From the April 11, 1930 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:

The name Manuel Silvia being a common one, the subject of this sketch is specifically designated to avoid confusion. Mr. Silvia is worthy of more than passing mention as having lived in the up-Island section longer than any other Portuguese citizen, and while he was not the first to locate west of the Chilmark-West Tisbury line, only one had come before him, and the death of his predecessor long before made Mr. Silvia a pioneer in a manner of speaking.