April 17, 1999 Meeting Minutes

POINTers IN PERSON Minutes
Chapter #10 - Central Texas/Austin
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (#1653)
 

Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (#1388) opened the monthly POINTers InPerson meeting and potluck luncheon
Sat., April 17, 1999 at the Bank One in Round Rock with 26 members and guests attending. After lunch,
minutes of last month's meeting that Di Frei wrote in Marilyn's absence were passed around. Lin
introduced our guests, Carol Menginie from Dallas and Tony Godwin and his mother Jeanne Godwin.
Membership applications for POINT and the Austin Genealogical Society were offered.

The POINT Conference, scheduled for Oct 6-9 in Austin was discussed. Lin and Pat Oxley announced that
POINTer members can receive a 10% discount on American Airlines tickets with a 60 day advance purchase;
this offer will become available in October 1999; they are still working out the details. Hotel reservations can be made now at the Doubletree Hotel at 1-800-222-TREE for $79 per night; mention POINT for that rate. WE WILL AWARD PRIZES TO THE FIRST TWO ROOMS BOOKED.  Lin also announced that we will have a garage sale on Saturday, May 15 at her house to raise start-up money for conference expenses. Everyone was encouraged to bring items to sell and work, if possible.

Laurie GUGINO Riester told the group how helpful the book, Discovering Your Italians Ancestors by Lynn
Nelson has been. She encouraged anyone trying to read the Italian town records to buy the book. It has
samples of original records, the same records rewritten in easy to read Italian and then again in English so that
the entire record can be easily read.

Carol MENGINI drove to our meeting from Dallas. She is researching the names MANCINI, COLASANTE
and TESTA, possibly from Campobaso in the Calabria region.

Tony Godwin is researching PELUSI, which changed to PELUSO then PELUS in the U.S, from the Abruzzi
region. He passed around a copy of his grandfather's Social Security application and also found him in
the 1915 New York state census in Hudson Falls.

Laurie GUGINO Riester (#3878) is reading Valledolmo, Sicily records looking for siblings of her grandparents.  She is trying to locate a Palermo province phone book before their trip there in June to identify the Valledolmo residents she might contact. Her aunt in Florida sent her a box of family items including family photos of her great grandmother Salvadora GERVASI.

Jeanette and Janet Green are receiving a lot of information on the Mezzjuso website, home of their CUCCIO
family.

Don VILLONI found his grandfather's name, Dominick VILLONI  in a book about Italians in
Cleveland that Augie Troiani gave him. While he was in New York, Don visited Ellis Island. He received an
email from a new cousin; they connected through the name Antonio CASERTANO, who was raised by the
Villoni family in Rubio Ohio. Don is still searching for the passenger boat c. 1903 that carried his grandfather to
the U.S.

Jeanne MARSALIA is going to the FHC on Wednesday to look up town records.

Augie and Lory TROIANI visited the Ft Worth Branch of NARA. He is continuing his research on John G.
COSTA.

Dorothy MANGO Lippincott announced that after many boys born into the family, one of her grandsons and
his wife are expecting a baby girl.

Chick CHIAPPORI told that his mother and father were the only family members to come to the U.S. and all of his wife Gladys' grandparents were in this country.

Eugenia ASSAIBENE Luken said that she knows all of her cousins in Italy.

Di FREI offered to compile and type the recipes from our pot luck luncheons.

Jamie CANNONE ordered new microfilm of Montalbano Elicona to verify his TRUCIANO great great great
grandmother.

Louis SCOPEL has copies of his grandparents' passports. He is researching SCOPEL, RECH and DE
PAOLI from Seren Del Grappa and BIONDINI, ANDREI and MUCCI from Terennzo Lesignamo, Palmia,
Parma.

Pat Oxley is researching BUFFO from north of Torino; they sailed out of France. She showed her
family's passenger ship that she ordered from KINSHIPS web site and the family photo framed. She is
traveling to Italy in August.

Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (1653) announced that her daughter Shelly is having a baby girl in early
September. Marilyn showed everyone the pin and license plate she ordered from Arba Scicula, the Sicilian
organization. She is reading newly released films of Alia, Sicily records and is trying to reidentify her
MARTINO great great grandfather as well as fill in many other family members. She and Arthur and their son
David are taking a 12 day cruise in mid-May that begins in Rome and ends in London.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 26.

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