52 Ancestors Week 8: A Big Decision

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 8:

The theme for Week 8 is “A Big Decision.” Life is filled with choices – some easy, some life-changing. Think about a big decision an ancestor had to make. Maybe it was choosing between staying in their home or moving across the ocean. Maybe they had to decide between two people to marry. Maybe they had to decide whether or not to fight in a war – and which side to fight on. 

"Every great decision creates ripples, like a huge boulder dropped in a lake. The ripples merge and rebound off the banks in unforeseeable ways. The heavier the decision, the larger the waves, the more uncertain the consequences." - The  7th Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) , "Remembrance of the Daleks".

    I will never get tired of quoting that "Doctor Who" serial whenever somebody mentions a big decision that was made or needs to be made. For context, the 7th Doctor, played by the awesome Sylvester McCoy, had to wrestle with a decision which could alter the fate of his peoples' mortal enemy, the Daleks. The writer of that serial was correct. Every decision you make could have far-reaching consequences and as a time traveler the Doctor could see the results of any decision with ease. If you'd like to read more about the serial, check out this article on the Tardis Wiki. I also highly recommend watching the serial as it's one of the best from the classic era.

    Thankfully, my ancestors have never had to decide the fate of an entire species that I know of. Still, important decisions were made and they still have far-reaching consequences today. For example, if my great-grandfather Vincenzo had never went to Vermont in the mid 1930s, several DNA matches my father, my great-aunt and I have would not be around today. All it took was one trip to Vermont to change the course of history. Was it a bad decision? That's not for us to decide. What happened happened and we can't really judge a man who's been dead for over fifty years.

    Speaking of Vincenzo, it's widely known that he and his family traveled quite extensively. They traveled to and from Europe every once in a while and visited family there. His last trip was to see his niece Caterina get married in 1969. For him, moving across the Atlantic was a great decision and for all his faults he still made an effort to keep in touch with the family in Europe. My father's paternal side definitely broke the old trope of "leaving the old county and never seeing family again". What about the grandparents his mother's side? Well, there's a story there....

Giuseppe and Clementina

    My other Italian great-grandparents Giuseppe Carrabs and Clementina Forgione are the textbook examples of "moving to a faraway land away from family and never seeing them again". Then again....Are they really? More on that later.

    On one of my trips to Haverhill city hall, I asked my dad's cousin Bob if he heard of any relatives in Europe and why Giuseppe and Clementina never went back to their hometown of Gesualdo. He told me that he wasn't sure if any relatives still lived in the area and to be honest I was slightly disappointed. On one level, I knew it was a longshot. However, I do like to remain hopeful.

    Then he told me the story of their trip to America and why it was their first and LAST trip.

    The decision for Giuseppe and Clementina to leave Gesualdo behind must have been a hard one to make. Their large families were there and their parents were still alive when they left for Haverhill in the early 1910s. They boarded the Adriatic in March 1912 and with them was their daughter, Jenny. Before that trip, Giuseppe had went to America a few times. This was Clementina's first and only trip.

    According to Bob, the story of their trip was not a pleasant one. I guess Clementina told the story to her grandchildren many times. Traveling on the North Atlantic in March was not a good idea. It was very cold. The sea was also a bit rough that week and the food was not that great. An Italian woman would comment on the quality of the food and Clementina was a master chef. She did not have a pleasant trip for those and other reasons. I'm not sure if she got seasick. Bob told me that she did not have a good time on the boat. At the end of the trip, she turned to Giuseppe and said "NEVER AGAIN! I don't want to go on a boat again!"

Still waiting for the bus, I see.

    Giuseppe, being the great husband that he was, decided that it was for the best that they stayed in Haverhill. I don't know if it was because he didn't want to face Clementinas's wrath or not. I don't blame her for feeling that way about the trip. When you're sailing across the North Atlantic at that time of year, you're going to face rough seas and I don't think she had what we call "sea legs".  It's ironic considering how my dad loved going out on the water. We all like different things and my great-grandmother just didn't like being out on the ocean.

    Giuseppe and Clementina's decision to stay in America because of their nautical adventure did end up having long-lasting repercussions for sure. 

    Eventually, my great-grandparents' brothers and sisters joined everyone in Massachusetts. Giuseppe's brothers Rocco and Pasquale went to Melrose and Everett. His sister Rosina joined Pasquale in Everett. Clementina's brother Pasquale joined his sister in Haverhill. Their uncle Giovanni Penta and aunt Rosaria Penta also moved to the Queen Slipper city with their large families. Several Carrabs cousins even made their home in the Worcester area. 

Giovanni Penta and family

    I'm not entirely sure if Giuseppe and Clementina were the first in the family to arrive in America as I haven't found any of the others' manifests. I suppose it would make sense if they were the first and everybody else followed shortly thereafter. Their decision paved the way for everyone else to join them and as a result there was less family in Gesualdo to go back and visit.

    I think that's the main difference between my father's paternal side and his maternal side. More people on his maternal side decided to move to America and other places around the world than his paternal side. Granted, people on his paternal side did end up in places like Argentina and did not go to America. However, the number of people who moved is simply greater.

    At the end of the day, it seems like Giuseppe and Clementina didn't really have to go back to Italy. Their decision to stay brought family to America and as luck would have it those who came to America wanted to stay! Though, I should note that several Carrabs cousins did go to Australia. I guess people had other plans.

    It's amazing how Giuseppe and Clementina's decision to stay in America and not travel to see family had huge consequences. By staying in America, they just had to wait for family to eventually join them in Massachusetts. It makes me wonder if it was their plan all along to play the waiting game. It also still; makes me wonder if there are other family members in Gesualdo. Time will tell if that's the case. I haven't encountered anyone in that Campanian town who could tell me otherwise. I'm sure there are Carrabs, Capobianco, Forgione and Penta families still there. You never know. All I can do is wait and see. 

    As for as the Carrabs' decision goes, I'd call it a good one. Their decision to move inspired other relatives to leave Gesualdo for greener pastures. They ended up thriving in a new land and still made close connections with their families. Again, I'm not sure if Giuseppe and Clementina were the first to settle in America. It would be awesome if they were and I think it would make the most sense.

See you next time!

52 Ancestors Week 7: What the Census Suggests

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 7:

The theme for Week 7 is “What the Census Suggests.” Census records are part of the foundation of genealogy research. This week, what is something surprising that you’ve found in the census? Is there something that helped break down a brick wall or give insight into the family?

Probably the most disappointing census ever. We all know why.

       

    Where would we be without the United States Census? For almost as long as the US of A existed there's been someone walking around taking a headcount of every man, woman and child living in every city and town from sea to shining sea. Personally, I haven't found anything earth-shattering in the census save for people being enumerated twice or the confirmation of someone's place of birth. I did find out that sea gulls once terrorized a poor enumerator in the 1950 census in Newburyport. Going by the notes in the back of the book he said that certain pages were stolen by sea gulls and that he had to redo a headcount of a neighborhood on Plum Island. I think that census suggests that sea gulls have always been jerks. I could have told you that. I once saw a sea gull steal a French fry from a guy's hand and fly away! They really are rats with wings!

    Of course that's not the only thing the a census ever suggested to me. They've also confirmed what I've always known about a certain area in Haverhill around both Washington Street and Bartlett Street. Growing up, I knew those streets to be the homes of my grandma Ollie and her sisters. When you look at the census, you quickly find that they were part of a much bigger picture. The house on Bartlett Street was once home to my great-grandparents Giuseppe Carrabs and Clementina Forgione. Grandma Ollie's house was built by my great-grandfather Vincenzo. And that wasn't all. Both houses were part of a huge Italian neighborhood within the city. Talk about being part of a larger universe.

The 1920 Census in Haverhill

    Granted, the neighborhood was far from being a Little Italy like in New York City or Boston. It was still a close knit community with many Italians leaving in the same area. It was like that for decades and at the center of it all was a "little" road called Washington Street. 

Follow the red road.....

    As you can see from the map, it is a very, very long road running parallel with the Merrimack river. I suspect many people settled along the river in order to easily get to and from work quickly. Makes sense, right? Haverhill had factories all along the river and they employed immigrants from all corners of the globe. Among them were Italians and in order to get to work quickly, they built or bought houses on Washington street and on the surrounding roads. If you look closely at the map, you might even see a landmark I've talked about from time to time that's still in operation--Benedetti's Deli. It's right on the road! Talk about convenience! 

    Everyone in Haverhill lived in the vicinity of that road. Everyone. In its heyday it was basically Italian central. You live on that road, chances are someone ten doors down might know your parents! It was that densely populated! I've found several articles in area newspapers that refer to the area around Washington Street as a village. I can see that. More on that in a minute.

    After a while, I thought I would take all the locations in Haverhill I collected from various censuses and see what they all looked like on a map. Using Google Earth, I put in each address and pinned them. Thankfully, the streets are still there along with the houses. I wish I could say the same thing about Newburyport. Sigh....They tore down my grandfather Robert's first house!!!  Let's go back to Haverhill before I get depressed.  At least the house on Bromfield street is still there. My mother once told me that the house had one of the old timey toilets with the pull string. .

  

      As you can tell from the first map and all of the pins in the second one, there's a lot of Italians living in that same general area. Most of the houses are located on several roads either on Washington Street or on roads perpendicular to the main road. Washington Street was clearly the place to be to find Italians. There's no doubt about it. If you were an Italian living in Haverhill, that's where you were living!

    This is just the tip of the iceberg since I only added my relatives' houses. Imagine if I put in every Italian whoever lived in Haverhill on the map! Chances are the whole map would be covered in little pins. I don't think I have enough time to put ALL of them on there!

Grandma's house on Washington St.

    In the end, the censuses' suggestions were correct. All of the Italians in Haverhill lived in a neighborhood in and around Washington Street. They settled in the area in order to be close to work and once the families grew, they bought/built more houses. This led to the creation of an Italian neighborhood that more or less still exists today.

    Another interesting thing to note is that the houses also center on High Street where Giovanni Coppola had his grocery store.  If you look at the map, you'll see that High Street meets Washington Street right near Benedetti's. Again, that's pretty convenient!

 It makes sense for an Italian neighborhood to have a grocery store.

    If only I knew where exactly on High Street the grocery store was. You're not going to find that in the census. You'll find that in the city directory for sure. 

    It was great confirming that the area around Washington Street was an Italian neighborhood. I always suspected that was the case when I was growing up. Family lived nearby and people always talked about how someone with a very Italian last name lived a few blocks away. When I looked up everything in the census, I learned right away that yes there was a vibrant Italian neighborhood in Haverhill. Does it still exist today? That depends on who you ask. Many people unfortunately passed away or moved from the area. Despite that, the people who lived on Washington street all those years ago undoubtedly left their mark on the city and made the area a great place to live!

See ya next time!

Photos and maps are property of Google Earth.

52 Ancestors Week 6: Favorite Photo

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 6:

The theme for Week 6 is “Favorite Photo.” I realize that asking a genealogist to pick their favorite photo is like asking a parent to pick their favorite kid. Don’t stress on picking your absolute favorite – just choose one and tell the story of the people and place in the photo. Don’t forget about the “Why” – why was this photo taken? 

Look at this photograph....

    I'd like to take this time to thank Chad Kroeger and the rest of Nickelback for creating what is possibly the most overplayed song about photographs ever. Ever since the song first came out it's been used in every wedding, reunion, birthday party, funeral and every other event I can think of. It's second only to Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You". And that song only gets played one time of year!! And no I'm not linking it! One overplayed song per blog. Those are the rules.

    I think we can all agree that it wouldn't be 52 Ancestors without a favorite photo post. Amy is right. Asking a genealogist to pick a favorite photo is a lot like asking us to pick a favorite kid or favorite ancestor. We just can't do it! That doesn't mean we can't talk about the ones that mean a lot to us. 

    I've shared many photos on this blog and I like this one a lot for reasons I'll get into momentarily. It's one of those group shots that just make you laugh when you look at it and makes you wonder about the story behind the photo. Without further adieux, let me take you back to the spring of 1989 and from there we'll go forward in time and see all the changes!

 

The motley crew!

        I remember 1989 pretty vividly. It was the year my brother and I got our first 16-bit video game console, the Sega Genesis. I saw the first Tim Burton "Batman" movie in theaters that summer with my parents along with the second "Back to the Future" movie. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was enjoying its second season despite the fact that there was a writer's strike in 1988. In case it wasn't obvious I was a kid in 1989. I was barely out of fifth grade! The year also saw some new additions to the family and that's where this picture comes in.

    This picture was taken at my cousin Kristyn's christening that spring and it's honestly one of the first pictures I remember taking with almost all of my cousins and my brother. Ever since that day it became a sort of tradition of my aunts to corral whoever was available at a family gathering and take a group shot. Let's take a look at who all is in this amazing photo shall we? Let's!

    From left to right in the first row we have my cousin Katelyn, my grandfather Robert Hamel, my cousin Robbie, my grandmother Natalie Felker holding Kristyn and my cousin Jennifer.

    In the back row we have my brother Jim looking way too cool for school, my cousin Michael and me trying to do bunny ears behind Michael's head and failing horribly. I was not tall enough. Sigh....

    Notably missing from the photo is my cousin Brianna. I'm not entirely sure where she was. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Getting all of us in one spot for more than five minutes is a lot like herding cats!

    Clearly, this picture was taken to celebrate Kristyn's christening. It was a joyous occasion and many of us still remember it well. She didn't know it yet but she was joining a family that was only going to get bigger as time move on. 

    I do have to laugh at my grandfather's reaction, though. He was wrangling two kids on his lap while Jim was behind him wearing sunglasses inside. I can only imagine what was going through his head. Nana on the other hand was busy beaming with pride. One more grandkid. Meanwhile, the oldest were being silly right behind her. At least we weren't too crazy! It was still the first of many crazy group shots.

    A few years ago, my aunt Linda posted this picture and tagged my brother, myself and the rest of the cousins. I remember the comments...,.especially my brother's! He said and I quote. "OMG! I....I have no excuse for this. All I can say is that it was 1989 and that I'm Italian. The end." My aunt being the wiseass said "Too cool for school, eh, James?" We shared some great memories. Katelyn was only a few months older than Kristyn and wanted to know if she was there. She was. Red shoes and all! The funny thing is Robbie still has that grin. So many great memories and like I said it was the first of MANY photos of me with my cousins.

Still not as tall as Michael....

    I'm not sure when this one was taken. It had to have been at some point in the mid 1990s because I was wearing my class ring. Don't ask me why I was wearing a windbreaker. I have no idea. Behind me is Michael and even in the 1990s he was taller than me. My grandmother Natalie is the one sitting on the chair with Kristyn and her younger brother Ryan who was born in 1991. Next to us is Jennifer.

    The 1990s was an interesting time for our family. I wish I could say why this picture was taken. I only know that my grandfather must have taken it because I found it in one of his mystery boxes along with all the other stuff he saved.  I think the picture was taken at some party or maybe some random get-together. My family never wasted an opportunity to take a picture of everyone present. Like I said. Herding cats. It's hard to get everyone in a large family together for one magical moment. 

Sad day. =(...What's that dot above Katelyn's head?!

    Things took a sad turn in the early 2000s. My grandmother passed away in 2004 and we held a massive funeral for her. Naturally, everyone there took pictures including this group shot. Included is my cousin Brianna on the far right and her daughter Mekayla on our grandfather's lap. It was great seeing all the cousins there that day. I just wish circumstances were different. Fortunately, things looked up in 2007.

        Kristyn's high school graduation was a bit of brightness after losing both grandmothers in the span of a year. We had my brother's wedding and her graduation to look forward to. And hey! At least I'm finally as tall as Michael here. Bet I could do those bunny ears without fail now! 

    Her class called themselves "The last good thing to come out of the 1980s." Looking, back at that first pic in the blog, I think that statement holds. 

    This was a great picture of a few of the cousins and me. I had a great time at her graduation. It was indoors and there was not a cloud in the sky. I call that a win! If you've read the blog where I talked about my high school graduation, you'll understand why. 

Good to know we can all look in the same direction....

   By the time 2013 rolled around all the kids in that first picture were adults and were starting their own families. If you can compare it with the 1989 photo you'll see that all of us aged well. From left to right we have Michael, Kayleigh, our grandfather, Katelyn, Kristyn and Jennifer up front and in the back we have Mivhael, me, Robbie and Ryan. Looking back I should have taken that opportunity to FINALLY do the bunny ears on Michael. And see Robbie's grin? Same one! Amazing. Some things never change.

    This picture was taken at our grandfather's 90th birthday party. It was a fun day to be sure. Lots of laughs, stories and pictures were taken. What you don't see is everyone taking pictures of us with their phones. That's why we're looking in random places. Sadly, this was the last time we all took a picture with our grandfather.

Everyone is he- Where's Ryan?!

    Our grandfather passed away in 2017 and naturally we had a big funeral for him in Haverhill. My brother came up from Virginia and everyone attended the service. Someone, I don't know who, wanted to have a picture of all of us together. Unfortunately, Ryan had some things he needed to take care of and couldn't make it for the group shot. See? Herding cats! 

    Still, this is a great one as it shows the cousin and a few of their kids. Hopefully, we'll all get together at some point and take another photo. Time will tell!

    However, nothing beats the first picture in the blog. Most of us were there for that one and in retrospective it's pretty funny. It's good to look at a family photo and laugh. It's also good to look at family photos over time and see how the family grown and change over the years. Even though it was a lot like herding cats you can see a lot of changes in the family since the very beginning. My grandparents were adamant about having updated photos of everyone and in time I'm sure more pictures will be taken. It's a good group of cousins and they're the only first cousins I have. So, any time with them is bound to be memorable. We still talk and comment on things here and there on Facebook and we reminisce about days gone by whenever our aunt or someone would dust off a photo and put it online for everyone to see. In time, more pictures will be taken. But I don't think they'll come as close as that one from 1989. Jim will always be too cool for school.

See ya next time!