Fifth Generation

44. Carmen LAGOS BESTEIRO⁶¹ was born on 5 Oct 1910 in Havana, Cuba.⁸⁴ Full name on birth certificate reads "María del Carmen Victorina Marcelina Lagos y Besteiro". Address at birth was Galiano, 125. She was baptized on 19 Mar 1911 in Havana, Cuba.^83,113 "Es bautizada por el R.P. José Miguel de Hoyos en la Iglesia de Guadalupe . . . " She went to Spain with her parents, then returned to Cuba in 1911/12. Her brother Manuel was born in Spain in August 1911 and her sister Vicky in Cuba in August 1912. She immigrated in Sep 1912 to New York, NY, USA.^67,68 Sailed on the S.S. Saratoga. She lived in New York, NY, USA between Sep 1912 and 1921.⁸⁹ The family addresses were (dates approximate): 1912-13: 290 W. 12th Street, 1913-15: 239 East 79th Street; 1915-17: 344 E. 85th Street; 1917-1921: 526 E. 83rd Street. She lived in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA between 1921 and 34. Family addresses were (dates appx.) 1921-23: 321 Market Street; 1923-25: 307 Park Avenue; 1925-27: 315 Park Avenue; 1927-30: 922 East 22nd Street; 1930-31: 924 East 22nd Street; 1931-34: 129 Lenox Avenue. She was educated at St. Joseph Grammar School and graduated on 10 Jun 1923 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA. She was naturalized on 18 Jun 1925. She was educated at Eastside High School and graduated from the Classical Course on 28 Jan 1927 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA. She was educated in the Palmer Method of Muscular Movement Business Writing and received a teacher's certificate on 16 Mar 1928 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA. She was educated at NJ State Normal School at Paterson and certified to teach in the public schools of the state on 23 Jan 1929 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA.

She was an educator in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA between Mar 1930 and 1971. She was a teacher in Schools 2, 13, and 26, vice principal of School 26, principal of School 11 and founder and first director of bilingual education in Paterson. During this time she was the president of the Paterson Education Association and the Paterson Principals Association. She was educated at New York University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education in Oct 1932 in New York, NY, USA. She was vacationing in Spain at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in Jul 1936 in Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain. Caught in Gata when the war broke out, she was lucky to escape with her husband, a Spanish citizen. Among the many relatives she had hoped to meet were two brothers of her mother, both of whom died in the following month, one executed. She was educated at New Jersey State Teachers College and received a Master of Arts on 11 Jun 1953 in Montclair, Essex County, NJ, USA. She made an active member for life in the National Education Association of the United States in Oct 1954 in Washington, DC, USA. She retired in 1971 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA. In retirement she was the education chairman of the county chapter of the American Cancer Society, on the advisory committee on bilingual education at the Passaic County Community College, Vice President and President (1976-78) of the Passaic County Retired Educators Association. On March 2, 1984 she was presented the Award of Excellence in recognition of outstanding contributions to community life. by the Cuban & Dominican - American Selection Committee and Passaic County College. She died on 28 Feb 1993 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA. Listed among her special interests family, education, literature, theatre, travel, ballet, music, writing and gardening.

Dolores BALL (Carr) wrote in 1992: "I remember sitting under her dining room table pretending to be on a journey. I thought I was playing. I never suspected it was a geography lesson in progress. Such is the talent of a true teacher."

Carmen LAGOS BESTEIRO and Emilio SIGNES MONFORT were married on 26 Dec 1934 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA.^87,115 Carmen wrote "I met my beloved Emil on Easter Sunday in 1928." They lived in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA between 1935 and 1970. The lived on 330 E. 33rd Street from 1934-40, on 78 Lincoln Ave [in Totowa Brough] from 1940-45 and on 299 East 31st Street from 1945 until the end of their lives.

Carmen and Emil's first extended vacation, in July 1936, turned from their dream vacation, his first trip to his home town since his 1920 departure, and her first visit to Spain, to a nightmare, as the Spanish Civil War broke out shortly after their arrival. They left on July 1 and arrived in Cherbourg after a perfect journey. Their status and ordeal was noted in the July 24 "Seek Spanish couple in Spain" and August 17 "Back in U.S. -- and Glad of It" issues of the Paterson Evening News. The couple travelled from Gata to Valencia to Port Bou, Cerbère and then Paris, and returned on the S.S. Columbus, arriving in New York on Saturday August 15. Details of the trip are to be found in a collection of Carmen Lagos Signes letters edited by Emil Signes in 1998. This story can be found in English at <http://emilito.org/family/emilito/signes/1936/1936trip.html> and in Spanish at <http://emilito.org/family/emilito/signes/1936/1936viaje.html>.

Emilio SIGNES MONFORT^61,116 (son of José (Pepe l'Om, «El abuelo») SIGNES GARCÍA and Josefa (Pepa) MONFORT DIEGO) was born on 4 May 1903 in Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain. He was baptized on 6 May 1903 in Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain.¹¹⁷ Godparents: Pascual MONFORT PONS and Ana PEDRO SIGNES He received first communion on 2 May 1912 in Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain. He was a peasant (campesino) in Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain between 1912 and 1920. He immigrated on 16 Jun 1920 to the United States via Ellis Island.^60,118 He sailed from Le Havre on the "Leopoldina" on 5 June 1920 and arrived on 16 June 1920. He listed as his contact in the US, a friend, Alberto COSTA, in Bridgeport, CT. He was a laborer, machinist and weaver in the Eastern United States, mostly northern New Jersey between Jul 1920 and 1966.¹¹⁹ Among his many jobs: a record-making factory in Connecticut, a railroad in Pennsylvania, the American Hair and Felt Company in Newark (in the 30s; he was listed as a laborer in a felt factory in the 1930 census). During World War II he worked at the Wright Aeronautical Company doing very exacting work on propellors. After the War he became a weaver, making rugs at the Beattie Manufacturing Company in Little Falls, NJ. There was a time he held two jobs at one time. I (Emil SIGNES) remember him sleeping in the attic room with a dark green shade between about 8 AM and 2 PM and going back to work -- 2nd shift at Curtis Wright (Caldwell, NJ), 3rd shift at Beattie's. He was educated at the Lafayette Evening Elementary School and received an Elementary School Equivalency on 28 Mar 1929 in Newark, Essex County, NJ, USA. He appeared in the census on 1 Apr 1930 in Newark, Essex County, NJ, USA.¹¹⁹ His entry, at 116 Bruen Street, reads " Signes Amilea (?), lodger, male, white, 27, single, not in school, can read and write, born in Spain, parents born in Spain, original language = Spanish, immigrated in 1920, occupation = laborer, felt factory, currently working, not a veteran of US military.

He lived at 116 Bruen Street in Newark, Essex County, NJ, USA in 1930.¹²⁰ He lived at 118 Brill Street in Newark, Essex County, NJ, USA on 26 Dec 1934.¹¹⁵ His Social Security Number was 136-07-2107. He was vacationing in Spain at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. in Jul 1936 in Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain.¹¹⁴ Being a citizen of Spain, he was lucky to be able to escape. He was naturalized on 17 Feb 1937. To keep his mother's maiden name, changed name to Monfort SIGNES when he was naturalized. He was educated in Machine Shop Practices at Dawson Institute of Technology and earned a diploma on 27 Feb 1941 in Newark, Essex County, NJ, USA. He died on 1 Apr 1970 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA.¹¹⁶ He died at St. Joseph's Hospital of a heart attack suffered the night before while en route home from a Metropolitan Opera performance of Aida. He was buried on 4 Apr 1970 in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, USA. He is buried in Holy Sepulcher Cemetery next to his wife Carmen. Played the guitar, loved automobiles and travel; had a special interest in world affairs.

Stories of Gata: 1. Novelty -- it rarely got below freezing in Gata, and of course there were no rerigerators; he remembers the time his father woke the children up early to see a new formation covering the top of the wash basin -- a thin layer of "ice"!
2. Slavery. He remembered vividly when he was a young boy and his father promised to tell him about slavery. He woke him at about 4 AM one morning and walked him to the train station. There was a large group of people standing on the platform. In those days there was one particular train per week from Madrid that arrived at about 4:30 AM. Part of its cargo was cigarettes, and the crowd, pacing back and forth, had gathered because of their need to purchase them as they were being unloaded. "Those," his father said, "are slaves." Emilio never smoked.

Dolores BALL (Carr) wrote in 1992, "A model husband and father, ever ready to help anyone in the family, he is remembered by all with love and great admiration."

Carmen LAGOS BESTEIRO and Emilio SIGNES MONFORT had the following children:

+84	i.	Emil George SIGNES.
+85	ii.	Carmen Anita SIGNES.
+86	iii.	Richard Joseph SIGNES.