ANCIENT ROOTS

Dom Ximeno Sanchez and his wife Dona Argonta were highly regarded nobles of Asturias. According to family tradition, our pedigree traces descent from Gaius Octavius Augustus (1st Emperor) of Rome.

 

The Kingdom of Asturias

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Favila was the second King of Asturias from 737 until his untimely death during a bear hunt. He was the only son and successor of Pelagius, the first Asturian monarch of the Astur-Leonese dynasty. He was succeeded by Alfonso I of Asturias of this same royal line.

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Ancient Roots of the Name

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The pedigree of our family name predates much of the recorded history presented here. The name Ávila has roots in Avis or Avi, derived from Awi, an old Germanic word meaning "bird." Much of the historical heraldry and carvings in family castles and churches throughout Iberia include eagles, eggs, flowers, and symbols that some scholars associate with ancient Near Eastern traditions, suggesting possible connections to earlier civilizations. The 13 circles in blue on the coat of arms symbolize noble origin, referencing the fruit of life and sacred geometric traditions. Our family pedigree is well documented, with a pre-Roman presence in the Iberian peninsula and connections to some of the oldest kingdoms in recorded history.

Settlement of Ávila (11th Century)

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Around 1088, King Afonso VI of Leon sent Raymundo of Burgundy, his son-in-law, to populate the city of Ávila (referred to as Abula by Ptolemy in his Geographia II 6, 60, located in the Iberian region of Bastetania). Dom Vasco Ximeno was one of the knights who contributed the most to his town. Vasco Ximeno and his wife, Dona Olaia Garcez, had two sons who contributed significantly to the city's settlement. They also had a daughter, Dona Ximena Vasques, wife of Dom Fernão Lopes Trillo, who served as Mayor of Ávila.

Ximeno Vaques was governor of the city of Ávila and served King Afonso VI at the site of Cuenca. From Ximeno Vaques and his wife, Dona Menga Munhoz, was born Vasco Ximenes.

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The Dávila Lords (14th–15th Centuries)

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Esteban Domingo Dávila (1365), a descendant of Nuño Rasura, took from Castile equal measures of wheat to offer as a gift for the construction and maintenance of the Church of Saint James. Esteban had children with Ximena Blázquez, niece of the lord of Villatoro. Gonzalo González Dávila (Señor de Villafranca y de Las Navas) and Gil González Dávila (first lord of Cespedosa and Puente de Congosto) succeeded him in his lineage. The Villafranca and Las Navas branch inherited the hereditary position of Mayor and councilor of Ávila, from which the Esteban Domingo Dávila Cuadrilla (civic district) was formed in the Ávila Council. He was buried in the chapel he founded in the San Francisco de Ávila monastery.

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The Bethencourt Connection

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Marie de Bracquemont, the granddaughter of Ana de Colombiers, married Jean de Bethencourt III (1332–1364). Jean was the son of Jean II and Isabeau de St. Martin (also known as Clermont). Isabeau was the daughter of Jean de Saint Martin-Le Gaillard, son of Guillaume V Plantagenet de Warenne, and Isabeau de Harcourt, daughter of the Baron of Harcourt.

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From this marriage was born Regnault de Bethencourt IV (1364–1443), whose son Georges de Bethencourt (1389–1450) later married Elvira Gonsalves de Ávila, daughter of Esteban de Ávila and Ximena Blázquez, who had been married in Toledo (Lineage de Villafranca). This union produced Juan/João Sanchez de Ávila Bethencourt (1410–1482), who married Maria Vaz de Badillo.

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The Azores (15th Century)

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In the 15th century, Antão Gonçalves de Ávila traveled to the island of Terceira ("Island of Jesus Christ"), a Templar haven in the Azores. Antão (born 1440) was the son of João Sanches de Bettencourt de Ávila (1410–1482) and Maria Vaz de Badílho. Antão married Dona Inês Gonçalves de Antona, daughter of Afonso Gonçalves de Antona Baldaia, who was a servant of Infanta D. Beatríz of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy by marriage. Antão settled on the island, and from this marriage descended one branch of the Ávilas of the Azores.

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His brother, João Gonçalves de Ávila, after serving the Portuguese crown in Africa, also married and had a daughter, Leonor Álvares de Ávila.

Separately, Afonso Lopes de Ávila, a Castilian nobleman, came to Portugal in the service of the King of Portugal and as protector of Joanna of Trastámara. Afonso later married Lady Vasconcelos, sister to the Bishop of Ceuta.

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João de Ávila and the Restoration Era (16th–17th Centuries)

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Ioam/João de Ávila was born in Angra, Terceira, Azores—a grandson of Castilian nobles who had settled in the City of Angra in support of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The family remained after the conquest of the islands by Philip II of Spain in 1583, who ordered the construction of the largest castle fortification outside of Europe to protect North Atlantic commerce and new world trade routes. Spanish culture flourished during Philip's reign, marking the beginning of the "Spanish Golden Age."

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A century after the arrival of his grandparents, João (April 26, 1596 – June 18, 1684) became the Captain of Ordinances of Angra do Heroísmo, overseeing customs and administration of the Portuguese Companhia Geral de Comércio from Brazil on the island of Terceira and its annexes. He distinguished himself during the Restoration on the island of Terceira and is regarded as an exemplary hero—successive chroniclers presented him as a model of patriotism and dedication to the common cause during Portugal's War of Restoration in 1640.

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As the grandson of "The Castilians," as they were known on the island, he studied at the Colégio dos Jesuítas de Angra do Heroísmo. At a young age, he chose commerce as his vocation.

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In 1618, at just 21 years of age, he was appointed Ensign to the orderly company of Diogo do Canto e Castro, a cousin via Galicia. While serving in these militias, he distinguished himself in military service both at sea and on land, participating in several operations to defend the island and support ships in the Indies. He was appointed to the Municipal Council of Angra, a position he held in 1641 when the December 1640 Revolution that began the Portuguese Restoration arrived on Terceira Island.

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As the most senior councilor of the City Council, he placed himself decisively at the service of the Portuguese Restoration, leading the faction that defended the revolt against the Spanish garrison stationed in the Castelo de São Filipe do Monte Brasil. In this role, he was one of the most active commanders in the siege of the castle. The post located next to the Boa Nova Hermitage was considered the most dangerous, as it was closest to the castle entrance. He traveled to neighboring islands to raise infantry and cavalry. After the castle's surrender, he was appointed Captain of Ordinances of Angra and received the honor of Knight of the Order of São Bento de Avis; he later became a Templar Knight.

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The Valladolid Connection

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João de Ávila's grandfather, Cristóvão da Cruz de Ávila, was born in Valladolid, the center of the Spanish and Holy Roman Empire monarchy. Appointed Captain-General of the armed forces, he came to the island to manage new world conquests and trade routes on behalf of the Holy Roman Empire.

Esteban da Cruz de Ávila also initiated significant changes in the arts and civics, serving the monarchy in establishing institutions that supported learning and cultural development in Spain during the Renaissance era. He is revered to this day in the history of Valladolid.

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Emigration to the United States (20th Century)

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Following the Carnation Revolution of 1974, political unrest on the islands led to the family's emigration to the United States. In the turmoil of that era, João Corvelo DeAvila was wrongly accused of involvement in civil disturbances despite having been bedridden during the events in question. The family who had led the Restoration of 1640 found themselves displaced by circumstances beyond their control, ultimately beginning a new chapter in America.