Life Span of People

As we try to trace back our progenitors, we have to try and imagine what life was like in the past.  This is important as it is related to the life span of our ancestors.  Researching the internet, we came across this table -

Life expectancy - Timeline for humans

Humans by Era, Average Lifespan (in years)

• Neanderthal, 20
• Neolithic, 20
• Classical Greece, 28
• Classical Rome, 28
• Medieval England, 33
• 1800's End of 19th Century, 37
• 1900's Early 20th Century, 50
• 1940's Circa 1940, 65
• Current (in the West), 77-81

The earliest information we have of our Neri forefathers goes as far back as the 1800's.  As of now, we have NO record or reference that would connect the brother's Leon Neri and Salvador Neri, the other Neri's at that time, namely Juan and Lino Neri directly to the Sampurna.  We only have anecdotal information of relatives from the Lanao area coming to visit and relating the ancestry and connection of the Sampurna's and the Neri's.  We take it on faith that the stories of our lolos and lolas have basis in fact.

So what is the reason for showing the lifespan of people through the centuries?  According to Amadeo Neri, the first name change from Sampurna to Neri was in 1779 with the Christianization of the Sampurna family in Kagay-haan by a Recolletos friar by the name of Rev. Pedro de Santa Barbara.  The earliest record or mention of the Neri's seems to have occurred in th 1800's, which is only a period of 31 years.  This gap is what we need to fill to connect the Neri's to the Sampurna.  This is equivalent to only one generation if lifespans at that time averages 37 years.

So short a period yet so difficult to connect.

Progenitors

Trying to trace your family tree is an interesting and exciting endeavor.  Just trying to connect the relationship of each family is difficult.  Thanks to the internet, this task have been made a little bit easier.  All the data we discover will need to be verified but whatever we find we want to share to all those interested in this activity of piecing together the Neri family tree of the Sampurna bloodline from Kagay-an or Cagayan de Misamis or now currently known as Cagayan de Oro.

Some information on our proginetor were found in the internet.

These information was supposed to have been copied from a document given to Ramon V. Neri by Fr. Jaime Neri.

The information were copied and paste below:

• 1521 : Rajah sa Lanao (Samporna), Chief of CIPIT, visited by Magellan's chronicler Pigafetta, on the expedition's return to Spain.
•  1571 : Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legaspi assigned to his soldier, Juan Griego, the encomiendas of Cagayan, Gonpot (?) and Tagoloan.
• 1625 : Rajah sa Langsang (Neri), Chief of Kagay-an. Evangelization of Kagay-an and the baptism of Rajah sa Langsang by the Recoletos.
• 1626 : Seige of Kagay-an and the defeat of the allied forces of the Maguindinao's (old name for Mindanao) Cachil Corralat (?) by the defending Kagay-anons.
•  1832 : Savador Neri, Gobernadorcillo of Kagay-an.
• 1833 : Lino Neri, Gobernadorcillo of Kagay-an.
• Don Leon Neri
• 1898 : Catalino Neri, Gobernadorcillo of Kagay-an.

Additional information was also found on the same website which we also copied and paste below:

"The information below was supplied by Jaime Casino Neri (1987) and was recounted to him by his sister Josefina. Josefina received it from Ramon A. Neri y Velez before World War II.  Leon's brother fathered Graciano and Ramon Neri y Coronado, who both married San José sisters (progenators of the Neri-San José line). The Leon Neri children:

• Vicente married Ciriaca Velez
• Consolacion married Nicolas Velez
• Antonia married Vicente Rivera
• Catalino married Nicolasa Gabor

The information above on the Leon Neri and children coincides with data we have.

We hope that other Neri's of Cagayan de Oro will be able to contribute to building up the Neri family tree.

The Journey Begins

It all started with my daughter's email. She mentioned she found a site about the Neri clan of Cagayan de Oro.  A web search pointed to the Ignatian Perspective maintained by Amadeo V. Neri. Reading the blog rekindle in me the interest to start looking at my own family tree and connect this to a big chart Amadeo posted in his blogspot.  I remember attending a grand re-union in 1985.  This was dubbed the Neri-Chaves First Grand Reunion.  One of the output of that activity was a genealogy book.

My mother gave me that book and with the chart from Amadeo's website  at http://theignatianperspective.blogspot.com I now have the basic resources to start my own family tree chart.

My jounery has started.