Venezuelan Family Tree 1

We’ll start with your great-great-grandparents.
The first thing you have to learn about your Venezuelan family is that almost no one is really known by his or her given name. It’s all about nicknames.
Encarnación Eloisa Martinez Christofer – “Mama Elaiza” – was the daughter of Rosenda Christofer and ??. Both Mama Rosenda and Mama Elaiza were born in Curacao, Mama Elaiza on March 25th (I’m not sure of the year). She died on January 27th, 1960. I don’t know too much else about her. The house I first came to in Maracaibo, where your grandfather’s family lived, was named for her – “Elaiza” – and that is how your Mom got her middle name. When I started asking about family Belen began uncovering all sorts of old things. I discovered that Mama Elaiza had had an ornate house made of shells from her school days in Curacao that she populated with porcelain animals and figures. The house is long gone, but Belen preserves some of the figures. I reattached some heads and limbs before recording these remaining inhabitants of Mama Elaiza’s shell house. The human figures used to have clothing, from what I hear, and the bird sat on the tip of the roof.

The cats and goats, were in the gardens.

Mama Elaiza married Temistocles Ernesto Soto Marteyn – “Papa Ernesto”, the son of Josefita “Mama Pepita” and “Papa Soto”. Papa Ernesto was born in Maracaibo on August 13, 1894 and died on Wednesday, March 27, 1978. When I arrived in Maracaibo early in 1972 Papa Ernesto was still quite alert and told me many stories of his life – especially of his years in the U.S.. He lived in Jersey City for a time during W.W.II. Papa Ernesto had a lumber business in Maracaibo and enjoyed wood working just as my grandfather did. He gave me a wooden rolling pin that he had made. I still have it – your grandfather uses it more than I do, when he makes bread. Some day it will be your Mom’s and then yours.
Mama Elaiza and Papa Ernesto had five children: Gilberto Enrique “Otto” (who knows why?), born June 30th and father to Gilberto “Tico”, Gladys and Maria Teresa; Temistocles Ernesto “Chicho”, born August 11th and father to Ernesto Federico and Eduardo Enrique; Consuelo Eloisa “Nena”, born October 10th, C.I. 1.648.018, mother to a child who died as an infant; Guillermo Cesar “Pelón”, father to Leonardo de Jesus; and your great grandmother, Alicia Yolanda, “Chichita” to her brothers and sisters, and “Nina” to your mother and everyone else since your Mom gave her that name. She was born on July 30th, 1923.

A week of visits -

Week 34.

Your Mom had to take care of a lot of business, getting ready for your arrival, but she took time to visit with her cousin Bryan and his girl friend Shannon who were vacationing in Florida, and also paid a visit to an old friend from Maracaibo.

Bryan and Shannon were in Fort Lauderdale for the week and came down to Miami to visit Miami Beach with your Mom.

And here is your Mom with Marc Lefkovits and his two children. Marc and your Mom have known each other since they were children in Maracaibo.

Your Things -

Already you are starting to accumulate your own things. Besides your blankets and the gifts your Mom received at her shower in Barnegat Light I wanted to tell you about some other things of yours, before you start to receive a lot of new gifts.
This small bureau was made for me by my grandfather, Louis Goss, when I was a child. He was a plumber by trade. He and my uncle Louis had a plumbing and heating business. But down in the basement of his house he had a complete woodworking shop and he loved to make pieces of furniture. He made chairs and even a full double swing for his yard that we all enjoyed. And this was just for me.
This little dresser held my dolls things and other toys. Years later it was in your mother’s room (as her name written on the back of the mirror attests) and more recently it was in your Uncle Randy’s room. But soon it will be yours, ready to hold new treasures.
And here are some things I’ve made especially for you – a sleeper and some booties. Your mom had a sleeper from the same pattern – but I don’t know where it got to. It probably joined the ranks of hand-me-downs and was enjoyed by other babies. The booties are a first for me. I lost the pattern halfway through the second one, so they are not exa-a-a-actly the same, but I think they will be “comfy”, as your Uncle Randy says.

33 Weeks -

We´re keeping a close eye on you now.


Your Mom had a busy week getting things ready for your arrival. There’s so much to be done.



But she had time to get together with friends - went to a concert, and to a barbecue, and ended things up at Carruyo’s for an Easter luncheon.

Sophia had spent the week here in Maracaibo with her grandparents so I was able to send some eggs to the girls in Miami. Can't wait until we can all dye Easter eggs together. I tried out some new techniques this year. I used onion skins to dye the red eggs and turmeric for the golden ones. I still had to resort to food coloring for the blue, green and violet. I can't buy egg coloring kits here in Maracaibo like the ones we used to use in the States, but I've pretty much got it under control. No matter where we are we can have our Easter eggs.

7 Down - 2 to Go

We come to the end of the seventh month in our tracking of your progress.

You and Mom are both fine – there is a bit more of her now due to your presence, but all systems are Go.

She and your Aunt Hilda went to Miami Beach the night these pictures were taken and ran into Mariela Moreno-Chinda a childhood friend from Maracaibo. Mariela and her husband are living in Fort Lauderdale and expecting their first baby. The next generation is certainly gaining force.