Anglicized Cuban-Americans (Miami, Tampa, Davie: college, living in, rated)

[lokpikr999]

Just curious has anyone ever encountered or know a person of Cuban ancestry living in Miami who's family has resided in the US so many generations(e.g since the late 1890's to early 1900's)that they have nothing more than some faint knowledge of their actual heritage(as in the case of most Polish or Irish-Americans)?

[tankhead]

Yes, I had a college professor that had Cuban family living in Miami since the early 1900s. He didn't speak any Spanish, but I wouldn't really say he was really Angloized since Miami's culture is so Hispanicized. I would say he was more Americanized than Angloized.

[Bjorn_Ironside32]

I've never encountered them, but I know for sure that there are around.

Knowing the huge amount of Cubans who fled the Spanish-American war to Tampa FL in the 1890's.

[straight shooter]

In Miami you won't find many but in Tampa there are a lot.

[FlyMIA]

Exactly Tampa has more of them. But Miami will soon see more and more but not to the etent of the family being her for over a 100 years. more 50-60 years. There are of course still new Cubans coming in.

[doom1001]

Obviously none that have been here for generations like in Tampa but there will be more and more every year whose family isn't in touch with their Cuban side and might not even speak Spanish.There are also a lot of mixed kids who have a Cuban parent and anglo parent who surprise you to find out they're half Cuban,look at Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte who has a Cuban mother.In Tampa with it being an older city you might find more people who instead of saying they're Cuban they might say they're of Cuban descendency,like someone saying they're of Irish descendency.

[Montpensier]

I once knew in the plane a person from Key West (Cayo Hueso) whose family had been living there since 1870. His ancestors were "Islenos" that were in Cuba and then migrated to Key West. He spoke perfect Spanish with a Canarian-Cuban accent. He told me that most "Conks" had the same origin.

I have met many Cubans-Islenos from Tampa, from Ybor City. They spoke Spanish and they had been living there during more than 150 years, around the cigar factory created by Ybor.

I also met many Americans in Central Florida with very Catalan last names, and I assumed they were descendants of Minorcans. Only a few knew about Minorcans, and none spoke Spanish, and even less Catalan. Minorcans were settled in Florida by England some 220 years ago, so I guess there must be a lot of descendants from them. A known Minorcan was Admiral Farragut.

There was a quite large number of Cuban refugees with Spanish passports (Cuba was Spanish until 1898) and Spanish immigrants coming thorugh Cuba. Examples would be actor Mel Ferrer, Cesar Romero, De Valera (the father of the founder of the Republic of Ireland) and Sammy Davies Junior, his grandfather was from a known Cuban family that married a black woman, he always said he was part P.R back in the 60's because he was afraid of being tagged as a "communist spy".

[cityKing]

Originally Posted by tankhead

Yes, I had a college professor that had Cuban family living in Miami since the early 1900s. He didn't speak any Spanish, but I wouldn't really say he was really Angloized since Miami's culture is so Hispanicized. I would say he was more Americanized than Angloized.

Well said

[tallrick]

I know I have Spanish ancestry in my family, and Cuban relatives. Then again, I have French (cajun) Hungarian and German as well. A friend near me here is first generation from a Cuban family, but is as blond haired blue eyed as any Scandinavian. He speaks no Spanish either. Almost anyone who got here before 1960 will be Americanized.

[Dakster]

I know several people my age that are 1st generation born US Citizens. Their spanish and cultural ties are less than their parents, but they still speak formal 'Spanish' from the country their parents came form. (This includes Cuba.)

However, their kids typically do not speak formal spanish, more of a spanglish and are much more 'Americanized' in a Miami sorta way. It is funny that my friends are always complaining that their kids don't speak spanish -- Each generation seems become more 'Americanized', until very little language of their descendent country is spoken any more. The process that keeps it going in Miami as that we are never short of new arrivals.

Another interesting tidbit -I know some US Born and raised people that went back to their parents 'country' and even though they grew up speaking the spanish and immersed in that culture -- when they visited everyone knew they were 'American' and not from that country.

Obviously this is a generalization and there are exceptions...