History and the Connection

A Little History
Before the 1920's, my grandfather, Jose Vicente Sirias, and our grandmother, Maria Brunilda Burgos de Sirias, were married in Granada, Nicaragua. My father was born in 1921. The details are kept in someone’s memoir or in someone’s heart. I only know what I know from my memory and from what I've been told.

My grandmother was a very strong and independent women who was also very devout in her Catholic faith. She arrived in the U.S. sometime in the mid 1940's without her husband. Her grown son(s) came with her or followed shortly thereafter.

My grandmother bought a duplex on 54th St. in South L.A. She lived in one of the units and rented out the other unit on the left. I remember her as being rock solid having a no-nonsense approach to things. There was always food on the table and everyone who walked into her home had to sit down and eat a hot plate of food that she had whipped up in an instant; no questions asked. She had a persistent will and carried this persona in everything she did. She spent her life praying, going to mass, and working. She always had a project going on. She was non-stop. Interestingly, I seem to be much the same way.

My father, Emilio Jose and my mother, Emma Leticia Arroliga de Sirias were married on December 24, 1943. Their family got started with the birth of my sister, Maria Fidelia in 1945. They arrived at L.A. International Airport on their 7th wedding anniversary in 1950 with 3 children in tow and 1 in utero at 13 weeks gestational age (me).

1957 or 1958
I remember in a distant memory of the time a visitor came from Nicaragua. My father picked him up from L.A. International Airport. I recall going with my dad and one of his brothers to my grandmother’s house with their guest. Their reunion was amicable. I remember clearly being told that he was my father’s brother. I remember thinking in my 6 or 7 year old mind, “ I thought my father only had 3 brothers; where did this 4th brother come from?” After pondering on the question, I asked my father. He answered telling me, “He lives in Nicaragua.” On that day I questioned my grandmother’s relationship with “the guest.” I wondered from time to time how he could be my father’s brother but not my grandmother’s son. I never saw him again and the memory faded with time, until now.

My grandmother came to the U.S but my grandfather stayed behind in Nicaragua. I never knew any of the details regarding my grandfather until just before out recent trip to Nicaragua last August.

Silvio & the Sirias-Vargas connection
I decided to e-mail my cousin, Silvio Sirias, who lives in Panama. I asked Silvio if he knew of any of the Sirias family that might still live in Granada. He informed me that all the Sirias-Burgos' were gone, however, there are Sirias-Vargas uncles and aunts living in Santo Tomas. This was news to me. I knew nothing about them.

Silvio’s name surfaced last year in 2008 when Becky, my cousin, Tio Eduardo's second daughter, and I were planning the Sirias Family reunion. I recall Silvio as a little kid from my childhood when my Tio Joaquin would visit our house. Those were the halcyon days when kids would play hide n’ seek in the yards of everyone on the block and played softball in the street.

Silvio's words were kindly of the Sirias-Vargas branch of the family. He encouraged me to get in contact with them. We decided to incorporate Santo Tomas into our itinerary. We had decided that Granada would be our first destination because it was the place of my father's birthplace.

After many e-mail communications with Silvio and his sister Sandy, contact was made with Sor (Sister) Milagros, who lives in Leon. We made arrangements to visit the Sirias-Vargas branch of the family by driving to Santo Tomas on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009.

Our first encounter was when we visited Masaya about a 20 minutes drive from Granada. Doctor Jonny Sirias owns a hospital/clinic there. We met Ingrid, his wife at the pharmacy across the street. They took us to their home in town and also to their lovely estate outside of town up in the highlands of Masaya.

Unfortunately, Sor Milagros was unable to attend due to a cold that she didn't want to spread. We spoke by telephone on a few occasions. I sensed from our conversations that she is a wonderful person through her enthusiasm to embrace these new family members and in her expression of grace and familial love.

The rest of the family was awesome. Vladamir (Chava) and his daughters were first to attend to us in their home. We then went to Yadira’s home a few blocks away. There we were received with a grand lunch of Indio Viejo, smoked cheese, rice and other Nicaraguan delicacies. We met Yadira and two of her children; Jose Vicente and his son; Daisy, the wife of Damiscis, and their daughter. We also met their 94+ year old mother. There are a total of 7 children who are my father's half brothers and 2 sisters. We had lunch and interviewed each other about family while I took notes. We became acquainted and were given a brief tour of Damiscis’ home, Central Park, across the street from the Santo Tomas Cathedral, and the memorial library dedicated to my grandfather, Jose Vicente Sirias.

The following day in Managua we met Damiscis, the oldest brother of the 7 children, at the office of the Supreme Court were he is Presidente de la Corte Suprema. He shared many fascinating stories about my grandfather. One of the stories he shared was of an older brother by the name of Edgar. He was born before the Sirias-Vargas children came into the picture. Damiscis spoke of him with fondness and kindness. He told me that they often still see each other.

Edgar is my grandfather's son after fathering his 4 Sirias-Burgos sons from his marriage to my grandmother. Edgar is the half-brother who came to visit my father and his brothers in Los Angeles in a faint memory of that little girl (me) back in the late fifties .