Currently on exhibit at the Kelley House Museum is “Tying the Knot: Bridal Fashion Unveiled,” which features seven pieces of clothing worn by Mendocino brides from the mid-1860s to 1978. One of these pieces includes the wedding attire of Caroline “Carrie” Correia-Silva, who became Carrie Costa upon her marriage to Manuel Costa on Christmas Day, 1904.
Carrie’s wedding dress consists of a bodice and skirt, both pale blue with white lace trim and a decorative border of blue and gold sequins with gold beading. Small white satin bows adorn the wrists and shoulders. Her ensemble was finished with a white satin sash and white gloves, also on display. The dress is an impressive feat of dressmaking. It’s unknown if Carrie ever wore the dress again for special occasions, but it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary at the time. Wedding dresses, especially highly decorated ensembles, were expensive and often worn many times after a woman’s wedding day.
Carrie was born December 7, 1888 in the Azore Islands of Portugal. In early 1904, Carrie, her parents John and Augusta, her sister Mary, and brother Manuel immigrated to the town of Mendocino. Later in the same year she married Manuel Costa, who was born on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores in 1876.
Manuel was the sole child in his family to keep the original name of “Costa.” His parents, Manuel and Marie Costa-Fayal, adopted the name “Costa-Fayal” after the family patriarch moved temporarily to Faial, Azores for work and added Fayal to their name. The Costa/Costa-Fayals moved to Mendocino in 1895.
Little is known about Carrie and Manuel’s marriage. They lived in the Greenwood/Elk area for several years, where Manuel worked as a woodsman. They returned to Mendocino in 1909, where they lived in a single-story home on Ukiah Street. Manuel quickly had to renovate the home to accommodate their growing family; Carrie would have twelve children over their 25-year-long marriage: Emily, Marie, Manuel, Johnnie, Herman, Adelaide, Anthony, Virginia, Elveria, Margaret, Albert, and Delphina.
In January 1930, Manuel suffered fatal injuries in a woods accident at Gas Camp on Big River and passed away shortly thereafter. Carrie’s eldest sons, Manuel “Sam” and Johnnie were 21 and 19, respectively, and both went to work for the Mendocino Lumber Company to support their family.
In 1934, Carrie remarried Antone C. Fayal, Manuel’s younger brother, and even less is known about their relationship. His first marriage was to Carrie, and he was affectionately remembered by her children after his death in 1968. Carrie passed away in 1977.
Averee McNear is the curator at the Kelley House Museum in Mendocino, Calif.