POINTers IN PERSON REPORT
Chapter #10-Texas, Central Texas/Austin
Marilyn Maniscalco Henley (#1653)
Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (#1388) opened the monthly POINTers IN PERSON meeting on Wed, March 19, 1997 at 6:30 pm at Bank One, Round Rock, TX with 11 members and guests in attendance. She read an e-mail message from members Joe and Marie MASTRANGELO (#2614) saying that they would be in New Orleans at this time researching his VITRANO and PIZZOLATO grandparents.
Lin shared with the group that POINT was the subject of the "Question of the Week" in Jane Greig's column in the Austin-American Statesman last week. Lin received a call from an interested researacher from that column. She mentioned that the Austin Italian Cultural Association, here in Austin, met with 12 couples on Sunday at Reale's Restaurant to introduce their club. Lin said that eventually she will contact the couples to also introduce them to our group. She announced that she and Bill are going to Dallas on Sunday, April 13 and will research at the Library and have pizza with the Dallas ONOFRIO'S.
Tony ABBATTISTA (#2641) is still waiting for a response to his last letter to CORATO, BARI, ITALY. He has ordered additional international drafts to send with more letters. He has connected with another D'ORIA researcher Joseph D'ORIA (#2692) through POINT, and has matched five surnames with Tony's family. He is now trying to match the families of those surnames to his families. He is also checking on a possible connection through an e-mail query. Tony would like to find a copy of the telephone listings for Corato, Bari, Italy.
Warren and Eugenia ASSAIBENE Luken gave Lin the name of a lady they met in Foleys who is interested in finding an Italian group to join. Lin will contact her. Their other names they research are BORGHI, GALLI, MILANI, and SCALVINO.
Frank and Beth Henry (INNARINO) (#3258) reported that after 3 weeks of problems with Flashnet, they are finally on line. They have e-mailed the research information they are seeking to their friend Carlo MO who lives near Milan, Italy who will tranlate it into Italian for them. They are also seeking the surnames LA MANNA, BOVA and LONGO, and are interested in locating a copy of the white telephone directory pages for TERMINI IMERESE, PALERMO, SICILY. Their e-mail address was reported incorrectly in last month's minutes. The correct address is: w5vwy@flash.net.
Henry and Zina VERSAGGI Graalfs (#3336) has found her first month as a member of PIP and PIE very rewarding. Her family members are cooperating with her research inquiries and getting e-mail. Her first query on PIE was answered quickly, she found a cousin in Chicago who has a webpage on VERSAGGI; is corresponding by e-mail with a cousin who lives between Naples and Rome; and made a connectin with PIP member Marilyn Maniscalco Henley with the GRIZZAFFI and GUARISCO names from CORLEONE and GIBBELINA, Sicily through her Versaggi uncle in Louisiana. PIP members answered her questions about Family Tree Maker and merging files. Zina is also searching through various microfilm (7 rolls) at the FHC.
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (#1653) reported that she has written several letters to CHARLEROI, Washington Co, PA inquiring about her mother's aunt DOMENICA (MAMMIE) MARTINO who died there as a young girl. On Allegati di matrimoni microfilm of POGGIOREALE, TRAPANI, SICILY she found records for family members, GUIDA, SALADINO, CULMONE, GRECO, LETO, MESSINA, GIRRATANO, and STAGNO for 1895-1898 and showed the types of reports found in this film.
Marilyn learned from a cousin in AUSTRALIA (NSW) that he and his son have Thalasemia Minor, triait of Mediterranean Anemia which also runs in Marilyn's family. She now knows that at least one carrier is her paternal grandmother's family, MESSINA/CULMONE of Poggioreale. Marilyn will be sending Lin 2 videos of the Italian Workshop for members to borrow. She gave an update on her father's condition and forgot to tell about her husband's emergency eye surgery for a detached retina. Marilyn passed around the Austin Genealogy Society newsletter with news of their upcoming workshop April 12 with Patricia Law Hatcher and the lists of FHC microfilm rentals on file.
Sheila BAYHA Dugosh has not received the information she requested from the "Ancestor" television series. She said that a cousin is sending her mother copies of some family obituaries. She is researching: PIRAINO, CURMACI, FERLAINO, LEONE, and MONTANA, all of whom settled in WASHINGTON, PA and SCRANTON, PA.
Don VILLONI reported that he was ill for three weeks with pneumonia. He began corresponding with a PIE member who is also researching BARONE and has another name to contact. The names he is researching are: ALONGI, DI DOMENICO, and RIZZO from TERMINI IMERESE, Palermo, Sicily and BARONE and CIMORELL from ISERNIA, Italy; VILLONI, from BELLONA, Caserta, Italy, and CERUTI, place unknown. He and his wife are going to Austria & Germany in May.
Marco SCAVO visited and shared his surnames: SCAVO, SCALZO, GIGLIOTTI, LO SCHAIVO, MANCUSO, MOLINARO, GRECO, BONACCI, PINGETORE, GUZZI, and MALETTA. They are from CATANZARO Province, in CALABRIA Italy, and the towns of CERRISI, DECOLLATURA, CASENOVE, CATANZARO, SERRASTRETTA, NICASTO, and MOTTA SANTA LUCIA.
He is just starting serious family research. He has the stories that his grandmother used to tell him and has collected about 500 names to his family. Marco grew up speaking Calabrese in his family and teaches Italian classes at inlingua. He is especially interested in connecting with others who are interested in the region of CALABRIA. At his homepage, he has established the Calabrian Focus Group.
Our next meeting is FRIDAY, April 25, 6:30 pm, Bank One, Round Rock, TX.
Visit our Web page at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/3752/index.html