Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (#1388) opened the POINTers IN PERSON meeting Wed Sept 24, 1997 at 6:30 pm at Bank One, Round Rock, TX with 23 members and guests. Minutes of the July meeting and August workshop were passed out for all to read. She introduced guest Lily ALFANO MANISCALCO, Marilyn Henley's mother, who was visiting from Houston. Lin thanked everyone for their help and participation with last month's workshop which was a tremendous success.
She handed out a list of common words found in Italian documents used by Joe MASTRANGELO in his workshop topic. She mentioned Houston's Italian Festival to be held on Oct 17, 18, 19 and shared a list of U.S. Italian festivals. The meeting schedule for next year was discussed, and it was decided to have quarterly Sat meetings and a week day meeting the other months. The schedule will be available next month.
Marilyn Maniscalco Henley reported on the Austin Genealogical Society meeting. She and her mother told about their visit to Bryan, TX and meeting with cousin Johnny GRIZZAFFI and his son Michael. They also traveled to Steelestore, Mudville and Hearne, where the ALFANO family lived and Highbank, TX where MARTINO/CATALANO family lived. They found pertinent records in the Falls Co Courthouse in Marlin.
Sherron APPINO Nickels received information from her cousin in South Dakota about John Stephen Appino, who was adopted from an orphanage in Cagliari. She also received other information on the APPINO family from Girard Kansas and the cemetery in Frontenac Kansas.
Joe and Marie MASTRANGELO( #2614) reported on their trip to National Archives Branch in Ft Worth were they found the 1920 census records for MATRANGELO and VITRANO families in New York and New Jersey. He has found his ggggrandparent's 1838 marriage record in the Putignano, Bari, Italy microfilm at the FHC, adding the new surname SPORTELLI to the Mastrangelo line. Joe has also copied the PIZZOLATO names from the town of Contessa Entellina, Sicily from microfilm.
Joe showed everyone two books recommended by Dr. BINI of the University of Texas at her recent presentation about Sicily for the Austin Cultural Italian Club. They are Sicily As a Metaphor by Leonardo Sciascia and The Leopard by Giuseppi di Lampedusa.
Jeanette and Janet Green reported on finding the ZUMA name in their line, which also includes CUCCIA and SCANLIOTA from Gibellina, Palermo, Sicily. Jeanette passed around photos of Gibellina, before it was destroyed by the 1968 earthquake.
Joe ALESSI #3362 told about the recent Alessi family reunion in Pennsylvania. He spent a week with his father's oldest brother, who is 92 years old and they traveled the towns they were from in Pennsylvania and Ohio; the family originated from Cianciana, Sicily.
Angie Clark told everyone about her trip to Australia and New Zealand. Her family research includes SCOPEL from Seren del Grapa, Italy and DALMOLIN from Laghi, Italy.
Bill Wale announced that he finally located his family research records from the 1960's. Included are records going back to 1662 for the PIZZOLATO and JORDANO families who migrated from Sciacca to Chiusa Scalfani, Sicily and the DI FAZIO (1811) and JEBBIA (1718) families from Roccamena, Sicily. He told that the Chiusa Scalfani records go back to the 1300's. In his records was a map of the town drawn in the 1960's by his grandfather's first cousin, who was in his 80's at the time.
Tony ABBATTISTA (#2641) has collected all the birth records for his grandparents, PAGANELLI line. He has the records to prove the family relationship of an e-mail correspondent, but hasn't analyzed them. He sent for a proposal for a photograph package that advertises photos of Italian towns. He will update our web page.
Virginia MACRI Gerick (#2730) told that an Italian Rosa Ponselle is one of the opera singers featured on a new issue of U.S. postage stamps. Virginia is learning the rosary in Italian to participate in a celebration on Oct 13 at her church Sacred Heart of the sighting of the Blessed Mother at Fatima 80 years ago.
Guest Marissa MAGGIO is researching MAGGIO from Castlevetrano, Sicily and CATALANO, ARDITO and BARESE. Trace ANDRIGHETTI offered to translate letters and documents for anyone in the group. She is interested in ANDRIGHETTI and CECCHINI.
Lin announced that she received additional information from her cousin in Philadelphia. At a MANGO cousin reunion in Connecticut she learned from an 81 year old cousin the story and idenities of a photo from 1934. Next meeting is Wed, Oct 22, 6:30.