Melendez, Angel, 1897-

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The Puerto Rican Oral History Project began with grant funding from the New York State Council on the Arts. Awarded in 1973, the purpose of the grant was to conduct interviews with Puerto Ricans who settled in Brooklyn between 1917 and 1940. Sixty-nine individuals were interviewed as part of the original scope of the project with each individual assigned a number identifier from 1 to 69. The number of participants later expanded due to the continued interest of project interviewer John Vazquez. Mr. Vazquez, the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Studies at New York City Community College(NYCCC), taught an oral history course in the Spring of 1975 that required his students to interview Puerto Rican residents of Brooklyn: these interviews are also included in the collection.

Of the original sixty-nine interviews, nine were conducted between April and August 1973 before the project was shelved until 1974. The 1973 interviews were usually conducted in paired teams by Elba Correa, Mayda Cortiella, Pedro Rivera, Tomas Rivera, [Mr.] Torres, and [Mr.]Ruiz. Other than their names, no further information is available on these interviewers, and their relationship to LIHS is unknown. When the project was picked back up again in January, it had difficulty retaining staff. Project coordinator Anthony Cucchiara hired two college students to conduct interviews. These students left the project after one month having conducted only one interview. Next hired was Roberto Rosado, an instructor at NYCCC. Mr. Rosado was able to carry out two interviews before leaving the project in May 1974. In June, another instructor from NYCCC, Monte Rivera, joined the project and conducted seven interviews before leaving at the end of the month. A new hiring search produced Jaime Barreto, a Brooklyn Public School Coordinator. Mr. Barreto was joined by John Vazquez in August, and individually, the two conducted the remaining fifty interviews that comprised the project’s original scope.

Interviews were conducted in Spanish, English, or both. In 1974, Maria C. Ramos and William Santos were hired to transcribe and translate interviews. These transcriptions are handwritten. Additional interview transcriptions come from a typed series which were done by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College when the interview tapes were on loan to that institution in 1984. Typed transcripts are in the language of the interview, without English translation. There is some overlap between handwritten transcriptions done by Ramos and Santos and those from the Hunter series resulting in interviews with multiple transcripts attached to them.

Of the interviews done as part of Mr. Vazquez’s course at NYCCC, three participants carried over from the original sixty-nine. Transcripts of two interviews from this group were possibly made as a result of the loan to Hunter College. Besides these two transcripts the rest of the interviews recorded for Mr. Vazquez’s course are not transcribed.

For specific information on language and availability of transcription for individual interviews, please see the Index file in Box 1.

From the guide to the Puerto Rican Oral History Project Records, Bulk, 1973-1975, 1960-1984, bulk 1973-1975., (Brooklyn Historical Society)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Puerto Rican Oral History Project Records, Bulk, 1973-1975, 1960-1984, bulk 1973-1975. Center for Brooklyn History (2020-)
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Acosta, Flora, 1894-1975 person
associatedWith Acosta, Magda, 1905- person
associatedWith Acosta, Ramon, 1880- person
associatedWith Acosta, Rosenda, 1908- person
associatedWith Ally, Trina, 1921- person
associatedWith Armas, Encarnacion, 1910- person
associatedWith Arroyo, Angel M., 1912- person
associatedWith Arroyo, Carmen R., 1909- person
associatedWith Barreto, Jaime person
associatedWith Bermudez, Justina, 1921- person
associatedWith Bonilla, Carmelita, 1908- person
associatedWith Carrasquillo, Magdalena, 1910- person
associatedWith Carrero, Jean, 1914- person
associatedWith Colon, Jesus, 1901-1974 person
associatedWith Colon, Ramon, 1900- person
associatedWith Correa, Elba person
associatedWith Cortes, Esther M., 1910- person
associatedWith Cortiella, Mayda person
associatedWith Cresente, Mercedes person
associatedWith Cresente, Pedro person
associatedWith Cruz, Celia person
associatedWith De Jesus, Pastor, 1889- person
associatedWith Dennis, Antonia person
associatedWith Diaz, Mercedes person
associatedWith Estepa, Julio, 1918- person
associatedWith Ferrell, Julio, 1893- person
associatedWith Festa, Josephine, 1927- person
associatedWith Figueroa, Rosario, 1902- person
associatedWith Fontanez-Soto, Santiago, 1905- person
associatedWith Fortun, Maria, 1899- person
associatedWith Garden, Maximina, 1914- person
associatedWith Giboyeaux, Jose Ramon, 1901- person
associatedWith Gonzalez, Carmen, 1926- person
associatedWith Grevi, Santiago person
associatedWith Guanhill, Elizabeth, 1924- person
associatedWith Guanhill, Pedro, 1915- person
associatedWith Hernandez, Julio, 1925- person
associatedWith Hernandez, Luis, 1920- person
associatedWith Homar, Lorenzo person
associatedWith Hostalaza, Emilio, 1900- person
associatedWith Hunter College. Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos. corporateBody
associatedWith International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. corporateBody
associatedWith Irizarry, Honorina Weber, 1906- person
associatedWith Kelly, James person
associatedWith La Prensa. corporateBody
associatedWith LaRosa, Ramon, 1898- person
associatedWith Larrequi, Dicky, 1927- person
associatedWith Long Island University. corporateBody
associatedWith Loperena, Felix, 1906- person
associatedWith Maisonet, Jovita, 1904- person
associatedWith Malabe, Orlando, 1919- person
associatedWith Marinez, Gumercindo, 1935- person
associatedWith Marrero, Luis, 1901- person
associatedWith Marti, Anaberta, 1915- person
associatedWith Marti, Nereida, 1934- person
associatedWith Martinez, Gregorio, 1906- person
associatedWith Medina, Felipe, 1896- person
associatedWith Melendez, Filomena, 1885- person
associatedWith Mercado, Peter O., 1909- person
associatedWith Mongtignier, Gilbert, 1938- person
associatedWith Mulero, Mildred, 1928- person
associatedWith Museo del Barrio. corporateBody
associatedWith Negron, Sophie, 1891- person
associatedWith New York City Community College. Puerto Rican and Latin Studies Program. corporateBody
associatedWith New York City Public Schools. corporateBody
associatedWith Oliveras, Edna Rosado, 1934 person
associatedWith Padron, Lucila person
associatedWith Perez, Nick, 1905- person
associatedWith Pfizer Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Plasencia, Gonzalo, 1909- person
associatedWith Pratts, Francisco, 1902- person
associatedWith Puerto Rican Merchants Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Puerto Rican Writers Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Puerto Rico Winter League (Baseball league). corporateBody
associatedWith Ramirez, Encarnation person
associatedWith Ramos, Juan, 1908- person
associatedWith Ramos, Maria C. person
associatedWith Rivera, Cecilia, 1903- person
associatedWith Rivera, Monte person
associatedWith Rivera, Pedro person
associatedWith Rivera, Tomas person
associatedWith Rodriquez, Juana Weber, 1897- person
associatedWith Rodriquez, Maria, 1911- person
associatedWith Rodriquez, Pedro, 1912- person
associatedWith Rodriquez, Ramon, 1902- person
associatedWith Rosado, Roberto person
associatedWith Ruiz, Mr. person
associatedWith Santiago, Georgina, 1890- person
associatedWith Santos, William person
associatedWith Sepulveda, Ernesto, 1903- person
associatedWith Simmons, Rafaela, 1903- person
associatedWith Tapia, Carlos person
associatedWith Tejada, Gloria, 1925- person
associatedWith Torres, Clemente, 1905- person
associatedWith Torres, Mr. person
associatedWith Torres, Olga, 1917- person
associatedWith Universidad de Puerto Rico . Centro de Investigaciones. corporateBody
associatedWith Vazquez, John person
associatedWith Vazquez, Juan, Sr., 1912- person
associatedWith Velasquez, Carolina, 1911- person
associatedWith Vice, Celia M., 1913- person
associatedWith Villa, Betty, 1919- person
associatedWith Weber, Louis person
Place Name Admin Code Country
San Juan (P.R)
South America
Bronx (New York, N.Y.)
United States |x Emigration and immigration
Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.)
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
San Lorenzo (P.R.)
Ponce (P.R.)
Flushing (New York, N.Y.)
Astoria (New York, N.Y.)
Bushwick (New York, N.Y.)
Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)
Puerto Rico
Bay Ridge (New York, N.Y)
Staten Island (New York, N.Y.) |v Maps
Red Hook (New York, N.Y.)
San Tulce (P.R.)
Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)
Sunset Park (New York, N.Y.)
Cobble Hill (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subject
Armed Forces
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1897

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