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In Search of the DeLa Cruz Family (also known as Delacrus)

Filipinos in Liverpool:Little Manila on Frederick St.
(Part 1)


Please forward any queries or information to Nestor P. Enriquez (phix7@yahoo.com)

Liverpool is the most famous seaport in England, often described with its shifting light, fogs, gulls and poignant emptiness. For 200 years, Liverpool ruled the seas as a world-beating port and cornerstone of the British Empire, built on slavery, commerce and emigration. Between 1830 and 1930, nine million hopefuls - English, Scottish, Irish, Swedes, Norwegians and Russian Jews - set sail from the Mersey's docks to find a better life in Australia and the USA. Many would-be emigrants decided to travel no further than the Pier Head; this was particularly true of the Irish escaping the potato famine, and the city's Irish character is still apparent today. Liverpool was also the port of entry for migrants from Britain's far-flung colonies, and the resulting Caribbean, Indian and Chinese communities that developed made it one of Britain's first multicultural cities. It is the biggest seaport near London, many people immigrated from here to America and Australia.

map of Liverpool in 18th century
[view larger]

Liverpool reached its height of seaport activity in the late 1880’s. Ocean steam liners frequently sailed through its dock. Amongst the little known members of the trading ship’s crew were sailors from Manila. Eustaquio De La Cruz came to Liverpool around 1860 and married a local girl, Mary Jane Florentina on March 28, 1866 at St. Luke’s Church of the Liverpool Parish.

On March 28, 1866, Eustaquio Dela Cruz, 31, (British subject) male mariner, place of birth Philippines, son of John Dela Cruz (also a mariner) married Mary Jane Florentina, 17 years old spinster, born in Liverpool, a boarding house housekeeper .(from the marriage certificate sent by Ted Washbrook)

He settled in Liverpool and managed a boarding house near the dock. The boarding place had 3 servants from Liverpool and Ireland. There was a regular clerk classified as annuitant, 59 year-old Leon Marina from Manila. It housed the De la Cruz family including the growing family of 19 Greetham St. He later moved to Frederick St. where there were more sailors from Manila. His wife Mary Jane became a publicly-licensed victualer.

Another large boarding house was located at 12 Frederick St. and was owned by Marcos Buena Ventora, a boarding housekeeper who was born in Manila 50 years earlier. He married 26 year-old Sophia Buena from Hamburg, Germany. They had about dozen sailors from Manila.

Another sailor, Philip de la Cruz married another Liverpool girl named Mary. He lived in the upper Frederick St and converted his dwelling into safe heaven for more Filipino Sailors. Thomas Harrison and his wife Mary lived at 17 Frederick St. had a few lodging sailors. The census reveals that the family of Antonio Rose, John Santos, Fernandez Rappole, John Sappezz, Bristo Parrield, Mathew Ignacio, Willam Henry, Sabastina Braddyl and few more De la Cruz congregated at the Frederick Street. There were others who were just listed as boarders and probably hundred more sailors who were at sea not counted by the census. It became the Little Manila of Liverpool.

Spaniards living in the city as the Suez Canal was completed founded the Larrinaga Steamship Company in Liverpool in 1862. The shipping lines from Liverpool, the Basque Trading Company opened Cadiz to Manila. The ship “Isla de Cebu” left Mersey and was lost at sea in 1889. She was just one of the passenger and mail steamers plying the Liverpool-New York and Liverpool-Havana runs.

By 1900, Eustaquio retired, but Agustina at the age of 24 kept the family tradition working as boarding house manager.

Domingo De La Cruz came ashore in the early 1890’s and married Isabella, daughter of a Liverpool widow, Mary Gallaway. From this union, Carlotta Dela Cruz was born on Aug 17, 1896 at 27 Frederick Street after Maria who was a born year earlier. Both girls became tailoressess. The girls sailed on the Transylvania (CUNARD Lines) on May 04, 1915 and arrived at Ellis Island in New York to join their Aunt Sarah Gallaway of 16 Cornelius St in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village.

By 1900, there were 26 members of the Delacruz family alone listed living in Liverpool. Isabella De Cruz, younger daughter of Eustaquio became a music teacher, her sister Francesca married a German sailor, Otto Krumbholz. Francesca had a grand daughter, Brenda, who went back to the South Pacific, Australia and now married Ted Washbrook of Perth, Australia.

Most of the descendants who worked on the docks and shipping lines carried with them a seafaring tradition that brought them to Liverpool. Eustace Dela Cruz was onboard a ship transporting new immigrants to America in the beginning of the 1920. They shared the Irish attributes and more since they came halfway around the world and made Liverpool a truly multi-cultural city of Europe, as global a standard as the Greenwich meridian.

The following information reveals that Filipino sailors congregate in communities at seafronts all over the world

Name Mar Age Sex Birthplace Rel Occ
Eustaquio DE LA CRUZ  M 45 M Sebu British Subject, Philippines Head Boarding House Keeper
Mary J. DE LA CRUZ   M 31 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Wife  
Francis A. DE LA CRUZ   14 M Liverpool, Lancashire, England Son Scholar
Margaret P. DE LA CRUZ   10 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daur Scholar
Mary J. DE LA CRUZ   8 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daur Scholar
Josephina DE LA CRUZ   6 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daur Scholar
Augustina DE LA CRUZ   4 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daur Scholar
Isabel C. DE LA CRUZ   3 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daur Scholar
Elizabeth DE LA CRUZ   1 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daur Scholar
Elizabeth MURPHY U 19 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Serv General Serv
Bridget FULLAM   15 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Serv Nurse Girl
Martha COLLINS  W 40 F Ireland Serv General Serv
Leon MARINA U 59 M Manila Annuitant Annuitant
Philimina TANAL U 38 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Theranonis ARBOLIDA U 28 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Philip MABASA U 29 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Juan AUGESTAN U 25 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Siberio PELIO U 29 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Ambroco MANADERA U 28 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Barcelo GURRINA U 25 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Beneto NEBERA U 30 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Pedro SARCINA U 31 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Juan MOLLINA U 35 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Gelgora MAGBANGA U 28 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Santigo ARGANASO  U 22 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Juan SMITH U 22 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Tomas PUDRES U 28 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Daniel PELIO U 25 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Domingo BESERA U 25 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Julian PLARIS U 45 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Antonio MASINDOS U 20 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Plaridinero AGOTE U 28 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Philip ANNA U 24 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Calistro FARNCIES U 29 M Manila Boarder Sailor
Andrigue DE CABIGA U 30 M Manila Boarder Sailor

Another sailor with the same name, DelaCruz is entered:

Name Mar Age Sex Birthplace Rel Occ
DE LA CRUZ,Philip <1847> M   M Manilla Head  

Dwelling:   5 Court Upper Frederick St
Census Place:   Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Source:   FHL Film 1341866     PRO Ref RG11    Piece 3615   Folio 39    Page 34

Name Mar Age Sex Birthplace Rel Occ
Philip DE LA CRUZ M 34 M Manilla Head Sailor
Mary DE LA CRUZ  M 29 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Wife  
Manuel ANGEL U 35 M Manilla Boarder Sea Cook

There are more dwellings in the vicinity of Frederick and Upper Frederick. The Filipino sailors married women from Liverpool, Ireland and other parts of Europe

I found a younger daughter, Francesca De la Cruz, was born in 1881 after the census count. Ted Washbrook (now living in Perth - Western Australia) while looking for a Boarding House in Liverpool found my website article. He was searching for the family roots of his wife, Brenda. Francesca DeLa Cruz happened to be the Brenda’s grandmother; Ted was able to link through the name of the first son, Francis DeLa Cruz (or DeLa Cruse.) Francis was the only son who could carry on the family name.

Ted sent me a picture of Francesca (who lived till early 1950) and Brenda readily recognized as her great grandmother.

On Oct 1900, Francesca Delacruz, then 19, married Otto Krumholz, a 33-year old mariner. At the time of this marriage Francesca’s address was 26 Nile Street and her father, Eustaquio listed profession was Shipping Agent. From this union, came Brenda’s parents.

Wedding of Brenda’s mother, the dark gentleman at the left is her uncle

Resemblance of Franscesca De La Cruz (Brenda's sister)
Photos courtesy of T. Washbrook

As we all try to trace our genealogical lines, we often encounter problems in family name changes. It is a very common occurrence for people coming from different countries. DE LA CRUZ, a Spanish name meaning “from the cross” might have been anglicized to DeLaCruse along the way.

Please email me if you have any additional information. Any information on the DE LA CRUZ (AKA DE LA CRUSE) and any one of the boarders will be appreciated. So far, all the dates and ages of the members of the DE LA CRUZ family matches the information provided to me.

I would also like to know what happened to the Boarding House at 9 Greetham St. in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

The other house owned by Philip DE LA CRUZ at 5 Court No 3 Upper Frederick St
Liverpool, Lancashire, England is interesting.

I recently found the following information from the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty website (American Family Immigration History) where more than 12 million immigrants came to America between 1892 and 1954.

Marie Delacruz, 20 years old, and Carlotta Delacruz, 19 years old, both single females, arrived onboard the ship Transylvania (CUNARD Lines) on May 04, 1915. The ship came from Liverpool and the immigration record lists both women as tailoressess, their ethnicity as Filipino/British, and their mother as Mrs. Delacruz who lived at 30 Liver St, in Liverpool, England.

They listed their destination as their Aunt Sarah Galloway’s home on 16 Cornelia St New York. (The street is located in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village)

A copy of Carlotta’s birth certificate reveals that she was born Aug 17, 1896 at 27 Frederick Street UD, and her father; Domingo Delacruz, was a seaman in the merchant service and her mother was Isabella Dela cruz (formerly Isabella Gallaway.)

Isabella and Sarah Gallaway might be the same sisters born in Great Ayton, York (listed as 2 & 5 years old in the 1881 census.) The Gallaways were also likely residents of 13 Hurst Street, as listed in the 1891 census.

Name Age Birthplace Rel Occ
S? Londo 31 Spain Head Seaman
Catherin Londo 22 Liverpool Wife  
Ellen Doyle 19 Liverpool sister  
Mary Gallaway 35 Liverpool widow Bottle Picker
Isabella Gallaway 15 Liverpool dau Bottle Picker
Sarah Gallaway 17 Liverpool dau Scholar
Joseph Gallaway 6 Liverpool son  

Hurst Street is a couple of pages before Liver Street on the CD. Sarah's age may be wrong, as I think it would be unusual for her to be still a scholar at age 17 while her sister, age 15, is working.

In the 1881 UK census, the Ignasious along with John Delarcruz (and his wife Elizabeth) lived at 27 Frederick St and across the Florentia family also from the Philippines

Dwelling:   27 Frederick St
Census Place:   Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Source:   FHL Film 1341866     PRO Ref RG11    Piece 3615   Folio 35    Page 26

Name Mar Age Sex Birthplace Rel Occ
Matthew IGNASIOU M 35 M Manilla Head Sailor
Mary A. IGNASIOU M 26 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Wife  
Margaret IGNASIOU   8 M Liverpool, Lancashire, England Daur Scholar
Matthew IGNASIOU   2 M Liverpool, Lancashire, England Son  
Ann MOLINA   46 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Mother In Law Sailors Wife

                        

Dwelling:   28 Upper Frederick St
Census Place:   Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Source:   FHL Film 1341866     PRO Ref RG11    Piece 3615   Folio 36    Page 28

Name Mar Age Sex Birthplace Rel Occ
Peter FLORENTIA M 40 M Manilla Head Sailor
Sarah FLORENTIA M 27 F Liverpool, Lancashire, England Wife  
Elizabeth MITCHELL U 6 M Northwich, Cheshire, England Niece Scholar
Peter GONZALOS  U 25 M Manilla Boarder Sailor

Ref: American Family Immigration Center

 

There were European immigrants with Filipino ethnicity whose right of passage was Ellis Island after living in Europe. It is like an end run called “the old Statue of Liberty” play in football or “the Brooklyn side strike” in Bowling. Another example is the name Abaya. There were also new immigrants from Barcelona who were born in Manila. They were probably expatriates trapped in Spain before it surrendered the Philippines to the United States.

Between 1892 to 1924 there were over 22 million passengers and ship’s crewmembers processed through the Ellis Island and Port of New York. The members of the crew are listed and the names above were just a few of the Filipino mariners who traveled along millions of new Americans. During the final years I found that Filipino-Americans made up almost 20% of the crew. The ethnic classification was either, Filipino or Philippino.




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