I believe many Cape Verdeans started to emmigrate around then in search for work. Mostly the men traveled, leaving their wives and children behind, but soon even their familes began to migrate. For example, my grandfather and his brothers arrived at the turn of the century, and sent for their wives after they were established. As for the name DeSant I suggest you search for the variations DeSanta, Santos, etc.. because when people migrated, immigration often changed the last names around to reflect similaries in surnames, or in many causes botched them all together.