Luis de Figueiredo Corte Real collection

Born in Ponta Delgada, S. Miguel, Azores, to Luis de Figueiredo Lemos do Canto Corte-Real and Filomena M. da Conceiçao, Miguel de Figueiredo Corte-Real was the youngest son in an aristocratic family. He was raised on the island of Santa Maria – a place that would hold his heart and remain a focus of his research throughout his life. At the time of his death, at age 85, on July 16th 2010, he was working on the publication of a book about the history of Santa Maria. At the request of Mr. Corte-Real, this collection is named after his father, Luis de Figueiredo Corte-Real

Mr. Corte-Real was a life-long student. Using the resources within his personal library and those of various libraries and archives throughout Portugal and Spain, he pursued his interests as a genealogist and amateur historian, publishing several manuscripts on the Corte-Real lineage and topics related to Azorean history. He was also, for several years, a contributor to the newspaper O Baluarte de Santa Maria in the Azores and to the Diario de Noticias in New Bedford.

In 1969, he immigrated to the United States with his wife and children and settled in New Bedford. Unlike the majority of immigrants who arrive in the U.S. with little more than a suitcase of personal items, Miguel Corte-Real was able to bring along an extensive number of cherished family heirlooms and household items including a large number of books, manuscripts, and other historical documents. Once established in his new country, he continued to add to his existing library and archive by collecting items associated with the presence of the Portuguese in the U.S.

Always an engaged citizen, Mr. Corte-Real was a member of numerous organizations and served on many local boards including those of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Casa da Saudade and the Immigrants’Assistance Center.