The Sibal Family History
Highlights of the First and Second Generations
of the Casimiro Sibal Family
The Death of Casimiro
In 1863, Casimiro fell ill with symptoms, which in our modern day medicine, coincided with that of hypertension and heart disease. The “herbolarios” could not cure him. Casimiro asked his wife to cook beef “dinuguan” for him, which, in these modern times, was prohibited food for people with hypertension and heart disease. Bruna had one of her tenants slaughter a cow and the special “dinuguan” was offered to the sick man. Not long afterwards, he died from illness. This was at his farm in De Plata.
After her husband’s death, Bruna did not remarry. She busied herself in the bringing up of her four children, Antonia (born 1848), Pedro II (born 1853 and he was named after one of Casimiro’s brothers), Carlos (born 1857) and the little one, Andrea (born 1863 just a few months before Casimiro’s death). With the help of her son, Pedro II, Bruna managed her vast farmlands, her enormous herds of animals and other enterprises successfully. She even added more land that she bought, as the years went by. She also gave certain tasks to her offspring- as the elder boy in the family, Pedro was bruna’s right- hand man in the administration of their family properties, Antonia took care of Bruna’s general store in front of their house, Carlos was sent off to a Manila seminary to be a priest, and her “bunso” Andrea took good care of their house and was in charge of the family hired help, who obeyed her slightest wish.