Drave was the cradle of the Martins family, the Martins of Drave, a very large family of long-standing origins. In 1946, Father João Nepomuceno de Almeida Martins took the initiative to hold the first family reunion here, bringing more than 500 relatives to Drave. Since then, this gathering has been held every two years, and a family monograph has already been published.
The family tree of this family goes back to Francisco Martins I (18th century), about whom very little is known. There is no record of earlier generations, although many Martins are known who claim descent from Drave but cannot be linked into this family’s main genealogical tree.
About Francisco Martins II, it is known that he had ten children, and all of them married into relatively well-off families. He died more than 150 years ago in the family manor (Solar dos Martins), and it was he, together with others, much older and now unknown, who helped build a large part of the village.
Naturally, the settlement was not limited to the Martins family; although it was the dominant one, many people were drawn to the area. This attraction was mainly due to the existence of mines near Drave, as well as the possibility of acquiring land and raising livestock. Others came to Drave through marriage. In this way, the village grew: more houses were built, more land was reclaimed for cultivation, flocks increased, and so on.
A community once lived here that worked as farmers, shepherds, and miners. But over time, and with the decline of the mines, the village became increasingly depopulated. People left in search of a better life, homes with more comfort, better access, improved economic conditions, among other reasons.
These people, especially the Martins, spread far and wide: São Pedro do Sul, Vouzela, Oliveira de Frades, Arouca, Castro Daire, Viseu, Tondela, Porto, Lisbon, Águeda, Bragança, as well as Africa and Brazil. The migration was such that, by the early 1990s, only four inhabitants remained in the village, divided into two couples. One of those couples, Mr. António and Mrs. Albertina, left in 1991, and Mr. Joaquim and Mrs. Aninhas stayed behind. Mrs. Aninhas died in 1999, forcing Mr. Joaquim to move to Regoufe, where he died in early 2005.
Every year, the Martins gather in Drave on 15 August for the village feast day, in honour of Nossa Senhora da Saúde.