Genealogy Research Journal #3, Entry #6
With this journal, we started with confusion over “Ida”. For now, we have answered the main question. We have concluded that there were two Ida’s.
It turns out that Ida (Cosmer) Drew was not a Cosma or Jacinto da Camara at all. She was a Pavon (Pavao) who was given away to a relative for adoption. Her adoptive parents were from the Jacinto da Camara family, but used the surname Cosmer.
As for Ida (Camara) Pacheco who married Jose Pacheco, we learned that she was Ida Jacinto. While she is a Jacinto, we cannot conclude whether this family and the Jacinto da Camara/Cosma clan are related. The family can easily be found in Census records, but nothing points to the fact that they two were anything more than connected by marriage.
Some day in the future it might be possible to take them back to Sao Miguel Island and see if something comes up. There is always a caution about assuming families with the Camara surname are related. It is associated with a Portuguese orphanage and many orphans were given the surname. It does appear that Jacinto and Jacinto da Camara were fairly common surnames, so it’s possible that these families are not related at all. Thus we conclude at least part of this mystery!
A note about the name Ida:
Ida is not a Portuguese name. Through further research I confirmed that Ida (Jacinto) Pacheco’s first name was really Adelaida. She was also recorded as Adeliga and Adelaide. Most likely both of them started with a name that was form of Adelaida.