From Aklan to America
A multi-generational journey from the rice fields of Aklan Province to the hospitals of Ohio. This documentary biography series traces one Filipino family across three countries, four generations, and 150 years of history—from Spanish colonial Philippines through American immigration to the present day.
Every family has a story. Most are lost to time—scattered across fading photographs, half-remembered conversations, and documents buried in archives across the world. This is the story we chose to save.
From Aklan to America follows the Morales and Tamayo families from their roots in the Western Visayas of the Philippines, through the tumultuous 20th century, to their new lives in the United States. Along the way, we encounter Spanish friars and American soldiers, provincial doctors and Manila society, Catholic sacraments and immigrant dreams.
Each episode combines rigorous genealogical research with narrative storytelling, drawing on original documents, family photographs, and historical context to bring the past to life.
The Family Lines
The Morales Line
From Numancia, Aklan. A family of farmers, teachers, and physicians who rose through education and determination. Dr. Romulo G. Morales would carry the family name to America, where his descendants continue to thrive.
The Tamayo Line
Also from Numancia, Aklan. The maternal line brought strength, faith, and connection to the land. Hally R. Tamayo married Romulo Morales, uniting two families with deep roots in the same small town.
Episodes
The story unfolds across multiple episodes, each exploring a different chapter in the family's journey.
Roots in Aklan
The earliest generations of the Morales and Tamayo families in the rice-growing region of Aklan Province. Spanish colonial records, church baptisms, and the world that shaped them.
Coming SoonThe American Era
The Philippines under American rule. A new generation comes of age during the Commonwealth period, only to face the devastation of World War II and Japanese occupation.
Coming SoonA Doctor's Path
Romulo G. Morales pursues medicine at Far Eastern University. He meets Hally Tamayo, another Aklanon making their way in Manila. A courtship, a wedding, and the beginning of a new family.
Coming SoonChristmas Day, 1959
On Christmas morning 1959, an infant received both baptism and confirmation at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish—an extraordinary event made possible by the presence of Bishop Miguel Olano, the former Bishop of Guam who had survived World War II. This episode explores the circumstances that brought a bishop to a parish altar on Christmas Day.
Read Episode →A La Salle Boy
In the rolling hills east of Manila, young Romulo joined one of the Philippines' most prestigious Catholic schools. Among his schoolmates was Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., now President of the Philippines. When his father's medical career called the family to America in 1969, his Philippine childhood came to an end.
Read Episode →American Beginnings
The Morales family arrives in Ohio, where Dr. Romulo takes a position at Massillon State Hospital. A young boy navigates a new country, new schools, and a new identity as a Filipino American.
Coming SoonCompanion Pieces
Deeper explorations of the places, institutions, and contexts that shaped the Morales-Tamayo story.
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
A church risen from the ashes of World War II, where two generations of the Morales family celebrated life's most sacred moments—a Christmas baptism in 1959 and a society wedding in 1968. Traces the history of the National Shrine from Intramuros through its destruction in the Battle of Manila to its resurrection in Quezon City.
Read Article →La Salle Green Hills
The elite Catholic school founded by the De La Salle Brothers in 1959, the same year Romulo was born. A history of the institution and its role in shaping generations of Filipino leaders.
Coming SoonNumancia, Aklan
The small town in the Western Visayas where the Morales and Tamayo families have roots stretching back generations. A portrait of provincial Philippine life.
Coming SoonTimeline
The earliest documented Morales and Tamayo ancestors in Numancia, Aklan Province.
Dr. Romulo G. Morales and Hally R. Tamayo marry, uniting two Aklanon families.
Jose Romulo Himler Morales born at St. Paul Clinic, Sampaloc, Manila.
Baptized and confirmed at Our Lady of Lourdes by Bishop Miguel Olano.
Elementary education at the elite De La Salle Brothers school in Mandaluyong.
Mamerto Miguel Gonzales Morales weds Eva Diosela Gonzales at Our Lady of Lourdes.
The family departs the Philippines for America via San Francisco, settling in Ohio.
About This Project
From Aklan to America is a documentary biography series produced by Storyline Genealogy. Each episode combines primary source research—birth certificates, baptismal records, immigration papers, photographs—with historical context and narrative storytelling to create a comprehensive portrait of one family's journey.
This project demonstrates how professional genealogical research can transform scattered documents and fading memories into a coherent, compelling story that honors the past while preserving it for future generations.
Primary Sources
Original documents, certificates, and records from Philippine and American archives.
Family Photographs
Vintage images preserved and contextualized for future generations.
Narrative History
Research transformed into compelling stories that bring the past to life.