POINTers IN PERSON Minutes
Chapter # 10 Central Texas/Austin
Laurie GUGINO Riester (# 3878)
Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (# 1388) opened the POINTers In Person quarterly pot-luck luncheon meeting at 1:30 pm on June 22, 2002 at the Griffith Round Rock Library with 17 members, including four first time members attending.
The August PIP meeting has been rescheduled for Sunday August 25th. It will be a special potluck meeting. Jonathan GALLI, who many heard speak at the POINT National Conference in August in October of 2000, is the speaker at the Austin Genealogical Society Annual Seminar on Saturday, Aug 24 and will speak at our meeting.
Lin introduced four new PIP members:
Lynn LECROPANE is from Austin. Surnames include TARSIA, COSENZA, and LECROPANE, from Calabria.
Virginia CAPOTOSTO DEMAIO moved to Round Rock from California. Her mother's maiden name is ODDO. Her grandmother's maiden name is DOMINO. Her family is from Rosavilla in Sicily.
Andrea SEMINERIO Wardrop moved to Austin from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Her mother's maiden name is CINO. Her grandmother's maiden name is MORREALLE. Her family is from Roccamutto, Sicily.
Don BOVA is from Tomball. He is researching three families who married BOVA'S - BELLINA, ALESSANDRO OR ALESSANDRA, and BATTAGLIA., from Alia, Sicily. Don has been doing genealogy research since January and has made great progress in piecing together details of his family's immigration to the US and history in Waco and Houston. Don mentioned that the Container Store has an archival section, for storage of historical or genealogical records.
Pat Oxley (#3713) is on an Alaskan cruise.
Lin and Bill Brinkman went to Palo Duro Canyon and Plano,TX. The trip from Plano was interesting because they took Route 14 to see several little towns along the way. They discovered BubbaLuigi's Pizza in Hearne, TX.
Jeannie MARSALIA (# 4251) has been working with the 1930 census for Colorado County, TX. She found her grandfather's family in that census, with the last name spelled MARCELLA. Her grandfather was listed in the household, even though he had died 13 years prior. Jeannie found several other familiar family names in that same census. She brought an issue of the American Italian Heritage Digest to share with the group. She also mentioned that she has been watching Biba's Italian Kitchen and Carlo Cooks Italian on the Discovery Channel Home and Leisure station (satellite). She also reported that the Family History Center on Rundberg now closes at 1:00 on Saturdays.
Ernie and Gloria GAMBACCINI SILVA attended a family wedding in Florida last month. They found several good Italian restaurants and an Italian deli in their travels. They are going to Ohio later this summer for a family reunion. Gloria discovered that her grandparents left Italy by way of France, because they had to pose as tourists in order to leave.
Jamie CANNONE has not had much Family History Center time lately but has been preparing at home for his next trip. He found a third- great-grandfather in re-reviewing old notes.
Marie Mastrangelo has gone back to 1460 with her Norwegian family research. Marie received a set of original family records from a relative.
Don VILLONI (# 3985) reported that he and his wife Shirley just got back from Belgium and Holland on a cruise. They are leaving soon for Canada, and then later, will travel to France. They will be meeting some Villoni's in France who Don has been corresponding with. Don brought some brochures to share with the group, including one on the American Italian Museum and Library in New Orleans.
Joe MASTRANGELO (#2614) has just under 1000 marriage records in his Access database. He noted that the NIAF Ambassador Magazine recently featured a cover story on Texan-Italian artist Pompeo Coppini. He also told the group about legislation which is pending to recognize 19th century Italian-American Antonio Maucci as the real inventor of the telephone. Maucci had invented a telephone 17 years earlier than Alexander Graham Bell.
Christy Palumbo Foster (#2767) reported that she and her father have been researching the names VETRANO (her great grandmother's maiden name) and discovered CRIMI (the name of a school friend). She has used Ancestry.com and are finding familiar names and trying to make a connection.
Joyce Snodgrass reported that she and husband Bill went to Ohio recently. They found that an ancestor of Bill's helped start the Pony Express.
Lin mentioned Festa Italiana, which is put on by ICA and is set for October 12th and 13th. Lin passed around fliers for the festa, and mentioned that volunteers will be needed. Volunteer shifts are 3 hours long, and volunteers get free admission and food tickets. Lin and several other PIP #10 members attended and volunteered last year and enjoyed it.
Laurie GUGINO Riester donated two travel items to the club library, which may be of interest to members planning a trip to Europe. The first is a video, Rick Steves' "How To Get The Most Out Of Your European Railpass", containing tips on traveling by train in Europe. The second is a DVD, Rick Steves' "Europe Travel Skills Special", and it contains tips on packing light, among other things. Laurie and her daughter are leaving this week for 2 ½ weeks in France and Germany.
Thanks to Carol MAINA Roam (# 4623), the PIP Chapter # 10 web page is up and has a new address; be sure to change your bookmark to www.main.org/pip10
Our next meeting is Wednesday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m.