In 1757, Fabiana was born on a small farm in the interior of Bahia, at a time when Brazil was still a colony of Portugal. Several kilometers to the north, three years earlier, in 1754, a young man named Wrialle was born in a middle-class home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at a time when the United States was still part of England.
Fabiana, in Brazil, was raised Roman Catholic, and her family received visits from a local priest. Wrialle, to the north, in the United States, was Calvinist, being a descendant of English Puritans who had emigrated to North America.
The distance between them would become even greater, as Fabiana moved to Vila Rica, in neighboring Minas Gerais, with her parents. Wrialle remained in Philadelphia, but began to get involved in the American independence movements, which would materialize in 1776, when Wrialle was 22 years old.
At that time, he participated in the American Revolution. In 1783, England recognized American independence, and Wrialle, at 29, ended his participation in the war. At that time, he had no interest in any woman.
But in 1784, he made a radical decision to visit Brazil. What was meant to be a quick visit just to take a break ended up becoming a stay that lasted 40 years. During that time, his destiny crossed with that of Fabiana, a young peasant woman.
It seemed destined to fail. She, Brazilian, Catholic, poor. He, American, Calvinist Protestant, rich. But love overcame all that. They married. He even participated with his wife in the Bahian Conspiracy, and after the movement's defeat, they spent some time in Goiás before returning to Vila Rica.
Many would say that the marriage wouldn't work. But in 1824, Wrialle, at 70, and Fabiana, at 67, went to the United States together, where they spent the rest of their lives. Wrialle wanted to return to his homeland, and Fabiana accompanied him. They were never separated again, despite all their differences.
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