Who was the Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira? In another way, the same subject could be put in genealogical terms as: Who were the parents of Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira? That question is still a little difficult of being answered. Only with more research and a little luck a more satisfactory answer will be had.

Therefore, Francisco Antônio da Silveira is the adoptive-father of Justiniano da Cunha Pereira, while Marianna Luciana da Cunha Pereira is the adoptive-mother of the same. Consequently, the young Simão da Cunha Pereira da Silveira would be brother-kindred, or brother-of-creation of Justiniano. But one cannot move away of the hypothesis that Simão can also be the biological father of Justiniano.

In the year of 1798, the young Simão da Cunha Pereira da Silveira was about 23 years old and he was already Escrivão da Câmara [Clerk of the Town Coucil] of the Vila do Príncipe [Prince Town], MG, Brazil, when Justiniano was adopted by his family. Simão already had, therefore, maturity to be father.

In which date Justiniano of Cunha Pereira was born? This is seemingly another insoluble subject, by the lack of more information. He could have been born in the same day in wich he was exposed (adopted), 27th/Mar/1798, or just some days before that date. For approach, it can be taken as date of birth the same one of the exposition (adoption): 27th/Mar/1798.

The godparents of baptism of Justiniano were Captain Antônio José Suares and Lady Anna Margarida Ferreira, this daughter of Captain Francisco Pinto Ferreira (and, therefore, daughter of Brízida Agostinha da Cunha Franco). Therefore, Anna Margarida (Pinto) Ferreira (Franco) was granddaughter of Anna Fortunata da Cunha Pereira and of the "Guarda Mor" and Lawyer Manoel Rodrigues Teixeira Franco, by her mother's side, Brízida Agostinha da Cunha Franco. Anna Margarida (Pinto) Ferreira (Franco) was only 11 years old, when she was godmother of Justiniano.

That baptism implicitly exhibits people's countless relationships of different branches of the Cunha Pereira Family, on one side, of Marianna Luciana da Cunha Pereira (by the husband, Francisco Antônio da Silveira), and on the other side, of Anna Fortunata da Cunha Pereira (by the granddaughter, Anna Margarida Ferreira).

The values paid by the Senado da Câmara [Senate of the Council] of the Vila do Príncipe [Prince Town], MG, Brazil, to Marianna Luciana da Cunha Pereira, due for growing up "exposed" Justiniano, totaling 100 octaves (of ounce) of gold, calculated to the base of 3,586 grams, corresponding to 358,6 grams of gold, that, to the current value, of R$12,00, they give us an amount about R$4.303,20. In the period of 5 years, the received average, a year, it was about R$860,64, amount that can seem small in the current days, but that in the Vila do Príncipe [Prince Town], MG, Brazil, of the beginning of the years 1800, was more than enough for a child's subsistence, during one year.

Some years after Justiniano was adopted, we don't know the exactly date, a new one was "exposed" in the house of Francisco Antônio da Silveira and of Marianna Luciana da Cunha Pereira, called Pacific (da Cunha Pereira?), which died in the Vila do Príncipe [Prince Town], MG, Brazil, in the 7th/Apr/1805, and was buried at the Mother Church. Would Pacific be a brother or half-brother of Justiniano? It is very possible that they were siblings, but that is just a hypothesis. It is curious, however, to observe that the couple, Justiniano and Pacific, had their names derived, conscious or unconsciously, of "Justice" and of "Peace", because if Justiniano is the one that does or pursues the Justice, Pacific it is the one that loves or pursues the Peace. With the premature death of Pacific, the binomial "Justice and Peace" was embezzled. Which would the destiny of Pacific have been, if he had survived? Would Pacific have followed the steps of his supposed brother Justiniano?

As there was not found a registration of Justiniano da Cunha Pereira in another Lay Religious Society of the Vila do Príncipe [Prince Town], MG, Brazil, it can be presupposed that the choice that he did of that fraternity flowed of being a brown or descending of one, since that was the "quality" of most of his "siblings", or, said in another way, Arquiconfaria de São Francisco [Archbrotherhood of Saint Francis] was a federation of brown people's fraternities or of their descendants (quadroon and octoroon).

But it might be nothing of that at all and Justiniano could be a clear mestizo, considered as white, and to have chosen to be brother of Arquiconfraria de São Francisco [Archbrotherhood of Saint Francis] just by his adoptive mother's influence, Marianna Luciana da Cunha Pereira, that was a sister of same Arquiconfraria [Archbrotherhood].

In case he was brown, he would be able to, among other hypotheses, to be a natural son of some person of the Cunha Pereira Family with some slave or former-slave ("forra"), in that case, black (African) or Creole (Brazilian), or even mulatto or brown, for instance. But it is mere cogitation, without any concrete proof. The documents of ecclesiastical, notarial and others archives are awaiting researchers, to clear that point still obscure.

In that last hypothesis, without any doubt, who appears as candidate to being father of Justiniano is the young Simão da Cunha Pereira da Silveira, which already left the adolescence, and was about 23 years old (in 1798).

In Justiniano da Cunha Pereira are already observed lines that became outstanding and characteristic of a lot of personalities of the Cunha Pereira Family, of his same generation and of the ones that immediately followed, as the intelligence gifts, the preference for the intellectual activity, the inclination for the culture, the public vocation and the taste for the politics.

Those same personal característics of Justiniano are found, for instance, in Dr. Simão da Cunha Pereira (son), which is son of Simão da Cunha Pereira da Silveira. Mere coincidence? Besides a cause preponderantly genetic, it might have contributed the family atmosphere, that is, the family culture, aspect still not broached and that deserves a future consideration.

On the other hand, one can imagine that Justiniano had just received the surname "Cunha Pereira" for having had as adoptive mother Marianna Luciana da Cunha Pereira. Nevertheless, that hypothesis, without any doubt, is the weakest of all. If the option will give Justiniano the surname of the adopting family, his last name would be "Silveira", since his adoptive father was Francisco Antônio da Silveira. In that case, it would not have received the surname "Cunha Pereira".

Therefore, with high probability, Justiniano da Cunha Pereira is son of the Cunha Pereira Family. Being accepted that possibility, Simão da Cunha Pereira da Silveira would be the more fort candidate to being the father of Justiniano. Everything could, however, be cleared if Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira has died with testament, if that testament be found, if he knew who were his parents and to declare his filiation in the same testament. Is it possible to have positive answer for those four "if"? Yes, everything is possible.

The entrance of Justiniano in Mariana's Seminar and, later, in the ecclesiastical career, demonstrated his intelligence degree and inclination for the intellectual activity. In a certain way, the public vocation also. But it doens't stop there the demonstration..

Justiniano became one of the more acquainted intellectuals from Minas Gerais, in his time. It was founder and editor of the newspaper O PARAHYBUNA, with seat in Barbacena, MG, Brazil, of remarkably political stamp [to see: AN, Newspaper O PARAHYBUNA, Barbacena, Typ. of the Parahybuna, 1838, Ref.: J.P.1P.2L.34]. Here there are noticed the vocations for the intellectual activity and the politics, besides the public vocation.

Besides that, he wrote at least one play, a satire or comedy, also of totally political stamp, Club dos Anarchistas [Club of Anarchists, comedy], that had great repercussion in the contemporary press, about 1838 [see: PEREIRA, Justiniano da Cunha, Club dos Anarchistas, comédia [Club of Anarchists, comedy], Town of Barbacena, MG, Brazil, in the Typography of the Parahybuna, 1838, 13 pp. Of this work only a single copy is known, that is at the Biblioteca Nacional [National Library], Seção de Obras Raras [Section of Rare Works], under #99D, 11, 2]. Again, here there are explicited the vocations for the intellectual activity and the politics, besides the public vocation.

Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira was mentioned as substitute of the second mandate of the General Council of the Province of Minas Gerais, Brazil (1830-33) [see: RAPM, 1896, p. 397].

The newspaper O PARAHYBUNA was a "biweekly" one, in other words, it had two editions each week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, in "tabloid" format, always with four (4) pages. It was composed and printed in the "Typography of the Parahybuna", in the Town of Barbacena, MG, Brazil, and it circulated in all the Province of Minas Gerais and even in Rio de Janeiro and beyond.

In the header of all the first sheets of O PARAHYBUNA there were always the same data, of which we transcribed one from the # 153:

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Immediately below, in a section on the left side, there was: "Subscreve-se para esta Folha em casa do Sr. João / Gualberto Teixeira de Carvalho, e do Sr. José Ben- / to Costa de Azedias, a 2$000 réis por trez mezes; / e sahirá nas Terças e Sextas" ["Underwrite for this Paper in the home of Mr. João / Gualberto Teixeira de Carvalho, and of Mr. José Ben - / to Costa de Azedias, by 2$000 réis for three months; / and will be published on Tuesdays and Fridays"].

Also below the header, in other section on the right side, separate by a vertical bar, there was: "Os homens passão, passão as circunstancias; mas / os principios subsistem. Deus louvado, á despeito / das intrigas, á despeito das paixões, em todas as / lutas sahem triunfantes, e sabem vingar-se dos ul- / trajes que lhes irrogão a má fé, a ambição, ou a / ignorância. / Discurso do Deputado Vasconcellos." ["The men pass, the circumstances pass; but / the principles subsist. Praised God, despite / of the intrigues, despite of the passions, in all the / fights triumphant are, and they know how to take revenge of the out - / rages that are imposed upon them by the bad faith, the ambition, or the / ignorance. / Speech of Deputy Vasconcellos."].

Those two sections were proceeded by double horizontal bars, containing the header.

It should be observed that the name of Justiniano da Cunha Pereira doesn't appear in the newspaper, as Editor. The whole correspondence is simply addressed and answered by "the Redactor". How to identify "the Redactor" of O PARAHYBUNA? That identification only became possible thanks to an indirect reference, that consists to be "O club dos anarchistas, comedia composta pelo P. Justiniano da Cunha Pereira, redactor do Parahibuna" ["The club of anarchists, comedy composed by P. Justiniano da Cunha Pereira, redactor of Parahibuna"] (see annotation # 02). The reference was confirmed, when the original of the work was found, as it will be shown more ahead, when one treats of the comedy CLUB DOS ANARCHISTAS [CLUB OF ANARCHISTS].

In the page four (4), always the last of the newspaper, showed up a baseboard, of which we reproduced one of the # 153:

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If the newspaper O PARAHYBUNA has maintained its "biweekly frequency" (two editions a week) from the foundation, it means that it was founded 76 weeks before the # 153. It can be considered that it has been founded about one year and six months before the week of the # 153, that has date of 8th/May/1838. Therefore the edition of the # 1 must have happened near of the first week of November of 1836.

Until when did survive O PARAHYBUNA? One doesn't know the last number of that newspaper. It might have lasted while Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira lived, but it might have finished before. In that time, the newspapers had short life, of some few years, two or three. It should be observed that O PARAHYBUNA already was in its second year of existence.

The verses that appear in O PARAHYBUNA can be, some, of own plowing of Justiniano da Cunha Pereira, although many seem to have as reference other periodics (seemingly, they were reproduced from other newspapers, mainly of the Sete de Abril [April Seven]). Being compared the object of those verses with the one of the comedy CLUB DOS ANARCHISTAS [CLUB OF ANARCHISTS], it is verified that in both cases the subject is the same: the political situation of the country and, mainly, of the province. Let us see some of them.

Who was the Sete de Abril [April Seven]? There were two newspapers that had that title, but the most probable of them is O SETE D’ABRIL [THE APRIL SEVEN], edited in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, in the Typografia Americana [American Typography] [see: O SETE D'ABRIL [THE APRIL SEVEN], Rio de Janeiro, Typ. Americana [American Typ.], of which exist, in the Biblioteca Nacional [National Library], the ## 1-272, 275-556, 558-718, in the period from 1th/Jan/1833 to 20th/Mar/1839, in the microfilm PR-SQR 604 (1-3) N/P]. Would the transcribed verses have been from that newspaper? Or would Sete de Abril [April Seven] be the pseudonym of Justiniano da Cunha Pereira? Usually, the transcriptions were accompanied of an indication: "transcribed from". It should be observed that that expression is not used near of the name Sete de Abril. [April Seven]. The lack of the transcribed expression "from" can be a lapse of composition, but really, it can also be indication that what is treated is of a pseudonym of the poet. We don't have elements to distinguish. Which your preference or opinion?

The work that turned known Justiniano was his comedy CLUB DOS ANARCHISTAS [CLUB OF ANARCHISTS], of whose face sheet we give a transcription: "CLUB DOS ANARCHISTAS. / COMEDIA / Composta / Pelo P. Justinianno da Cunha Pereira, / Redactor do / PARAHYBUNA. / - - / Ridentem dicere verum / Quis vetat? / Horat. / ---------- / VILLA DE BARBACENA. / NA TYPOGRAPHIA DO PARAHYBUNA. / 1838" ["CLUB OF ANARCHISTS. / COMEDY / Composed / By P. Justinianno da Cunha Pereira, / Redactor of the / PARAHYBUNA. / - - / Ridentem dicere verum / Quis vetat? / Horat. /----------/ TOWN OF BARBACENA. / IN THE TYPOGRAPHY OF THE PARAHYBUNA. / 1838"] (see "facsimile" of the original, in this same site).

In the second sheet, where there are presented the "actors", and after them, a fundamental explanation comes: "A Scena he representada na Capital da Provincia de Minas Geraes." ["The Scene is represented in the Capital of the Province of Minas Geraes"].

The "actors" of the play, in the order of the original, are, respectively: Dupe Guts, President ; Rattle, Secretary; Bignose; Monkey; Grindstone; Treble; Nasal; Mygodfather; Jewel; Cupsaucer; Lie; and more a "Farroupilhas Crowd", "One Police Officer", and "The Police Guard". One must note that another actor or character was the Impartial, which was forgotten in the list.

Among those whose name remained entire, in the annotation made with pencil, it had not only possible to identify the "Pontes". Thanks to the contribuition of the Polítical Scientist Claus Rodarte, by e-mail of 14th/Oct/2005, we had his complete identification: "It is the provincial deputy Manoel José Pires da Silva Pontes (not without a reason the chacacter is Cupsaucer [Chicrapires] - a pun of 'Cup-Saucer' ['Xícara-Pires']). He, in the text, refers himself to the time when he was President of the Province of the Holy Spirit [Espírito Santo] (he took charge of the office on the 21st of April of 1833)."

Nevertheless, related to Monkey [Macaco], the same Claus Rodarte, in the same e-mail of 14th/Oct/2005, observes: "I do not believe that Monkey [Macaco] be the Vicount of Jaguari [Visconde de Jaguari]: he didn´t took part of the legislature of 1838-39, and I believe that in there are all the characters of the play - that has a sharp pamphletary taste (very funny, by the way!)..."

Who were the deputies to the Privincial Assembly of Minas Gerais [Assembléia Provincial de Minas Gerais] of the 2nd legislature (1838-1839)? Consulting the volume 5 of the 2nd edition of the Hístory of Minas Gerais [História de Minas Gerais], of João Camillo de Oliveira Torres, at pages 1.294 and 1.295, one found the relation of 37 names: Dr. Antônio da Costa Pinto, Antônio Ribeiro de Andrade, Dr. Bernardino José de Queiroga, Bernardino Jacintho da Veiga, Desembargador Manoel Ignácio de Mello e Souza (later, Barão de Pontal), Conselheiro Bernardo Pereira de Vasconcellos, Carlos Pereira Freire de Moura, Dr. Domiciano Leite Ribeiro (later, Visconde de Araxá), Domingos Theodoro de Azevedo Paiva, Coronel Francisco Theodoro da Silva, João Antônio de Lemos (later, Barão do Rio Verde), Dr. Joaquim Antônio Fernandes Leão, José de Abreu e Silva, Dr. José Agostinho Vieira de Mattos, Dr. Francisco de Paula Cerqueira Leite, José Alcibíades Carneiro, Cônego José Antônio Marinho, Joaquim Dias Bicalho, Coronel José Feliciano Pinto Coelho da Cunha, José Ferreira Carneiro, João Fernandes de Oliveira Penna, Dr. José Joaquim Fernandes Tôrres, Dr. José Jorge da Silva, José Pedro Dias de Carvalho, Major Luiz Maria da Silva Pinto, Manoel José Pires da Silva Pontes, Mariano José Ferreira Armonde, Cônego Manoel Júlio de Miranda, Dr. Manoel Machado Nunes, Dr. Pedro de Alcântara Cerqueira Leite, Quintiliano da Rocha Franco, Dr. Tristão Antônio de Alvarenga, Theophilo Benedito Ottoni, João Teixeira da Fonseca Vasconcellos, Bento de Araújo Abreu, João Antunes Corrêa, and José Justiniano Carneiro. Among those, who were the "anarchists" ["anarchistas"]? Make your bets!!!...

Again, on the 30th/Jan/2006, we received from Claus Rodarte a new message, informing that he had found another edition of the play Club dos Anarchistas published in 1838, in Ouro Preto, MG, in the Typography of the Correio de Minas, microfilmed by the Arquivo Público Mineiro and made available for consultation in the section Assuntos Mineiros, box # 9, volume 26, flash 4, estante F-1, in which there is the following listing: "Dupe Guts [Mané Pança], President [Presidente] - I guess that he would be Manoel Ignacio de Mello e Souza; Rattle [Matraca], Secretary [Secretario] - It is himself, Bento de Araujo Abreu; Bignose [Narigão] - I guess that he would be the Law Bachelor Joaquim Antão Fernandes Leão; Monkey [Macaco] - same, José Antonio Marinho; Grindstone [Rebolo] - same, José Alcibiades Carneiro; Treble [Tiplo] - Same, but I don´t affirm he is, Theofilo Benedicto Ottoni; Nasal [Fanhoso] - Who?... This is not Bernardino José de Queiroga!; Mygodfather [Mó Padinho] - This one seems to be José Pedro [Dias] de Carvalho; Jewel [Joia] - same, Domiciano Leite Ribeiro; Cup-Saucer [Chicra-Pires] - same, Manoel José Pires da Silva Pontes; Lie [Mentira] - same, José Joaquim Fernandes Torres".

We have made a consolidation of all the data we had obtained, for a possible identification of the 11 caricatured "mineiros" politicians, in 1838, in the FRAME # 4.

One should note that, by still ignored reasons, besides the above cited, there is one more character, "The Impartial" ["O Imparcial"], who was not included in the roll of "Actors" ["Actores"], although he takes an active part in the thread, though he is always in the side of the "good" ["bem"]. Who would be the "Impartial" ["Imparcial"]? The playwriter didn´t include him in the list because he wasn´t an "anarchist" ["anarchista"]? Or it was only by a fault, by forgetfulness? Or the "Impartial" ["Imparcial"] represents the intervention of the author in the action?

Starting from the only then known original of CLUB DOS ANARCHISTAS [CLUB OF ANARCHISTS], it was made a microfilm, of which an electrostatic copy was done, of which was made a reproduction, which was retouched by hand and again copied by xerography, being formed a main matrix. Starting from the main matrix, it was made the reproduction to facsimile that is shown in this same site.

A good part of the national and provincial political situation portrayed in the verses of O PARAHYBUNA and of the comedy CLUB DOS ANARCHISTAS [CLUB OF ANARCHISTS] can be explained by the news section of the newspapers of the time, year 1838.

Returning to the central object of that biographical study, Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira, we should say that there aren't still indications of the place and the date of his death, that it might have happened in Barbacena, MG, Brazil or not, or even in Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil, or, eventually, in Serro, MG, Brazil, although it has not been found the death registration, after the year of 1838. Would have the Priest Justiniano left testament? If Priest Justiniano has died with testament, this becomes very interesting because, case he had knowledge of his filiation and it was willing to reveal it, certainly he would have done in that testament. Although the books of registrations of testaments of the Serro, MG, Brazil, be replete of priests' testaments - in some volumes, of the centuries XVIII and XIX, almost that exclusively, it proves that there was a great concentration of the Catholic clergy at that city and at that time - also we didn't find, up to now, Priest Justiniano's testament.

It is worthy of note the connection of the Serro, MG, Brazil, with Barbacena, MG, Brazil, because it was not just only Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira that migrated from the first city for the second one, and one can meet many other "serranos" [born in the Serro city] that made it, total or partially, as Captain José Pinto Ferreira Franco, son of Brízida Agostinha da Cunha Franco and of Captain Francisco Pinto Ferreira, that there named two "testamenteiros", in 1837, for the case of coming to die in this last city, where certainly he had businesses; also of Arthur Carneiro da Cruz Machado, son of Josephina Cândida Ferreira Carneiro and of Antônio Cândido da Cruz Machado, this, later, Visconde do Serro Frio [Viscount of the Serro Frio], which there constituted a great branch of that family; and, still plus, of the Irmã [Sister] Sílvia Conceição da Cunha Pereira that, in this last city, was many times and for many years, serving in several Catholic institutions, and where she founded the "Ginásio Baronesa Maria Rosa" ["School Baroness Maria Rosa"], that it drove, having died in 31th/May/1971, in a car accident, in the federal highway BR-040, km 408, for Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.

We finish here that biographical study on Priest Justiniano da Cunha Pereira, although recognizing that, by the seen, that matter can still render a lot. Any suggestions or contribuition? Do you have any correction or addition to make in the political career of the biographical resumes of our "anarchists" ["anarchistas"]? Do you know who was "The Impartial" ["O Imparcial"]? Write an e-mail to our Web-Master, communicating it.