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Sithar
Juan Beligio Sithar 1895 - 1973 Maternal Grandfather
Juan was born on June 30, 1895 at a province called Iloilo, on the island of Panay, in the Philippines. Juan arrived in Hawaii, as a Sakada in the early 1900's. He met and later married our grandmother Ana Hamole Hoopii while they worked together in the pineapple fields of Makawao. Juan passed away in February, 1973 at the age of 77. His memorial is at Makawao cemetary, on the island of Maui. Grandpa Sithar rarely spoke of his family in Panay. To find out who his parents were, a letter was written to the U.S. Social Security Administration. For a small fee they sent copies of his original Social Security application. The names listed here are from the documents he filed with SSA in the early 1900's. When Grandpa Juan arrived in Hawaii as a sakada, the "Sitjar" name was transposed to "Sithar". I've tried to communicate with other Sitjars in Iloilo, still unable to locate his immediate family.
Mahalo Uncle Jerry Sithar for the photo of Grandpa Sithar
Agustin Sitjar Great Grandfather Agustin was probably a decendent of spanish settlers on the island of Panay in the Western Visayas. According to records, Agustin Sitjar was married to Anacleta Abaligio. Anacleta could have been a decendent of the Panays native people, or Spanish/Filipino mixture.
Spanish influence in the Visayas.
On March 6, 1521 the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for Spain, discovered the Philippines, less than one month later he would be killed there by warring tribes. In 1566, the Spaniards under Miguel Lopez de Legazpi came to Panay, and established a settlement in Ogtong (now Oton, Iloilo). He appointed Gonzalo Ronquillo as deputy encomiendero, who in 1581 moved the seat of spanish power to La Villa de Arevalo, named in honor of his hometown of Avila in Spain. By 1700 due to recurrent raids by Moro pirates, Dutch and English privateers, the Spaniards moved to the village of Irong-Irong, where close to the mouth of the river they built Fort San Pedro. Irong-Irong or Ilong-Ilong which the Spaniards later shortened to Iloilo later became the capital of the province.
Gerona Spain
Research reveals the 'Sitjar' name originated in spain according to Mormon archives. The following Sitjars from Gerona, Spain from the 1500's. Sometime after the 1500's Sitjar's began settling the philippines.
ANNA BANETA GERONIMA (SITJAR), 1509
ANNA FRANCINA LATZARA (SITJAR), 1545
Island of Mallorca
New information from Miguel Sitjar. He writes in an Email that the Sitjars were from an Island off the coast of spain called "Mallorca" earlier than 1500. Mallorquins were skilled sailors, and may have been with Magellan when he discovered the Philippines. Mallorquin History
