52 Ancestors Week 22: Uncertain

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 22's theme is "Uncertain." Chances are you have at least one person listed in your family tree who you're not quite sure about. This would be a good week to write about him or her. Sometimes writing out what you know (or what you think you know) can help you discover things you're missing and things that don't add up the way you thought. (Thanks to MaryAnne Haffner for suggesting this theme!)

This week's blog is going to be topical. Ever since the "human malware" aka the coronavirus pandemic began to heavily impact our world genealogical exploits have been grinding to a halt as libraries, government offices, archives and other facilities across the United States have been closed until further notice. As a result, many genealogists have taken to the Internet to search for whatever it is they're looking for. They have even offered to speak in either virtual seminars or host live streams on YouTube. Peoples' ingenuity amazes me. Even in these difficult times, people still manage to do what they love. It's the information age which allows us to reach as many people as possible. It can be a gift and a curse.

Half of my family tree comes from here.

However, there's a problem with all of this. What if your family tree has people in it from another country? What if that country happens to be one of the places most heavily impacted by the coronavirus? In my case, half of my tree has roots in Italy. My father's paternal side hailed from Calabria and his maternal side came from Campania. Both of these regions are in the southern part of the nation and both places, like all of Italy have had to contend with the virus.

Before the pandemic surged as bad as it did, I had planned to write to the commune office in my grandfather's hometown of San Pietro a Maida.  It was one of my goals for 2020. I had done this many times and have had much success. I've even found cousins in the town who have been more than helpful and presented me with all kinds of information.

I had intended to ask about my 2x great-grandmother, Domenica Gullo and a few other people since they were brick walls. Everything was good to go until the unthinkable happened. Italy became inundated with coronavirus cases. There were so many cases that the country's best doctors fought long and hard to keep up with what was going on with their countrymen.

Once the death toll started to mount, I found myself  more worried about my cousins and less about genealogy. I've talked about this with several friends and even my cousins themselves. They all put up a brave face and told me that they are fine. They said that they were being socially distant and tried very hard to be safe.  They told me, as an American, to stay home and only go out into town unless I absolutely had to. That meant to just go out and get groceries, supplies and wear a mask.

I happily agreed with those guidelines. My parents are doctors. I wasn't about to go against common sense!

Antonio and Domenica

Despite everything, I still had some genealogical questions that needed answering. During the pandemic, I began to feel uncertain about when I was going to be able to message the commune office again. They definitely had more important issues at hand than helping me find out who Domenica's parents were. I wasn't sure what to do and now five months later, I still feel uncertain. I asked around and I've found answers which ranged from "Yeah. It's okay to message them. Go for it!" to "I would wait a few months."

Those types of answers didn't sit well with me. It's okay, though. We live in uncertain times and there's no RIGHT answer for when to actually send them an e-mail. That just left me with one more question. What could I do in the interim? I really, really want to research my Italian ancestors as information about my Québecois and English sides are a mouse click away. What do I do?

Well, for starters, I tried not to panic! Panicking never works and often leads to more problems than solutions. Thankfully, I have few solutions which could hold me over until this pandemic comes to a close and I have faith that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Maybe they can help you as well. Here's what you can do:

1. Use Antenati and Familysearch.

Both websites, Antenati and Familysearch have a plethora of Italian births, marriages and death records. However, there is a caveat. Some records can only be seen at a family center and even then only certain dates are covered. The information may or may not be online. It depends on the commune or the website itself.

2. Ask family in the "old country" or DNA matches.

This is something I am more than likely going to have to do. I have so many questions and I have a feeling only cousins will be able to answer them at this point. The thing is, I don't want to be a "pazzi Americano" and have that be the ONLY thing I want to talk about. Not while their country is literally on fire.

The best thing to do there is to just talk and casually mention what you are doing.

On the American side, I have a few DNA matches who have been very helpful. People have provided me with a few bits of information here and there. Those bits, while few, can help to strengthen future questions to the commune office when they open once again.

If you don't have or know of family in the old country, there are countless Facebook groups for Italian towns out there. Use them. Perhaps you'll get the information you need. You never know unless you try! Those are really the best solutions I can give people for right now. This is all you can really do in the middle of this pandemic.

We are living in uncertain times here in 2020. If it were up to me, I would hit the reset button and just start the year over again. We're just about halfway through the year and things are slowly getting back to normal. The world has a very serious problem and it won't go away unless people take all of the necessary precautions set by the CDC and the WHO. I am confident and hopeful that a vaccine will be discovered. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. There has to be.

I won't say this is the end of my Italian genealogical adventure. It simply has to evolve and take on another form for the time being. I'll keep my cousins in my heart and think about all they have to endure. It cannot be easy for them. Here at home, we have to realize something. We're all in this together. It doesn't matter where we come from. Together, we can beat this thing. Waiting a little longer for the answers I'm looking for is fine. After all, they'll still be there. As much as I hate the waiting game, there is little I can do. But, you know what? I'm not going to let the human malware control my life. I'm going to go out there and find the answers to my many questions. If it takes a little long, it's fine.

All we can do is keep Italy, the US and the rest of the world in our thoughts and work together to end this crisis. Forza Italia e Forza Terre.

This week's topic was a little heavy, I admit. I have had a lot on my mind recently. Next week, though, is going to be fun. I promise. See ya then and I hope you brought your Sunday best because we're heading to a wedding!

See you next time!

52 Ancestors Week 21: Tombstone

Week 21's theme is "Tombstone." I've always felt comfortable in cemeteries. I've always been fascinated with the stories scattered among the tombstones. Have any of your ancestors left an intriguing tombstone? Maybe you have a story of your search for where your ancestor is buried. (Any ancestors in Tombstone, Arizona? <g>

Great Scott!

I love Google stock images. Don't you? I could have put anything I wanted in that picture. I went with the "Back to the Future" reference because I had watched the entire saga on Netflix last week. I love the series. Then again I like science fiction to begin with and time travel is fun despite all the paradoxes and headaches along the way. Still, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. And so is the topic of this week's blog!

You know...Some people take pics of behind the stone.
Just saying.

I woke up this morning intending to write about Jeremiah Felker and how his tombstone was in Walnut Cemetery in Haverhill.  I was going to discuss my plan to visit and perhaps spruce it up a bit. I've noticed that many Civil War veterans have fancy tombstones like this in place. On the stone you can see what company he was in and unit he was with. Interesting isn't it? I also liked the shield, too.

Stone designs have intrigued me for a while because you can have anything within reason. There's the standard tombstone and then there's the really emotional ones which give you so many emotions. I remember reading about a kid who died of cancer and loved the "Pokémon" series so much that his parents asked Nintendo if it was okay to put an image of him and his favorite Pokémon on the stone. Nintendo, of course, agreed. Why on Earth would they say "No"? Mario's house isn't heartless! More on this story from Kotaku if you'd like to read it: https://kotaku.com/wow-thats-an-awesome-tombstone-dont-know-if-it-was-wo-1441479010

I also wanted to see if there was anything on the back of the stone. Wouldn't you be curious? If it's anything like the stones for my grandparents, it probably has who he was buried with. I didn't take the pic in the blog. That was from his entry on Find A Grave. It's a good chance Jeremiah was buried with his wife, Elizabeth. But, that's just a hypothesis. A GOOD hypothesis. Hopefully, I find out more as my great-aunt on my mother's side offered to take me on a tour of the cemetery.

Getrude Stevens is in the center of the front row.

Yes. Things got derailed nicely when someone uploaded a picture of my 2x great-grandmother, Gertrude Stevens, her second husband, his parents and a few other relatives to FamilySearch. That's her in the front row, middle holding a baby and the more I look at her, the more I see my mother!

I bring this up because I've actually been on a hunt for several family members' tombstones. My great-aunt informed me that her parents, Austin and Henrietta are definitely buried in Walnut cemetery. It remains to be seen if they are within walking distance of Jeremiah's stone. It would be nice if they were. We just know for a fact that they are in there. Somewhere.

Gertrude's stone is another I would like to see. However, that would require a bit of a feat. She died in 1944 in Farmington, New Hampshire while she was living with her third husband, Charles Melvin Berry. I did my best "Google-fu" and tried to see what I could find.

Farmington, NH is sixty-seven miles north of me. It would take a while to get there. But, there's a problem. She may not BE buried there. What do you do then? Well, for starters you look up her death certificate or her obit and see where she might be buried. That should be the first thing to do before you head for upstate New Hampshire. I have found Charles's death certificate and in it it says he was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Farmington. That would be a place to start. However, it's not a sure thing. You never know. Getrude's second husband, Walter, was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Kingston, NH. She could be there, too. The best bet would be to find that death certificate!

Did I find Gertrude's death certificate? Yes. It lists her final resting place as in Farmington, New Hampshire. Okay so far. One issue, though. It doesn't list the actual cemetery. At least it's a place to start. It still would be a good idea to contact the officials and see what they can find.

It's important to follow a few steps before looking for the stone. You don't want to go look in every cemetery. That's what genealogists, LARPers and people who like cemeteries do. Best bet would be to look for an obit before anything else. Some day I'll find her stone. Some day.

Gertrude's grave, of course, isn't the only one I want to find. I'm still wondering where my 2x great-grandfather Antione Legault is buried. So far records have turned up empty. His death record isn't even online despite him dying in 1901. My great-aunt thinks he is also in Walnut cemetery with his daughter. Hmmm....

This definitely merits reconnaissance. I see a trip to that cemetery in my future to see if that is true. I've been to several other cemeteries in Haverhill. Namely St. Joseph's, St, Patrick's and Linwood. Couldn't hurt to check out Walnut, right? Right!

See ya next time!

52 Ancestors Week 20: Travel

Week 20's theme is "Travel." Even though we aren't do much traveling these days, we can still use it as inspiration to write about our ancestors. Which ancestors traveled a long distance in his or her lifetime? How about an ancestor involved in a travel-related industry, such as railroads or ships? How about an ancestor you researched when you did some genealogy-focused travel?

On the boats and on the planes....

Traveling to different places seems to be something that's very common in my family. When I was growing up, we took vacations to Aruba, the Bahamas and we even took a trip to the happiest place on Earth, Disney World. When I was much older, my parents took me to Montreal, Canada to a dental convention. We've even traveled by boat to places all over New England. Sufficed it to say we traveled quite extensively. Not as much as my great-grandfather, Vincenzo, though.

The Ferraiolos circa 1929

For a guy who was born in San Pietro a Maida, Italy he sure did travel a lot in his lifetime. Tracking down all the places he went to was no easy feat, I assure you. At first glance you might think "Oh, it was probably another Vincenzo Ferraiolo who traveled to and from those places." I can see why you might think that. But, it's not the case here. Let me explain.

According to various records, he traveled from San Pietro to New York for the first time in March of 1912. He was seventeen years old and was visiting his aunt Concetta and his uncle Vincenzo. They had moved from San Pietro shortly after their wedding in 1907 and most likely paid the way for Vincenzo to visit.

He ended up staying for a number of years until he decided to go back to San Pietro a Maida to get married. Vincenzo married Maria Tedesco on January 15th, 1921. They had two children, my grandfather and my great-aunt. He then decided to go back to America shortly after my grandfather was born.

By 1929, he sent for his family to join him in America and they left with the Tedesco family on board the Roma. The rest would have been history. However, he ended up traveling several more times! He was raking in the frequent sailing miles! I think out of everyone he traveled the most and the furthest because Italy is clear across the Atlantic ocean! If there was a record for longest distance traveled by an ancestor in my tree, chances are Vincenzo would take home the gold.

Vincenzo and Fortuna

Maria passed away in 1943 and by the mid 1940s he married a woman named Fortuna Grasso in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Vincenzo didn't travel much after they got married until the late 1960s.

Vincenzo decided to take two more trips back to San Pietro. The last one proved to be the final time he would ever stand on Italian soil. As the story goes, he, my grandfather, my grandmother Ollie, my great-aunt, her husband and a few other people were invited to go to a wedding in Switzerland. They arrived in Naples and stopped by San Pietro to visit the family. Once there, the entire family took a train up to Switzerland and took part in the wedding festivities.

Shortly after the trip, Vincenzo became ill and he passed away in 1970. It was sad. But, he still managed to do what many immigrants couldn't do. He stayed in contact with the family back in "the old country". Usually, you don't see that happen. Clearly this isn't the case here.

Sometimes families would lose contact with each other once a relative moves clear across the Atlantic. This often happened in the days before the Internet became a fact of life. Once they moved, you never saw them again. Oh sure you could write letters. But, it was hard tracking them and people just stopped over time. In my mind, I think Vincenzo wanted to stay in contact with family. Like I said before, famigilia was important. So, when something is important to you, you make the time and effort to keep in touch.

That's especially the case these days!

See ya next time!

52 Ancestors Week 19: Service

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 19's theme is "Service." Military service might be the first thing to come to mind with this week's prompt. However, you don't have to go that route. Any service station owners in the family tree? (I'm raising my hand on that one!) How about someone who served their church, school, or community? 

Eugene Hamel and Celanise Lefebvre

Amy’s right. It would be entirely too easy to talk about someone who was in the armed services this week, wouldn’t it? If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while, you would find out that I have that in spades. This week we are going to do something a little differently. When the prompt mentioned school, one name came to mind. Eugene Thomas Hamel, my 2x great-grandfather.

 Growing up, I knew much about him thanks to my grandfather telling me everything I ever wanted to know about the man and his wife. This included the proper way to pronounce “Celanise” and “Lefebvre”. I had issues saying the name much to my grandpa Hamel’s amusement. :) That being said, while I knew much about the man, I didn’t know until much, much later that he was actually a teacher!

Eugene was born in 1864 to Leon Hamel and Rose Flavie Dussault in St. Albans, Canada. From the look of him in the picture you might never guess that he was a teacher, right? He’s got a cigar in hand and a winning smile. He looks like he’s about to do a Groucho Marx impression!  His wife, meanwhile, has this look  on her face that says “Oh, God. What’s going to come out of his mouth now?!” 

I found out he was a teacher by trade despite various censuses saying he was a cotton mill spinner in the 1900 US census for example.  In 1900, he was living in Allenstown, New Hampshire with his new wife and several children including my great-grandfather Alfred who became known as “Mr. Fixit” in Newburyport, Mass. By the 1910 census onward, he was listed as a teacher. It didn’t give me any indication of what he taught or where he taught. Still, it does merit some investigation. 

I don’t want to assume anything. I could stay he taught math when in reality he probably taught English or chemistry. We don’t know. With that in mind, I would definitely have to check out school archives in Allenstown to find out what he taught and where. It would be tricky because by the 1910 US. Census, he and his family were living in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Did he teach there, too? It’s possible. He was 46 years old at the time. Sure that’s young by today’s standards and general life expectancy. But, one never knows unless they dig into the archives.

Even then, there’s still the issue of what grade he taught. Did he teach high school? Was he a cool teacher with a Québécois accent? The guy’s got a cigar in his left hand and a smile on his face. You tell me. This guy was probably one of the “cool” early 20th century teachers. 

Finding out he was a teacher was definitely something I didn’t expect. He definitely served the communities of Allenstown and Amesbury well. Trust me when I say that those communities are like night and day. Allenstown is a small town. Amesbury is a small city along the Merrimack river. I am willing to bet people learned a lot from him. But, I might be biased here. I just wish my grandfather told me he was a teacher because I’d have had so many questions. 

“Laborer”? Sure, Jan....

Eugene passed away in June of 1943 and man the obituary is riddled with errors. It’s kind of annoying isn’t it. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Eugene was an English teacher?  I am not sure who wrote the obit. Why would the fact that he was a teacher be omitted? OH! Could it be because back then being a teacher was considered a women’s profession? Who knows?  Or maybe teaching was lumped in with laborers?

Whatever the case is, it’s safe to say that Eugene was a teacher. He served two very different communities very well over the course of his life and it would definitely be a good idea to dig into what kinds of classes he taught. Is there a way to look it up? You can look up anything these days! I would not be surprised if there was something somewhere about his teaching profession!

See ya next time!