He was married to Inês da Câmara, lady-in-waiting to Infanta Beatrice, Duchess of Viseu, who had a good relation in the Portuguese Court.
Firstborn son of Rui Gonçalves da Câmara, he was in Lisbon completing his education, while his brother was a novice at the Monastery of Alcobaça, indicating the importance of the family within the Portuguese Court at the time.
[1] He invited many people from the kingdom, those with a spirit of adventure, that included many of the prominent families in the modern archipelago, including the Monizes, Baretos, Baldaias, Vaz, Sousas, Esteves, Rochas, Machados, Costas and Benevides.
[1] João Rodrigues' tenure was short (1497–1502), when died suddenly in Lisbon, leaving behind his wife on the island of São Miguel, along with his four minor children.
[1] During Pedro's administration various Jewish families came to the Azores, after being expelled in 1497 from the continent (the document was only published four years later).