This document provides biographical information about Maria Cristina Fernandez-Sobera and her family origins. It details her grandparents who were from Spain, Cuba, and the Canary Islands. It then summarizes her parents' backgrounds growing up in Cuba. The document concludes with biographical information about Maria Cristina, noting that she was born in Cuba but immigrated to the US as a child and now lives in Miami where she runs her own piano academy.

1. Cuba
Asturias
MY ORIGINS
Maria Cristina Fernandez-Sobera
United States
Canary Islands

2. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS
PATERNAL
Josefa Alvarez
Andres Fernandez Garcia
She was native of Asturias, Spain. When
His lineage can be traced back to Northern Spain. Born
she was of age she worked as a lady in
in Asturias, Spain on February 5th, 1882 and grew up
waiting for an Argentinian woman. She
there with many siblings. When he was of military age he
lived and traveled the world with her
employer. One day while visiting family in
Spain, she met Andres. He proposed that
they marry immediately and move to Cuba.
Her response was that if in a year, he still
felt the same, they would meet in Spain and
fled Spain to Havana, Cuba. He received training in bread
making and saved money to start his own business. He
went to visit his parents and family still in Asturias and
met his wife Josefa. He agreed to meet her in Spain again
within a year and tied the knot. The young couple
returned to Cuba and settled down in a new town called
Ciego de Avila. He had two Sons, Andres and Juan. They
marry. The following year after
worked with their father and established a bakery that
correspondence with Andres they were in
provided bread to many municipalities. He later got into
love and married. She moved to Cuba with
the real-estate business and bought land and built houses
him and started a family. She settled in
that he would rent to his employees.
Ciego de Avila.

3. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS
PATERNAL
Juana Maria Alfonso
Zacarias Martinez
Born in Bolondron, Cuba on January 7th, 1900.
Zacarias was from Spanish decent. Born in Havana, Cuba in
She had three siblings. She met her husband and
the late 1800's. During the War of Independence, his entire
settled in Ciego de Avila while caring for her two
family died due to a plague except his brother Francisco. The
younger siblings after her parents death. She
brothers separated and went to go live in different parts of
dedicated her life to raising a family. She later
Cuba with other relatives. Zacarias moved to a place called
moved with her husband to Havana. There the
Auagda de Pasajeros near Cienfuegos. Motivated and longing
couple had two children. She would help her
to succeed, he later moved to Ciego de Avila and created the
husband in all she could also participating in the
first line of passenger buses. His brother Francisco joined him.
tobacco business. After the death of her husband
They had invested in three buses. An accident occurred, and
and the triumph of the Revolution, she fled Cuba
one bus was burnt. They lost the business. He met Juana at a
with her daughter to the United States. She
relative’s home. Soon after they married. After the loss of his
received medical treatment and passed away here.
business, he and his wife settled in Havana and had two
Children. They would make ends meet by making tobacco
cigarettes at night. He would sell them during the day while his
children attended school. He eventually became a realtor and
was successful. He died of pancreatic cancer on September
29th, 1958.

4. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS
MATERNAL
Fabiana Maria Alfonso
Concepcion Martinez
Born in Bolondron, Cuba on January 20th,
Of Spanish descent and eldest of six, the death of his
1904. She was the youngest daughter. She
father caused him to be in charge of the family farm
became an orphan at a young age and went
to live with her older sister and her husband
and affairs. The farm located near Ciego de Avila,
Cuba; in a town known as Vicente. Concepcion or
Concho as nicknamed, later borrowed money from
in Ciego de Avila. While living there, she
banks and started his own farm called Dos
met Concho and got married. They had
Hermanas. The farm was 540 hectares of land. He
three children, Lilia, Berta and Raul.
grew a slew of crops; mangos for export. He met his
Tragedy struck the family when during
wife visiting a relative of his Zacarias. Fabiana Maria
Castro’s revolution, her son killed by rebels.
The family pulled together and prospered.
wasJuan's sister, who was Zacarias’ wife. They
married and had three children.

5. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS
MATERNAL
Ignacio Perez Diare
Elodia Escobar Martin
Born December 6th, 1890 and a
native of Orotava, Canary Isles.
She became a nurse before
Born August 8th, 1884 in the Port of Orotava, Canary
Isles. He met Elodia and married. They journeyed to Cuba
by boat and lived in Varadero for some months until he
found a job at a farm. He had 9 children. Later in life, he
meeting Ignacio and marrying.
suffered an accident that broke his back and caused him to
She started her life with her
walk hunched-over. He continued to work as a farmer until
husband and birthed 9 children.
his death. He was very family oriented and continuously
She became a midwife, because
of her medical background and
experience. She also died of old
age near Ciego de Avila, Cuba.
tried to unite his family on Sundays. Unfortunately, there
are no pictures available. He died of old age near Ciego de
Avila, Cuba.

6. MY GRANDPARENTS
PATERNAL
Juana Bertina Martinez
Born in Havana Cuba on November 1st, 1923. She loved
academia and went on to complete two years of pharmacy
school. She was a hard worker. When she was young she
helped her parents making tobaccos at night while she
Andres Fernandez Alvarez
Born on August 28th 1923, he was a native of Ciego de
Avila, Cuba. He had a brother named Juan who was
older. He went to school, and when he was in third
attended school by day. She married Andres on December
grade, he was helping his father in the bakery and
31st, 1942. Three years later she gave birth to a boy named
suffered an accident that severed the three fingers of his
Jorge Luis. They lived in Ciego de Avila, Cuba. Her husband
right hand. He could not go to school and fell behind. He
passed away from complication with chicken pox, and she
was self taught. He later owned a bakery called “La
was a widow at the age of 36. She helped her son run the
Avilena”. He specialized in bread and crackers. He
bakery until the government seized their assets. Her
mother’s health had deteriorated, and she fled the country
on the freedom flight. She started her life over in Miami. She
initially worked in factories. Then she got hired as data entry
married Bertina when he was 19 years old. They had
Jorge Luis, and he was very family oriented and an
amazing father, but a workaholic. Diagnosed with stress
in Miami Dade County where she worked until she passed.
disorder and forced to rest, he went on vacations
She died of pancreatic cancer on July 31st, 1990.
regularly. He then contracted the chicken pox and died of
a stoke on May 28th, 1959.

7. MY GRANDPARENTS
MATERNAL
Lilia Martinez Alfonso
Rodosvaldo Perez Escobar
Born on August 22nd, 1930 near Ciego de Avila, Cuba.
Born on September 25th, 1932 in Vicente, Cuba. He had 9
Her family was of Spanish decent, though she was a second
sibling and was from very humble origins. He was a farmer
generation Cuban. She was the youngest of three and grew
and had a wonderful voice. He was always lending a
up on the farm her father owned and worked. She met
helping hand to all. He married Lilia after they met while he
Valdo and married him. They stayed on the farm working
worked on her father’s farm. He later ran the farm
the land for some years. She had two girls that were 13
alongside and in-law. After the marriage had failed and they
months apart. Later they moved to the city of Ciego de
divorced, he moved to the city of Ciego de Avila
Avila, where she worked in the post office for some years.
permanently. Where he worked running a gas station. His
Then she returned to the farm and had a boy. After 28
life long dream was to one day visit the United States. He
years of marriage, she divorced Valdo and decided to travel
could not gain entry to the US. After the diagnoses of Lou
and visited Russia and the United States in 1988. She
Garrett's disease, he passed on August 10th, 1996.
returned to Cuba and in 1999, moved back to the US to
live with her daughter and son in law. Then she returned to
Cuba and stayed there. She died on July 30, 2009.

8. MY PARENTS
Maria del Carmen Perez Martinez
Jorge Luis Fernandez Martinez
Born on September 1st, 1953 on the farm Dos Hermanas,
Born on February 12th, 1945 in Ciego de Avila, Cuba. He went to
near Ciego de Avila. She was the eldest of three. She went
private schools and was an excellent student and athlete. At the
to school and at 10 years old, her mother was ill after the
age of 8, he asked his father if he could deliver bread with his
birth of her little brother, so she took care of him, and the
household duties. She fell in love with Jorge Luis and
married him on December 23rd, 1967. They were back and
forth between Ciego de Avila and the farm in Vicente.
grandfather in the mornings. Later, he learned how to keep the
books and make bread and crackers. After his father’s untimely
death, he took over the business. He met his first wife when he
was 17 years old, got married and had a boy named Andres. They
soon divorced. Jorge got sick and went to his great aunts farm to
Maria went back to school and later got a job in a bank in
rest where he met his wife, Maria. They got married, and he went
Cuba. They had a daughter after 12 years of marriage. The
back and forth between Vicente and Ciego de Avila. He got a
family relocated to Miami, where she studied computer
Masters in Economics. Twelve years after their nuptials, they
programming and later worked for an insurance company.
finally had a daughter. In 1985, the family relocated to the United
When it went out of business, she dedicated herself to be a
States. He worked at several banks and got hired in the US Postal
full time mom. She is currently a licensed nail technician.
Service from which he retired in 2011.

9. MARIA CRISTINA
FERNANDEZ -SOBERA
Born in Ciego de Avila, Cuba on October 1st, 1980 into a loving home. I have a half brother Andres that is 16 years
my elder. When I was 4, my parents decided to leave the Cuba. We would journey to the United States and live with
my Grandmother, Bertina. She had left Cuba on the first freedom flights and had established herself in Miami,
Florida. We arrived in Miami on May 17, 1986. I attended public school and graduated in 1999 from Southwest
Miami Senior High. I also was extremely lucky to meet a woman named Hilda Carreno, who was a piano teacher and
took me under her wing. She taught me without charging my parents. She became my “grandmother” because my
father’s mother passed due to cancer. Later, I completed my music theory education at the age of 12. She allowed me
to teach her young students. I fell in love with the teaching profession. I completed my training as an Organist and
Pianist by the age of 17. I went to college for almost 2 years and met the love of my life, Sander Sobera. We got
married had a beautiful girl named Isabelle. I currently have my own piano academy and continue to live in Miami.