The record of the week is a sample from a register of baptisms that were conducted in Lagos or Badagry circa 1863. The baptisms were officiated by Padre Borghero, who we will remember from the last post was The Bearded One. They register typically notes the name of the baptized, his or her sex, (a guess about ?) when they were born, their father’s full name, and the name of the godfather. Sometimes the register notes the first name of the mother and the name of a godmother, when there was one.
In this particular sample, we have a record of the baptism of Philippa, Thomas, and Libanus/Libano. We can see that the three were children, and they were 10, 14, and 9 years old respectively when they were baptized. Philippa, Thomas, and Libano were all listed as being the children of Benedicto Florentio Pereira. One Augustino Gomes stood as the sponsor / godfather of the girl, Philippa, and the boy, Thomas. In the case of Libano, one Joachim Emmanuel Carvalho stood in. Two questions come to mind for me regarding this sample: The first, where were the children born? A baptism record, is not a birth record, and really can’t be read as such for children their age. The second question that comes to mind is what was the relationship between the father and the sponsors? Friends, ship-mates, co-workers, employer-boss, master-servant, relative strangers?
What questions come to mind for you? Like, comment, and share with your networks. And please contribute your own Lagos family history to the Ekopolitan Project survey. Future generations will thank you.
