POINTers IN PERSON Minutes
Chapter # 10 Central Texas/Austin
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (# 1653)
President Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (#1388) opened the PIP Chapter # 10 Austin/Central Texas monthly meeting on November 19, 2003 at Round Rock Library at 6:30pm with 15 people in attendance. Lin received an email from POINTer # 4758 Rick DI PALMA of North Haven, CT researching some of her similar family names.
Guest Barbara Bachman is researching the names ROSATO and PACCIONE from Bari. Her cousin is sharing his research with her, and she would like to begin doing some research as well. Barbara’s brother belongs to a Sons of Italy chapter in New York.
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (# 1653) reported that Ancestry.com added two newspapers from Charleroi,
PA to their Historical Newspapers Images for part of a time period she is researching.
Marilyn’s SCACCIA family settled there and her MARTINO family is there in the 1910 census.
She is searching for a death date between 1910 and 1914 for Domenica “Mamie” MARTINO and hopes that it will be mentioned
in a newspaper. She passed around copies of photos of the SALVATO and LORIA families she received from cousin Joe Salvato.
Marilyn announced that the Texas State Library, Genealogy Collection, is now accepting microfilm rolls of individual
counties of the 1920 & 1930 Census. Previously, they would only accept film of complete states. The Austin Genealogical
Society is handling these orders from donors.
Another big announcement for Texas is that the Clayton Library Friends
(Houston, TX) has started an aggressive microfilming project of many of the state archival and land office records,
especially military records. Donations enable them to capture many state records that previously were not accessible to
the public.
Marilyn announced the birth of PIP member Pat Oxley’s (#3713) granddaughter, Katherine Elizabeth Simmons, born last Friday,
Nov 14, in Austin.
Don VILLONI (#3985) reported that he recently found out that the DIRUBIO sons went back to Bellona, Italy in 1931
because of the depression in the U.S. and they and finally returned to New York in 1938. Don’s cousin Nick DI RUBBIO,
who is also a cousin on his VILLONI side, told him about growing up in Bellona.
Don also learned that the Leominster (MA) Colonial Band is performing his grandfather’s composition, “California”.
The band was founded in 1910 by Gaspare BISCEGLIA of San Giovanni Italy, and was known as the “Banda Regione Italia”. (www.colonialband.org)
Joe MASTRANGELO (#2614) shared the article, “Directory Assistance” by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack printed in the August 2003 issue of Family Tree Magazine. He also recommended the book Italian American Reader by Bill TONELLI. Joe received an email from POINTer # 4512 Dennis BELDOTTI asking about the discrepancy between a child’s birth occurring before the recorded marriage record. Also, POINTer # 4860 Benjamin ANDREACH wrote regarding the spelling of names and family research.
Jeanie MARSALIA (#4251) received a copy of a military photo and information from a nephew on the NARDINI Family of Triole Italy. She is still searching for her grandfather’s Naturalization record and ordered FHC film of Colorado County, Texas.
Virginia MACRI Gerick (#2730) talked about her grandparents, and although she knew little about them, she remembers from her childhood days her mother leaving threaded needles for her grandfather, who used to do his own mending. His sight was not keen enough to thread needles but handled the sewing pretty well.
Sherry PACELLI Haddox (#4883) passed around the Petition for Naturalization for her grandfather, Dionisio PACELLI, born in Naples, July 2 1879. Ruth Merriman of the FHL in SLC put Sherry in touch with Paola MANFREDI about records in San Sebastiano, Italy.
Joyce TIANELLO Snodgrass spent time in Ohio visiting with her father.
Scott Patrick (#4619) ordered three films for the town of Anzi searching for the GARAGUSI name. He also ordered a passenger ship list for listing his GARAGUSI family.
Bill Brinkman mentioned that his 87 years old father is coming for Thanksgiving, and with Lin’s family will make 22 people to sleep at their house for the holiday.
Lin announced Sunday, December 7 as the annual Christmas potluck luncheon, at their home.