MEETING OF APRIL 23, 2005
by Connie Sancetta (#4903)
Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei (POINT Chapter #6, Washington, DC), met at the
Dolley Madison Public Library in McLean, VA on April 23, 2005. In Paul Traunero's
absence, Lou Alfano chaired the meeting. 20 members and guests were present.
Lou Alfano (#2114) noted that it is possible to obtain the tax stamps used by many
comunes on their documents. Lou brought samples from his ancestral towns to show
us. These stamps are listed, for the most part, in ITALIAN MUNICIPAL REVENUE
STAMPS (2 Volumes), by Adolph Koeppel, Fiscal Philatelic Foundation, Mineola, New York, 1999. Available from:
Eric Jackson
PO Box 728
Leesport PA 19533
Price is $45 per set plus $2 shipping; 4 sets in stock on April 28, 2005 - call to reserve or place credit card order: 610-926-6200
Lou also advised the members about PIE and COI, two Italian genealogy and culture e-mail lists Here's subscription info for both:
On-line we have two e-mail networks to which you can subscribe for free called
"POINTers In E-mail" or "PIE," and "Comunes of Italy" or "COI." These are open
forums on all matters relating to Italian genealogy, history and culture. There
is no fee to join.
To join PIE, send an e-mail with no subject line to:
pie-request@jsoft.com
Your message should state "subscribe pie". Only subscribers can post messages to
this group. If you wish, you can receive PIE messages in "digest" mode - several
messages threaded together in one transmittal; to subscribe in digest mode, your
message should read "subscribe pie-digest".
To subscribe to COI, send an e-mail to:
SubscribeCOI@comunesofitaly.org
Put "Subscribe COI" in the subject line and give your name, email address and
whether you want standard mode or digest mode.
Only subscribers can post messages to these groups.
Debbie Ferdetta (#4930) has been researching the genealogy of her husband John
Ferdetta. She has located a fourth or fifth cousin in Florida and they are
exchanging charts and information. Debbie passed around a copy of a death
certificate which she was having some trouble in translating.
Richard Camaur (#3158) alerted us to possible problems in obtaining information
from Italy because of conflicts with EU privacy laws; under EU law personal
documents are sealed for 150 years, but under Italian law people are
entitled to access such records. Richard noted that if you receive no reply
to letters, as has happened to him twice, this may be the explanation.
Art Manfredi (#3414) noted that Ancestry.com has the capability to search for
approximate spelling of names, and as a result he has found several
naturalization records he had been looking for, with different spellings. He
also told us about a CD available from myfamilysoftware.com with photographs
of New York City in the 19th century, including the Italian sections. Also,
HHS has a free software package with forms for your family health history
(http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory.order.html). He was also pleased to find an old NY Times article about an ancestor of his wife.
Bob Carrubba (#4406) reported that the old Brooklyn Standard Union had a lot of
articles relevant to Italian residents, and much of it has been transcribed
at http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com. He has found several things on his father's life at this site. Aside from that, he has been collecting photographs from other members of the family.
Van Caffo, a new member, is just getting started on genealogy.
Two of his relatives had changed their name to Caffi and he asked for tips
on finding out when the changed might have occurrred. Others suggested
checking census records and naturalization papers. Marie Melchiori noted that
for the moment all genealogy requests for naturalization C-Files from the United
States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) [one of the "successor" agencies to the old Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)] should be requested under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA). Remember, these are records of naturalizations granted after Sept 26, 1906. Requesters should:
1. Print or download the request form G-639 from the web:
http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/g-639.htm (click the link at bottom)
2. Complete the form with their own info, then the immigrant's
Full name, and alternate names/spellings, aliases
Date (or year) of birth
Place (or country) of birth
Any additional info concerning when/where they arrived, or when/where they
naturalized
NOTE that if the immigrant's birthdate is less than 100 years ago, they
will have to provide some proof of death
3. Mail or fax the request to:
FOIA/PA
111 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., 2nd Floor
ULLICO Building
Washington, D.C. 20529
Fax: (202) 272-8269
If you want information prior to September 26, 1906, you must go to a local
courthouse where your ancestor lived.
Nancy DeSanti commented that the day of this meeting is the feast-day of
San Giorgio, patron saint of her father Louis' home town (San Giorgio, Pesaro,
Le Marche). At a previous meeting Louis had asked about the Q.E.P. found on
some tombstones; hew has now learned that it stands for "Qui gli Eiri (or Eredi)
lo Posero" ("here his heirs laid him [to rest]" or, "this is where his heirs
buried him").
Bob DeConnick (#4993), a new member is tracing the lineage of his mother's family in Piraino (Messina province), He visited there last year, met relatives, andhad a wonderful time. His grandfather Ettore, who died in a train accident,
hailed from north Italy and he has been unable to find any documents about
him. Suggestions included looking under both the first and last name, church
records, and train records of the accident report. Another ancestor was a
stowaway, and Lou Alfano noted that these people should be reported on the
bottom of the customs or immigration lists.
Anne Jeffery (#4845) is busy scanning very old photographs of her four
grandparents' relatives from their hometown in the Province of Teramo, in the
Abruzzo Region.
Marie Melchiori (#2828) alerted us that the NHPRC (National Historical Publications and Records Commission), a branch of the National Archives, is targeted for funding reduction under the 2006 federal budget and urged everyone to write to their Congress members. Information is available on the Society of American Archivists' Website - http://www.archivists.org. She also handed out some information about the Landmarks Citation Machine, which provides forms for various types of citations. It's available at
http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine?index.psp
Bob Melchiori showed a scrap booking article done by his daughter, Mary Anne
Walters, in "Memory Makers, Family Tree page ideas for Scrapbookers." She used
the title "Saints and Sinners" and showed the relationship between 2 of her
Italian relatives, Saint Pauline and Adam Richetti. Saint Pauline was canonized
on the 19th of May 2002 by Pope John Paul II. Adam Richetti was put to death in
the gas chamber in the state penitentiary, Jefferson City, Missouri, on October
17, 1938. Along with "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Adam participated in the Kansas City
Massacre, June 17, 1933.
Kay Torpey (#2543) has been contacted by a third cousin in Philadelphia who knows Italian and is very involved in genealogy. They are happily sharing
information, filling in each other's gaps, such as some death certificates
that Kay hadn't been able to find. Kay also advised us that the LDS are now
involved in negotiations with Salerno to microfilm their records; if negotiations are successful, the filming will be done with a digital camera, and may eventually be posted on the LDS Family History website. There is NO "target date" for this at the moment.
Connie Sancetta (#4903) is translating a page from the 1601 census sent by a
Sicilian cousin and having some trouble with archaic Italian. Her ancestor
apparently was involved in buying and selling cattle, if boi is an old form
of bue. [NOTE: Fran Wallingford advises via e-mail that "...boi is a dialect word, and it does mean cattle; usually goats."]
Lu Bailey is working on the village records of her material grandmother,
taking notes on the entire village of Torre de Passeri, Pescara, Abruzzo.
She noted that the LDS are also working on getting microfilms from Naples.
Elisa Ulino (#2301) is trying to find information on her paternal great
grandfather's (Vito Ulino), second wife, Rocca Marie Spaziante. Rocca Marie came
from the same town in Italy, Pietrapertosa, as my great grandfather and his first wife (Carmela Taddio/Taddie) did. My great grandmother Carmela Taddio/Taddie died in New York in 1899 leaving Vito with 3 children. Vito married Rocca Marie in 1900. Elisa also noted that NIAF (www.niaf.org) has helpful information about obtaining Italian citizenship.
Bob Baldassari (#4994) is another new member. His family members know very little about their ancestors, but Bob found a mention of his grandparents' home
town in an old newletter from Seneca Falls, NY and has now been there to
visit several times. He doesn't know when they immigrated; members advised
going to the National Archives, or the Virginia Room at the regional
library, which has a copy of Italians to America.
David Ciummo (#4638) had hoped to contribute his father's letters from WWII to the Veteran's History Project, but was told they are now winding it up. He
showed us a document given to him by an Italian cousin purporting to be a
family crest and history of the name, but was having some trouble
translating it. It turns out to be mostly boilerplate, with a guess that the
name Tartaglione is probably derived from a town, and some description of the
crest. David is trying to find the wedding date of his grandparents; members
suggested diocesan records, and explained about the difference between civil
and church marriage records; many Italians were married in the church but
did not get a civil record until long after the marriage, if ever.
Brad Jansen, another new member, wants to put together a CD "book" combining
information from all his cousins, and would welcome any suggestions. He
visited the home town Fuscaldo in Calabria last year and Montoro Inferiore in
Avellino and was warmly welcomed. One branch of his family came from San Benedetto Ullano in a Calabrian valley dominated by Albanians and he would appreciate any help with translating Albanian. He has just begun using the LDS microfilms of the Stato Civile and is having some problems with the old handwriting and language.
One of the members mentioned a web site that allows you to add photos for free...
http://www.IAAF-Gallery.com.
Meetings for the rest of the 2005 are scheduled for:
July 9, 2005
and
October 22, 2005
For further information on our chapter, visit:
http://www.oocities.org/circolomazzei/index.html
or via POINT Homepage at:
http://point-pointers.net/
for past minutes and future meetings and events.
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Guide"
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Contents
MEETING OF JULY 9, 2005
by Paul Traunero
Il Circolo Mazzei convened on July 9, 2005 at the Dolley Madison Library
for another quarterly meeting. We continue to welcome new attendees
because of exposure via POINT and our Web presence -
www.oocities.org/circolomazzei.
We numbered 17 and shared our recent research and travel recollections.
John Oliva is a new member and has a second cousin in New York who has
been doing research. This cousin had left a note in a plastic bag at a
tombstone. It was found by a relative of John and they were able to
communicate about their lineage.
John DiBella showed us a family tree quilt, on which his wife had sewn
in family pictures. The pictures had been printed on cotton fabric by a
t-shirt store.
Bob DeConnick knows that his grandfather's name was misspelled on Army
records from WWI. Bob is still searching for the ancestral town.
Bill Menza continues attending Mazzei to keep motivated! He has
recently received a letter from a cousin, who wants information on the
Venori line.
Rosemarie Foley found us via POINTers and she has copies of records
prior to 1850 and they are difficult to read. Her great-grandfather
came from near Campania in the early 1900's.
Paul Traunero has been cross referencing secondary names in his database
with other names being researched by relatives to form other linkages.
Anne Jeffery described their annual family bocce tournament that is held
in Delaware each August. Her uncles have manicured fields for the event.
Kay Hill hired Trafford Cole to research "Abatti." There are "Abati" in
the town of Collio that could be related. She received a CD of images
of the records that were found by Joel Cole during his recent research.
She had them printed and bound by Kodak. She needs to have Mr. Cole
document the book volumes from which the records came.
Elisa Ulino is in the process of prioritizing her next research endeavors.
Robert and Marie Melchiori told of experiences going through boxes of
photographs. Marie announced an Italian Heritage conference to be held
in Pittsburgh in July 2006. She also received an e-mail from a cousin
in California; they visited at a high school reunion on Long Island.
Richard Camaur told us that his surname used to be longer but has
evolved over generations. He is embarking on a pleasure and research
trip along the Adriatic and Venezia-Giulia area. He noted that the
National Genealogical Society has formed an Italian forum for NGS
memebers, akin to the British/Irish one begun in 2003:
www.ngsgenealogy.org/forums.htm.
Connie Sancetta found cousins in Cleveland that descend from one of two
sons of Carmello Sancetta. Her family group is from Roma and Sicily.
She has had success in recording distant family relationships.
Earl Jones and Linda Moran have recently joined the OSIA in Fairfax,
Virginia and are practicing Italian. They enjoyed their trip to western
Sicily, arranged by NIAF. Their hotel had a view of Mt. Etna.
Louis and Nancy DeSanti were planning to attend a local Italian Festival
in the D.C. Area on July 17th.
Our next gathering is scheduled for October 22, 2005, again at the
Dolley Madison Library in McLean, Virginia at 10:00 am.
For further information on our chapter, visit:
http://www.oocities.org/circolomazzei/index.html
or via POINT Homepage at:
http://point-pointers.net/.
for past minutes and future meetings and events.
Return to "Page
Guide"
Return to Archive
Contents
MEETING OF OCTOBER 22, 2005
By Paul Traunero (#1541)
Il Circolo Mazzei amassed on October 22, 2005 at the Dolley Madison
Library for another quarterly meeting. Our Web presence continues to be
located at www.oocities.org/circolomazzei. We numbered only 11 this
time around and shared our recent research and travel experiences.
Kay Hill (#4183) has received more records (post 1900) of her genealogy
from Trafford Cole and his son from the Collio (Brescia) area.
Connie Sancetta (#4903) showed us her hand-written family tree composed
on a roll of paper. It stretched a couple of yards due to the dates
ranging from ~1650 forward. She is making one for each of the four main
families with which she is sharing.
Art Manfredi (#3414) took train trip in the southwest U.S. and stopped
by the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, UT. He had made an
appointment with Ruth Merriman and she was very helpful and gave him
some ideas about trying to track an ancestor somewhere in Italy.
Nancy DeSanti is going on another NIAF sponsored trip to Umbria and
Toscana in November. Buon viaggio!
Lou DeSanti has traced his lineage to 1840 and two years ago visited the
grave in Italy of the only grandmother he knew. He shared copies of his
book "Columbus and the New World" (Hero of the Millennium).
Anne Jeffery (#4845) has been busy scanning photographs from her mother
into a genealogy program.
Richard Camaur (#3158) recently returned from researching his father's
side in Friuli, (VG). He was able to gain access to military records
that had been moved from Austro-Hungarian to Italian control. He
witnessed the Venetian influence along the eastern Adriatic coastline.
John DeBella lamented about some church records in NY state that had
been disposed.
Donna Dengler has had to pay attention to her German ancestors since
they're dying off. She recently used Hollywood Foto Fix for retouching
some old photos from her grandmother's possessions. As expected, the
results were mixed.
Lou Alfano (#1142) is preparing to move to Pennsylvania in the coming
spring as part of his retirement plans. He has been busy copying his
record (LPs) collection to digital media.
Our next gathering is scheduled for January 21, 2006, again at the
Dolley Madison Library in McLean, Virginia at 10:00 am.
For further information on our chapter, visit:
http://www.oocities.org/circolomazzei/index.html
or via POINT Homepage at:
http://point-pointers.net/.
for past minutes and future meetings and events.
Return to "Page
Guide"
Return to Archive
Contents
Copyright 1995-2005 Louis S.
Alfano
All rights reserved.
Send email to Lou
Alfano or Paul
Traunero for more information.
Be sure to include your full name, as we will
NOT reply to unsigned e-mail.
