TONY LOPES
ONE OF THE FEW SURVIVING CAPE VERDEAN-AMERICAN WHALEMEN
AND A LIVING
LINK TO A BYGONE ERA
CELEBRATES HIS 100th BIRTHDAY ON JANUARY 27, 1997.
TONY LOPES
ONE OF THE FEW SURVIVING CAPE VERDEAN-AMERICAN WHALEMEN
AND A LIVING
LINK TO A BYGONE ERA
CELEBRATES HIS 100th BIRTHDAY ON JANUARY 27, 1997.
Antonio Lopes, ("Tony Lopes") was born on January 27, 1897 in the village of Junqalinho in the island of Sao Nicolau, Cape Verde Islands, West Africa. His parents were Arcangela Melitre and Laurenco Antonio Lopes. He had three siblings - two bothers, Francisco Lopes (d. Baltimore, MD) and Antonio Lopes (d. Bridgeport, CT) and a sister, Moraia (d. Vila de Ribeira Brava, Sao Nicolau 1972). He has one living niece in Cape Verde, Arcangela Lopes of Sao Vicente, widow of Antonio Lopes (seaman).
Tony Lopes left Sao Nicolau for the island of Brava when he was 24 years old. In those days the Island of Brava was frequently used by the Yankee whaling fleet and was the port of embarkation for many Cape Verdeans immigranting to America. Tony Lopes left Brava aboard the New Bedford whaler, William Grabner, under the command of Captain Benjamin Cleveland and First Mate Jorge Soares, a Cape Verdean of Sao Nicolau. For several months the ship went whaling off the coast of Brazil. Tony Lopes was given duty as a wheel man. Although he never actually harpooned a whale he says there were many times when he looked a whale in the eyeball as he rowed the tiny 6-man boats. Tony says that whaling was "dirty and dangerous work" and that there is nothing about it that he has ever missed. On September 14, 1921, Tony landed in the Port of New Bedford. After all deductions were calculated for food, clothing etc. he left ship with a $10. share.
In 1922, Tony Lopes signed on for one whaling voyage aboard the schooner Claudia under a Cape Verdean captain, Jose Sena of Brava. The Claudia went whaling in the central Atlantic and made a port call on the Island of Dominica, West Indies. Eventually the Claudia arrived in New Bedford. Once again Tony Lopes' share after all deductions was a paltry $10.
Tony's next employment was at the New Bedford Rope Works where he remained until he retired. (1926-1959)
In 1939 Tony was married in the New Bedford Seamen's Bethel to Maria Ambra Ramos, daughter of immigrants from the Azores. Together they had two daughters, Dorothy Lopes and Lydia Lopes Stevens. Tony has one grandchild, Craig Stevens, a television news anchorman at the FOX affiliate in Miami, FL.
Tony says that in addition to keeping warm in the winter he makes it a point to consult his "dream book" and play his numbers and the Massachusetts Lottery every day. Tony Lopes says he likes the upbeat rhythms of contemporary Cape Verdean music. He says he "has never smoked or drank hard whiskey". Whenever he can he walks down town to see how many of his old friends are still around and to watch the people coming and going. He is a parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
Raymond Almeida - rayalmeida@post.harvard.edu
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