PEREIRAS of Cannanore
Welcome to the Ferris Family Connections Pages. These pages contains the PEREIRAS of Cannanore, descendants of Francis Xavier PEREIRA.To this day the Pereiras of Cannanore are remembered as one of the first Catholic families of the Cantonment area in Cannanore and pillars of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. It is believed that the family was originally in the timber business and may have migrated to Cannanore, Kerala from Mangalore. Dr. Marie Muthanna says her mother Merlin Pereira had told her about this.
John Pereira b.1851. who was Sub Engineer in the P.W.D., donated a cast iron bell, a large Cross and the Painting of Our Lady while undertaking to build the oratory in the church.. He was a philanthrophist who adopted and paid for the education of at least 7 children, many of whom where Hindu. In gratitude one of them, a Nair by birth, took the name of Peter Lima and was baptised a Catholic.
The fruit trees and Jackfruit trees in the compound of Sea View, the house he bought from a Muslim called ----- in 18 -- , were often given to the poor.
His sister was Mary Scholastica ( Sr Veronica of the Passion A.C. and later his eldest daughter Mary Agnes also became an Apostolic Carmel nun taking the name Sr Mercedes Clare of the Good Shepherd. Sr. Mercedes was very gifted musically and was also an excellent administrator and teacher. She was the first Superior and foundress of the A. C. convent in Ahmedabad, Margao and Nuvem Goa, Gampaha in Srilanka besides being the Superior in Calicut Covent. John Pereira educated his three sons in England. His sons Robert and Cecil went to the Crystal Palace Engineering College in London, U.K. while his eldest son John Michael studied Medicine in Dublin.
This family has produced a number of engineers, adminstators, outstanding doctors, judges and military men who have achieved distinction - 2 Admirals of the Indian Navy, an Air Commodore in the Indian Air Force and Army Colonels in the Indian Army.
Special mention should be made of Brinda Abreo and Chris Rego who went to Cannanore and obtained a lot of information and also of Sr. Ambrosia of the Apostolic Carmel who found out details of the Pereira family from residents of Cannanore Cantonment who remembered the Pereiras of old.
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Descendants of Francis Xavier PEREIRA
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Last updated in October, 2009
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