Abreu (Councillor Francisco António de Freitas e)

Descended from old and distinguished Madeiran families, Councillor (conselheiro, honorary title of the royal council) Francisco António de Freitas e Abreu was born in the parish (freguesia) of Ponta Delgada (‘slender point’) on 3 May 1826, the son of Francisco António de Freitas e Abreu and Dona Matilde de Freitas e Abreu.

After completing his course at the lyceum (state secondary school) of this city, he was appointed copying clerk in the civil government of the district and later an official of the same department, on several occasions serving as acting secretary-general. An intelligent and cultured public servant, he was repeatedly entrusted by his superiors with important special assignments, in which he always amply displayed the remarkable gifts of his mind. Particular mention is due to his work in regulating the services for foundlings, on which he wrote an important report, and to the services he rendered on the death of Princess Maria Amélia in 1854, during the cholera morbus epidemic of 1856, and on other occasions.

Among the various public commissions he held were those of president of the District General Council (Junta Geral) and of the Administrative Committee (Comissão Administrativa) of the Poorhouse (Asilo de Mendicidade), and that of vice-president of the Administrative Committee of the Holy House of Mercy (Santa Casa da Misericórdia).

His name became very well known here in Madeira, chiefly because he was a persevering investigator of Madeiran history. He not only published numerous unpublished documents, commenting on them with great judgement, but also clarified various points in the history of our archipelago whenever circumstances called for it. Over many years he gathered an abundant store of documents, notes and information, as well as a copious collection of books and pamphlets, Portuguese and foreign, all of great interest for the history of Madeira. The collection of Madeiran newspapers he managed to assemble was remarkable and valuable, and these papers are indispensable sources for the contemporary history of this island. All that painstaking work of a collector, all that bibliographical wealth, printed and manuscript – a treasure for us Madeirans – was unfortunately dispersed at an auction held shortly after the death of Councillor Abreu. And not a single administrative body was willing to save that abundant repository of such precious material for Madeiran history!

Despite his learning and the vast and valuable store of documents he possessed, Councillor Freitas e Abreu left no work of note on the history of this archipelago.

For the highly important work of the Baron of São Clemente, Documentos para a história das cortes gerais, Councillor Abreu supplied many interesting documents, which fill several dozen pages of volume 51 of that work. He also contributed some material to Henrique Seco’s work Memórias do Tempo Passado e Presente.

Councillor Francisco António de Freitas e Abreu died in this city on 17 November 1913, having shown to the end of his life a great love of historical studies, to which he was especially devoted. The Heraldo da Madeira (‘Madeira Herald’) of 18 November 1913 carried a lengthy biographical article on this distinguished Madeiran.