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Ana de Jesus Maria de Mendoça Rolim de Moura Barreto

1854–1922

Born
12 Apr 1854, Lisbon
Country of birth
Kingdom of Portugal, today Portugal
Died
25 Jul 1922
facts
7
sources
1
images and files
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Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Lisbon

    Birth, Lisbon

  2. Died

    Death

What was it like?

The world around Lisbon, 1854: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

When Ana was born in 1854, Lisbon belonged to the Kingdom of Portugal, ruled by Pedro V of Portugal.

Who ruled

  • Pedro V of Portugal

    Monarch of Portugal, 1853–1861 · Kingdom of Portugal

  • Luís I of Portugal

    Monarch of Portugal, 1861–1889 · Kingdom of Portugal

  • Carlos I of Portugal

    Monarch of Portugal, 1889–1908 · Kingdom of Portugal

Born the same year

  • Abel Botelho

    Portuguese writer and diplomat (1854-1917)

  • Wenceslau de Moraes

    Portuguese writer (1854-1929)

  • Leoš Janáček

    Czech composer (1854–1928)

  • John Philip Sousa

    American conductor and composer (1854–1932)

  • Alphonse Allais

    French writer and humorist (1854–1905)

  • Arthur Rimbaud

    French poet (1854-1891)

Fashion

Heirloom Clothing Among Coastal Fishermen

Fishermen in the Beira Litoral region traditionally wore wide linen drawers and a wool cap while working, only adding a jacket when it was cold. Sunday or ceremonial outfits, including breeches and silver-buckled shoes, were often passed down through generations as precious family heirlooms.

Personalized Embroidery as Identity Markers

To express personal identity, men often embroidered their names on the chest of their linen shirts, while women displayed their initials on their aprons or vest backs. These personalized details served as markers of individual pride within the rural community.

Music

Common instruments in rural homes

In rural Minho, it was rare to find a house without a viola or a cavaquinho, and sometimes a harmonica, which later became known as a concertina. Spontaneous neighborhood parties often erupted when someone started playing these instruments.

Music and work festivities

During collective agricultural work like rye threshing or grape harvests, friends and neighbors would gather to help, always ending the day with festivities, music, and dancing. Large farms often hosted these parties, with landlords providing wine and inviting the best local musicians and singers.

Getting around

Hiring Mules and Drivers

Travelers often rode mules, which were paid up to 12 testoons per day; the driver (arrieiro) was expected to be paid 240 réis per day in addition to his food.

Around 1825–1849

Reliance on River and Coastal Travel

Due to the lack of adequate roads and public transport, river and coastal sea travel were essential, though they were often slow, uncomfortable, and risky. In one recorded instance, a boat trip between Alhandra and Lisbon stalled due to low tide and fog, forcing passengers to wait until midnight to reach their destination.

Daily life

Cooking and diet basics

Common people cooked their meals over an open fire, often using three stones or basic hearths without chimneys, while water was generally not piped into their homes. Diet for laborers was simple, consisting primarily of bread, vegetables, bacon, and occasionally sardines or cod.

Housing conditions for the working class

In cities like Lisbon and Porto, the working class lived in poor conditions, often in overcrowded neighborhoods known as patios or islands, which lacked basic hygiene and sewage systems. Household furniture was very limited for these families, unlike the luxurious homes of the bourgeoisie.

Food

Common rural diet and shared meals

Ordinary rural families frequently ate from a large, shared earthenware bowl containing vegetables and potatoes, often seasoned with a drizzle of olive oil, pork fat, or salted sardines. Bread, specifically corn bread (broa), was a staple consumed daily and often kept fresh for a week.

Pork and bread consumption habits

Pork was the primary meat in the rural diet, preserved by salting or smoking in the chimney. Wheat bread was considered a luxury and was typically reserved only for feast days.

Prices and wages

Entrance cost to the Crystal Palace

While the bourgeoisie enjoyed Sunday leisure, those who could afford the entrance fee paid 50 réis to visit the Crystal Palace in Porto.

Low wages for Porto factory workers

In Porto, factory workers earned an average of 420 réis per day in the late 19th century, while young female workers often received only about 40 réis, which was not enough to purchase a single kilogram of bread.

Work

Daily Wages and Sparse Diets

Daily wages for rural laborers in the 1870s varied significantly, ranging from as little as 80 réis to a maximum of 600 réis per day depending on the specific task. While men typically earned twice as much as women, many families survived on a precarious diet of black bread, olives, and salted cod, often carrying their own food to work sites.

Long Days of Manual Agricultural Labor

Agricultural workers labored from sunrise to sunset, often performing tasks by hand such as threshing grain with flails and using oxen to tread out wheat. Summer days were exceptionally long and hot, and even children participated, often guiding ox-carts or herding flocks from a very young age.

During their lifetime

  1. 1890

    Opening of Rossio Railway Station

    In 1890, the inauguration of the Rossio Railway Station in Lisbon significantly modernised urban transport infrastructure.

  2. 1895

    Arrival of First Car

    In 1895, the first motor car in Portugal, a Panhard et Levassor, was imported and driven at 15 km/h.

  3. 1899

    Bubonic Plague Epidemic

    An epidemic of bubonic plague broke out in Porto in 1899, leading to the use of microbiological analysis for diagnosis.

  4. 1917

    Wartime Food Shortages and Riots

    During World War I, Portugal faced severe food shortages leading to the 1917 potato revolt and high inflation.

  5. 1918

    Spanish Flu Pandemic

    Between 1918 and 1920, the Spanish flu pandemic killed an estimated 100,000 people in Portugal.

Family

Parents

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.