Arawakan language was maintained over the generations. This was the result of the invading Carib men usually killing the local men of the islands they conquered and taking Arawak wives who then passed on their own language to the children. For a time, Arawak was spoken primarily or exclusively by women and children, while adult men spoke Carib.[9] Eventually, as the first generation of Carib-Arawak children reached adulthood, the more familiar Arawak became the only language used in the small island societies. This language was called Island Carib, even though it is not part of the Carib linguistic family. It is now extinct, but was spoken on the Lesser Antilles until the 1920s (primarily in Dominica, Saint Vincent, and Trinidad). (1) 

The Amerindians of Arima, from where Eugenia hails:

The Santa Rosa Carib Community (SRCC) is the major organization of indigenous people in Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribs of Arima are descended from the original Amerindian inhabitants of Trinidad; Amerindians from the former encomiendas of Tacarigua and Arauca (Arouca) were resettled to Arima between 1784 and 1786. The SRCC was incorporated in 1973 to preserve the culture of the Caribs of Arima and maintain their role in the annual Santa Rosa Festival (dedicated to Santa Rosa de Lima, the first Catholic saint canonized in the New World).

In regard to the subject of cannibalism, noted in both sources with caution about "European propaganda" for the purpose of enslavement, it's worth reading Cannibal Stories: The Carib Indian & Human Cannibalism European myth, not Caribbean reality...


Dominica's Caribs Embrace the Entrepreneurial Spirit In Modern Times: 




Notes:

(1) I have a photo of Eugenia Campo taken in 1927, so it's possible she was one of the last who may have been able to speak Arawakan. And, given the history, it seems very likely that her ancestry was in fact Arawakan. ​ 

Auguste Agostini married Eugenia Campo.

Auguste was the son of Simon Agostini (1773-1854), who was the patriarch of the Agostinis in Trinidad. He arrived in Trinidad some time before 1797, which was the year the British took possession of Trinidad away from the Spanish.

Son of Auguste and Eugenia:


Cedar Francis Agostini (1875-1964) married Lavenia Gomez.

Children of Cedar and Lavenia:

Sedley (1905-1987), married Ena Govia (1911-1991) in 1930. Children: Sedley Jnr., Colin, Michael, Noreen, Raymond.

Louis. 

Carl married R.Knights. Children: Elena, Sandra, Stephen.

Myra married H. Lans. Children: Jean, Cynthia.

Joan married K. Chaves. Children: Ian, Gerard, Chester, Brian. 

Madge married R. Nightingale. No children.

Tecla married K. Taylor. Children: Bruce, Brian.

Theodora. 

Eugenia Campo was a Carib Amerindian. However, it's very likely that she had Arawak ancestry. More on this later.


Source: Anthony de Verteuil, The Corsicans in Trinidad.

John Emanuel and Lola Camilla Govia.

John Emanuel Govia, b. 12 Dec. 1889, d. 20 Mar. 1963.

Lola Camilla Ffrench, b. 2 May 1892, d. 21 March 1979.

Children:

1. Ena Helen, b. 24 Mar 1911.

2. Julian Albert, b.27 Jan 1913.

3. Russell, b. 15 Oct. 1914.

4. George, b. 5 Jun. 1915.

5. Kitchener, b. 4 Jun. 1916.

6. Horace, b. 15 Aug. 1919.

7. Oliver Bernard, b. 28 Dec. 1920.

8. Olga, b. 17 Nov. 1922.

9. Victor, b. 26 Mar. 1924.

10. Elsa, b. 12 Aug 1925.

11. Molly, b. 22 Apr. 1927.

12. Teresa Noma Milan, b. 25 Jul. 1928.

13. Gene, b. 6 Jun. 1930.

14. Lola, b. 29 Apr. 1932.

15. Henry, b. 15 Sept. 1934.


These are preliminary notes to be expanded later with some death and marriage dates added. The above information was sent to me by my brother, Colin, in the 1980s.  All information is subject to emendation, but it stands above as passed on to me, pending further research.

The Road To Maracas Bay.

When the Agostinis arrived in Trinidad, it's very unlikely they would have known about what would later be called "Maracas Bay". An extremely beautiful beach situated on Trinidad's north coast. Access was limited, but during World War 2, the American military decided to build a road leading to Maracas Bay. They'd heard about this wonderful Bay, and even visited it, and they were so impressed, they wanted to make it accessible to all. And so they built the road to Maracas Bay.

A winding road with stopping zones, or lookouts, to admire the natural beauty of Trinidad. 

For Trinidadians born after World War 2 a visit to Maracas was almost like a ritual or rite of passage. Concrete mileage posts were erected along the way, which we children called "It". "It" was to spot the sign before any peers did. "I spot it." The winner was the person who shouted "It" first. Those with a knowledge of the road to Maracas obviously won the "It" game.

This road became so familiar to  young Trinidadians like myself, that we knew virtually every turn of it, and the final breathtaking bend where Maracas Bay came into full sight.

On my last day in Trinidad, in February 1974, I slumbered under a coconut tree at Maracas Bay.

That remains my last memory of Trinidad. Soaking up sunshine at Maracas Bay under coconut trees. I understand that now it's very different, but I prefer to relive these memories as I left them - in youthful innocence. Maracas never had the high waves of a Bondi, but no child ever forgot being tumbled by a wave at Maracas. Even though relatively small, they seemed like mountains to us children. And we would go under, to emerge on the other side, a bit breathless.



No Trinidad family post-1950, I'd venture to guess, escaped the "Maracas experience". But in those days, we knew next to nothing about our ancestor, Simon Agostini, who made all of these tropical delights possible, after he fled a politically divided Corsica, to settle in the warm and inviting climate and waters of the Caribbean.

The Portuguese in Trinidad.

My mother, Ena Helen Govia (sometimes spelt "Gouveia"), was of Portuguese ancestry. The Portuguese were described as a "minority" in Trinidad, and the Caribbean (The Portuguese of Trinidad and Tobago: Portrait of an ethnic minority Culture and entrepreneuship in the Caribbean),* but their influence extended far and wide.

...historians tell us that the Portuguese have been part of the life, economy and social culture of the Caribbean since the 15th century. History has it that the first Portuguese to set foot in the West Indies were the sailors on board Christopher Columbus’ three ships—the Santa María, the Pinta and the Nina—which landed on the small island of San Salvador (or Guanahani) in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. Columbus learnt to become a skilled sailor and map-maker in Portugal, the most important seafaring country in Europe at that time. There he met many experienced sailors, some of whom accompanied him on his maiden voyage to the New World, although he was at the time at the service of the Spanish Crown and not at Portugal’s service.  Since the days of Columbus, the Portuguese have emigrated over the centuries in large numbers to the Caribbean for a variety of reasons, mainly religious, political and economic.

Source: The Portuguese in the Caribbean.


Portuguese explorers included the famed Vasco da Gama and Henry the Navigator.

Many of the Portuguese left Europe as a result of religious persecution.  

The two most important waves of migration to the Caribbean were (i) those of the Portuguese Jews, who immigrated from the 15th to the 19th centuries for religious reasons and (ii) those of the Portuguese from the island of Madeira, who came to the Caribbean in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, also for religious but mainly for economic reasons. These two waves of Portuguese immigrants have greatly im-pacted on the economic and social development of the West Indies. Their influence can still be felt today. The first group of immigrants were Sephardic Jews who left Portugal to escape from persecution by the Catholic Inquisition in that country. It is difficult to give exact numbers of the Portuguese Jews that settled in the Caribbean because they are said to have come between the 15th and 19th centuries, but they certainly came in large numbers (several thousand)...

Practically all countries of the region—from Guyana (then Demerara, British Guiana) to Cuba—received agricultural workers from Madeira. The great majority settled in Demerara and Trinidad (including, in the latter case, the persecuted Protestants of Funchal, who received the protection and assistance of the Greyfriars Presbyterian Church of Port-of-Spain). The rest is history and is well documented in the works of many distinguished descendants of Madeirans, for example, the scholars Sister M Noel de Menezes of Guyana and Dr Jo-Anne S Ferreira of T&T. From their writings, we learn that the Madeiran people moved from the agricultural fields, soon after their arrival in the Caribbean, to enter not only shop-keeping but also other professions and trades. Today, they are in all walks of life, fully integrated into the political, economic and social life of the West Indies, with their important social contribution being felt everywhere in the region. 

(The Portuguese in the Caribbean)

So my father, of Italian-Corsican ancestry, married my mother (when she was 19), who was a descendent of the Portuguese settlers in the Caribbean. Both came from "prestigious" European families, who made Trinidad their home.

* "Though few in number, the Portuguese contribution to their adopted homeland is of a significance beyond the small size of the community."

Links:

The Portuguese in Trinidad.

Jo-Anne S. Ferreira, The Portuguese of Trinidad and Tobago: Portrait of an ethnic minority (Culture and entrepreneuship in the Caribbean).

Jo-Anne S. Ferreira, Portuguese in Trinidad. 

Corsica Today.

The Magic of Corsica:




In spite of its luscious physical beauty, Corsica today is known as "the murder capital of Europe":


Corsica: Lawlessness in heart of Europe:



I have no illusions that my Corsican ancestors left a peaceful paradise, because conflict and violence have always been at the heart of Corsica. Indeed, when Simon Agostini arrived in Trinidad, he may have seen the tropical paradise as a stark contrast to Corsica. It may well have reminded him of the physical beauty of Corsica, in spite of the heat and humidity, but also as a place where he could safely re-establish himself and lay the foundation for his descendants to enjoy peace and prosperity for many generations. Under British rule, despite the taint of slavery until 1834, Trinidad became a tropical island paradise for Simon and his descendants.  

The Corsicans in Trinidad.

When I was very young, my father told me that he believed that the Agostinis originated in Florence, Italy. He did on occasion mention Corsica.

But not as anything substantial to our family history. When we (my parents and I) visited Italy in 1967, and indeed visited Florence, my father expressed his opinion that this was where the Agostinis originated (1). What I later discovered is that my family migrated from Italy to Corsica. In a nutshell, Corsica, originally was under Italian rule, and was divided between the French and Italians, and the French eventually gained full possession of Corsica. My great, great grandfather, Don Simon Agostini, migrated to Trinidad sometime between 1783 and 1797. The historical records vary on this date, though there is no doubt that Don Simon was in Trinidad before 1800. (David Agostini believes that his arrival in Trinidad was somewhere nearer to 1797, based on documentation that he was there on 5 March, 1797. ( The Ancestors, pp.7, 10)

Although Simon's birthdate is uncertain, it is believed to be around 1769, the same year in which Napoleon was born, and probably in the same city, Ajaccio, Corsica (2).  If this birth date is correct, it would place Simon arriving in Trinidad at roughly 14 years of age, in 1783. Accounts do vary, but it seems to me that the 1783 arrival date is more consistent with historical records which say that Simon arrived in Trinidad when he was 14. If the later dates are accurate, then it would mean that he was in his twenties when he arrived in Trinidad. In any case, the most important point is that he was in Trinidad before 1800. 

Simon fled Corsica when it came under French rule. He sided with the British, and made his home on an island (Trinidad) that would eventually come under British rule, in 1797. Sir Ralph Abercromby took possession of Trinidad in that year. The Spanish (Trinidad was discovered by Columbus on 31 July, 1498, on his Third Voyage) were vastly outnumbered by Abercromby's navy and military. With some sixteen navy ships loaded with artillery and thousands of foot soldiers, Abercromby virtually walked unhindered into Trinidad, and the Spanish surrendered possession of the island without a fight (3). In 1962, Trinidad gained independence from Britain, and eventually became a Republic in 1976.

How the Agostinis weave into this complex story will be told in the following posts. I welcome corrections and additions, realising that there are people far more knowledgeable on this subject than I am. Unfortunately, that knowledgeable number is small, and it will continue to dwindle as they pass on.


(1) I have further (and contrary) information about this to be added later.

(2) Some other suggested dates will be added later.

(3) Information from David Agostini, The Ancestors.