FAMILIA : CHARFAUROS

 

According to the records left by the Freycinet Expedition, a visit to Guam (1817) by French scholars and scientists, FAULOS means "navigator." The word has since been lost in modern Chamorro speech; even my grandmother born in 1899 didn't know the meaning.

The Spaniards often switched between R and L when writing Chamorro words. Think, for example of Merizo which is really Malesso' or Inarajan which is really Inalåhan.

So FAULOS was often written FAUROS by the Spaniards.

CHAR is really CHAT, a prefix which means "imperfect" or "defective." 

So CHARFAUROS means CHAT+FAULOS, a defective, imperfect, perhaps bad navigator.

Many of our ancient Chamorro names are negative. Taitano, landless. Taimanglo, windless. Naputi, hurtful. We don't know for sure why this was so.

CHARFAUROS is a very old surname. It goes so far back and records don't always connect family members or relatives that we can't see how they are all related.

But the name was basically found in HÅGAT. Thanks to Spanish records from the 1800s that still survived, we can break down the CHARFAUROS families into the following ancestral groups. I will focus on the male descendants who produced heirs. Women who married and others who remained single, without children, I will not include since neither of them continue the family line.

If you are a Charfauros trying to do your family tree, as you work back you will eventually get to one of these older generations named here.

RAFAEL CHARFAUROS and FRANCISCA SAN NICOLAS

One of the larger clans of the Charfauros family was founded by Rafael and Francisca. Their son Anastasio SN Charfauros, better known as Tasio, had many descendants.

Anastasio married Antonia Sablan Alvarez, the daughter of Sabas and Angela (or Ana). They had many children but the sons with the most heirs were Luís Alvarez Charfauros who married Rosa Quintanilla Chaco, the daughter of José and Maria; and Ramon Alvarez Charfauros, who married Marcela Salas Cruz, the daughter of José and Joaquina.

JUAN CHARFAUROS and MANUELA CRUZ

Their son FULGENCIO CRUZ CHARFAUROS (born around 1844) married Justa de León Arceo, the daughter of Mariano and Francisca. They had many children but particularly VICENTE ARCEO CHARFAUROS, who married Rosa Aguigui Lizama (daughter of José and Marina) and MARIANO ARCEO CHARFAUROS, who married María San Nicolas San Nicolas (daughter of Juan and Fernanda) had children.

FORMER SENATOR EDWARD TORRES CHARFAUROS

was the grandson of Mariano Arceo Charfauros and great grandson of Fulgencio Cruz Charfauros

Another son JOSÉ CRUZ CHARFAUROS married Margarita Tenorio Laguaña, the daughter of Baldovino and Maria. They moved to Malesso', so the Charfauros family in Malesso' today are their descendants.

Another son MANUEL CRUZ CHARFAUROS married María Tenorio Laguaña, daughter of Baldovino and María. So, as did happen in the old days, two brothers married two sisters. 

CHAMORRO MUSIC LEGEND JESUS CRUZ CHARFAUROS (JESUS CHAMORRO)

was the son of Faustino Laguaña Charfauros and great grandson of Manuel Cruz Charfauros.

JOSÉ CHARFAUROS and JUANA CRUZ

Their son José Cruz Charfauros married Consolación Blanco Babauta, daughter of Antonio and Rosa. Another son Félix Cruz Charfauros married Antonia Blanco Babautam daughter of Antonio and Rosa. Again, two brothers married two sisters.

JOSÉ CHARFAUROS and MAGDALENA LAGUAÑA

These two had a son named Mariano Laguaña Charfauros who married Guadalupe Salas Nededog, the daughter of José and Vicenta.

JOSÉ CHARFAUROS and ENCARNACIÓN QUINTANILLA

These two had few children, who seem to have all been daughters.

MARIANO CHARFAUROS and INOCENCIA CRUZ

These two had a son Agustín Cruz Charfauros who married Maria Carbullido Santos, the daughter of Juan and Maria, and had children.

FAUSTINO CHARFAUROS and SERAFINA AGUIGUI

Their son José Aguigui Charfauros married Juana Diaz Cruz, the daughter of Manuel and Juliana. They had several children.

OUTSIDE HÅGAT

There was one branch of the Charfauros family that moved out of Hågat. They seem to have been better educated people who went to other places as school teachers.

They were the children of DIONISIO CHARFAUROS and DOLORES DÍAZ.

Their son Vicente Díaz Charfauros married Rita Dueñas Muña, the daughter of Vicente and Cornelia, and moved to Luta (Rota) where he was a school teacher. The Charfauros from Luta are their descendants.

Their other son José Díaz Charfauros, who married María Manajane Taitano, the daughter of Lucas and Nicolasa, moved to Humåtak as school teacher and their Charfauros descendants are there.

One last Charfauros, named BALDOVINO DÍAZ CHARFAUROS, married María Guatafe and moved to Hagåtña.