(As of April, 2000)
Aaron H. Quallo's (Grandpop Quallo's): Writings About His Childhood in Jamaica and Life in Cuba: How The Aaron Quallo and Mary Jane Quallo Family Came to America
My name is Aaron Henriques Quallo. I am the eleventh child of twelve children borne of the union of my father Aaron Quallo and my mother Dorothy Woodbine Quallo. I also had two half sisters, which was a total of fourteen children...
I was born on my fathers' estate of New Castle. He named it, and it is about eight miles across the Bay from Savanna-la-mar, the most western city of the in the Parish of Westmoreland, the capital of which is... in the British West India island, Jamaica. My father's father, was born in Portugal... His mother, in my opinion, was Henriquez before her marriage and was either Spanish or Portuguese. According to their tradition and rules, a woman never loses her maiden name which would make my father be named Aaron Henriquez Quallo. Hence, the children must bear the names of both parents; however, my father always signed his name just Aaron Quallo.
This would in turn subject us to Woodbine as our middle name. My father was a very proud man. Though he married a Negro woman, daughter of an ex-slave, he was nevertheless prejudice against giving his children the name obtained or acquired through enslavement of her father. For this reason. my elder brother and I were given the names Abraham Henriquez Quallo and Aaron Henriquez Quallo, but my younger brother was given the name Stephen Lawrence Quallo. This therefore gives me the belief that my opinion is right. Since even though he made a change in the latter, he was determined not to use the name Woodbine.
My father had three sisters: Rachel, with black hair like himself, Victoria, with blondish hair, and Hellen, with brown hair. These lived in the city of Savana-la-mar. He also had a brother besides himself, but I do not remember the name of the third if there was a third. However, we did not know his brother, since they lived in the capital of the Island which was a long way from us and transportation at that time was burdensome...
We were well accustomed to our aunts... On my mother's side, we knew almost all of her relatives. They were pretty proud people also. They owned their homes and got along in this way of living though not luxurious, but they lived. My mother was very religious. She was also very devoted to us.
Only three of the 12 children of my mother and father lived to manhood and of which I am the only one alive.
Unfortunately, we did not inherit my father's wealth through the conniving mal-administration of the man my father chose as executive for the administration of his estate. ..
And of which property besides a few thousand dollars owed to him that should have been collected, we received only fifty-five dollars each of a property that two Acres were sold recently for ten thousand dollars...
During my father's life, he paid for our schooling but we got no where as far
as education was concerned. First, because the teachers were too occupied with
eighty or more children to teach from Kindergarten up to High school. ..
Second, ...
...and what I know, was self-taught....
It was after I was married and had been the father of four children including
my oldest one who was not by my wife, that I went to Cuba (Bendita Cuba). There,
I, of myself studied, Spanish my forefathers language ...
...I owe my gratitude to first Cuba where I was welcomed among them and taken in as one of their own. I was treated and loved by them, which brings me back to my childhood when Cuba was fighting for her freedom. The help my
Father gave as free agent in receiving the letters and telegrams to where the smuggled arms and ammunition were located and delivering them to those Cubans that came to get them a place to sleep when the weather was too bad for them to sleep in the open boats they used to come in.
Second, I cannot forget that to the United States I owe everything, the Americans, with whom I worked, the wide opportunities they gave me both in earning a living and the chance to educate myself to the elevation of Supervisor of Roadway Equipment for this proof. I still keep my railroad passes.
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Co-editor: Mrs. Dorothy Davis, the year 2000
Uploaded by Roger Qualo, February 2005. |
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