52 Ancestors Week 26: Legend

From Amy Johnson Crow:

The theme for Week 26 is "Legend." Do you have a legend in your family history that you've even proven or disproven? How about a legendary ancestor (or one who should be)? Maybe someone involved in a local legend or folklore? This should be a fun prompt!

I had fun making that image up there. =) It's not a quote from the actual "Legend of Zelda" series or anything. I actually combined a few of the games' plots into one concise entry and there have been a lot of "Legend of Zelda" games since 1987. It's probably one of my favorite game series from Nintendo.  It's also one of the few classic NES games I was actually GOOD at! Those games are hard! There's a reason why they were called "Nintendo Hard" back in the '80s. Enough about that. Let's talk about legends or "Family Lore".

My family has no shortage of family lore. Who doesn't have a legend or two? I managed to disprove a few of them. I'm not entirely sure about at least one. For that one, I think a considerable amount of travel is necessary.

No relation to Isabella.

One of the first legends I heard growing up was my grandma Ollie telling me that we were related to Queen Isabella of Spain. That one was a little bit of a stretch considering she was of Italian descent and Isabella, naturally, was from Spain. It would have theoretically been possible considering Italy, Spain and Greece are the titans of the Mediterranean. People from all three countries married each other for centuries. It's possible! But, I had my doubts.

When my cousin on the Carrabs side did work on our tree, I noticed a few odds and ends that made a connection to Queen Isabella less and less likely. She managed to trace that branch back to 1700s Gesualdo. Gesualdo, for those of your wondering, is a town located just east of Naples. Still quite far away from the hills of Spain.

When I finally was able to do research into Isabella's family tree, I noticed a few things. A few of her children survived to adulthood. One ended up marrying Henry VIII. I umm....think we all know how that marriage ended. I traced the other surviving childrens' lines downward through time and it still didn't seem likely.

Granted there are still several hundred years between 1700s Gesualdo and the lines from Queen Isabella. It may be true. But, in the end it's extremely unlikely. It could be worth checking out. But, it could end up being a wild goose chase.

I do have another Italian legend from that side of the family and it could actually be true and merit some research. In 2004, we visited my great-aunt Nicole for a week and she told me that there was a Count Ferraiolo in the family. Me being me, my mind immediately went to some weird places. Apparently his name was Count Marco Ferraiolo (Same name as my grandfather and my 2x great-grandfather.)

Naturally, I was curious. Was there a Count Ferraiolo? I'd love to find out. I recently found a Count Gesualdo in Gesualdo. He...umm....had a very different life. Check the Wikipedia article for details. I will give him this. He did have a cool castle in the middle of town.

Back to this Count Marco Ferraiolo. For this I would have to trace the family back very far and I've only gone as far back as Marcantonio Ferraiolo. I have no clue if he links up to this count my great-aunt told me about. I will, however, have to dig deep. And to do that I would have to travel all the way to San Pietro a Maida to discover the truth. Would it be cool to have a link to royalty? Like I said last week: It's cool and all. But, don't let it define you because there are millions of people alive today who could make that same claim.

On my mom's side of the family, I have a legend which is pretty much true. I grew up hearing that we had several soldiers of the American Revolution in the family and that I descended from Charles Hamel , who was one of the first two hundred settlers of Quebec. That's nice and is very interesting.

Another legend on that side of the family is that of a Felker who played in the White House band after the Civil War. I haven't found anything that could substantiate or disprove that claim. My 3x great-grandfather, Jeremiah, was certainly stationed in D.C..  However, he didn't seem to be musically inclined. I say this because I found another Union soldier in the tree who was. His name was John Sargent Fisher.

John was my 4th great-grandfather and he was a musician in the Civil War and was in the company band from Massachusetts. Could he have been the ancestor my other grandmother told everyone about? He certainly COULD have played in the White House band. He was obviously in one band. However, he traded the instrument for a gun later on.

What's weird is how the story of John Sargent Fisher got transposed onto Jeremiah. I guess with time things got a little twisted. It tends to happen. Older generations don't remember like they used to and facts get swapped around from time to time. That's why it's a good idea to verify legends when you can. The further back in time you go, the murkier certain legends become and it's up to us as genealogists to uncover the truth for future generations. That way there would be less mistakes.

Family legends are great, though. They often spark the imagination and get people interested in genealogy. It worked for me. Sometimes they are tall tales. Sometimes they are true. You just have to dig around for the truth.

Now if you'll excuse me....The land of Hyrule needs saving. Again. =)

52 Ancestors Week 25: Earliest

From Amy Johnson Crow:

Week 25
The theme for Week 25 is "Earliest." Some ways that you might interpret this would be the earliest ancestor you've identified or the earliest document you've found. Maybe the earliest ancestor in a specific location.

Last week, I brought down the house with my letter to my grandfather. That was not my intention in the slightest. I made my family, friends on Wikitree, genealogy people on Twitter and perfect strangers on the street cry. One lady even said that maybe my grandfather was writing through me. It's possible. You never know. I had a hard time writing it to be honest and I've written sad parts of my stories before. Perhaps it's because last week hit a little too close to home. In any case, I'm glad people enjoyed it. Now for something completely different!

Week 25 has to do with the earliest. I think we can have some fun with this. When I began researching in 2006, my tree on Ancestry automatically added a branch going back to 1000 AD. It was to this guy named Grimbaldus du Bacon. For years I thought that was strange and a bit dubious. I hadn't had a chance to verify it until 2017. And wouldn't you know it? It was an unsubstantiated claim. I wasn't upset at losing the branch. It took a good fifteen minutes to clear that mess up.

Since then, I've always been a little shy about dealing with anything pre-1600. Could you blame me?

What happened was I asked on Geni about whether or not we could find information about my ancestor James Frothingham's wife, Phebe. I had a Phebe Southwick on my tree and originally she was the link to Grimbaldus du Bacon who lived 1000 years ago. Turns out that there were two Phebe Southwicks. One who WAS married to James and the other who wasn't and was connected to Grimbaldus. My friend, Erica tried explaining to me how this was relatively impossible because of various records she found. She said sorry and I said it was no big deal. I took a chainsaw to the tree and chopped it off.

Months later, I came across a potential gateway ancestor. For those who don't know, a gateway ancestor is a genealogical term which means that when you're researching a family tree you discover that one of your ancestors is descended from royalty, the aristocracy, or landed gentry. Usually in the United Kingdom. Though, it could easily apply to places like France, Germany and even Italy.

I was surfing Wikitree and found that Anne Derehaugh was considered to be a gateway ancestor. I checked my connection to her using the connection finder and saw that she was my 13th great-grandmother through my maternal grandmother's paternal side. This made a little bit of sense because Austin Felker's line does go to the UK eventually. Eventually, I learned that there was much more to it than that.

I saw that her line went back to a whopping six Magna Carta surety barons. Surety barons were people who signed the Magna Carta in 1215 AD and granted certain rights to people as agreed to by King John of England. It was one of the world's first Constitutions.

Anne was featured in Anderson's Great Puritan Migration Begins book as she arrived in Massachusetts Bay during that time period (1620-1640). That was only the beginning.  I had to learn more about her and if she really WAS descended from six surety barons.

I wasn't going to care either way. It's cool to have a connection like that. But, think about it this way. A gateway ancestor lived hundreds and hundreds of years ago. A lot of people are probably descended from the same person. You can say you have royal blood of you want. But, the fact is that you're still one of millions alive today who could have a connection to this person. Is it cool? Yes. But, it's not the be all end all of existence.

I once again called on my friend, Erica to help me find out if Anne Derehaugh was indeed a gateway ancestor. I didn't want to get bit again. She knew this. I also asked for help in Wikitree's g2g forum. Was I paranoid? Eh, maybe a little. I prefer to think of it as "cautious optimism".

Erica helped me confirmed that she was indeed really a confirmed descendant of six surety barons because of these documents:

She was noted in this book:  http://amzn.com/1461045207 The book is called "Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families - New Greatly Expanded 2011 Edition, Vols. 1, 2, 3 & 4" and is a modest 171 US dollars on Amazon. I ummm....don't think Amazon Prime can shave off the price here.

But, that's okay. She's noted in several other sources as being a descendant. Some of these include:

Battle, Robert. English Ancestry of Anne (Derehaugh) Stratton of Salem, Massachusetts. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 155 (2001): 367-390 and 156 (2002): 39-61.

Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to England: Birth date abt. 1606, Shotley, Suffolk; Living 19 Jul 1641 at Salem [Lechford 427], but "absent" on 8 Jul 1643 [STR 1:119], and probably dead by about 1645 when Edward Gibbons sold his house in Salem [ELR 1:89]

Her mother, Mary Wright, has even more sources which confirm her daughter's stance as a surety baron. Countless other sources appeared and confirmed this. It was definitely good news! I wasn't sure at first. You can never be too sure. Even with sources. Sometimes they can be faulty. It turns out that it wasn't the case this time.

In the end, I have connection to these surety barons:

Robert de Roos 27th great-grandfather.
William d'Aubigny 28th great-grandfather.
Gilbert de Clare 26th great-grandfather.
Richard de Clare 27th great-grandfather.
John de Lacy 26th great-grandfather.
Saher de Quincy 28th great-grandfather.

That's pretty decent. But, you have to be careful when looking up things pre-1600. You have to verify, verify and verify. It's like playing telephone over the course of centuries. Sometimes the messages get messed up and you'll never know which way is up. I think I got lucky here. Anne Derehaugh was indeed a descendant of a surety baron and I think I have more so-called "gateway ancestors". They just need to be proven.

For now, I guess, the earliest ancestors with records I found are these guys up there who lived in the 1100s, hundreds of years before I was even born. That's astonishing to think about. But, when you deal with genealogy going back that far, again you need to be very careful and know your stuff. Is it truth or fiction? There's only one way to find out. Do research and hope for the best. Maybe enlist the help of someone better qualified to answer any questions you might have. It couldn't hurt.

See you next time! And I promise maybe I won't be so hesitant about pre-1600 genealogy!

Edit on September 16th, 2023: It turned out that I am not connected to these surety barons. Sigh...Ah well.

52 Ancestors Week 24: Dear Diary

From Amy Johnson Crow:

Week 24:

"Dear Diary" is the theme for Week 24 -- and I've already seen some questions about this theme :-) True, not everyone is fortunate enough to have an ancestor's diary or journal. (I haven't found any in my family yet!) You could write about an ancestor who you can picture keeping a diary. You could write a diary entry telling about researching someone. You could do a bit of creative non-fiction and write a diary entry as if you were one of your ancestors. 

Update on a few things before I get started with this week's prompt. Last week, Newspapers.com  had a free weekend for those interested in looking up articles about their families. This is sort of a sequel to "In the News" in that I found a very interesting article concerning my grandfather and the motel he owned on Salisbury beach.

In 1961, there was a fire in a motel he owned on Salisbury Beach with my great-uncle, Arnold Villanucci. No one was hurt or anything. It was an accident and everyone got out okay. It happened in the fall. So, no one was living there. It was just so random finding that in the Boston Globe. You'd think it'd be in the papers here in the Merrimack Valley.

Sadly, they don't have those papers archived. There were loopholes and I did manage to find my people there. Next time Newspapers.com has a free weekend, check it out because you never know who you'll find. Or what. I saw ads in the '50s for something called "Muscle juice". It sounds like it was so gross.

 Back to this week's topic. Okay. This is where I get creative. Get tissues ready. Chances are I am going to have feels, too. Here is a diary entry my grandfather Marco would write if he could see me now.

********

Dear, Christopher.

Marco's first communion.

How are you? I'm so sorry that I never got a chance to see you grow into a fine young man. Your grandmother and I used to worry about you constantly. I'm sure you know this. You were a tiny baby born a month early. When I saw your grandmother again, she told me everything you had been through in your life. I told her I had been watching you and your brother all along. I am very proud of all you've accomplished and I just want you to know that my parents, your great-grandparents, have been watching you every step of the way, too.

That includes everyone on your mother's side. I saw Grandpa Bob when he came to Heaven a few years ago and greeted him with a smile. I thanked him so much for telling you and your brother so many stories about me. Cancer sucks, kid. It really does. I didn't want to leave anyone behind and I am so sorry that I did. I don't want to dwell on that. Let's talk about the good things.

I have seen that you saw the letter I wrote your great-aunt. I'm glad you saw it and the many, many pictures we took. Did she tell you about the communion picture? Not a bad looking kid, right? That was a great day. I was still learning English and my parents insisted I wear those shoes. Those were NOT comfortable!!

I hear you're interested in genealogy now. I'm so glad you got back in touch with the family in San Pietro. As I'm sure you know, we last visited the town in 1969. Your parents were dating and I went with your great-grandfather, your great-aunt and your grandmother to San Pietro a Maida. We were going to a wedding up in Switzerland by train and I wish you could see the rolling hills, the olive trees and the spectacular beauty Italy has to offer. Maybe some day you will get there. You never know.

The family back in San Pietro are good people and I'm glad you are back in touch with them and with my mother's relatives in the Tedesco family.  I'm sure if you've seen your parents' wedding invitation list you'd know that family is very important to me. I wanted to make sure everyone was invited to that event. They were either there or invited. I grew up with many of them. We spent many holidays together and for a long time they were the only family we had in America.

Chris, there's so much I want to tell you and ask. Can you tell my sister that I know she thinks of me often? Can you tell your father that yes, I am with him every time he works on something at the house or at the office? Can you tell your nephews about me? Can you make sure Jimmy does the same thing?

Make sure Jimmy tells the kids about that time he and I shared a bottle of "vino" and how your parents caught us. That was fun story! Show them pictures of me. We, your ancestors, love it when pictures are shared. It means we're not forgotten.

Your relatives on your mother's side have asked me to tell you that pictures of them are out there, too. Somewhere. You just have to hunt for them. We love you very much, Christopher. And we're glad that you're looking into our stories. Our lives.

I'm glad that you are learning all you can about us. Remember us. We're always in your heart. I know it sounds corny. and I am glad to know that you've been just as creative as I was in life with your comics and your videos. Keep up the good work, kid.

Love, Grandpa Marco James Ferraiolo

52 Ancestors Week 23: Namesake

From Amy Johnson Crow: This theme was suggested by Linda Whitmore. (Thanks, Linda!) Do you have a name that's been carried through the family for several generations? An ancestor named for a famous person or someone special to the family? 

This week we're covering namesakes and I've got a lot of interesting naming conventions on both sides of the family. A lot of names have been passed down over the years and I'll be talking about quite a few of them. Let's start with my dad's side!

Dad's side:

When you look at Italian birth records, one of the first things you'll notice is that many times the oldest son is named after the father. Or the oldest daughter is named after the mother. However, sometimes the father's name is passed down to the youngest child like with members of the Coppola family.

My dad's name is James Marc Ferraiolo. His father's name was Marco Ferraiolo. Here's where things get a little interesting because Marco's father's name was Vincenzo. For the direct Ferraiolo line, the names have alternated between Marco and Vincenzo for centuries. Check it out:

Marcantonio (1780-)
Marcantonio (1812-)
Vincenzo Gregorio (1847-)
Marco Ferraiolo (1868-)
Vincenzo Ferraiolo (1894-1970)

Fast forward years later and I have an older brother named James who continues the old naming convention. He even passed down the name to one of his kids. Now, you might be saying to yourself "Chris! Vincenzo isn't the same thing as James! You're trying to trick us! STOP!" Ah, dear reader. You have a very good point.  I'll try to explain it as best I can.

Somewhere along the line Vincenzo became James. You see it not just with my family. But, with practically everyone who has ever immigrated to the United States with the name Vincenzo. You'd think the name would've been translated to Vincent like how Paolo becomes Paul and Antonio becomes Anthony. That's not the case!

I remember my father asking about that for years. He's asked his cousin on his mother's side about it and she wasn't sure. Their grandfather, Giuseppe/Joseph, had a father named Vincenzo. Vincenzo's son, Rocco had a son named James Rocco Carrabis. He was born Vincenzo in Gesualdo.

It took a while for my dad to figure it out. There was even a magazine on my first cousin once removed's coffee table called "Italian American Journal" and in it to the surprise of no one was an article about how Vincenzo became James or Jimmy. Sadly, it didn't offer much of a solution. The way some researchers see it it's that somewhere along the line people who came to America picked the name because there was no American equivalent to Vincenzo. Which again is strange. You'd think Vincenzo would be Vincent. Maybe not. It's just one of those weird concepts, I guess. Perhaps in the end they just liked the name.

Mom's side:

My mother's side isn't as nearly rife with odd translations or anything like that. My grandfather's name was Robert Eugene Hamel. His grandfather's name was Eugene and that name has been passed down to several members of the Hamel side of the family for a very long time. One of my uncles and one of my first cousins is named after my grandfather. We thus have this great picture of three generations of Robert Hamel.

We also have three generations of an Alfred Francis Hamel in the family starting with my grandfather's brother, my great-grandfather.

On my mom's maternal side, there are three generations of people named after my great-grandfather, Austin.

Maybe if we go further back on my mom's side we'll find something really interesting and really, really cool. I've briefly talked about my ancestors who fought in the Civil War and the name John Sargent Fisher popped up. He was my 4th great-grandfather and if you look at his tree on Wikitree you can see that the "Sargent" part of his middle name came from his maternal side. I looked into it and it seems that Sargent was passed down to him because of his grandfather, Amos Sargent.

Amos Sargent was one of my almost a dozen soldiers of the American Revolution I have in the tree and was the first one I actually discovered back in the day. I think back in those days it was common to take a last name as a middle name. I've seen it with the Frothingham side of the tree. Most notably Richard Sprague Frothingham who had Sprague ancestors.

I used to think it was unusual for someone to take a last name as a middle name. But, I suppose if they did something notable like fighting in the American Revolution it stands to reason that their descendants would have that last name as a middle name sometimes. It's interesting. But, not that unheard of.

If you go really far back on her tree, though. You'll run into a lot of French names like Antoine, Jacques and the like as well.

In the end, naming traditions are cool. Perhaps it gives the parents a sense of immortality. A part of them lives on and so does their name. Sometimes the name gets passed down for centuries. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there's even times when the name changes because the immigrant liked the name "James". It's hard to say.

I know I'm not named after anyone famous or anything like that. I was born close to Christmas. That's why my parents named me Christopher. But, you know. At least my brother got stuck in the Vincenzo/Marco chain. So, I'm not going to complain! =)

See you next time!