🌊🇵🇹 Two Portuguese Joes: Clearing Up the Confusion
João Inácio d’Oliveira vs. João Inácio d’Almada (John Enos)
✨ A simple guide to who’s who in early BC history ✨
For years, people have mixed up two different Azorean men who came to the West Coast in the 1800s.
They had almost identical names, came from the same islands, followed the same migration route, and both married Indigenous women. No wonder it’s confusing!
So here it is — clear, simple, and finally sorted out.
🧔♂️🇵🇹 1️⃣ João Inácio d’Oliveira
- Also known as: Portuguese Joe Silvey / Oliveira
- Born: ~1828
- From: Flores or São Jorge, Azores
- Lived: Vancouver / Burrard Inlet / Stanley Park
- Married: 💙 Khaltinaht (Squamish) & ❤️ Náx’alaga (Haida)
He was:
- A fisherman
- A whaler
- A coastal pioneer
- The ancestor of many Squamish, Haida, and Coast Salish families
📍 His life was centered on the mainland — especially around Stanley Park.
🐂🌲 2️⃣ João Inácio d’Almada (John Enos)
- My great-great-grandfather
- Born: 1834
- From: Santa Maria Island, Azores
- Lived: Vancouver Island – Nanoose Bay, Nanaimo
- Married: 💚 Teresa Elisia (Songhees Nation)
He was:
- A rancher and orchardist
- A seaman and bridge-builder
- The first European settler in Nanoose Bay
- Very litigious, very colourful, very determined
- Fought the Hudson’s Bay Company
- Returned to the Azores once, then came back to BC
📍 His life was centered on Vancouver Island, not Vancouver.
⚡ So… were they the same man?
👉 No. Definitely two separate men.
But here’s why people get confused:
- Both were named João Inácio
- Both came from the Azores
- Both went to sea young
- Both passed through Boston → California → BC
- Both married Indigenous women
- Both became well-known pioneers
- Both have stories involving the gold rush era
It’s like two movies with the same plot and the same main character name — happening at the same time.
🌟 Key Difference (The Easiest Way to Remember)
Oliveira = Mainland Vancouver
Almada (Enos) = Vancouver Island
- Different islands back home
- Different lands
- Different wives
- Different descendants
- Different legacies
💬 Why This Matters
Sorting out these two men clears up family history, Indigenous connections, and local BC history.
It also helps identify which stories belong to which ancestor — and avoids mixing up two important cultural lineages.
✨ Optional next steps for readers: family tree, migration map, short social media version, or a deeper historical dive!
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