Jesus Rego was born in Spain in 1900 and immigrated to the United States in 1916 to escape the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. He worked in coal mines in Ohio before visiting Puerto Rico in 1920, where he met and married Dominga Cruz. They had a daughter named Minerva and moved to New York City in 1922. The family struggled during the Great Depression before relocating to Pasadena, California in 1959. The document then describes the family members' lives and locations over subsequent generations, culminating with the author's birth in Nevada in 1993.
2. MY MOTHERS SIDE
My grandma’s grandfather Jesus Rego was born in Spain in 1900.
He was one of six brothers and no sisters. The country of Spain had
a dictator at that time. The dictator was named Francisco Franco.
When Jesus was 16 Years old his father did not want him to live under
this dictator. He sent 4 brothers to the US and 2 to Argentina, South
America so that they didn’t have to fight in the WW1 war and live
under the dictatorship.
6. Jesus Rego came to Ohio 1916
working in the coal mines. He
worked in underground coal mining.
Back then mining was done by hand
with the help of animals such as
mules, ponies, goats, oxen, and even
dogs to haul the coal.
He came by ship.
7. In 1920, Jesus Rego
visited Puerto Rico and
there he met my
grandma’s grandmother
Dominga Cruz. She was
born in 1898 in Yauco
Puerto Rico.
8. PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico is an island and unincorporated
territory of the United States, located in the
northeastern Caribbean, east of the
Dominican Republic and west of both the
United States Virgin Islands and the British
Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico (Spanish for "rich port").
Because of its location, Puerto Rico has a
tropical climate and also experiences the
Atlantic hurricane season.
Puerto Rican Flag
9. W h i l e Je s u s Re g o wa s i n P u e r t o R i c o, h e
worked in the sug ar cane fields and
D o m i n g a wa s l e a r n i n g t o b e a s e a m s t r e s s.
10. This is the house in Yauco, Puerto Rico where
Dominga grew up in.
11. FOOD OF PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rican’s cuisine is of the Spanish and Mexican culture
The main Staple of people of Puerto Rican descent is rice and beans. They eat
rice and beans with every meal. My grandmothers specialty is pork.
The use lots of seasonings and ingredients such as coriander, papaya, cacao,
nispero, apio, plantains, and yampee
They use a lot of green peppers, sweet Chile peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro,
potatoes, olives stuffed with pimientos, or capers in their stews. Meat pies are
common of many Puerto Rican dinners. Salt pork and ham are often used for the
filling and are cooked in a caldero. This medley of meats and spices is covered with
a pastry top and baked.
12. FOODS CONTINUED
Puerto Rico produces a wide variety of vegetables. A favorite is the chayote, a pear-
shaped vegetable called christophone in English . Its flavor is often compared to a
summer squash. Breadfruit is also popular with main dishes. The flavor is close to a sweet
potato. Tostones -fried green breadfruit slices- accompany most meat, fish, or poultry
dishes served on the island.
Tostones may also be made with plantains. Plantains seems to be the most popular
side dish served on the island. Plantains are a variety of banana that cannot be eaten raw.
They are much coarser in texture that ordinary bananas and are harvested while green,
then baked, fried, or boiled.
Plantains were something I remember my grandma cooking that was a tradition
brought back from her parents in Puerto Rico.
13. FOOD CONTINUED
Coconut is probably the most common dessert ingredient
Papayas and mangoes are popular for jellies and preservatives.
They like strong, black, aromatic Puerto Rican coffee, which is produced on the island.
It is still one of the island's exports.
The island does not produce wine, so it is proper to order a cold beer before even
looking at the menu. The most popular brand on Puerto Rico is Medalla.
Rum is the national drink, and you can buy it in almost any shade. Puerto Rico is the
world's leading rum producer; 80% of the rum consumed in the United States hails from
the island.
14. RELIGION
In Puerto Rico, as in most of
Latin American countries,
Catholicism was the main
religion.
Later on my family became
protestant because of the U.S
culture.
15. When Dominga
turned 22, (1920) she
got married to Jesus.
They had one daughter
Minerva Cruz-Rego in
1921 in Puerto Rico.
17. ARRIVAL TO THE
UNITED STATES
Dominga and Jesus left
Puerto Rico in 1922 and
moved to Manhattan New
York. They came by ship to
New York to find work and
start a new life in the United
States.
This is them arriving In the United
States from Spain on a boat.
18. Minerva stayed in Puerto
Rico with Dominga’s mother
(Romona Cruz). Minerva
turned 18 (1939) and moved
to New York to live with her
parents. Minerva got married
when she was 20 (1941) to
Adrian Alvarez.
19. IN NEW YORK
In New York Jesus worked for a bank until he was retired
and Dominga continued to be a seamstress in a factory until
she retired. In May 1938 Minerva and Adrian had their
first daughter Marie Alvarez.
20. WHILE IN NEW YORK
Dominga also loved dancing and
was a flapper in New York
The 1920s was the Jazz Age and
one of the most popular past-times for
flappers was dancing. Dances such as
the Charleston, Black Bottom, and the
Shimmy. were considered "wild" by
older generations. For the Younger
Generation, the dances fit their fast-
paced life-style.
21. The Great Depression
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
My family then suffered from The Great
Depression. It was a severe worldwide economic
depression in the decade preceding World War
II. The timing of the Great Depression varied
across nations, but in most countries it started in
1930 and lasted until the late 1930s or middle
1940s. It was the longest, most widespread, and
deepest depression of the 20th century.
This is Wall Street, in NYC where a
crowd gathers outside the Stock
Exchange after the crash. 1929.
22. MOVING WEST
Two years later, 1940 they had their second daughter Camille
Alvarez. The third daughter Minerva was born in 1944. The last child
they had was their son Adrian junior Alvarez was born in 1947. They
continued to live in Manhattan New York City until 1959 when they
moved to Pasadena California. There started to develop gangs in New
York City, and Adrian Alvarez didn’t want that environment around
his children.
23. (From left to right) Minerva Cruz-Rego, Minerva Alvarez,
Renee Hull & Me, Camille Alvarez, Laura Alvarez
(Camille's daughter)
Mom & Me
Great Grandma
Grandma Marie
24. Marie and Camille went to Pasadena high
school. Marie graduated from Pasadena high
school in 1956 at Rose Bowl Stadium Right after
graduating high school, Marie’s first job was at
the Los Angeles police department.
In 1960 Marie got married to James Lee Hull.
In 1961 they a daughter named Lisa Marie Hull.
Feb of 1967 they had another daughter Renee
Leanne Hull. (my mother) Everyone moved to
San Dimas. They both graduated from San
Dimas High..
25. Where I
came in
Renee Leanne Hull married
Jeffery David Madaus in
1987. They moved to
Fountain Valley where they
had their son Jeremy David
Madaus in 1988. They moved
to Nevada in 1991 where I
was born in March 1993.
My Great Grandmother Minerva &
my father Jeffery at my mom and
dads wedding
28. A L L I K N OW F RO M M Y DA D S S I D E
My dads moms side of the family came from Wales-England.
They all came to the United States by the Mayflower.
They moved to Idaho where they owned acres of wheat farm.
They had a huge house where workers could live while working on the
farm.
There was a huge bell that rang when it was time for the family and
the workers to eat. They all ate together at the family dinner table.
They grew and ate all their own food.
