Joseph was born around 1849 in the Azores. He arrived in America between 1860 and 1880 (conflicting info). His wife was Mary Silva. She was born there in about 1851. They lived in Rhode Island under the last name Grace for some time. I found birth records for at least two of the children there. They later relocated to Santa Cruz California where the rest of their lives they were known as Gracia. I understand that surnames changed a great deal with Portuguese immigrants so this makes tracing them more complicated. If anyone has information or even some tips on how to further my research please contact me.