52 Ancestors Week 5: A Breakthrough Moment

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 5:

The theme for Week 5 is “A Breakthrough Moment.” Every genealogist has at least one moment when something finally *clicks*. It could be breaking down a brick wall, discovering a long sought-after record, or seeing an ancestor in a new light. This is a good week to write about this discovery. 

You can hear that glass shattering.

    In the beginning, a lot of my breakthroughs were from finding a random ancestor here or a random ancestor there. Naturally, these would be ancestors on my father's paternal side. Everything else was easily discovered through sources or awesome cousins like Mary aka Gesualdogenie dig some serious digging and put all those documents online. I honestly don't know where I'd be without her! 

    Building up my father's paternal side has been taking a lot of time and now that records are finally on Antenati, the Italian government's repository for births, marriages and deaths, finding those ancestors and people I'm missing should proceed at a much quicker pace.

    These days, my breakthroughs tend to be more on the DNA side of things. Thanks to Ancestry's comparison tool and DNApainter.com's amazing "What are the Odds?" app, I've been able to figure out a number of DNA matches including one who was vexing me for quite some time. One of the biggest puzzles was a woman named Isadora. Remember her? This blog will get you up to speed.

    To sum up. Isadora was a woman who shared over 100 cMs with my mother and I. She was also in the 700s range with a known second cousin. She matched virtually everyone who descended from my second great-grandparents, Antoine Legault and Lucie Cadran. In 2023, I had no idea who she was and how she connected to me. It's now almost three years later and I can finally talk about this breakthrough moment!

    My second cousin Pamela and have I tried to contact her many times over the years because of the DNA we shared. DNA doesn't lie and it certainly doesn't lie at over 700 centimorgans! 

    The only clues we had about her identity was that she clearly descended from Delphine Legault, one of my great-grandmother Henrietta's older sisters. There was no denying it. She descended from Delphine. The problem was that Delphine had a ton of children with her husband Ovila David. It was a challenge trying to narrow down who she belonged to.

    Thankfully, Ancestry came out with their DNA comparison tool and it made life a lot easier. One of the first things I did  was compare my cousin's DNA match list with Isadora. To say I was floored with the results is a bit of an understatement!

    When you use the Ancestry Protools feature on Ancestry, you can set it so their top match would be on the top of the list as long as they matched you. I looked at the list and I saw that she shared a mighty 2,008 cMs with another known second cousin. Right away, I messaged Pam on Facebook and said "You're not going to believe this. Isadora's top match is "Paula"! Paula isn't her real name, by the way. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

    Paula's father was a man named Roland David and he was the youngest of the David siblings. He married Greta Melville and had my second cousin. Isadora seemed to be Paula's half-sister!

That is *NOT* a small number!

    Pamela and I talked about how this was possible. What was going on here? Did Roland have an affair? Was there a mix-up at the hospital? We had no idea and Isadora still wasn't talking to us. Though, when I looked at her comparison chart, I can understand why. I get it. I really do.

    Isadora has a tree with a very Scottish man as her father and some random lady who isn't Greta as her mother. When she looked at her match list, she saw very little in the way of Scottish matches. She was seeing Legault after Legault in the triple digits from Pamela and her cousin Paula to my mother and I. Seeing all of these people you have a close relationship to and no Scottish people may have freaked her out and made her less likely to message anyone back.

    If I were her, I'd have been taken aback by the whole thing. But who knows what she thinks. It's easy for me to put myself in her shoes because the list of Legaults 

    I have no clue how she feels about the whole thing. I can only say that I understand why she hasn't messaged anyone who contacted her. At least I can say that this puzzle was solved and if she wants to talk to any of the cousins about genealogy, I'd be more than happy to help her out.  It's the least I could do. I mean she has a TON of Legault matches. She may need help figuring out who belongs to who.

So many Legaults!

  Naturally, when I discovered this connection, I put all of the Legault matches into "What are the odds?" and it confirmed what the match list showed me and as you can see from the image it's clear that she descends from Delphine and is a daughter of Roland.

    DNA REALLY doesn't lie here. If you say otherwise, you might be in denial and I honestly have no idea how to help someone in that deep denial. 

    Since Isadora isn't speaking to any of the Legault family, the only thing I can do is close the chapter on that DNA puzzle. Just say it's solved, call it a day and move onto the next one. 

    I do wish she'd talk to one of the cousins about her story. That way we'd get some kind of closure. As it is, there's not much we can do here. I solved the puzzle. I told Pamela. I connected her to the tree and that was that. There's nothing else I can do here. We can only hope that she responds to someone some day.

    I understand why she hasn't communicated with people and all I can do is hope for the best. The only thing left to do now is to move onto the next puzzle. Hopefully, those will have just an epic breakthrough moment as this one. It was a long time coming and I'm glad I finally solved the puzzle. Do I wish I could have celebrated with Isadora? You bet I do. But at least I celebrated with Pam and the other cousins who knew about this lady. Perhaps Isadora will come around and we can talk about the Davids. Time will tell.

See ya next time!

52 Ancestors Week 4: A Theory in Progress

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 4:

The theme for Week 4 is “A Theory in Progress.” There are times when you aren’t quite sure what is right in your research. This is a good week to explore a theory that you have about someone in your family tree.

I wish I could have used that conspiracy meme. This'll do.

     In genealogy, everybody has their own theory they want to prove or disprove in their family tree. In my own tree, I disproved connections to Queen Isabella of Spain and a few other connections quite easily. Those weren't hard to disprove by any means. Sorry, Grandma Ollie. When you're doing genetic genealogy, though, things can be a little on the tricky side because then you're dealing with a number of dna matches who may connect to you in one way or another.. If you go  to DNApainter.com and put in a random number into the shared cM project, you would get a ton of possibilities. The number of possibilities tend to increase with lower numbers. That's when you have to come up with a theory of a connection and use the site's other tools for help.

    As longtime readers of this blog know, I've had my fair share of puzzles that have vexed me to the point where I put them on the backburner. I was originally going to talk about this theory I had about a woman named Maria Rosa Astorino and her connection to me. However, things came to light that may have proved my connection. The jury may be out deliberating whether or not  this connection is true. I should probably start this story at the beginning and hopefully it makes sense by the end!

From the photo album of Flavia D'Arcangelis

    This is Maria Rosa Astorino. I first found her while I was doing research in the city of Haverhill for my one place study. She had two husbands over the course of her life. Giovanni Selvaggio and Giovandomenico Davoli. With Giovanni, she had several children before he unfortunately passed away due to sarcoma of the liver in 1912. 

    I initially connected with her because her daughter Nordina married Frank Coppola, a son of grocer Giovanni Coppola. Through their offspring, I have a number of DNA matches. It should be noted that the man in the photo is Giovandomenico Davoli, by the way!

    Here's where things took a right turn into "Interestingville". It turned out that my father, Nicolina and I have DNA matches who descended from Maria Rosa but not from Frank and Nordina. These other matches descended from Nordina's sisters Cecilia and Delina and her brother Marco. That revelation made me scratch my head for a while until a lady messaged me on Ancestry.

    A woman named Melissa saw I had the Selvaggios on the tree and wanted to know my connection to her husband. At the time, we had no idea what it was. We were at a loss for words. We did talk about the family and their lives in Haverhill. After Giovanni passed away, Maria went back to Italy and married Giovandomenico Davoli in San Pietro a Maida in 1914. Her children would eventually return to Haverhill some time in the 1920s and Maria stayed in Italy with her new husband.

Marco Selvaggio e Theresa
Aiello.

    Melissa and I bounced theories around while new matches came flooding in. She told me who a few people were and how they connected with her husband. I was like "Okay. Cool." We still needed to figure out how Maria connected with me and so Melissa suggested I email a cousin of her husband's in Rome named Flavia.

    Flavia matched her husband on Myheritage and is very into genealogy. I emailed her and she was very excited to talk to me and she was glad that I talked to Melissa about everything. She and I talked for a while and I explained the connection with the Coppolas and she explained how she descended from Maria's second husband Giovandomenico via their son, Trieste Davoli. She told me that she had no connection with the Selvaggios. She instead connected with the Astorinos.

    That was when a light bulb went off in my head. Could she and the Selvaggio matches be connected with the Astorino who married a Coppola? By this point I was already talking with my cousin Meli who's 2nd great-grandparents were Gregorio Astorino and Maria Coppola. In hindsight, the fact that Maria Rosa was an Astorino should have been a huge clue. However, you never want to jump to conclusions in your research. That would be crazy!

    While I was talking to both ladies about the connection, family stuff and exchanging pictures, I thought it would be a great idea to put DNApainter.com's "What are the odds?" tool to work. I use that site so often and I swear if I ever meet Leah Larkin or any of the creative minds behind that site, I'm gonna buy them a box of cannolis from Tripoli Pizza. It's only fair. 

So many cousins....

    WATO is very good when you have a ton of matches at high numbers. It's tougher when you have few matches at small numbers. Sometimes you have to improvise and sadly WATO wasn't really getting me anywhere. 

    I tried using the comparison tool on Ancestry and a few other odds and ends. Nothing was proving the connection. All I had going for me was a gut feeling that Maria's mother was either a Selvaggio or a 

Coppola and thanks to Flavia it was looking like her mother was a Coppola.

    Ordinarily, I'd have started to end the blog here with a message about hope for the future and talk about how Flavia was going to go to San Pietro a Maida to find out who Maria Rosa's parents are. Well, sometimes the universe decides to speed things up a little bit and deliver a juicy nugget of information.

    About a week ago Flavia emailed me saying that she talked to a relative of hers about Maria Astorino. She was told that her mother was Maria Coppola.....the same Maria Coppola who was the ancestor of Meli. And it gets better! The relative told Flavia that Maria often talked about how her siblings went to Argentina. Meli's Astorino relatives went to Argentina! To say I was floored is a bit of an understatement. Maria was apparently the daughter of Gregorio and Maria as I theorized in in WATO.  That's great. But, now I have a little problem....

    Gregorio and Maria had a daughter with the same name who was born in 1898. Flavia's Maria Rosa was born in 1884. Meli was given this information by someone who worked in the commune office and so I put it up on Wikitree. 

    Could the family have had two Maria Rosas born several years apart? I think it's entirely possible. Several families in Italy repeat names. One girl could have been known as Maria and the other one known as Rosa. It could happen. You never know. 

    Or.....It could be likely that Meli was given the wrong information. I explained the discrepancy to Flavia and she told me not to worry. She said she was planning a trip to San Pietro to get to the bottom of this. If she's a sister or not, I still have a connection to Flavia and Melissa's husband. They could very well be the same person and the person who gave Meli the information may have been wrong. 

    I honestly have no idea. I'm going to go with the theory that the two were sisters who happened to share the same name. We just need to confirm the father was indeed Gregorio and that'd be it. It is very confusing, I'll admit. Still, it's a great theory in progress that needs solving. You really can't deny a bunch of DNA matches that point to the Coppola family, Small numbers or not, DNA doesn't lie.

    At least the theory of my connection to Flavia and Melissa's husband holds water. It remains to be seen if it can be cemented with some good old fashioned genealogy. Flavia always comes through in a pinch. We'll see what she discovers next.

See ya next time! 

Nella genealogia, ognuno ha la propria teoria da dimostrare o confutare riguardo al proprio albero genealogico. Nel mio caso, ho smentito facilmente i presunti legami con la regina Isabella di Spagna e con altre figure storiche. Non è stato difficile, in effetti. Scusa, nonna Ollie. Quando si fa genealogia genetica, però, le cose possono complicarsi, perché ci si trova a dover gestire numerose corrispondenze di DNA che potrebbero collegarsi a noi in diversi modi. Se andate su DNApainter.com e inserite un numero a caso nel progetto Shared cM, otterrete un'infinità di possibilità. Il numero di possibilità tende ad aumentare con valori più bassi. È a questo punto che bisogna formulare un'ipotesi di collegamento e utilizzare gli altri strumenti del sito per trovare conferme.

Come sanno i lettori abituali di questo blog, ho avuto la mia buona dose di enigmi che mi hanno tormentato al punto da costringermi a metterli da parte. Inizialmente avrei voluto parlare di una teoria che avevo su una donna di nome Maria Rosa Astorino e del suo presunto legame con me. Tuttavia, sono emerse nuove informazioni che potrebbero confermare questa connessione. Il verdetto è ancora in sospeso. Forse è meglio iniziare questa storia dall'inizio e sperare che alla fine tutto abbia un senso!

Dall'album fotografico di Flavia D'Arcangelis

 Questa è Maria Rosa Astorino. L'ho scoperta per la prima volta mentre facevo ricerche nella città di Haverhill per il mio studio su una specifica località. Ha avuto due mariti nel corso della sua vita: Giovanni Selvaggio e Giovandomenico Davoli. Con Giovanni ha avuto diversi figli prima che lui, purtroppo, morisse a causa di un sarcoma al fegato nel 1912.

Inizialmente mi sono interessata a lei perché sua figlia Nordina sposò Frank Coppola, figlio del droghiere Giovanni Coppola. Attraverso i loro discendenti, ho trovato diverse corrispondenze del DNA. Tra l'altro, l'uomo nella foto è Giovandomenico Davoli!

È qui che le cose hanno preso una piega inaspettata e si sono fatte davvero interessanti. Si è scoperto che io, mio ​​padre e Nicolina abbiamo dei parenti genetici che discendono da Maria Rosa, ma non da Frank e Nordina. Questi altri parenti discendono dalle sorelle di Nordina, Cecilia e Delina, e da suo fratello Marco. Questa rivelazione mi ha lasciato perplesso per un po', finché una signora non mi ha contattato su Ancestry.

Una donna di nome Melissa ha visto che avevo i Selvaggio sull'albero genealogico e voleva sapere quale fosse il mio legame con suo marito. All'epoca, non ne avevamo la minima idea. Eravamo senza parole. Abbiamo parlato della famiglia e della loro vita a Haverhill. Dopo la morte di Giovanni, Maria tornò in Italia e sposò Giovandomenico Davoli a San Pietro a Maida nel 1914. I suoi figli sarebbero poi tornati a Haverhill negli anni '20, mentre Maria rimase in Italia con il suo nuovo marito.

Marco Selvaggio e Theresa
Aiello.

Io e Melissa ci scambiavamo ipotesi mentre arrivavano nuove corrispondenze. Lei mi ha spiegato chi erano alcune persone e come erano imparentate con suo marito. Io ho risposto: "Okay, bene". Dovevamo ancora capire come Maria fosse imparentata con me, quindi Melissa mi ha suggerito di scrivere un'e-mail a una cugina di suo marito a Roma, di nome Flavia.

Flavia aveva trovato una corrispondenza con suo marito su MyHeritage ed era molto appassionata di genealogia. Le ho scritto un'e-mail e lei era entusiasta di parlare con me e contenta che avessi parlato con Melissa di tutta la faccenda. Abbiamo parlato un po' e io le ho spiegato il legame con i Coppola e lei mi ha spiegato come discendeva dal secondo marito di Maria, Giovandomenico, tramite il loro figlio, Trieste Davoli. Mi ha detto di non avere alcun legame con i Selvaggio, ma di essere imparentata con gli Astorino.

A quel punto mi si è accesa una lampadina. Poteva esserci un collegamento tra lei e le corrispondenze con i Selvaggio e l'Astorino che aveva sposato una Coppola? A quel punto stavo già parlando con mia cugina Meli, i cui bisnonni erano Gregorio Astorino e Maria Coppola. Col senno di poi, il fatto che Maria Rosa fosse un'Astorino avrebbe dovuto essere un indizio fondamentale. Tuttavia, nella ricerca genealogica non bisogna mai trarre conclusioni affrettate. Sarebbe un errore!

Mentre parlavo con le due signore del legame di parentela, di questioni familiari e ci scambiavamo foto, ho pensato che sarebbe stata un'ottima idea utilizzare lo strumento "Quali sono le probabilità?" di DNApainter.com. Uso quel sito così spesso che, lo giuro, se mai incontrerò Leah Larkin o qualcuno dei creatori di quel sito, comprerò loro una scatola di cannoli da Tripoli Pizza. È il minimo che possa fare.

WATO è molto utile quando si hanno moltissime corrispondenze con un alto numero di marcatori genetici. È più difficile quando le corrispondenze sono poche e con un basso numero di marcatori. A volte bisogna improvvisare e purtroppo WATO non mi stava portando da nessuna parte.

Ho provato a usare lo strumento di confronto di Ancestry e qualche altro metodo, ma niente confermava la connessione. L'unica cosa che mi faceva sperare era un'intuizione, ovvero che la madre di Maria fosse una Selvaggio o un'Coppola, e grazie a Flavia sembrava che fosse proprio un'Coppola.

Di solito, a questo punto avrei concluso il blog con un messaggio di speranza per il futuro e avrei parlato di come Flavia si sarebbe recata a San Pietro a Maida per scoprire chi fossero i genitori di Maria Rosa. Beh, a volte l'universo decide di accelerare un po' i tempi e di regalarci una notizia succosa.

Circa una settimana fa, Flavia mi ha scritto un'e-mail dicendo di aver parlato con una sua parente di Maria Astorino. Le è stato detto che sua madre era Maria Coppola... la stessa Maria Coppola che era l'antenata di Meli. E c'è di più! La parente ha raccontato a Flavia che Maria parlava spesso di come i suoi fratelli fossero emigrati in Argentina. I parenti Astorino di Meli sono andati in Argentina! Dire che sono rimasto sbalordito è un eufemismo. A quanto pare, Maria era la figlia di Gregorio e Maria, come avevo ipotizzato in WATO.  È fantastico. Ma ora ho un piccolo problema...

Gregorio e Maria ebbero una figlia con lo stesso nome, nata nel 1898. La Maria Rosa di Flavia nacque nel 1884. Meli ha ricevuto queste informazioni da una persona che lavorava presso l'ufficio comunale e quindi le ho inserite su Wikitree.

È possibile che la famiglia avesse due figlie di nome Maria Rosa nate a distanza di diversi anni? Penso che sia del tutto possibile. Diverse famiglie in Italia usano lo stesso nome per più figli. Una ragazza potrebbe essere stata chiamata Maria e l'altra Rosa. Può succedere. Non si sa mai.

Oppure... è probabile che a Meli siano state fornite informazioni errate. Ho spiegato la discrepanza a Flavia e lei mi ha detto di non preoccuparmi. Ha detto che sta programmando un viaggio a San Pietro per fare chiarezza sulla questione. Che sia sua sorella o meno, ho comunque un legame con Flavia e con il marito di Melissa. Potrebbero benissimo essere la stessa persona e la persona che ha fornito le informazioni a Meli potrebbe essersi sbagliata.

Onestamente non ne ho la minima idea. Propendo per la teoria che le due fossero sorelle con lo stesso nome. Dobbiamo solo confermare che il padre fosse effettivamente Gregorio e il gioco è fatto. Ammetto che è una situazione molto confusa. Tuttavia, è un'ottima teoria in fase di sviluppo che merita di essere approfondita. Non si possono ignorare le numerose corrispondenze del DNA che rimandano alla famiglia Coppola. Che siano poche o tante, il DNA non mente.

Almeno la teoria del mio legame con Flavia e il marito di Melissa sembra plausibile. Resta da vedere se potrà essere confermata con una buona ricerca genealogica tradizionale. Flavia si dimostra sempre all'altezza della situazione. Vedremo cosa scoprirà la prossima volta.

A presto!

52 Ancestors Week 3: What This Story Means to Me

 From Amy Johnson Crow: The theme for Week 3 is “What This Story Means to Me.” Some people don’t understand the appeal of genealogy. They think it’s only names and dates. What they don’t realize is that those names and dates lead to stories. This week, consider a story in your family history that means a lot to you. 

Part of my extensive Marvel library.

        As a writer, one of my favorite types of stories is one that connects the reader to a wider universe. That's why the universes of Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who resonate with me. One small story is part of a bigger universe and makes the world seem lived in and real. Granted, those universes have been around for decades and let's be honest it can be rather daunting to dive into a story that's been going for decades with new material being added every once in a while. Thankfully, we have online encyclopedias and legions of fans out there who are willing to alleviate the problems that come with continuity. Worse comes to worse, there's always a reboot. This is why I never really got into DC Comics despite loving that universe just as much as Marvel.

    On the genealogy side of things, there is one story that sort of connects everything together in a very meaningful way much like a fictional universe. Everything comes together in a way that fills in a family tree or makes the people in it seem real. I've written about my parents' wedding and how both sides of my family tree wanted every relative to be there. I've even written about my cousin Caterina Aleardi's wedding and how my grandfather, grandmother, great-aunt and others all attended the event. This story is a little different. This is the story of  Caterina Coppola and how she was the linchpin connecting Haverhill, Mass and the Calabrian town of San Pietro a Maida.

    My second great-grandmother was very big on family and when her siblings Concetta and Paolo moved to Haverhill she made it a point to stay in contact with them. After they moved, her children Vincenzo and Caterina followed suit as Vincenzo went to Haverhill like her siblings and Caterina moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    I can only imagine how she felt being separated from her family. Thousands of miles of ocean separated them and everything. One can only imagine what was going through her mind as her children, siblings and several cousins were all the way on the other side of the planet.  Fortunately, she had other family in Europe who helped to fill that void she had when the others left San Pietro.

    In America, relatives like my great-grandfather Vincenzo called her often and even sent letters to his mother. I remember my cousin Caterina telling me how she used to read the letters to her grandmother as her eyesight was getting poor in her later years. I wonder if Caterina saved those letters somewhere because you all know I'd LOVE to see them!

    Through Caterina, the family in Europe learned everything they could about her siblings overseas and when she passed away in 1962 it fell on her daughter Concetta to keep the connection going. Letters were written like the letter I wrote a blog about last year. Vincenzo and other family members were invited to participate in Caterina's wedding in 1969. While we're on that topic, my parents were even invited to go to Italy WITH them. Unfortunately, they had classes and couldn't go. Sigh. Can you imagine if they went? Maybe they did in some alternate reality. Who knows? At least I got a pretty cool story out of that adventure!

    Now, then. This story of Caterina means a lot to me because this was a woman who clearly wanted to keep her family together despite all of the odds stacked against her. Think about the time in which she lived. Air travel was relatively new and cost prohibitive. Sailing across the ocean was tough for some as well. The only thing people could do was write letters and maybe the odd phone call. I think the latter would have been extremely rare!

    Her story of maintaining connections breaks the old trope of family leaving for other countries never to be seen again! To some extent that's true-even in my family. However, people still stayed in touch. Vincenzo's sister Rosa had  my father's graduation picture. How she got it is no real mystery. My grandfather Marco must have mailed his aunt a copy. It's not that deep!

    Caterina basically set the stage for keeping in contact with family and I like to think she did a great job in trying to keep the family together despite long distances and everything.

    Unfortunately, people maintaining the connections passed away and it took a while for people to get back in touch with one another. However, it was Caterina who started it all. It was her dogged determination that kept her family together in the first place and it's definitely something to be admired. That's why I like her story. It defied the customs of the time and it allowed for amazing surprises to pop up every now and then. I was surprised to see my grandparents in Caterina's wedding photos. I was definitely surprised to see my dad's graduation picture in a relative's house in Rome! I wouldn't mind seeing those letters. I hope someone has saved them!

    The weird thing is that I never really heard stories about Caterina growing up. Sure Nicolina would provide me anecdote or two when I asked her about her grandmother. It wasn't until I talked to my cousin that she really came alive for me. Caterina has a lot of fond memories of her grandmother and it shows whenever I talk to her about her. I do sometimes wish that people stayed in touch with the Haverhill family for a lot longer than it did. It would have been nice to have a real head start on my genealogical adventure. But, it is what it is. At least I am in contact with them now and thanks to the Internet, that connection won't be going away any time soon. Huh....Maybe I have some of her dogged determination. That would explain a lot!

    

The wedding of Giuseppe Casarrubea and Caterina Aleardi!

    Caterina's story is clearly that of a woman who worked hard to keep a family together despite differences. She was the connection between the family in America and the family in Europe. She tried her best to keep everyone together and as a result her children tried to maintain those ties despite the distances. Now distances are no longer an issue. People can talk to others across the ocean instantaneously.  The technology is definitely beyond her wildest dreams. I think she'd be happy to know that I've been keeping the connection going this far into the twenty-first century. At least I hope so! She'd be amazed at all the changes and it's her story that drives me to continue maintaining the awesome connections I have made. 

See ya next time!

P..S. Here's an alternate banner I had in mind this week starring a team of heroes who meant a lot to me growing up. 

The New Warriors are property of Marvel Comics

52 Ancestors Week 2: A Record That Adds Color

 From Amy Johnson Crow: The theme for Week 2 is “A Record That Adds Color.” Our ancestors were more than names and dates. This week, tell about a record that added color or context to an ancestor’s life. What did it tell you about that person that made them feel more “alive”? Or maybe you found something literally colorful, like a painting. Remember, there’s no wrong way to interpret the weekly theme!

Taste the rainbow

    I love records that really bring people to life. Newspaper articles and even census records can give anyone reading them a real sense of who a person was as well as what kind of a person they were.  As a genealogist, we all have to remember that these were all just people and not just stats we're adding to our favorite family tree maker. These were living breathing people who walked the earth long before we were even a gleam in our parents' eyes. Photos also add color. If you look at one of the pictures I have of my second great-grandfather Joseph Laplante, you can definitely see what kind of a person he was. Don't believe me? Look at this picture of him, his wife and her sister at the beach and get back to me. I'll wait.

    Of course those aren't the only records that add color. Draft cards can add color and also serve to tell a story.....especially if someone filled out two cards.

Paolo and his first wife Lena.
Circa 1917.

    Enter Paolo Coppola, the brother of my second great-grandmother Caterina and national detective based in the city of Haverhill. Long before he ever decided to become a detective he was drafted into the service twice and the registrar even made a note of it on his second card. Whether or not he actually served overseas is not known at this time.

   

    In any event, he was first attempted to be drafted at the age of 29 on June 5th, 1917. The actual date is unfortunately not listed on that card. It's mentioned on his second card. On the top of the card, it says that his draft card was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. However, it did give the following facts:

Address: 26 Grove St, Haverhill Mass

Birth date: 7 Aug 1886

Bogus birth place: Naples, Italy

The card also listed his wife and four children as next of kin should anything happen to him as well as a physical description. Apparently, he was of a medium build and his hair was starting to turn gray....At the age of 29?! Dude needed to either stop stressing out or try ye olde "Just for Men Hair Color".

    Normally, this would have been the end of it. Paolo was denied entry into the US forces serving in the first World War.  When I found the card, I naturally added it to my sources and thought that was it. Little did I know that Paolo here had a second card! This card, you have to see to believe.

Second draft card

    On September 12th, 1918 Paolo went back to the registrar and again attempted to be drafted into the service. This time, the clerk made a note stating that he was the same man who attempted to be drafted on June 5th, 1917 and even gave the card number and everything.

    Paolo tried to be a little sneaky with his second card because he changed his birth date to May 31st, 1886. Not only that. He changed his profession, age and where he worked.

    The only thing that remined the same on Paolo's card was his wife Lena being his next of kin and his address. His physical characteristics were the same. This guy clearly wanted to go off to war. I was able to figure out that he was the same person just from the note alone. I mean....What other proof do you need, right? The clerk said it was the same guy from card #466. I'm inclined to believe them! It also helped that the addresses were the same and everything.

first draft card

    This whole adventure told me a lot about Paolo. Before he became a detective, Paolo was the kind of guy who'd be willing to stretch the truth a little bit. It remains to be seen which birth date is actually accurate. As I alluded to earlier, the birth place of Naples on his first card was completely bogus. He was born in San Pietro a Maida along with his sisters. Why he didn't put that down I'll never know. Thankfully, his daughter Beatrice set the record straight in the 1950 census and of course my cousin Caterina told me. I know that's a weak explanation. She talked to her grandmother Caterina about him and her sister Concetta. He was definitely born in San Pietro.

    These documents also tell me that while Paolo liked to stretch the truth he was determined to serve America in a time of war. Whether or not he was successful is to be determined. I have a feeling he did not serve as children were born to him and his first wife during the closing months of the war. World War I ended in November of 1918 and his last child with Lena was born in December of 1918.

    It's hard to say if he did serve and it's a discussion best left for another day. Either way, it's clear that Paolo was not above stretching the truth. I imagine a lot of people weren't truthful in their draft cards. I mean, I have a few soldiers of the American Civil War who definitely lied on their cards. It was something people did back in the day and we shouldn't judge them for their actions. 

    It is funny to think about the clerk's reaction, though. Can you imagine? "Oh. This guy again?! Didn't we ship you out before? Oh...right. Never mind. Okay. Let's try this again...."

    Draft cards and other documents definitely have a story to tell and sometimes you have to read between the lines to see what was really happening at the time. Sometimes people will be truthful. Sometimes people will lie. Does it tell you about their character? A little. And hey even if they lied, they still give you a great story to talk about at parties!

See ya next time!

52 Ancestors Week 1: An Ancestor I Admire

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 1:

The theme for Week 1 is “An Ancestor I Admire.” Many people begin their family history journey in order to feel more connected to their ancestors. Who is someone in your family tree you admire? It could be a parent, grandparent, or someone further back in the tree. This is a week to tell their story.

How is this a free image for "admire"? Ask Google.

    Normally, I don't like putting an ancestor on a pedestal because he or she might be different from the image you have in your head. There's an old saying that says "You should never meet your heroes" as they'll sometimes disappoint you. Thankfully, most of the cast of every "Star Trek" series to date have been truly awesome people worthy of admiration. As for family? I would say there are a few people I admire. I'm going to keep it simple for this first week of the 52 Ancestors for 2026 and talk about my grandfather Robert Hamel and why he was basically Captain America.

Robert, Clara and Alfred junior (I think?)

    Robert may not have taken part in a top secret government program to create America's first super-soldier. However, he at least knew who Cap was! When I was a kid, I was reading a comic starring the first Avenger and he looked over my shoulder and said "Hey! I know that guy! I'm glad he's still around."

    That made sense. Captain America debuted in the 1940s and was very popular among US soldiers fighting in a conflict you might have heard of called World War II. It wasn't just kids who read comics in those days. Superheroes were popular with everyone. Not just with the kiddies.

    Robert was one of the many who enlisted to serve his country in its time of need and even though he was never a general or anything he served a very important function. My grandfather was a staff sergeant in the Air Corps, the organization that gave rise to the United States Air Force. He worked on planes and even flew on more than one occasion. The birth of my mother clipped his wings and he eventually took jobs that took him all over the country and even to places like Italy, Japan and Saudi Arabia once the war was over. To say he was worldly is a bit of an understatement. He loved to travel and tell people about the people he met in far away places and how we had to respect the people there. If that doesn't sound like Captain America I don't know what does!

    As I've said before, my grandfather was a bit of a shutterbug. He took pictures of anything and everything. He even took pictures during the war. He showed me several of his pictures and yet he never showed the wartime pictures to me as they were quite graphic. My aunts and my mother told me he was likely protecting me and I can see why. When you're a kid, you really don't need to see the images of war. Especially before bedtime.

    In all honesty, he never really talked about the war that much. He said where he was stationed, of course. He talked about the people that he met and how nice they were. He just never talked about the actual conflict like most soldiers do. I can understand that. I never pressed him on any of the details. You just never did that with him.

    What really surprised me is that he never talked about the awards he won or any of the promotions. So, imagine my surprise when I searched for him in the Newburyport Public  Library's newspaper archive  and found article after article about my grandfather getting promoted, sending letters to his mother Clara and getting awards from Uncle Sam. He got these awards and never talked about them! That's how humble he was.

    He'd probably say that it didn't really change anything and he was probably right. A medal on your tunic, while cool, doesn't always reflect the kind of person you are.  A decorated five-star general could still be a jerk regardless of how many medals he/she has. It's all about what's in your heart.

    I think that the modesty is what all ten of us grandkids remember about him. To us he was just grandpa or Pepe/Papa. And for Jim and I he was really the only grandfather we had growing up since we lost our other grandfather Marco while we were young. He never tried to replace him. He just treated us like any of his other grandkids.

    He never really yelled at us or anything. He just would tell a story, talked about his family history or just talked about fishing, golfing or any of his other hobbies. He was just that easy to get along with and because of that everyone who knew him liked him.

Totally not sus, Papa.

    It was actually very hard for us to keep a secret from him believe it or not. When we planned his surprise party for his 90th birthday, I thought I would record things for posterity. <cough>For Facebook</cough>. I had the camera out for the big reveal and he turned to me and asked "What are you doing?" My dad tried to save face and said "We're just taking a picture of you." I don't think he ever realized that I had a small camcorder.

    He just smiled, went with the flow and we had a great time. Though, in order to keep the surprise going I had to dress in normal clothes while the rest of my cousins were wearing nice clothes. Did I stick out like a sore thumb? You betcha!

 

    I like to think that he thought I was taking up a photography hobby like he did. He never knew I filmed parts of his surprise party. I don't think he'd have cared either way. I have the video clips saved to a jump drive and on a dvd so they won't be lost any time soon. Now that's forward thinking! I have videos of him at the party and at my cousin Kristyn's wedding. Both parties were great. I do feel bad, though. He never quite understood Bruno Mars and "Uptown Funk".

 

    Papa was admirable because he was just always modest and never let his medals go to his head. Lord knows he had tons of them! He was a kind man who loved his family and we loved him for it. He never really asked for much at Christmas, either! I guess all he really wanted was family and that's probably the best gift anyone can ever give someone. 

    That's why he was like Captain America to me. He never asked for much. He never waxed poetic about the hardships of war. And when you needed advice he would always lend an ear and we'd talk about what was bothering you. He was just that kind of guy and at the end of the day he was someone a lot of people should strive to be like. 'Nuff said!

See ya next time!

    

Not pictured: Jim and Brianna

52 Ancestors Week 52: Memorable

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 52:

The theme for Week 52 is “Memorable.” Who is memorable in your family? Who do you want to make sure isn’t forgotten? 

That nose is certainly memorable....considering I have it.

    In my family tree there are so many people who are memorable in their own way. My grandmother Ollie often gave people the shirt off her back and a warm meal. My grandfather Bob liked to tell stories about growing up in Newburyport and teach people how to improve their golf game. My grandmother Natalie loved to emborder various things and knit sweaters that honestly could compete with the Weasley sweaters from Harry Potter. The list goes on and on. However, there's one guy who was always memorable to everyone who knew him. That was definitely my grandfather Marco.

SUCH an adorable baby. ;) 

    Marco passed away in 1983 when I was just four years old. I sadly don't really have memories of him like my brother does. Jim remembers the two of them drinking water out of wine bottles. I can only picture my mother's reaction when she saw the two of them together on the couch with what looked like a bottle of vino. It was only water.....in a wine bottle!

    As you can probably guess by now he was quite the character and even though he passed away I was told so many stories about him that it didn't make his absence feel so bad. He wasn't totally missed because he definitely left a mark on his friends and family and that's the kind of legacy you want to have.

    I guess maybe dying relatively young impacted people in such a way that people don't want to forget a guy who made people laugh and made it a point to keep the family together. That was his whole deal. He was the one who started the famous Christmas Eve parties.

    He was born in San Pietro a Maida in 1925 to Vincenzo Ferraiolo and Maria Tedesco and came to America in 1929 with his mother and his sister.  When he left Italy, he left tons of cousins in Europe behind and his father really wanted to keep in touch with the family there no matter what. That determination was seemingly passed down to Marco and as a result a lot of people ended up having great memories of him either helping them out at home or just talking to them. Letters were sent back and forth and sometimes Marco and Nicolina would visit them.

    In fact, the house I grew up in is a true testament to his memory. He and my father built the house and even though there are some odd construction choices it's still a place I'm proud to call home. Still, I do have questions. Questions that not even my parents can answer. Why would someone willingly construct a way into the attic where you'd have to be Spider-Man to get up there?  Why would you make stairs to the basement a hair shorter than normal feet? The mind boggles. At least it's a conversation starter.

    Luckily, we got the basement stairs replaced. A new way into the attic is to be determined.  I hope it's soon. I may like Spidey, but, I was never bitten by a radioactive spider.

    Odd construction choices aside Marco was a good man according to my other grandfather and virtually everyone who knew him. He was the kind of guy that actually complimented my grandmother's giving nature. While she made sure you were fed, he was the one who invited you over! Talk about a couple meant for each other! 

    Whenever I asked my grandmother or my father to tell me a story about Marco they never really dodged the subject with a deflection or two. They were always more than willing to share what they knew.  

    They all knew him to be the kind of guy who made friends with people easily and would stay in contact with relatives no matter how distant they were genealogically or geographically. By the time I started really getting into genealogy, I found stories about him in the most random places.

    These weren't news stories mind you. These were actual random stories someone would share with me. For example, cousins in Italy would say "Yes, I remember Marco well when he visited San Pietro in 19XX" and just go on from there. They might have been referring to the trip he and others in my family took to Italy when they went to a wedding.

    Of course that wasn't the only time someone randomly had a story about Marco. In the first message I ever got from genealogist Mary Tedesco, she said that her grandfather remembered my grandfather quite well and told interesting stories about him to her. These are stories that stay internal. I was blown away at the time because I didn't know who Mary was and here she was telling me stories about my grandfather, a man I only ever heard about in stories and saw in photographs! She introduced herself as a cousin and that her grandfather knew mine very well. And that was true. He was my father's godfather and they were paisans.

Jim. LOOK AT THE CAMERA!!!!!!!!!

    That was random, right? Well, it's about to get even more random. When grandma Ollie passed away in 2002, she had a very large funeral in Haverhill. Everyone came from all over to say their goodbyes. It was wonderful.  I remember sitting down and this guy in a dark pin striped suit, scarf and a fedora came up to me. His skin was very dark and he looked like a very old man.

    He was accompanied by two other men who also had olive colored skin. He started talking to me and he had this very thick Italian accent. He sounded like he just got off the boat. Here's what he said to me. I'll never forget it.

"I knew-a your grandfather....a Marco. He was....He was a good man. He and Ollie were nice people. Take care of your father, okay?"

    I was like "Umm...Sure." He replied saying, "That's a good kid" And he took off. I watched him leave and I was left wondering who that guy was. I need to go back and look at Ollie's funeral guest list and find the most Italian name there. Chances are that was him! To this day I have no idea who he was. My parents had no idea. It was just so random.

    The man was obviously one of Marco's friends. How he knew him remains a mystery. Was he from San Pietro a Maida like Mary's grandfather? Was he a friend who grew up in Haverhill and never shook the accent? All I need is a name and chances are I can find something in Haverhill about that guy.  I'm sure I can find something about him.

    Grandpa Marco seemed to know everyone and everyone seemed to know him. He invited all of the Italian cousins to my parents' wedding. He visited with countless cousins who knew him quite well. I guess you could say he was a social butterfly. He was likeable and that leaves a lasting impression on everyone you meet. Growing up without him around didn't seem so bad because there were always people around who kept those memories alive and as long as people told those stories it didn't feel like he was gone.

See ya in 2026!

52 Ancestors Week 51: Musical

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 51:

The theme for Week 51 is “Musical.” Band geeks, unite! Who in your family makes you think of music? Whether it’s someone who made their living through music or who just really enjoyed listening, this is the week to sing their praises. (See what I did there? 😉)

Blues riffs in "B". Watch me for the changes and try to keep up!

    

    Who in my family makes me think of music? There's a lot of people I can talk about for this week's prompt. Let me pick a name out of a hat. One moment. And the winner of the 2025 Musical blog is.....

My brother Jim? Okay. I guess I can work with that. I mean I did write a blog about his wife Kathleen earlier this year. Fair is fair, right? Let's go!

Jim, Kat and me

    My brother and I are like night and day when it comes to our hobbies. He collects records and plays guitar. I read comic books and create my own webcomics. Don't get me wrong. We have many similarities. We both grew up in the '80s and '90s and can quote whole scenes of movies if we so desired. It makes playing games like charades fun. And it kind of annoys the nephews. So, that's a bonus! That pop culture is forever ingrained in our heads.

    Jim has always had an ear for music and for as long as I can remember he was interested in music. I would be minding my own business playing with my toys and suddenly Twisted Sister became the soundtrack of the Autobots' battle with the Decepticons. I'd have gone with Stan Bush. But, that's a little on the nose.

    I didn't appreciate it back then but now I do! 

    Hair metal isn't the only genre he listened to....Thank God.  Jim has a very refined taste and tends to listen to various forms of music from every genre. I think our parents were the reason for his taste in music. When we were growing up, our dad would play various oldies on the radio to and from the marina where we had our boat. Usually it was either the Beach Boys or Elvis Presley's greatest hits. When we were in the car with our mother, she would play contemporary music. As a result we got to listen to a little bit of everything.

    Things changed a bit as we got older. He started playing the guitar and while I tried my best to mimic his play style, I never quite GOT it. Jim definitely got the music gene. I just play "Rock Band" on easy mode. It's true. He has tried to teach me how to play and sometimes it didn't turn out well.

    A family friend once gave us her electric keyboard and for years I'd "jam" with Jim using it. It was okay. I got about as far as "Stairway to Heaven". Look, we all can't be Sir Elton John! I tried my best and Jim did teach me how to play somewhat. The trick was having the patience to tickle the ivories, ya know.

Work station or music haven?

    Over time my brother began collecting records and has displayed a select few in his office at home. Whenever he visits he habitually brings his guitar case along for the ride. And no it doesn't have a machine gun in it! Those are specifically for violin cases!

    Whenever we visit, he would sometimes put a record on for our enjoyment or during a meal. If we are preparing food for Thanksgiving or some other meal, he'd toss on an Elvis record or a Beach Boys record for my father. The last time he did that I asked him if it reminded him of going down to the boat. He laughed and said "Yeah." Those songs are never leaving our heads!

    When I learned that several of our cousins in Europe were musicians, I showed him their songs and I think he was impressed by them. Their style differed from his and he tends to appreciate all forms of music. Though, I'll never forget the time I gave him a joke present for Christmas.

    He was talking about Taylor Swift and was honestly a little iffy about her music. As a joke I bought him a Taylor Swift CD. To say he was unimpressed was a bit of an understatement. Though, ironically he bought one of her more recent albums a while ago. Huh. I guess times and attitudes toward certain musicians change. However, he does have a few singers he does not like and never will like! To gift him something from someone like Pitbull would have been a cardinal sin.  Never go against the family!

    

    Jim is just one of the many musically inclined people in the family and his taste kind of influenced my own. I suppose it could have been worse.  And looking back I probably should have appreciated the soundtrack to my activities in my room. It was pretty fun to be honest.

    The next generation of musicians in our family have started to take off as one of my nephews has shown himself to be just as musically inclined as Jim. Will he collect records and play music? That's to be determined. Though, he likes playing the keyboard!

    As for Jim, he still plays his music and I do love listening to him play. And before anyone asks....yes. I have tried to play his guitar on several occasions. Even when he was playing a computer game or something. I had to try it out. Why not? Was I good? Nope. Again. this is why I do Rock Band on "easy mode".

      Our father once told us that his favorite music style was here to stay. And I agree some songs are good and stand the test of time. Other songs? Not so much. My brother and I have a very eclectic taste in music. We like a little bit of everything. I think that if you truly appreciate music you need to listen to everything that's out there. Rock, Jazz, Rap, Country. Everything. Music let's people share what they want to say and it's something to be cherished.

See ya next time!

    

P.S. This is my 350th blog! WOOHOO!