About Sumares/McNeill Family Tree
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There is little doubt among those who
have done the historical research that
the lineage of all people of
Sumares ancestry originates somewhere on
the mid-Atlantic island of Madeira
(Portugal). From this origin there
are now 5 main geographical branches, one
still existing on the island, and the
others thought to have spawned from
descendents of 3 supposed siblings who
were
born around the 1840's or 1850's: Manuel
Clemente Sumares, Arcénia Rosa
Sumares, and Francisco Gonçalves Sumares.
Our Migration
Manuel Clemente had grandchildren,
through various offspring, who migrated
to
South Africa and raised families
there. His son João Baptiste Sumares
moved to California after arriving
in Massachusetts and started the
branch on the West Coast. The two sons of
Arcénia Rosa, Antonio Nunes Sumares
and Manuel Nunes Sumares, began families
in the U.S. (probably Mass.) and
Brazil, respectively. And we
believe that Francisco Gonçalves had a
son
named Custodio Sumares who began much of
the branch that exists today in
Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Parish Records
Thus far the earliest historical records
gathered from the island date back to
the 1820's. 4 men, all identified
as farmers, are mentioned in various
marriage and baptismal records around
that time, but their relationship is not
known. Among them are Agostinho Gonçalves
Sumares, João Gonçalves Sumares, and
Manuel Gonçalves Sumares (GGF of the 3
siblings mentioned above). Another
Sumares branch is known to have descended
from the 4rth man, another Francisco
Gonçalves Sumares (GF of Domingos), with
a few descendent Sumareses in mainland
Portugal documented here in this tree.
The Sumares Name
By far the most intriguing mystery that
has captivated those of us researching
the Sumares genealogy revolves around the
fact that 'Sumares' is not a
Portuguese name. People still
living in Madiera today not only confirm
this fact, but go on to say that
according to legend the Sumares name and
lineage come from that of an English
sailor or pirate who 'stopped by' the
island at some earlier point in history.
One of our first theories was that this
"English sailor or pirate" was a member
of the
Saumarez lineage, which originated from a
Norman family, were given lands in the
Channel Islands (Jersey and later
Guernsey), and which around the time the
Sumareses
appeared on Madeira were sea-faring folks
with ties and activities related to
piracy
(smuggling and attacking the Spanish on
behalf of the British Royal Navy).
However, DNA
testing between 2 members of the Sumares
and Saumarez paternal lines,
respectively,
turned up negative. Most likely there is
truly no relation, although it is
possible
that a daughter was born from a Saumarez
sailor/pirate and for whatever reasons
gave
her children this name -- much like an
entire branch of Sumareses is known to
descend
from Arcénia Rosa Sumares, having been
given her surname instead of the Nunes
surname. I don't believe those Sumareses
would pass the "Paternal Lineage Y
Chromosome"
test that was used and subsequently
failed to identify a link to the Saumarez
family.
So a maternal link to the Saumarez family
remains at least remotely possible.
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