Branch F: Romagosa Pereda/Philadelphia

The Romagosa branch in Philadelphia descends from Sebastián Benigno Romagosa Pereda, son of Sebastian Benigno Romagosa Venecia (see Branch A) and Juana Pereda (or Perea) Ramirez. He was born on October 7, 1876, in Manzanillo, Cuba. As Ellis island records show, he came to the United States to study on August 14, 1894, at the age of 17, accompanied on the trip by his father, Sebastian Romagosa, and younger brother, Alberto, 14. They left through the Port of Havana. The father is identified as a lawyer and the two brothers as students. The next year, on June 29, 1895, the parents and seven children (Alberto(15), Emilio (12), Matilde (11), Angela (8), Maria (8), Juana (6), and Carlos(3)) are shown traveling to Philadelphia, probably for Sebastian Jr.'s wedding. They left from the Port of Cienfuegos, with 17 pieces of luggage.

Sebastian's parents visited him again a number of times. On May 16, 1909 (see Ellis Island Ship Manifest) they visited with three of the children, Angela (23), Juana (20), and Carlos (16). The parents were 60 and 51 years old at that time. The ship manifest identifies their son, Sebastian Romagosa, Jr, as the person they were going to visit, at the address of 649 North Fraser Street, in Philadelphia. Juana traveled by herself to see him in 1903 and on June 13, 1913 at the age of 60, sailing from Havana. She identifies the person she is going to visit as her son, Sebastian R., living at 402 So. 43rd St., in Philadelphia. She also names her husband as her nearest relative in Cuba, at their address in Havana at 186 San Lazaro. The Philadelphia family remembers stories about her, how she used to smoke a pipe and lived until she was more than 100 years old.

Sebastian Romagosa Pereda became a US citizen on December 1, 1899. He married Jeanette Sample, from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They had two children: 1. Sebastian Bertram (born in 1896) and 2. Samuel (born on October 2, 1899). Sebastian Romagosa Pereda died in the 1930s. He had studied dentistry but did not exercise his profession. It is likely that he studied at the University of Pennsylvania, where two of his first cousins, Ernesto and Roberto Romagosa Sanchez, later studied dentistry (1913-15). At that time, it was the best university in that field. Sebastian worked as a translator for the City of Philadelphia. He may also have conducted business in Cuba as he traveled to Cuba at least eight times between 1904 and 1913. One of these times, in 1905, he traveled with his wife and two children.

Children of Sebastian Romagosa Pereda and Jeanette Sample

1. Sebastian Bertram Ramagosa Sample (1896-1 953) was born in Philadelphia. At the age of 18 he went to Wildwood, NJ, where he invested in a game at an amusement park by the beach. Throughout the years, he continued investing in various businesses. He later became known as the "King of the Boardwalk." He had changed the spelling of his last name to Ramagosa, so that it would not sound so Catholic, according to his grandson Richard, since there was some discrimination against Catholics at that time. He married Jeanette Gamell (1899-1977) and had three sons:

A. James Sebastian Ramagosa Gamell, born March 4, 1919, who married Joan Lester, and had two children:

1) James Ramagosa Lester (born March 10, 1950) and

2) Thomas Ramagosa Lester (born in 1953), who married Mary Tropea and had one son, Thomas Romagosa Tropea.

B. William (Bill) Samuel Ramagosa Gamell, (July 15, 1922-2004) , who married Billie Ann Huber Miller (born January 25, 1926) in a first marriage, and had three children:

1) William Sanuel Ramagosa Miller born August 10, 1946, who married Karen Muntelle, born October 24, 1953

2) Linda Ann Ramagosa Miller, born August 1, 1948, who married Stanley Tashlik, born April 6, 1948 and had two sons:
a. Jesse Beau Tashlik Ramagosa, born August 22, 1974.
b. Trevor Alan Tashlik Ramagosa born August 31, 1981.

3) Robert Bertram Ramagosa Miller, born May 24, 1950, who married Carol Walter, born March 13, 1943.

In a second marriage, Bill married Lanna Burke, born August 11, 1942, and had one son:

1) Ryan Burke Ramagosa, born November 14, 1980.

C. Gilbert Ralph Ramagosa Gamell (January 2, 1926-April 24, 1995), who married Suzanne Sullivan, and had three children:

1) Gilbert Ramagosa Sullivan (November 26, 1948-July 5, 1950).

2) Diane Ramagosa Sullivan , born July 4, 1955, who married Stephen Miller and had three daughters:

a. Elizabeth Ann Miller Ramagosa, born January 30, 1988;

b. Sarah Catherine Miller Ramagosa, born November 16, 1990 and

c. Carolyn Olivia Miller Ramagosa, born June 10, 1993.

3) Richard Ramagosa Sullivan, born January 16, 1959, who married Gina Pisa and had three children:

a. Brianne Ramagosa Pisa, born January 11, 1983;

b. Richard Royce Ramagosa Pisa, born March 28, 1995, and

c. Sebastian Bryce Ramagosa Pisa, born January 13, 2000.

2. Samuel Romagosa Sample (1899-1973) studied veterinarian science and later became a doctor. He maintained the last name as Romagosa. Sebastian's family has lost track of what became of Samuel's family. He died in June 1973. No information is available on his descendants.