ETHNICITIES OF STATE OF ESPIRITO SANTO  

The History of Charles Gunter

Colonel  Charles Gunter, from Alabama, USA, not happy about the defeat of the Southern States in the War of Secession, came to Brazil with his family and peasants in 1865, settling themselves in the vicinity of the city of Linhares (Pronounced in English "leen-yaris"), province of Espirito Santo.

Emperor Peter the Second, authorized him to occupy a piece of land  in the province of Espirito Santo, located at the North and South margins of the Rio Doce (Sweet River), close to the rivers Mutum(Tupy-Guarany name pronounced in English as "mootoom") and Guandu (Tupy-Guarany name pronounced in English as "Gwandoo").

But  Colonel Gunter chose to live close to the lagoon Juparanã (Tupy-Guarany name pronounced in English as "Joopauraunan"), where he started logging activities, mainly cutting jacarandá trees. 

By that time, this activtity was illegal and Colonel Gunter moved away  with most of the four hundred men he brought from the United States.

It seems one family stayed in the State of Espirito Santo, because some of Colonel Gunter's group members, the family Adnet  (North Americans French descendents),  married  members of the family Sá (Brazilians Portuguese descendents), from where very famous skilled piano players were born, Áurea and Carmem.

The History of John Joseph Merson

Another North American came to Brazil at the same time. He was John Joseph Merson (Surname changed to  the Portuguese one Merçon).

John arrived in Brazil under different circumstances than Coloner Gunter's one. 

He came alone, after having some problems with his father in Philadelphia. He was a carpenter as his father was.

He went to New York looking for a job, but a sailor convinced him to work on one of the ships departing to South America.

The ship was called "Agnes" and started its trip from New York on January 16th 1854. The trip lasted forty days until the ship arrived in Rio de Janeiro.

John Merson decided to stay in Rio de Janeiro, although he did not speak one word of Portuguese.

He looked for a job and found a Portuguese man, the owner of a carpentry business,  who was overloaded with orders.

The Portuguese owner was impressed with his skills and with the innovations John had done to the furniture.

The furniture was based upon his North American experience, creating a new style uncommon in Brazil.

Brazil was a monarchy at that time and John became famous among the nobles because of his expertise.

Among his clients was the noble Joaquim Marcelino da Silva Lima, entitled by Emperor Peter the Second, the Baron of Itapemirim. 

The Baron owned land in  the South of the State of Espirito Santo. He was a farmer in the sugar cane business. 

Note: In the same region, today we can find sugar cane farms that supply Alcohol industry  plants. There is a famous plant one called "Usina Paineiras".

The Baron was visinting Rio de Janeiro looking for furniture for his new farm house (A palace as people used to say).

John , always fascinated by adventure, moved to the Baron's farm, in the city of Santo Antonio de Muqui (Saint Anthony of Muqui).

Note: The name Muqui is a Tupy-Guarany name pronounced in English "moo-kee". 

The Baron's house was very big and it took John two years to accomplish the task.

Very happy with John's work, the Baron  paid him more than initiallly agreed amount of money.

John left the Baron´s farm and traveled to the town of Rio Novo (New River ), created to lodge European immigrants. Here, John worked as a carpenter for some time making very simple furniture.

In the town of Rio Novo, he met the lady that became his wife. Because of that marriage, John decided to move somewhere else seeking more work.

At Ribeirão das Lages (Creek of Flat Rocks), also known as Santo Amaro, he settled with his wife after a very long and tiring trip.

The land he bought was a kind of jungle and he had a lot of work to cut the trees and prepare the land for farming. John lived and raised his family in that area,  he called "Bom Fim" (Good End) .

Today, the Merçon family is a big one and taken as Italian immigrants.

The Joseph Merson´s decendents are business men, politicians and teachers and most of them live in the state of Espirito Santo. They are  often found in the city of Castelo (Castle ) and in Vitoria, the capital of the State.