Joe and Mamie Lenhares

The current exhibit at the Kelley House Museum, “Tying the Knot: Bridal Fashion Unveiled,” showcases beautiful wedding dresses, photographs, and artwork illustrating Mendocino bridal fashion through the years. Among the couples featured are Joseph Lucio (Joe) Lenhares and Mamie Jerome, whose wedding took place at the Catholic Church in Mendocino on January 10, 1909. Their marriage lasted more than sixty years and became part of the story of the Portuguese families who helped shape Mendocino.

Mamie was the daughter of Portuguese immigrants Antone and Annie (Thomas) Jerome. She was born in her parents’ home on the northeast corner of Calpella and Williams Streets in 1887. Nearly ninety years later, Joe proudly pointed out the house while reminiscing about their long life together.

Joe was born on September 18, 1883, in Santa Cruz on Flores Island in the Azores. In 1904, at the age of 21, he immigrated to Mendocino, where his brother Antone had already settled. Like many newcomers, he came seeking work and opportunity. He found employment in the woods, but he also found something even more important on his very first day in town.

Shortly before his death in 1977, Joe recalled how he first met Mamie. One of the men he had traveled with suggested they visit a man who was recovering from an injured foot. “There was five or six girls in there, just about my age, some little bit more or less. My [future] wife happened to be there too! Well, it was a lot of fun, of course. The most fun was this,” Joe remembered. “When you come from another country that you can’t speak the language and then you find somebody that talks with you, you’re happy.”

Joe loved to dance and play the violin, and Mendocino’s Portuguese community provided a welcoming circle of friends. Before long, he and Mamie began courting, leading to their wedding in 1909.

The young couple built their life in Mendocino while Joe worked in the lumber industry. Over the years, he was employed by lumber companies in Caspar, Navarro, and Mendocino. In 1917, he became a naturalized United States citizen. The following year, Joe and Mamie welcomed their only child, William Joseph “Bill” Lenhares, born on June 25, 1918.

Although he had made a new home in California, Joe never forgot the Azores. In 1922, he and Manuel Vieira returned to their homeland for a six-month visit. The journey gave Joe an opportunity to reconnect with relatives and revisit the island where he had spent his childhood. He returned to Mendocino in March 1923.

In 1927, Mamie’s mother deeded the home at 45131 Little Lake Street to her daughter. Located just east of today’s Mendocino Community Library, the house became the center of Joe and Mamie’s family life. Except for a few years spent in the San Joaquin Valley during the early 1930s, the couple lived there for the rest of their lives.

Joe retired from the Caspar Lumber Company in 1945, but his contributions to the community extended well beyond his work. He was deeply involved in Mendocino’s Portuguese traditions and played an active role in the annual Pentecost celebrations. Joe served on the Pentecost committee and acted as a caller for the Chamarita dances, helping preserve customs brought from the Azores.

In a Mendocino Beacon interview published shortly before his death, Joe fondly described the Pentecost celebrations held at Crown Hall on Ukiah Street. Community members donated money, livestock, food, and labor to make the event possible. After attending church services, families gathered for a feast and spent the evening dancing together.

Mamie passed away in 1973 at age 86 following an illness. Four years later, Joe died at age 94 while visiting relatives in the Ventura area. They are buried in Hillcrest Cemetery.

From a chance meeting on Joe’s first day in town to more than six decades of marriage, the story of Joe and Mamie Lenhares reflects the experience of many Portuguese immigrant families who helped build Mendocino through hard work, strong community ties, and devotion to family and tradition.

Tying the Knot: Bridal Fashion Unveiled is on view at the Kelley House Museum until August 31^st, 2026. The Kelley House is open Thursday-Monday, 11am to 3pm. Visit our event calendar for a walking tour schedule.