Seeking information on Asturias family

Researching our ancestors in Asturias & America.<br>
Investigando nuestros antepasados en Asturias y America

Moderators: svgev, Maria Garcia Alvarez, Moderators

Post Reply
asturiasm
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2004 9:53 am
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Seeking information on Asturias family

Post by asturiasm »

Greetings! I've no idea yet if my family is originally from the Asturias region, but I thought this would be as good a place to try as any. Our family name is Asturias, hence, my posting to this forum. I was delighted to find this site!

My father was Salvador Gaerlan Asturias, son of Tomas and Trinidad Asturias. He was born in Romblon, Philippines, and died in Dec. of 1984 at the age of 60. My mom says that his parents are originally from Spain, but I've no secondary corroboration of this, and she doesn't know what region of Spain. Naturally, I thought perhaps there may be a link to the Asturias region, but that's a mere theory based solely on the name. He had three sisters (Erlinda, Alicia, and another one whose nickname I only remember as Mameng), and a younger brother named Carpi Asturias who died young.

I've posted on several sites already and hope to glean some information somewhere on this particular branch of the Asturias family. Does anyone know if there actually was an Asturias family that migrated to the Philippines somewhere around the turn of the century?

Many thanks for your help!

Cheers,
Marjorie Asturias
Dallas, TX
Carlos
Moderator
Posts: 528
Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2003 5:14 pm
Location: Xixón
Contact:

Post by Carlos »

Hi Marjorie.

This is exact, your surname has his origin in Asturias, concretly in the Middle Ages. There was a noble lineage called Alvarez. Since in the same epoch there appeared other lineages called Alvarez in other kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula (yet the country called Spain did not exist), the Asturian Alvarez ones were called Alvarez de las Asturias, "Alvarez from the Asturias", so that a composed surname appeared.

But later two things happened. On the one hand, in the proper Asturias it was not necessary to call these Alvarez "from the Asturias", since this was a well-known fact. And on the other hand, out of Asturias, the composed surname finished simplified as simply Asturias.

With the discovery of the New World and the appearance of the Colonies (included the Philippines), the surname spread over other countries, in America and in Asia.

Nevertheless, if in America there were mixed marriages between Spanish and native, it almost did not happen in Philippines. Only a few Philipine families established bows of blood with the Spanish.

So that it is possible that you descend directly from Spanish colonists settled in those islands, with a not immediate, but more or less remote origin, in the proper Asturias.

Since the surname Asturias is not too frequent, is an almost cent per cent sure that you must have some degree of kinship with Miguel Angel Asturias, famous Central American writer, born in Guatemala in 1899 and deceased in Madrid in 1971, Nobel Prize on Literature in 1967, which is buried in Paris, in Père Lachaise's cemetery.

This one is the shield of arms of the surname Alvarez:

http://213.97.48.229/esp/escudos.asp?c= ... d=1&aral=G

And this one that of Asturias:

http://213.97.48.229/esp/escudos.asp?c= ... od=1&aral=

Since you will be able to see, they are very similar. The one that would correspond to you to use is the second.

If it interests to you, you can know something on Miguel Angel Asturias in this link (in Spanish):

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~jce2/asturiasbiografia.html

Regards from Asturies. 8)
asturiasm
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2004 9:53 am
Location: Dallas, TX
Contact:

Post by asturiasm »

Dear Carlos:

This is wonderful information! Thank you so much for your insights and background on the name. I'd studied in the Philippines for a few years but I hadn't realized that there was little intermarrying between the Spanish colonists and the 'indios." It's difficult to do much research when I'm so far away, but I'm hoping to travel back to the Philippines to do as much background work as I can.

I hadn't realized that the last name Alvarez (which is very common in the PHilippines, and I imagine in Spain as well) was related to Asturias. I'm glad a change happened to reflect its regional origins or it would be even more difficult to trace my lineage.

I'd always harbored a secret wish to be related to Miguel Angel Asturias (I'm a freelance writer), so it would be heartening indeed to find myself related to him, even if only distantly!

Have you any books you can recommend for me to study re: the migration of the Alvarez or Alvarez de las Asturias out of the region? This may be an extremely esoteric topic that may not be covered by any book, but if there's anything even remotely tied to this topic, I'd appreciate any reference you can point me to. My Spanish is very weak, but I'd be willing to slog through a book if it can give me the info I need.

Many thanks again, and I hope to hear from others in the meantime as well on this topic.

Cheers,
Marjorie
User avatar
Terechu
Moderator
Posts: 1540
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2003 4:43 am
Location: GIJON - ASTURIAS

Post by Terechu »

Hi Marjorie,
The surname Asturias is very rare indeed and it is perfectly possible that you are distantly related to Nobel Price winner Miguel Angel Asturias.
Like Carlos says, it is derived from the mediaeval Royal Household of Asturias, descending from the crown prince Ordoño, son of King Fruela II of Asturias and León. This lineage was later called Alvarez de las Asturias, because many family members were called Alvaro (Alvarez is a patronymic as you may know and very common). The primitive homestead was in the town of Nava and many of Spain's Grandees are related to that lineage.

By the way, it's the second time this month that I come across a descendant of Astur-Philippinos. I know a girl whose Philippino grandfather was called Pelagio (Pelayo) to keep up a family tradition commemorating their Asturian ancestry and for several generations they have been bearing the name of the first Asturian king!

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hola Marjorie,
El apellido Asturias es ciertamente muy raro y es perfectamente posible que tengas algún grado de parentesco con el premio Nobel Miguel Angel Asturias.

Como dice Carlos, es apellido asturiano derivado de la Casa Real de Asturias, descendiente del Infante Ordoño, hijo de Fruela II, Rey de Asturias y León. Este linaje se llamó más tarde "Alvarez de las Asturias", por contar con muchos miembros llamados Alvaro (sabrás que Alvarez es un patronímico y muy frecuente. El solar primitivo estaba en Nava. Gran parte de los Grandes españoles están emparentados con este linaje.

Por cierto, es la segunda vez este mes que me cruzo con astur-filipinos. Conozco a una chica, cuyo abuelo filipino se llamaba Pelagio (Pelayo) para mantener la tradición familiar de conmemorar su origen asturiano y durante generaciones se han llamado como el primer rey de Asturias!

Saludos
Terechu
kiko
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2023 12:07 am

Post by kiko »

I know this is resurrecting a very old thread but just in case someone comes across this. I'm also interested in finding out more about Tomas and Trinidad Asturias as my great-great grandmother (Asturias) is somehow related to them.
User avatar
Art
Site Admin
Posts: 4489
Joined: Mon Feb 17, 2003 4:50 am
Location: Maryland

Post by Art »

Es posible que desee registrarse en la página de Facebook de AsturianUS. Publique su pregunta allí también, pero asegúrese de incluir un enlace a esta página del foro, para que las personas puedan responder aquí. Será mucho más probable que otras personas encuentren tu pregunta aquí que en Facebook.

Esta es nuestra página en Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AsturianUS
------------------------
You may want to register for the AsturianUS Facebook page. Post your question there, too, but be sure to include a link to this forum page, so people can respond here. It'll be much more likely that others will find your question here than on Facebook.

Here's our page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AsturianUS
Post Reply

Return to “Genealogy - Genealogía”