Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

The Soares Family in 1931. From left, Rose, Raymond, Beatrice, Victor Sr. (with Arthur on his lap) and Victor, Jr. As of the 1930 census, the Soares were living at 218 Covel St. in Fall River. Victor's mother, Anna, is listed as head of household. His brother, Manuel, also lived in the house. Victor had begun work as a salesman for the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), a position he would keep for the rest of his working life. Manuel was a loom fixer in one of Fall River's many cotton mills. Rose and Anna were "at home." This particular census noted whether people had a "radio set;" the Soares did not. Neither did most of their neighbors. Victor and Manuel were naturalized citizens by this point. An interesting note on the census instructs takers to "Distinguish Canada-French from Canada-English and Irish Free State from Northern Ireland." And, indeed, one of their neighbors traced his origins to the Irish Free State.