Hello and welcome!
I’m a digital designer and genealogy enthusiast based in Torres Novas, Portugal. Both of my parents are from São Nicolau, Cape Verde, and I’m part of the third generation of Cape Verdeans born in Portugal.
After my father passed away, and during the quiet, uncertain days of the COVID pandemic, I began asking myself all sorts of questions about my roots and family history. When I spoke to my mother about my “missing” great-great-grandmother, Rufina Lisboa, something clicked. All we knew was that Rufina had left for the U.S. and never returned. That mystery stayed with me. Once I managed to trace her story, from her baptism to her death, I realized I was completely hooked on genealogical research.
It was thanks to my great friend (and distant cousin!) Tânia Osório that I discovered the incredible community at Cape Verde DNA Inc. They helped me take my very first steps in building my family tree. That’s when I truly saw how much more there is to uncover about Cape Verdean history, it’s honestly fascinating.
In 2023, I wrote this article about how my journey began. The warm response from the community really touched me and gave me the motivation to start this platform, my way of connecting the Cape Verdean diaspora worldwide.
For the past year and a half, I’ve been quietly working on this project in the background. But when the Cape Verdean records disappeared from FamilySearch, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to act, collect, preserve, and share as much information as possible with others like me.
I’d like to give a special thanks to the Cape Verde DNA Inc. community, who have been an incredible source of information and support. I wouldn’t have come this far without their dedication and hard work in genealogical research.
I hope this space helps you find the answers you’re looking for. Please feel free to reach out and say hi. I'd love to hear your story too.
