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UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LOWELL
CENTER FOR LOWELL HISTORY
ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION
LOWELL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
INFORMANT: MANUEL J. ALVES
INTERVIEWER: JOHN M. REIS
DATE: APRIL 22, 1981
Manuel J. Alves
8 Meadow Drive
Lowell, MA 01854
R = JOHN REIS
A = MANUEL ALVES
Tape 81.07
R: Please state your name.
A: Manuel J. Alves.
R: Where were you born?
A: Madeira Island.
R: What year did you come to the United States?
A: 1921
R: Where did you live in the United States?
A: On Central Street.
R: Did you leave your parents back in Madeira?
A: Yes.
�R: In what city were you born?
A: I was born in 1899.
R: Where?
A: St. Roque, Madeira. Funchal, Madeira.
R: Why did you come to the U.S.?
A: To better myself.
R: Did you leave any family behind?
A: At the time I left my father, my mother, three sisters and a brother.
R: When was the last time you saw your parents?
A: 1926
R: Did you remember your parents?
A: Oh yes.
R: Do you still have any family left?
A: I have one sister.
R: When was the last time you saw her?
A: 1974
R: Where did you work in Lowell?
A: I learned to weave in the Hamilton Mills. Then I worked as a weaver.
R: Do you remember how long?
A: No, I don't remember, but it was a long time.
R: Where else did you work?
A: I worked at the American Hide Company, where they process the skins. I worked in the
Southwell Mills in Chelmsford until I retired.
�R: So you worked in three mills?
A: I worked in four. I worked as a trimmer for the ice chests for a while.
R: When you came to the U.S., who did you come to?
A: I came to my cousin's house.
R: Where did they live?
A: They lived at the time on Central Street. They then moved to Tyler Street.
R: How long have you been living here at this house?
A: This house about, it will be fourteen years next October.
R: Where did you live before that?
A: Crawford Street in Lowell.
R: Have you always lived here in Lowell?
A: Yes.
R: Do all your children speak Portuguese?
A: They used to but not anymore. They forgot.
R: How many brothers and sisters in your family?
A: I had three sisters and one brother.
R: Are they all here in the U.S.?
A: No. No. They're all in the Madeira Island.
R: When was the last time you saw them?
A: Well, in 1974 1 only had one sister living and the others had passed away.
R: Are you the oldest one in your family?
�A: I'm the fourth one. I only have one sister younger than me.
R: Do you remember your mother?
A: Oh yes.
R: What do you remember about Your mother? Can you describe her?
A: She was a short woman, stubby.
R: What did she do?
A: Took care of the house and the children,
R: What was your father like?
A: My father use to work in the winery, where they process the wine.
R: Can you describe him?
A: He was a little bigger than me, but the same weight.
R: Do you remember anything your mother taught you?
A: No, no, it was too long ago I think.
R: Did your mother ever have a job outside of the house? A job?
A: No, she used to take care of the gardens.
R: Your parents never came to the U.S.?
A: No.
R: Did your mother ever earn money at home?
A: No.
R: As a child, do you remember having to do chores around the house?
A: I use to help in the garden.
R: Do you remember your father ever teaching you anything?
�A: No. I don't remember.
R: How many years of schooling did you have in Madeira?
A: In Madeira I started school when I was seven, and I completed elementary school and went
to engineering school but I never finished.
R: Did you go to school here in the U.S.?
A: Not steady.
R: What kind of school did you have?
A: I went to school to try to learn English.
R: Did you ever learn to read and write in English?
A: Yes, a little bit.
R: Why did you stop going to school?
A: I was getting old.
R: Was there something your parents wanted you to do with your education?
A: When I was in Madeira, I was employed in an embroidery factory as a clerk.
R: Was that what your parents wanted you to do?
A: Yes, that's the only thing.
R: Was there a certain type of job you always wanted to do, but could never do?
A: No.
R: Did you ever have a job making money when you were little?
A: No.
R: What kind of job did you have when you first started working?
A: Here?
�R: No, back in Madeira.
A: I start to work in the embroidery factory as clerk.
R: How many years did you do that for?
A: For about two to three years.
R: What did you do with your money?
A: I tried to save it.
R: How old were you when you started to work as a clerk?
A: I was seventeen years old.
R: Did you make a lot of money?
A: Not much money. That's why I decided to come to this country. I didn't make enough to pay
for my shoes.
R: What year did you come to the U.S.?
A: 1921
R: So you were twenty one when you came to this country? What was your first job here in the
United States?
A: My first job here was weaving.
R: Where?
A: In the Hamilton Mills.
R: How did you get the job?
A: My cousin asked for me.
R: Can you describe your job'
A: I was weaving with the loom. I was running sixteen looms weaving flannel.
�R: In your job, did you have to do the same thing everyday?
A: Yes.
R: What was the mill producing?
A: Different kinds of cloth.
R: They only made the cloth?
A: Yes.
R: Do you remember how many people were employed there?
A: I don't know.
R: Do you remember how many shifts they had?
A: At the beginning they had only one shift.
R: How many years did you work there?
A: About ten to fifteen years.
R: Did they have more shifts when you left?
A: No.
R: Did you have to punch a clock?
A: No. Not at the time.
R: Did you ever take any time off from work?
A: Yes after eight hours.
R: I mean did you stay out of work for a couple of days?
A: No. Only Saturday and Sunday really.
R: When you worked, was there someone always watching you? Was there always a supervisor?
A: Yes we always had a supervisor.
�R: Do you remember any certain rules, like no smoking?
A: We couldn't smoke at work but they had a smoking room.
R: Did you have to dress in any certain way?
A: No. Everyone dressed differently.
R: Did you have a quota to meet each day?
A: No.
R: How many hours did you work each day?
A: About ten hours per day. We started at seven till five.
R: Was your work dangerous?
A: No.
R: Do you recall any accidents?
A: No. Once in a while the shuttle comes off the loom and sometimes hits you. I never got hurt
working there.
R: What was it like working in there?
A: It was very good.
R: Was it hot in the summer and cold in the winter?
A: Oh yes.
R: Were there a lot of smells?
A: No. Not bad.
R: Do you remember the machines changing as the years went by?
A: Yes they always changed, modernized.
�R: Do you remember talking to other people that use to work in the mill? Did you know a lot of
people?
A:
Yes.
R:
When you were working, did people get promotions?
A:
Yes once in a while they got promoted.
R:
How were the promotions arranged, do you know?
A:
I don't remember.
R:
Do you remember your boss?
A: Yes. It was a man.
R: Did you have a lot of women working there? Were there more men or more women?
A: It was more or less the same.
R: Did you like your boss?
A: Yes.
R: At the Hamilton Mills, did you have any social life, or was it just work?
A: Work come home and work.
R: You never had picnics or anything?
A: No, not at the time.
R: Did your company ever offer benefits, like insurance?
A: Not in those days. After they did.
R: Did you ever complain to your supervisor about any problems?
A: No.
R: Did you ever belong to a Union?
�A: Yes.
R: Do you remember the name?
A: The Independent Union.
R: Were you active in the Union?
A: Yes.
R: Where were you working when you got into the Union?
A: In the Hamilton Mills.
R: How did you get involved in the Union?
A: I didn't get too much involved in the Union.
R: Was the Union popular in Lowell in those days?
A: Yes.
R: Do you remember anything the Union ever did?
A: I don't recall anything.
R: Do you remember getting any support from the Union?
A: No.
R: Did anyone harass you because you belonged to the Union?
A: No.
R: Did the Union ever go on strike?
A: Yes
R: Do you remember why?
A: Because they tried to give more work
R: Who started the strike, do you remember?
�A: The weavers. (smiling)
R: How did the management react to the strike?
A: They tried to settle the strike.
R: Did you gain anything from the strike?
A: Not much.
R: How long were you on strike for?
A: I don't remember but it wasn't very long. Two or three weeks.
R: How did the strike end?
A: They tried to settle it but we didn't get nothing.
R: Did the Hamilton Mills ever change? Did they have new buildings put up or anything?
A: No. They just moved out. They moved to Manchester.
R: During the Depression, do you remember anything?
A: Yes. I was married during the Depression. 1928. When the Depression started.
R: What happened to the mill?
A: Kept moving out some went to the South. like the Hamilton Mill went to Manchester.
R: They moved out because of the depression?
A: One thing led to another.
R: How did the depression effect Lowell?
A: Very bad. I was working sometimes two days a week, sometimes three, sometimes four days
a week. I always worked.
R: What happened to the industry here during World War II? Do you remember?
A: They lost a lot of business.- Especially textile mills. I worked in the Boott Mill, Merrimack
Mill, then I went to American Hide.
�R: How long did you work at the American Hide?
A: Two years
R: Do you remember John Goes?
A: Yes, I know John Goes.
R: I had this same interview with him a couple of weeks ago. Do you still talk to him?
A: Yes. He's from Madeira.
R: Did you fight in World War II at all?
A: No.
R: What were some of the hardest parts about working in the mills? Do you recall? Was it long
hours?
A: It was long hours. When Roosevelt came in he changed it to forty hours per week. Eight
hours per day, five days a week. That's when they stopped paying overtime.
R: How were the conditions in the mill?
A: Not too bad.
R: Did you have any advantages while you were working?
A: No.
R: What was the best thing to happen to the Lowell people since you've been working?
A: Well I don't remember.
R: When Roosevelt changed it to a forty hour week, do you think that was good for the
workers?
A: Yes. (His wife reminds him of things in the background.)
R: What was the worst thing that happened? Do you remember?
A: I don't remember. Nothing happened to me.
�R: Do you have any special recollections? Things that happened.
A: No.
R: How do you feel about closing the mills?
A: I felt bad.
R: How long have you been out of work?
A: Not very long. I always work a few days a week. Not now anymore. I am now retired for ten
years. When I retired, I was seventy years old.
R: What do you think of the former mills being designated as historical sites?, Do you think it's
a good idea making an old mill into a museum?
A: Yes.
R: Do you think Lowell is a historical place?
A: Yes to me it's historical.
R: Can you tell why?
A: Because it was famous for its textiles.
R: Do you remember what Lowell was like when you were younger?
A: No.
R: Can you describe Lowell?
A: It was about the same.
R: Did you ever go to any specific clubs for recreation?
A: I use to go to the Portuguese Clubs. To the different clubs. Portuguese, American Civic
League, Portuguese American Center.
R: Did you always go to the church?
A: Yes.
�R: Do you remember going to any restaurants in downtown Lowell?
A: No.
R: Was there any part of Lowell you never liked?
A: No.
R: Was there any part of Lowell you did like?
A: I was living in back of Central Street until I moved to Pawtucketville.
R: What was your neighborhood like?
A: Good.
R: Was it all Portuguese?
A: Mixed Portuguese and Irish, and French.
R: Did you work with all these people?
A: Yes in different places.
R: Have a lot of your neighbors moved out?
A: Yes. A lot of them.
R: Do you know where they have gone?
A: Different places.
R: Do you think Lowell has grown?
A: Yes, I think so.
R: Do you think it's because of its schools or the jobs?
A: I think the jobs are getting better.
R: Have you ever participated in politics in any way?
�A: No, not really. I was mostly independent.
R: Do you ever Vote?
A: Yes. Since I got my American papers.
R: When did you get your papers?
A: I don't recall. I had my first papers and then my second papers.
R: Did you ever belong to any political organizations?
A: No.
R: Did you ever like any political figures here in Lowell or in the United States?
A: Yes.
R: Who was your favorite president?
A: Well the president I remember so was Roosevelt.
R: Do you remember why?
A: Because he changed the working hours, he made it better for the workers.
R: Did you ever attend a political rally?
A: Yes not very important.
R: Did the companies you worked for ever have anything to do with politics?
A: I don't know.
R: Did your wife ever work?
A: Yes.
R: How many years did she work for?
A: She worked and she came home to take care of the kids then she go back to work.
R: Did she work in the mills also?
�A: She worked making stockings.
R: Where?
A: Hopp Hosiery
R: Did your wife work a lot of hours?
A: No.
R: She was never working full time, was she?
A: No she never was working full time.
R: Did your family attend church?
A: Yes.
R: Which church?
A: Saint Anthony's Church
R: It's always been that same St. Anthony's Church, no?
A: Yes.
R: Do you remember the priests of the church?
A: Yes. We've had some different ones.
R: Which one do you remember?
A: I remember Perry was the first one I remember.
R: Do you remember how many priests they've had?
A: They've had Father Grillo, they had Father John Silva, and now they have Eusebio Silva.
R: Do you still go?
A: Yes.
�R: Do the men participate within the church?
A: They've made some different things. They've made picnics and some entertainments.
R: You still belong to the church, no?
A: Yes.
R: Is there anything you remember about your religious life?
A: No, I don't recall nothing.
R: What were some of the places you worked at?
A: I worked at the Hamilton Mills, Boott Mill, Merrimack Mill, Southwell Mill.
R: Were you a weaver at all these mills?
A: No, no. At the Southwell Mill I worked and processed the wool. A control man.
R: A Control Man? At the Boott Mill, did you do the same thing?
A: I was a weaver.
R: What were the conditions like?
A: Not too bad. But then I went to the Merrimack Mills. At the Merrimack Mills I use to weave
velvet.
R: How long did you work at the Boott Mills?
A: I don't remember now but it was quite a few years.
R: Did they have a lot of people working there?
A: Oh yes.
R: Were the conditions better than the Hamilton Mills?
A: About the same. I moved to the Boott Mills because the Hamilton Mills moved out.
R: When did the Hamilton Mills close down, do you remember?
�A: At the Hamilton Mill I was weaving flannel.
R: When did they move out, do you remember?
A: I don't remember.
R: Was it before World War II?
A: Yes. Then I went to the Boott Mills. I use to weave corduroy.
R: Do you remember how many years you were there?
A: It was quite a few years. Then I went to the Merrimack Mills. I use to weave velvet.
R: What was the last job you had?
A: The last job was the Southwell Mills in North Chelmsford.
R: How long did you work there until?
A: For twelve years I think. I worked there until 1958.
R: What did you do after 1958?
A: In 1958 I retired. No I worked in the Merrimack Mills until 1958 and then I worked at
Southwell Mills until 1970. That's when I retired.
R: What did you do at Southwell Mills?
A: I was a control man.
R: How were the conditions at the Southwell Mills from the Hamilton Mill?
A: The Southwell Mills was all wool.
R: How many hours were you working?
A: Eight hours a day.
R: Were you making more money?
A: Oh yes more money than the cotton mills.
�R: Were you producing more?
A: No. I just worked eight hours. In the American Hide processing the skins
R: How long did you work there for?
A: Two years. They had a lot of strikes. They kept going on strike, so I went back into the mills.
I couldn't afford to be on strike all the time. I'm a family man. I had to make money. I couldn't
afford to be on strike all the time.
R: You've worked in a lot of mills here in Lowell?
A: Yes.
R: Do you remember when you came here to the U.S.'?
A: Yes.
R: How did you come? By ship or plane?
A: I come by ship. There was no planes at the time.
R: Was it just you?
A: Yes just me.
R: Do you remember anything about the voyage?
A: Yes, it took a long time across the ocean. I left Madeira went to Saint Michael and then I
took the ship to the U.S I took me forty three days in Saint Michael for chance to come to the
U.S
R: What did you think of America when you first came here?
A: First when I saw America I didn't like the way it looked
R: Why?
A: because the houses were entirely different here.
R: Where did you land in the U.S.?
A: In Boston.
�R: Who did you already have here?
A: I had my cousin and his wife.
R: Do you know why they left Madeira?
A: I left Madeira because the wages were so low. I liked the work. I couldn't support myself. I
came to America to see if I could better myself.
R: Do you have any memories of Madeira?
A: Oh yes. I still remember.
R: Do you remember the house you were born in?
A: Yes.
R: Can you describe the house?
A: It was a small house. It was a three room and a kitchen. Me and my brother we use to sleep
over the kitchen.
R: Do you miss Madeira?
A: Yes, I miss Madeira.
R: What did you find the hardest about coming to a strange country?
A: The hardest part in this country is it's so cold in the winter and it's so hot in the summer. In
Madeira winter and summer the temperature is very good.
R: At the Boott Mills, did you work in a small room or a big room?
A: A regular room.
R: How many people worked with you there?
A: Around 100 or 150.
R: What do you think about living in Lowell?
A: I've enjoyed living in Lowell.
�R: Would you say the. life has been hard working here in the mills?
A: Sometimes hard and sometimes better. I came to this country I went to work, there wasn't too
much work around. The employment was very bad. I went to learn to weave. I was six months
without getting paid at all.
R: What happened?
A: My cousin advanced the money for me to live. Then when I started to work, I paid
everything I owed and I saved to go back to the old country to see my family while they were
living. It took me five years. I went in 1926 when they were still living. My mother, father, and
all my family were still living.
R: Was that the last time you saw them?
A: I saw my mother and father.
R: Did any of your brothers or sisters ever come over here?
A: No. Only me from my family.
R: Why didn't they ever come over here?
A: They didn't bother coming over.
The End
End of Interview
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
UMass Lowell Portuguese American Oral Histories [1985-2018]
Description
An account of the resource
These oral histories with Portuguese immigrants and their descendants in the Greater Lowell area were conducted between 1985-2016. Topics covered include the experience of immigration, working conditions, family life, and more. These oral histories were funded by the Lowell National Historical Park, the American Folklife Center, and UMass Lowell.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Azorean Americans
Children of immigrants
Cultural assimilation
Mills and mill-work
Portuguese American women
Format
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PDF
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Document
Source
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All items can be found at the Center for Lowell History in Lowell, MA.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
UMass Lowell, Center for Lowell History
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted: This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1985-2018
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Manuel Alves Oral History Interview
Subject
The topic of the resource
Madeirans
Mills and mill-work
Immigrants
Depressions--1929
Description
An account of the resource
Manuel J. Alves, born in 1899, immigrated to the United States in 1921. He left behind his family in Madeira, where he was born. When he arrived in Lowell, he began work in the mills. He describes working conditions and how the Great Depression affected Lowell.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Reis, John M.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
UMass Lowell, Center for Lowell History
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1981-04-22
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted: This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Format
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PDF
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
81.07
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Lowell (Mass.)
Madeira (Madeira Islands)