POINTers IN PERSON Minutes
Chapter # 10 Central Texas/Austin
Submitted by: Sherry PACELLI Haddox (#4883)
Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (#1388) opened the monthly meeting of POINTers in Person, Chapter #10 Austin/Central Texas on July 27, 2005 at the Round Rock Library with 11 members present plus one guest, Christopher Onofrio, Lin's great-nephew.
Lin reminded the group about the Italian film night in Austin which will be on August 4th at the Alamo Drafthouse on highway 183 at 6:30 PM. Reservations
are required.
It was also mentioned that Joe and Marie MASTRANGELO'S 50th wedding anniversary will be August 17th!
Jeanie MARSALIA (#4251) is still patiently waiting for immigration papers for her grandfather, Guiseppe Marsaglia.
Carol MAINA Roam (#4623) reported that she has completed documenting her direct ODDONO family line from Settimo Rottaro (TO) back to 1577! Carol also received an e-mail from a gentleman who lives in Torino. He shares the same surname (AJMAR) as her paternal grandmother. Carol sent him a copy of her Ajmar tree and is hoping they can establish a connection and share some information.
Scott Patrick (#4819) found the death certificate from 1931 for his great-uncle Mack Gardner (aka Ercole GARAGUSI) on the website for the Arizona Department of Health Services. He also found an announcement of the divorce decree for Mack and his wife Millie from Denver in 1911. Scott also found the death record for his third-great grandmother, Aurora De Asmundis, in Anzi (PZ BA), Italy from 1892. Scott has expanded his known De Asmundis ancestors by finding many other individuals in the civil records for Anzi. Among the Anzi records was also a marriage record for another great-uncle, Vincenzo GARAGUSI, to Arcangelina PICERNI who was from the neighboring town of Abriola. Another marriage record for a cousin of Vincenzo, Aurora GARAGUSI, to Nicolo BELLETTIERI clarified the father of Aurora as the older brother, Francesco Saverio GARAGUSI, whom Scott believed had died before having children but was listed as living at his daughter's marriage.
Ursula PASSAFUMA Rader (#4467) after a very long search found her grandparents, Rosolino and Rosolia (Ganci) Passafuma, along with their oldest daughter
Grace, on the 1900 census in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. The problem has been the incorrect spelling of their names by the census taker.
Ursula's husband, Bill Rader, found several German ancestors that came to the USA in 1848 and 1850. He had trouble finding them in the past because they
changed their name from Roeder to Rader at the time of their arrival. They all came from Rannungen, Bavaria, Germany, and had lived in that town and area for several generations. While searching, he was also looking for a specific Cordelia Rader, who married a Doctor Raymond about 1885. They were apparently married in Clearfield County, PA. This Raymond was apparently German but Bill was surprised that many of the Raymonds who migrated about this time came from Italy.
Joyce TIANELLO Snodgrass brought her great-grandmother's one piece rolling pin that was brought over from Slovenia in the early 1900's. She received it from her mother when she got married.
Joe MASTRANGELO (#2614) brought in a copy of a book from his library that explains the various Naturalization processes and procedures that were in
place during the period of 1790 - 1985. The title of the book is:
"American Naturalization Processes and Procedures 1790 - 1985" and the author is John J. Newman.
Joe purchased the book from Genealogy Unlimited, Inc., Box 537, Orem, UT 84059-0537
Joe reported that the New Orleans Passenger Lists Index 1853 - 1899 can be seen at
http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/no1853.html
It lists both the FHL & NARA numbers for the films and is indexed by surnames.
Joe also mentioned that the New Orleans Custom House records will be accessible at the Ft. Worth NARA facility August 1, 2005.
Joe showed a photograph taken of a FHL Birth Record for Vincenzo SPORTELLI and it has caused a dilemma. His parents' names are
Francesco and Angela MASTRANGELO and the dates, as they appear on this child's birth certificate, are skewed 4 years later from the dates Joe has recorded
for their respective birth dates recorded else where and now he's wondering if they are the same people!
Joe received a newspaper clipping from his 91 year old Aunt in Williamsport, PA. about a group of folks from Bari Province who settled in a small town near
the Pocono Mountains in Eastern PA. named Roseto. These folks are dedicated to maintaining their old world way of life. It seems that in the 1960's it
was noted that they had an abnormally low rate of illnesses and an almost non-existent crime and welfare type claims. After some research it was
determined that it was due to the "closeness of the community". This phenomena has been described as the "Roseto Effect".
Joe's dual citizenship records will be sent to Putignano, Italy next week. They will register his Birth and Marriage there which will enable Joe to apply
for his Italian passport by October of this year!
He explained to the group the entire process he went thru to pursue the documents necessary to complete the application. He has worked with the Houston
Italian consulate and noted that much information is
available at their home page:
www.italconshouston.org
It is available in both Italian and English and if you look in the section under "Consulate Services", you will see a link to "citizenship".
Sherry PACELLI Haddox (4883) told the group about her upcoming trip to Italy next month. She's visiting Italy with two cousins, Violet Ann MILONE and Susan MICELI. Their grandmother was Antonetta Vincenza GLIATTA and they are going to visit her ancestral town of Greci for 3 days and then go on to Venice, Florence and finally Rome.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM. The next meeting will be August 24th at 6:30 PM at the Round Rock Library. September 17th we will have a potluck
lunch/meeting from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. at the Round Rock Library.