POINTers IN PERSON Minutes
Chapter # 10 Central Texas/Austin
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (# 1653)
Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (# 1388) opened the monthly POINTers In Person meeting at 6:30 pm on February 28, 2001 at the Round Rock Library with 19 members attending.
Joyce TIANELLO Snodgrass passed around copies of a Geneva Ohio Free Press newspaper article and Death certificate of her grandfather, Domenico TIANELLO, who died on November 23, 1929. The article listed pallbearers'' names and many out of town guests attending the funeral. She is trying to learn the family connection to those mentioned. Joyce brought along lyrics of an Italian children''s song, Eh Cumpari; and many in the group proceeded to sing it.
Zina VERSAGGI Graalfs (# 3336) said that the new Family History Center in Round Rock now has two microfilm readers and two more on order. When the tape rentals reach a certain level, a printer will be ordered. The FHC also has a new CD of slave deaths.
Joe MASTRANGELO (# 2614) had to purchase a zip drive for his laptop
to accommodate the tremendous number of Putignano Italy vital records for
the MASTRANGELO and PUGLIESE names he has transcribed. The names are beginning
to cross match.
Bill and Ursula PASSAFUMA Rader returned from a cruise to the Lesser
Antilles and the Yucatan. During a recent visit to Iowa, Bill''s home state,
he researched his Rader family. After his grandfather''s Ohio obituary
mentioned Clearfield PA, he wrote to the Clearfield Historical Society
and received much valuable information. Ursula mentioned that she received
the
book about Alia civil records and has cross matched many family surnames.
Augie TROIANI passed around an article and photo from the Austin American
Statesman about the abandoned Sebron Graham Sneed family home, built in
South Austin in 1859. The house, now in ruins, is for sale, and since it
is an historical property, the city cannot tear it down. Sneed was the
father-in-law of Austin''s first Italian citizen, John Costa. Augie brought
with him a beautiful green/white/red knit shawl He told us the story
behind the words on the shawl, FORZA ITALIA.
Don VILLONI (#3985) is still unpacking from their move to Georgetown. He had sad news about the sudden death of his cousin in Torino, whom he had met in1937. He and Shirley visited with him and his family last August.
Pat OXLEY (# 3713) announced that she will be one of 6 featured Austin folks in the Austin American Statesman March 18 travel section featuring Italy. In the item she submitted to the paper for consideration, Pat told about last summer''s trip to Torino and her ancestral village Prascorsano with her tour guide from Torino that she met while doing research on the internet.
Virginia MACRI Gerick (#2730) brought a scrapbook of photos of a Christmas
tree, decorated to represent Italy, that she and Jim put up at the airport,
where trees representing different countries were displayed. Virginia is
going to be the Librarian for the chapter''s growing book library. She
will provide members a list of the books, and will bring those requested
to a
meeting.
Bill Brinkman said that while he was in the Ukraine, he found nine family records dating back to 1750.
Sheila BAYHA Dugosh (#4365) said that her brother is finally involved
with the family research and is sending her genealogical charts for the
LEONE/MONTANA family from Nicastra and PIRAINO''S from San Mango d''Aquila.
She also received scanned copies of many old family photos, many of
which she has never seen. Her new surnames are CARIO, NOTARIANNI, BONACCI
and ROCCO. Sheila announced that she is having another grandchild.
Dorothy ONOFRIO Lippincott announced that she will be on a cruise next month.
Jeanie MARSALIA (#4251) has a copy of her grandparent''s marriage banns
of Giuseppe MARSAGLIA of Casella and Margherita MARCHETTI-CALOISO of Lanzo
Torinese. She has never seen the Caloiso name in connection to the
Marchetti. She also has her grandfather''s ship record dated March
7, 1898.
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (# 1653) passed around several newly received
death certificates of her mother''s New Orleans ALFANO family. An Alfano
cousin in New Orleans responded ""not interested"" to Marilyn''s letter
asking for information. A MANISCALCO cousin in Houston has asked for genealogy
and cancer related information on that family. A WEIDO cousin in Houston
wants to find out more about the parentage of her grandfather, Simone GUIDA,
whose
POGGIOREALE birth records show them as unknown, which Marilyn can''t
help her with. Marilyn is representing the Austin Genealogical Society
on March 1 as speaker at the Galveston County Genealogical Society Meeting.
Lin mentioned that there is travel section at the Michelin.com web site. She announced that son Bob is now working for the Texas Historical Association after receiving his master''s degree in Architectural History from Texas A&M in December. She recently learned that the name VOLKOVYSK on a photo of her paternal grandparents is not the photographer, but is a town name. She located a book at the UT Library with this name as the title, but the book is in Yiddish. Lin and her family attended the 125-year anniversary of the New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Manor area.
Lin announced our next two meetings, to be held at the Round Rock Library, on: Wednesday, March 28 at 6:30 pm and Sunday pot-luck. April 22 at 1:30 pm.