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Watsonville is in the Heart: Community Digital Archive

Carrillo Family Collection

Dublin Core

Title

Carrillo Family Collection

Description

Pacifico “Frank” Cabegon Carrillo was born on September 6, 1909 in the province of Pangasinan in the Philippines. In 1928, Pacifico immigrated to the United States with his older brother Petronilo “Pete” Carrillo, and their cousins, Maximiliano “Max” and Felix Carrillo. They first landed in Hawai‘i where his cousin, Felix, disembarked and settled.

When Pacifico, Petronilo, and Maximiliano arrived in the United States, they worked as migrant farm workers traveling across California to pick the seasonal harvest. Pacifico also worked as a cook in the labor camps. During his travels, he met Ethel Fouts, an Irish American woman. They had three children together: Francis, Pacifico “Maurice”, and James Alvin. Their relationship ended in 1944 and they agreed to separate the children. Ethel raised their daughter, Frances, while Pacifico raised their sons, Maurice and James.

As a single father, Pacifico brought his sons along the crop circuit until it grew difficult to balance his parental and work responsibilities. Occasionally, he asked other Filipino workers and their families to be caretakers for his sons. While working, Pacifico met a woman whose nickname was Lucky and his sons stayed with her in Stockton until their relationship ended.

In 1952, Pacifico met Louella Bessie Carter who he later married. She traveled alongside Pacifico living in the labor camps and became Maurice and James’s step-mother. She also took in many children from broken families including Tony Alquiza Jr., Sharron Carrancho, and Suzane Carrancho. They later settled in Pajaro, California, and integrated themselves into the Filipino community by participating in organizations such as the Caballeros De Dimas-Alang and the Filipino Community of Watsonville. In 1959, Louella and Pacifico separated.

In 1976, Pacifico traveled to the Philippines and met Dominga Casabar who he later married. She traveled to California to live with him and start a family. They had two children, Jerilyn and John Carrillo. In 1980, they became U.S. citizens and sponsored many family members to live in the Philippines.

In 1989, Pacifico passed away at the age of 80.

The Carrillo Family Collection was donated to Watsonville is in the Heart in 2021 by Pacifico's son, Maurice Carrillo. The collection contains two items, a photograph and an oral history interview with Maurice. In the interview, Maurice explains his childhood in Pajaro and his father's interracial relationships. He also discusses his own mixed-race identity and community organizing he participated in throughout his life.

Contributor

Maurice Carrillo

Collection Items

La Loma Church, Manila, P. I.
The front of this postcard is a lithograph of the La Loma Catholic Church and the surrounding cemetery in Manila. The church and the cemetery were built in the late nineteenth century. The lithographic photograph on the postcard was originally…

Tondo Canal, Manila, Philippines
The front of this postcard has a lithograph of the Tondo Canal in Manila. There are boats on the postcard that were used to transport goods along the canal and a person off-loading one of the boats. The lithographic photograph on the postcard was…

Pasig River, Manila, Philippines
The front of the postcard has a lithograph of a steamboat on the Pasig River in Manila. There are people loading objects onto the boat and there are other boats in the background. The lithographic photograph on the postcard was originally…

Moro House, Moro, P. I.
The front of this postcard shows a lithograph of a Moro house along a river that has a boat in it. There is a child on the edge of the shore in a boat. The Moro people mainly live in Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan regions known as Bangsamoro. During the…

Paco Cemetery, Manila
The front of this postcard features a lithograph of the Paco Cemetery in Manila with several people hanging out under the arch in the background. The cemetery was originally called Cementerio General de Dilao and was built during the Spanish Colonial…

Plowing Rice-fields, Philippines
The front of this postcard displays a man plowing a rice field using a domesticated water buffalo called a carabao. Rice is a staple food of the Philippines and was an essential part of the diet of the manong. The lithographic photograph on the…

Catholic Cathedral, Manila
The front of this postcard shows the Manila Cathedral which is a historic cultural and religious structure. This is the seventh version out of the eight reconstructions of the cathedral. The lithographic photograph on the postcard was originally…

Drying Hemp, Philippines
The front of this postcard depicts a person drying abacá also known as Manila hemp in the countryside of the Philippines. The Manila hemp drying industry was a major export of the Philippines in the early twentieth century. The lithographic…

Escolta, Manila, P.I.
The front of the postcard has a lithograph of a street scene from the early twentieth or late nineteenth century in Escolta Street in Manila. The lithographic photograph depicts horse-drawn carromatas, shops, and people walking the street. The…

River Scene, Philipines
The front of this postcard shows a hut next to a river that has a fishing boat with netting in it. The hut is surrounded by tropical trees. The lithographic photograph on the postcard was originally black-and-white but it has been colorized. The back…

Banca (Native Boat) Pasig River, Manila, Philippines
The front of the postcard features a lithograph of a banca boat on the Pasig River in Manila, Philippines. The lithograph on the postcard was originally black-and-white but it has been colorized. The back of the card has a space for a message, an…

Manila Hotel
The front side of the postcard has a lithograph of the famous Manila Hotel. There are several people in front of the hotel along with some automobiles. The lithographic photograph on the postcard was originally black-and-white but it has been…

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