Josephine Bracken: Jose Rizal’s Dulce Estranjera
In his “Mi Ultimo Adios,” Dr Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonzo Realonda, the national hero of the Philippines, rendered his wife, Josephine Leopoldine McBride Bracken, as only a very good poet can, immortal:Farewell, sweet foreigner, my darling, my delight. But who is Rizal’s Dulce Estranjera? Read the article and find out.
In “Descriptions of My Life” her unpopular autobiography, Josephine Bracken described her parents, her childhood, her heartaches, her disappointments, and her first meeting with Dr Jose Rizal. Josephine’s complete name was Josephine Leopoldine McBride Bracken. She was born in Victoria Barracks in Hong Kong on August 9, 1876, to Cpl James Bracken and Elizabeth McBride. She had four siblings-Nelly, Agnes, Charles, and Francis (Cabrera, 1999).
Because her mother died after giving birth to her and because her father, being a military man, was always on the move, Josephine was adopted by Mr and Mrs George Edward Taufer, her godparents. Mr Taufer was a German-American boiler engineer. Mrs Taufer died of a heart disease in 1882. After one year, Mr Taufer took his second wife who also died in 1890. After another year, Mr Taufer took his third wife, who, in Josephine’s own words, was a torment to her (Cabrera, 1999).
One month after, Josephine ran away from home and sought refuge at an Italian convent for two months until Mr Taufer pleaded for her to return. In 1893, Mr Taufer fell ill from double cataract that no ophthalmologist in Hong Kong could cure (Cabrera, 1999). Mr Taufer then heard of Rizal from Julio Llorente, a Filipino resident in Hong Kong (Medina, 1997).
On February 5, 1895, Josephine, accompanying Mr Taufer, arrived in Manila. In the same month, they went to Dapitan in Zamboanga to consult Rizal (Medina, 1997). At first sight, Rizal and Josephine fell in love with each other. He was attracted to her blue eyes, brown hair, and happy disposition, and though she was not highly educated, she was witty, quick, and eager to hear all the things that Rizal had to say (“Dapitan,” n.d.).
After a whirlwind romance of one month, they agreed to get married. When Mr Taufer learned about their plan, he flared up in violent rage. Unable to endure the thought of losing Josephine, he tried to commit suicide by cutting off his throat with a sharp razor. Rizal, however, grabbed Mr Taufer’s wrists and stopped him from killing himself. To avoid further tragedy, Josephine returned to Manila with Mr Taufer by the first available steamer the next day (“Dapitan,” n.d.).
Before Josephine left, Rizal gave her a poem that reads in translation: To Josephine//Josephine, Josephine/ Who to these shores have come/ Looking for a nest, a home/ Like a wandering wallow/ If your fate is taking you/ To Japan, China, or Shanghai/ Don’t forget that on these shores/ A heart for you beats high/ (“To Josephine” 1).
Uncured because his ailment is untreatable, Mr Taufer returned to Hong Kong alone. Josephine was left in Manila and was supposed to stay with Rizal’s family as the latter requested his mother through a letter. However, it was with Narcisa that Josephine stayed because the rest of Rizal’s sisters were suspicious that she was a spy for Spanish friars to lure Rizal into a well-laid trap (Alburo, 2001; Cabrera, 1999).
After six months, Josephine returned to Dapitan. Doña Teodora permitted her son to marry Josephine, but Fr Antonio Obach of Dapitan refused to sanctify their marriage without a special dispensation from the Bishop of Cebu. But because Rizal was a mason, though Josephine was a Roman Catholic, a dispensation was not given. They then married each other, as one account narrated, holding hands in the presence of two witnesses. They lived together as husband and wife in an octagonal bamboo house that Josephine turned into a love nest-stocking the pantry with pickles and preserves; cooking, washing, and finding food when supplies ran low; and trying desperately to build bridges with Rizal’s family especially his sisters who heard rumors that Josephine was a woman of the streets and was a singer in a tavern in Hong Kong (Alburo, 2001; Cabrera, 1999).
In his letter to Trinidad on January 15, 1896, Rizal wrote that “we had no quarrels and we always laugh happily” (“Dapitan,” n.d.), but unlike fairy tales that end with “and they lived happily ever after,” Rizal and Josephine’s love affair did not last long. Quarrels came much later, one of which, based from an article in the Philippines Free Press, was violent, leading to her miscarriage. The same article suggests that Rizal’s days of consolation with Josephine were over and that his request for assignment to Cuba as a medical volunteer was also prompted by his unhappiness with her (Alburo, 2001).
On his way to Cuba, Rizal, however, was arrested, and after a mock trial, Spanish authorities sentenced him to death. On December 29, 1896, Josephine visited Rizal in his cell, spending the whole night on her knees in front of the chapel where he was detained. After seeing her, Rizal sadly exclaimed: “Ah! My dear, my time has come to be united to you but to be separated forever.” After which, he begged for forgiveness for the sorrows he had caused her (Cabrera, 1999).
Minutes before he calmly faced the firing squad, Spanish authorities allowed Rizal to marry Josephine. He gave her Fr Thomas á Kempis’s De La Imitacion de Cristo y Menosprecio del Mundo with the dedication: “To my dear and unhappy wife, Josephine, December 30th, 1896, Jose Rizal” (Zaide and Zaide, 1999). After some time, she became a widow and she was just 20 years old then (Cabrera, 1999).
After the revolution, Josephine asked for the mortal remains of Rizal, but she was refused by the Spaniards. She swore to avenge his death by joining Gen Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary movement on January 6, 1897. She once led a charge against the Spaniards and killed one Spanish officer using her own rifle. She participated in many battles, and most of the time, she was hungry and barefooted (Cabrera, 1999).
After the revolution, Josephine stayed in Cebu where the American colonial government employed her as a public school teacher. One of her students was Sergio Osmeña, who became the Second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Afterwards, she returned to Manila, taught at the Liceo de Manila, and witnessed the Tejeros Convention of the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions of the Katipunan at San Francisco de Malabon in Cavite. She was then summoned by Governor General Camilo Polavieja who gave her an ultimatum to leave the country. Frightened because of an impending torture, she left Manila for Hong Kong in May 1897 (Alburo, 2001).
When her foster father died, Josephine was married to Don Vicente Abad of Cebu, who was then working in a tabacalera in Hong Kong, on December 15, 1898. They had one daughter, Dolores Abad, who was born on April 27, 1900, in Hong Kong, and who was married to Don Salvador Mina of Ilocos Sur. When Dolores was one year old, her parents brought her to the Philippines, and they lived with the other Abads in a big house in Calle Magdalena, Trozo, Manila (Cabrera, 1999).
Afflicted by tuberculosis of the larynx, Josephine wished to die in the land of her birth. A certain Father Spada, then Vicar General of Hong Kong, said that he was deeply touched upon seeing her deplorable condition. Father Spada added that the last time he saw Josephine, he was stricken with pity. She was broken down in health and in spirit, and she had lost all her hope and her faith in humanity (Cabrera, 1999).
Father Spada took Josephine to the Saint Francis Hospital where nuns took good care of her. At the eve of her death, she asked for the Holy Sacrament that Father Spada and another priest administered. She died on March 15, 1902, without knowing how a line of a poem had rendered her, as only a good poet can, immortal: Adiós, dulce estranjera, mi amiga, mi alegría (Farewell, sweet foreigner, my darling, my delight). Her mortal remains were buried in the Catholic section of the Happy Valley Cemetery in Hong Kong (Cabrera, 1999).
In honor of Rizal’s dulce estranjera, the City of Manila named a small street, Josefina, after her. It crosses España Street near the Quezon City boundary (Alburo, 2001).
N. B. This article was written using the APA documentation format. List of works cited are available upon request.
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User Comments
grace
On June 5, 2008 at 3:39 am
are you a Filipino? the work was great.. i didn’t even know that JBracken became a teacher of Pres. Osmeña.. great.
Alixander Haban Escote
On June 5, 2008 at 3:50 am
Grace, yes, I am a Filipino. Thank you for saying that the article was great. Thank you very much!
aswang
On June 16, 2008 at 6:54 am
sabi ko autobiography eh,,,, un ung hinahanap ko,. pero prang biography,./
Alixander Haban Escote
On June 16, 2008 at 7:01 am
Aswang,
Did you find out what you are looking for? Can I help you? Anyways, thank you for dropping by. Cheers!
dr.
On June 17, 2008 at 8:23 pm
are u xure of this?
Alixander Haban Escote
On June 17, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Dr., the article was documented using the American Psychological Association documentation format.
Dr. Randz
On June 24, 2008 at 9:00 am
Saludo po ako sa inyong ginawa.Napaka ganda po ang inyong inilahad. Mabuhay po kayo!
Mabuhay ang sambayang pilipino.
Alixander Haban Escote
On June 24, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Dr. Randz,
Maraming salamat po sa pagbisita niyo sa aming blog at pagbasa ng aming artikulo. Maraming salamat din po sa inyong mensahe at papuri. Nakatataba po ito ng aming puso. Kung meron po kayong suhestiyon para lalo pong mapaganda ang artikulong ito, taos puso naming tatanggapin. Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Lubos ng gumagalang,
Alixander
romel
On June 25, 2008 at 12:45 am
hahayssssssssss san ko makikita un family tree ni DR. jose rizal pa help naman poh!!!!!plzzzzzzzzzzzz
Alixander Haban Escote
On June 25, 2008 at 3:18 am
Hi, Romel, you can find the family tree of Dr Jose P Rizal at the Rizaliana Furniture Exhibit near the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila. I am so sorry. It is the only information that I can give you at the moment. Cheers!
shine
On June 29, 2008 at 12:36 am
i was so disappoited to find out that josephine married someone else..hope that nabuhay ung anak nla ni rizal pra may nagmana ng pangalan nya..
Alixander Haban Escote
On June 29, 2008 at 2:00 am
Shine, did you know that the descendants of Josephine Bracken are living in Parañaque? One of my students before is their neighbor. Anyways, Josephine was just 20 years old when she was widowed, so that explains why.
nina
On July 14, 2008 at 10:23 pm
pwede nio po ba ipaliwanag pa kung bakit tutol ang pamilya ni j.bracken sa relasyon nila ni rizal? thank you po in advance!
joe keane
On July 22, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I was in philippines in February of this year, and heard the story of Josephine Bracken and her famous husband and her famous husband Jose Rizal. Since I am acquiring further information on the internet from well researched articles such as yours. I am Irish and i find the entire story fascinating. I am equally amazed that she is relatively unknown in this country. I am researching her fathers descendants at this end, and am reasonable confident of finding her Irish roots. I am also in touch with out national t.v. hoping that a documentary may be made. I am returning to Manila and Butuan soon.
Alixander Haban Escote
On July 23, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Hi, Nina, Jose Rizal’s family, especially his sisters, did not like Josephine Bracken for him because they were suspicious that Josephine was a spy for Spanish friars to lure him into a well-laid trap (Alburo, 2001; Cabrera, 1999) and because they heard rumors that she was a woman of the streets and was a singer in a tavern in Hong Kong (Alburo, 2001; Cabrera, 1999).
Alixander Haban Escote
On July 23, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Dear Joe Keane,
Hi! Thank you very much for reading my article and for saying that it is a well researched one. I hope that you will be able to find Josephine Bracken’s roots and to produce a television documentary about her. It will be a very interesting one. When you visit Manila, you may always keep in touch with me. Once again, thank you very much. Cheers!
Sincerely yours,
Alixander
yannah
On July 29, 2008 at 5:20 am
did dr. jose rizal really married josephine bracken..? because some articles said that there were no proof or marriage contract.
Alixander Haban Escote
On July 29, 2008 at 8:23 am
Yannah, for the answer of your question, please watch “Bayaning Third World,” starring Ricky Davao, Joel Torre, Rio Locsin, Cherry Pie Picache,among others. In the movie, two filmmakers are obsessed with doing a film about Jose Rizal. Their effort to explain the mysteries in the hero’s life lead them to confront the past and its characters. This odyssey toward the illusive truth show us their face to face encounters with Doña Lolay, Rizal’s mother; Paciano, Rizal’s only brother; Josephine Bracken, the controversial “dulce estranjera”; Narcisa, the understanding elder sister who holds the key to the retraction controversy; and Padre Balaguer, the Jesuit who writes about Rizal’s final hours. Cheers!
fae
On August 17, 2008 at 10:54 am
nice article…very informative…can i just ask why the friars chose Dapitan as the place for Rizals exile…tnx ^_^
gina
On August 24, 2008 at 3:08 pm
does anyone have a picture of rizal’s family tree located in fort santiago? my mom is a great great granddaughter of Soledad Rizal and Pantaleon Quintero. I am looking forward to meeting our lost relatives.
Antonio Minileo
On August 29, 2008 at 9:48 am
This is a well researched life history of la ‘dulce estranjera’. She was never treated well in other articles, that I have read. She deserves better, after all, despite her young age, she stood by Rizal, ’til his end.
kate clarisse tungod
On September 27, 2008 at 8:34 pm
hi. hope you read this soon. i would like to know if your article has ever been published in any newspaper/magazine/periodical. thank you. i want to use it as a reference in my research. internet sources are not allowed kasi e. thanks.
Alixander Haban Escote
On September 27, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Hi, Kate! Yes, it was published in The Makati Science Vision, Vol. X No 1 June – December issue. Thanks for reading my article.
jhen
On October 1, 2008 at 1:00 am
i am looking for a controbercial issue aBOUT rizal.tnx
daintyblueangel
On October 8, 2008 at 1:03 am
i love the article!! indeed, the article is a great help to me.. i am actually writing our group’s script regarding Rizal’s life in Dapitan– that includes JBraken. The article had given me better ideas about JBracken especially because in our play, my role is JBracken.. whew!! Good luck to me.haha!! Thank you for providing such article.. Mabuhay!! God bless..
rizalina
On October 13, 2008 at 4:49 am
napanuod ko ung rizal sa dapitan at ang ganda ng story. and amand did a greta job protraying josephine bracken. hope na nagusutuhan nyo rin. actually ang ganda ng chemistry nila ni albert sa movie.hope na makahanap pa ako ng copy ng movie. tnx for reading.
Sheen
On October 14, 2008 at 3:42 am
Hi’
Can you post Josephine Brackens picture/images if you have?
I find them both very interesting. Thanks for writing a good article as this.
wafugy
On October 20, 2008 at 4:20 am
Hi. This is a good article. When I was in college, it was difficult for me to search information about Josephine Bracken. Though some information are credited to some filipino historians, this will be great help to students especially those who are having their Rizal subject…Goodluck. More info pa about history..
mark
On November 8, 2008 at 7:43 am
ang gnda po ng blog nyo.
kla q biography. pro aun n rin po.
ang gling2 nyu po!
mbuhay po kau!
god bless!
jerome
On December 11, 2008 at 5:11 am
your blog is a nice one…now I know how interesting jose rizal’s life is…..thanks…..can i have any information about rizal when he was still a child….????thanks in advance..
nehanne
On January 2, 2009 at 8:32 am
ang galing naman. malaking tulong po tong article nato. medyo nahihirapan po kasi ko sa rizal namin na subject. articles na gaya po nito is a big help para samin. napanood ko po kasi yun \”bayaning third world\” before. mula nun naging interested na ko kahit pano and i try nadin po to read more about life ni dr. jose rizal. me alam po ba kayo kung san ako pwede pa makahanap ng mga articles na about kay rizal and sa mga naging part ng life niya?parang gaya po nitong gawa niyo na to?medyo madali po ksai ko mabored kaya ang gusto ko yung medyo maiksi lang parang yun ganito nga po.salamat po sa pagsulat nito!big help po talaga.salamat po in advance. ^___^
chik2
On January 5, 2009 at 6:42 am
hi, can you give some information about dr.jose rizal’s close friends? tnx.
August Quesada/PCBchFL 32407
On January 27, 2009 at 1:32 am
#32 Jan.27,2009 I was a first grade classmate of Sagrario Mina (grand daughter of J. Bracken)at Washington Elementary School in Manila (circa 1935)and also knew her brother, Salvador. I saw them last in 1965. I heard that Sagrario married a Spaniard and went to Spain (unverified). If you know their whereabouts I would appreciate it. My email: quesadaaf28@hotmail.com P.S. I am a published author: West African Odyssey of Lee Rotherhals (Check at Amazon website). Thanks for this info on Sagrario’s and
Salvador’s grandma. AQ
Alixander Haban Escote
On January 27, 2009 at 4:08 am
Mr Quesada,
The descendants of Josephine Bracken are living in Parañaque City. One of my students before is their neighbor. I’ll e-mail you as soon as I get the complete address. Thank you for reading my article. Cheers!
Dr.RJ MAR DE GUZMAN
On February 12, 2009 at 11:42 pm
thats a good information thanks for that information
Lea_Nickie
On February 15, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Tanx!… GBU
Dee
On February 23, 2009 at 4:18 am
Your article is really interesting… Great work!
mitch
On February 24, 2009 at 12:04 am
in ur article, lack of information! i can’t find the details that i need….
the game
On March 2, 2009 at 8:22 pm
are there any proofs na ikinasal ang dalawa? saan? kailan? i neeed some infos.help naman.
deathmarch
On April 13, 2009 at 11:30 am
so is it true that she and rizal has an unborn child? is it a girl or a boy?
eMo_yakuza
On April 20, 2009 at 3:28 am
hi the article was great..can you help me?..i’m looking for the family root of dr. jose rizal..his mother side and father side.can you do that to me i need it..a family tree there origin.. send it in ck_yakuza311@yahoo.com that’s my email..thank you!
jayson laurel
On May 5, 2009 at 2:09 am
thnx… ito ung report ko sa history 17 namin…
salamat sa pagpost sa article na to
God bless…
Ryan Ray
On June 17, 2009 at 1:04 am
thank you for your nice article..!!
I’ll be able to pass my assignment in time>>
make some noise men..(-’;'-)
CHEERS!!!
gemma guinoran
On June 24, 2009 at 7:57 pm
tnx sa info.
Chinkee Tabuzo
On August 19, 2009 at 9:05 am
halu ask q lng po why was Jbracken considered as a spy for friars?sana po un inclusive na xplanaxon…hehe vry informatve po un article nio!!!!nice one….
trantz17
On September 6, 2009 at 12:37 am
xcuse me…it is true that they married?i read one book that says thet didnt married…
they married or not?
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