Our Journey Continues...Freixo da Serra

Our Great Grandfather's family name is Guerra. Little known fact: My Grandmother said that many Jewish Portuguese changed their name to Guerra during WWII. So our family could be Jewish.

After visiting Casal Vasco we jumped back into Rui's car and headed to the village where the Guerra's grew up--Freixo do Serra.

We passed the Rio Mondego again and climbed over more mountains to reach the village. We first visited the cemetary where our Great Grandfather's mother is burried and her sisters and brother. Our Grandmother never knew her Grandmother on her Father's side. Our Great Grandfather came to the United States when he was 21 and never returned to Portugal. When we arrived at the cemetary we encountered all of our Grandmother's Great Aunts and a Cousin: Maria de fina Guerra, Isaura Guerra, Zulmira Guerra, Eduardo Almeida Nunes, and Margarida de Jesus. We searched and searched for my Grandmother's Grandmother, but we couldn't find her.

But we knew that she was there along with her spirit. Grandma looked at the cemetary pensively before deciding to leave. I saw a small tear run down her cheek then slowly she turned and walked out of the gate.

We then entered into the heart of the town of Freixo do Serra. My Grandmother wanted to see if the pews that her cousin donated were still in Freixo do Serra's church. During WWII when a soldier died during the war in Portugal the family received 10,000 dollars. Our cousin died in the war and when his family received the 10,000 dollars they decided to donate the money immediately to the church for new pews. Being Satruday it looked like the town was deserted and the church was locked. Rui and I ran to the closest house and called out to a woman that was gardening in her backyard. Sure enough, she had the key to the church. It was so generous of her to open up the church for us on a Saturday in her gardening boots. Before we entered the church I saw a yellow butterfly flying above our heads. I pointed it out and my Grandmother said, "It's an angel!"

Inside the church it was trimmed with gold and tiles lined the bottom of the walls. The most exciting part was that the pews were still there! Each pew had a plaque on it that said, In memory of Manuel S. Teixeira.

I felt chills go down my spine. It is one thing to hear a story about your family history, but to actually see it is quite another. These benches dated back to 1940. We thanked the woman and got back in the car. It had been a long day. It was time to head back to Viseu. What an adventure. It was almost as if we had gone back in time for just a moment.