It certainly was wonderful to find a news article about a relative, especially a nice one that talks about their achievements or good business doings. I'm thrilled to have the article.
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However, a news story is just one piece of the puzzle, and often have "slants" -- stories edited or shaped by the writer's or paper's view. Add to that small misunderstandings that occur between people, especially when talking with an accent or a second language (like Emma undoubtedly was) and there will definitely be discrepancies or skewing of facts.
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Looking at this story, we find a definite slant -- the focus is on what would be considered womanly: romance and looks. The main part of the story is talks about Emma's marital status, that she's heart free (she says -- is there doubt?), that she's good looking and got a lot of attention on the ship coming up, and that she's traveling alone (horrors! This was considered very brazen and dangerous in 1929). Her business acumen (while also very "modern" or unusual for 1929) is really downplayed or left to the end of the story. Basically, the Chronicle is putting a huge arrow over Emma's head and letting the boys know that there is a young, single heiress alone in S.F. and ready to be romanced. Think Paris Hilton, backdated and not so fancy-free and you'll see the press hasn't changed much.
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Looking at the facts, we can find some other discrepancies:
A ship's list from the 5/3/1929 arrival of the Guatamala (I'll post this later) shows that Emma was traveling with Inez (her mother) and Arturo Barrios (her brother), so her travel was not as scandalous as it's made out to be. Plus, she is visiting with her sister (Rosa Josephina) and new niece, Carmen.
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This was also not Emma's first time to San Francisco. She was on the Albert Vogler in the 11/5/06 post on the blog, "Passport Photo and Journey." This ship arrived in San Francisco on Sept. 9, 1927.
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And in 1929, she had not inherited her estate from her father. My mother (Rosa Miriam)remembers her grandfather very well, and she was born in 1933! However, Emma was very involved in the Coffee Grower's Association in San Salvador (my mother remembers her taking them there and having ice cream in the cafeteria), so a business trip to a convention or meeting of importers is not out of the question.
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I have no doubt that Emma was in her 20s during this visit. I do find it amusing, however, that she was 21 on the Vogler's passenger list in 1927, and she is 21 on the Guatemala's passenger list! I will be posting all the passenger lists for the Barrios/Villalba families in later posts.
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