FAMILIES OF THE PAST : VENEZIANO

THE VENEZIANO FAMILY OF GUAM

1908

(MARC Collection)

Guam became the home of people from all over the world even during Spanish times. American, Chinese, Dutch, British and French men, among others, settled and founded families here.

But the American era also brought even more nationalities to our shores, including Greek.

Alexander Quitropolis Veneziano was born in Corfu in Greece around 1874 or 1875. His father was Spiridion and his mother was Elizabeth. At age 19, in 1894, he started work as a musician in the Royal Navy (United Kingdom). Veneziano's island of Corfu had been under British rule for around 50 years a few decades before.

ALEXANDER VENEZIANO

(MARC Collection)

In 1895 he moved to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a musician. He became a US citizen in 1898. He was with Captain Leary, the first U.S. Naval Governor, when he arrived on Guam in 1899. He remained on island and married a Chamorro girl, Ana Guerrero, the daughter of Rosa Guerrero and an unknown father. On Guam, he was frequently called Alejandro, the Spanish version of Alexander.

Veneziano was given an honorable discharge from the US Navy in 1906.

He then engaged in private business in Hagåtña. He ran a saloon on the ground floor of his house, and otherwise identified himself as a merchant in some documents of the time.

In 1916, he went to Yokohama, Japan seeking medical treatment. Unfortunately, he died there in September. His body was returned to Guam where he was buried with military honors at the Naval Cemetery in Hagåtña.

ANA GUERRERO VENEZIANO

Alexander and his wife Ana  had 6 children; half Chamorro, half Greek.

Isabel, also called Isabella, was the first Miss Guam, which was held in 1916. She later married John Charles Poshepny, an American naval officer, in 1918. Later they moved to California.

Rosa, or Rosita, married Widdy J. Laborde of Louisiana and moved with him to California.

Espiridion (a Greek name; he was also called Espiro), Enrique, Patrick and Jorge (or George) were the boys. Enrique died on Guam in 1935. Patrick moved to the U.S. mainland in the 1930s, joined the US Army in 1940 and remained in the States.

(Guam News Letter, October 1916)

At least up until 1916, Mrs. Ana Veneziano ran a garage with car rental services.

Ana's Greek mother-in-law, Elizabeth, was still living on Guam in 1920.

After the war, Ana moved to Santa Rosa, California, where her son Patrick lived. Her daughter Isabel lived in nearby Sonoma. Ana died in Santa Rosa in 1969.

Alexander Veneziano's signature in 1902