My paternal family tree -Who am I ?

My paternal family tree -Who am I ?

James Robert an adult Indian and his brother William came from St.Vincent illegally to Trinidad on or about 1895, entering at Icacos and then moved to Penal. Kitwara Sebastian a bound Indian from Usine St.Madeline living in Fyzabad had a daughter named Moongia.

James Robert , 25 years old married Moongia who was 14 years old and moved from Penal Road in the south of Trinidad to Boscia Village number one in the de Boscia estate in the north of Trinidad, and converted to Roman Catholism. While in Boscia, James and Moongia had eleven children, the oldest child was Agatha Samaria Roberts.

Gobin Seecharan 35 years old, his son Michael Gobin Seecharan age 5 years, and his father’s brother came from India on or about 1885 and did their bound (indenturedship) at Castle field. At the end of their bound Gobin Seecharan married and lived in Penal. While doing bound, Gobin Seecharand and Bagwansingh become friends and were given government jobs in Port of Spain where they meet James Roberts. Gobin Seecharand was the gardener for the Colonial House and Hospital.

Gobin Seecharand’s son, Michael married James Roberts’s daughter, Agatha and had two children, the first Lachman Gobin Seecharand and a girl, Cecilia Gobin Seecharand (my paternal grandmother).

Here is the great evil and tragedy of this family story. Bagwansingh borrowed money from Gobin Seecharand with James Robert as the witness to the IOU. Gobin Seecharand sued Bagwansingh in the court to get his money and James Robert committed perjury on behalf of Bagwansingh, his friend. Gobin Seecharand sued James Roberts for perjury and this was the end of Gobin Seecharand with James Roberts.

Michael Gobin Seecharan for whom the money lent to Bagwansingh was to be given to purchase a home was very annoyed at his father in law, James Roberts and wanted revenge. Michael and Agatha rented a home in Boscia from Master Andre de Boscia Esq, the white former slave owner of the large Boscia estate and rental compound Boscia village number one, where the Roberts lived as one of only ten Indian families among former Negro slave owners and free Negro slave families.

Michael left Agatha and their two children, moved from Boscia to Arouca to live with another women Carmen, who was a Muslim. Michael came after three months with a letter to Agatha his estranged wife asking for his son Lachman as his father Gobin Seecharand was ill and close to death and wanted to see his grandson.

Michael Gobin Seecharand took his son Lachman, and sold him in a rum shop for $5 to a Muslim man with Ramgolie ( the rum shop owner) acting as the broker in Curepe, getting his revenge on the Robert's family. After a few months had past, Michael told Agatha that their son Lachman had died at his father’s Gobin Seecharan estate. Agatha screams of horror could be heard several streets away as she fainted and never was the same. Agatha never after this loss of her son allowed her infant daughter Cecilia out of her eyesight.

In the interim , James Roberts was annoyed at his son in law , his daughter , Agatha and granddaughter because of Gobin Seecharan action in court against him for perjury, so he evicted Agatha and her young daughter from their home, which he provide for them when Michael left the young family.

Agatha was about 18 years old and her daughter was about three years old when her maternal uncle from Fyzabad put them into a home in Boscia. Agatha and her daughter worked as garbage removers for the homes in the Maraval hills. James Roberts and Moongia had ten other children after Agatha.

Agatha concerned about being a woman with a child alone, took and lived common in law with Sookhan who was 20 years older. Cecilia was raised by Sookhan and he was the father in her life. Michael Gobin Seecharan had died in a vehicle accident in Santa Cruz when his truck went into the river. Michael was a lorry driver for Custom & Exercise and carted vegetables and fruits to the warehouse from the Port of Spain wharf.

Lachman Gobin Seecharan was renamed Rahamuth Ali and grew up with the childless elderly muslimman and his wife who were bound Indians and lived in Curepe. Rahamuth Ali lives in Curepe as a practicing Muslim and built a successful career as a Coconut vendor around Queens Park Savananah. I lived with Uncle Rahamuth at his home on Lyndon Street Curepe while attending the University of The West Indies, in my undergraduate studies for Pre-Medicine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4D5hRlDvYQ

Cecilia and her step father Sookhan Sagarr and his common in law wife lived in Boscia. At the age of 14 years Cecilia second cousin Sookraj who was 35 years old wanted to marry her. Cecilia wanted to marry Sookraj however James Robert intervened.

The following year at St.Patrick RC church in Newton Cecilia was married to Harry Nidhu from Tunapuna. Sookraj then married Cecilia's cousin.

Cecilia and Harry moved to Tunapuna where they lived as husband and wife for three months. Harry Nidhu died from asthma complications. Cecilia remained in Tunapuna with her mother in law.

While collecting water in Tunapuna for her mother-in law, the 16 year old widow Cecilia Nidhu was spotted by Andrew Ramon Matadeen, ( my paternal grandfather) a 40 year old estranged for five years from his wife Winifred nee Maharaj. Winifred left her husband Andrew Matadeen after seven years of marriage due to spousal abuse which resulted in losing a baby. There were no other children for Andrew and Winifred. Winifred ran away with Andrew’s nephew. Winifred was considered to be a beautiful woman.

John Matadeen and Dorcas Matadeen were Indians living in Venezuela with six children in 1900. The family were farmers in Maracaibo close to the lake. The names of the six children were Frank, Andrew , Josephine, Rita, Rosa and Abrigo.

While drawing water for the family crops Abrigo was taken by an adult caiman alligator at the water edge, and his young body was later found among the water reeds. The Matadeen family were traumatised by this event and migrated in 1908 to Tunapuna Trinidad West Indies. John Matadeen worked for Rev. Dr. John Morton the Canadian missionary as his gardener. Rev. Morton and his spouse took a keen interest in the young Matadeen family and soon the entire lot converted to Presbyterianism. John and Dorcas Matadeen's family is one of the first Indian families to attend the Aramayala Presbyterian Church in Tunapuna.

Frank Matadeen and his siblings attend the Presbyterian school and Frank went on to become a dentist and returned with his sister Rita to Caracas Venezuela, where to this day the family continues. Rita returned to Trinidad after the death of her husband in Caracas just after WWII.

Andrew Matadeen was not interested in continued education like his elder brother and after getting a primary school education went to work in the warehouse in Port of Spain, ending up as a warehouse foreman for Kirpalani Store in Port of Spain.

Andrew Matadeen inquired as to where the young widow lived, Cecilia. Her mother-in-law Ma Nidhu concerned about her 16 year old daughter-in law, sent her from Tunapuna to Agatha and Sookhan home in Boscia.

Andrew Matadeen came to the home of Agatha and Sookhan in Boscia, but Sookhan was not there. Agatha told Andrew to leave before Sookhan comes that her daughter Cecilia is not interested in him.

Andrew Matadeen persisted and returned with his father , John, mother Dorcas, elder sister Josephine and meet with James Roberts and Sookhan . After a year on her 17 th birthday, Cecilia was given under Hindu rites to Andrew (41 years) as a wife. Andrew was still married in the Presbyterian Church to Winifred, his estranged spouse living common in law with his nephew.

When Winifred died several decades later and Andrew was on his deathbed then he married Cecilia under Presbyterian rites on June 13, 1978. Cecilia and Andrew had Victor Matadeen (my father), Randolph Matadeen, Joyce Matadeen, Fred Matadeen, Ann Matadeen, Peter Matadeen and Merle Matadeen.

Dharrie Ramdansingh from Barrackpore wanted to purchase a fridge so he went to Kirpalani Store in Port of Spain and purchased one. Andrew Matadeen was to deliver the fridge to Samuel Roopchand , Ramdansingh’s brother in law living in Charles Street Gasparillo. When arriving at Roopchand’s home in Gasparillo to drop the fridge, Andrew Matadeen noticed the picture of Bernice Roopchand , Samuel and Nellie’s daughter on the wall of the living room. Andrew told Ramdansingh that his son Victor Matadeen , the eldest , would be a good match for Bernice. Ramdansingh spoke to Samuel his brother in law and Nellie about Andrew Matadeen’s son Victor Matadeen. Victor Matadeen was 23 years old and Bernice Matadeen was 24 years old. Victor Matadeen was educated at Hillview College and after graduating with senior Cambridge exams worked as postman in Curepe, while Bernice Roopchand was helping run the family business, a rum shop as well as was studying nursing and express a desire to embark to England to join her cousin Polly Ramdeen who had gone the year earlier to England to continue her studies in nursing. Polly remained in England and returned to Trinidad a couple of years later to start a family. In 1965 August 7th, Victor and Bernice were married at Susamacha Presbyterian Church in San Fernando.

Both Victor and Bernice had other persons of interest in their life however the force of personalities of the parents overrode any dissensions that Victor and Bernice had. Samuel Roopchand was against the marriage to Victor but Nellie was for it . Nellie got a broken finger in a beating from Samuel for agreeing to the marriage to Victor.

I was born premature by seven weeks on November 11, two years later at San Fernando General Hospital, named Adrian Kern Delon Matadeen, first child of Victor and Bernice Matadeen and spent the first year of my life in the hospital attached to machines helping me live.