Family History, Lore and
Legend-1
Emil
Signes Family
Rev. 2005-02-23
US
Lagos History 1 - 1909-1912: Cuba and Spain
US Lagos History 2 - 1912-1921: The
New York Years
US Lagos History 3 - 1921-1934:
Paterson - the single years
US Lagos History 4 - 1934-1947:
Paterson - the Lagos kids get married
US Lagos History 5 - 1937-1961:
Paterson - grandchildren
US Lagos History 6 - The Lagos
Diaspora
Emilito and Cuba
Emilito's Lagos - Toledo
Branches (origin Alfarnatejo & Periana, Málaga, Spain)
Emilito's Besteiro -
Fernández Branches (origin Lugo Province, Spain)
Emilito's Graciani [Graziani] Branches
(origin Villabuona, Pescaglia, Lucca,
Tuscany, Italy)
Emilito's Lorenzo Branches
(origin Villar del Cobo, Teruel, Spain)
Emilito's Signes Branches
(origin Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain)
Emilito - other family
The only family
Emilito
ever knew until after his 24th birthday (besides his father) were
the "US Lagoses" (or more correctly, the "US Lagos-Besteiro family"
and their Cuban cousins. For this reason the "US
Lagos-Besteiro family" rates several pages, from its formation in 1909
with the
Havana marriage of Antonio Lagos and Pepita Besteiro to the
present. The entire Cuban branch of the family, so omnipresent in
the lives of Emilito's generation and that of his parents, is also
discussed.
After he has
dealt with the US Lagoses and their Cuban cousins, Emilito
will look backward at the
origin of this group - branches identified with the surnames Lagos -
Toledo - Besteiro - Fernández -
Graciani - Lorenzo, etc etc etc.
Emilito's
paternal line, the Signes family, remains largely in Spain,
with a tiny US presence. Recently, however, Emilito "discovered"
a large branch of this family in Argentina. Two
members of this family (grandsons of Emilito's 2nd cousin José
PEDRO GASCÓN) turned out to be rugby
players who later spent a season each in Philadelphia and visiting
Emilito's family in Bethlehem, PA.
Sadly for research on the Signes branch, the horror known as the
Spanish Civil War destroyed most of the records
necessary to do it properly: in July 1936 Communist
rioters in his father's home town of Gata de Gorgos burned
all the Church documents (and, prior to 1871 in Spain, only
the Church kept vital records). Ironically, although Emilito was
not yet born, his parents were in Gata for this church-burning that
coincided with the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. This was a
personal horror for them, and Emilito has adapted his mother's
recollections of this visit on this
web site; it is listed under the Signes branch and may be found
directly by clicking here.
Emilito expects
other branches to appear and unveil their history when least expected.
Chapter
END