POINTers IN PERSON Minutes
Central Texas/Austin
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (#1653)
Lin Onofrio Brinkman (#1388) opened the monthly PIP meeting Wed, Sept 23, 1998 at 6:30 p.m. at Bank One in Round Rock with 17 members and guests in attendance. Minutes of the last meeing were read and approved. Lin introduced guest Jamie Cannone.
Jamie Cannone is new to Austin from Boulder Colorado. He is researching the surnames ALIQUO, TRICOLI, DORIA, CANNONE (CANNULI) from Montalbano Elicona and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, Messina, Sicily and OTTINO, VESCO, and FARINA (FIARINA) from "someplace in northern Italy within walking distance to Switzerland."
Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (#1653) showed a response that she received last week to a letter that she had written in March 1997 to Charleroi, Pa regarding the MARTINO family of Alia, Sicily. Never give up on a reply! She also received a naturalization certificate from Washington Co, PA for Giuseppe SCACCIA, also of Charleroi.
Marilyn showed a new book, Italian-American Family Stories, compiled by the American-Italian Cultural Club of Port Arthur, Texas, that was mentioned on PIE. She suggested that everyone on the internet search on their family names; she did, and found her nephew's Tai-Kwan-Do web page (Joshua Maniscalco) with photos of him. Her MANISCALCO-MESSINA family, including Montalbano's and Weido's (Poggioreale, Sicily) are having their annual Family reunion on Oct 4 in Houston.
Handouts from the Sept 22 Austin Genealogical Society meeting about genealogy on the internet were passed around. Marilyn announced that Liz Hicks from Houston's Clayton Genealogical Library will be the speaker at the Oct 27 AGS meeting. The AGS seminar will be held August 21, 1999 with nationally known internet columnist Myra Vanderpool Gormley as featured speaker.
Zina VERSAGGI Graalfs (#3336) passed around the Ellis Island Wall of Honor certificate in her grandparents' names, Salvatore and Vincenzina VERSAGGI from Augusta, Sicily.
Don VILLONI reported on his trip to Norristown, PA at the town's Maria SS Ma del Soccorso di Sciacca (Sicily) festival where marches written by Don's grandfather, Dominic VILLONI, were played. Don received a copy of a book about Giovani Orsomondo, an 1800's band master from the in Caserta, Italy. Don is going to research the possibility that he is related to the Italian singer Russ Columbo. Don said that he used a directory, similar to a city directory, called the Post Book to locate family that he was unable to find in census records.
Bill Brinkman suggested that we keep up with persons we correspond with on the internet. He is corresponding with a KYLE surname contact.
Virginia MACRI Gerick (#2730) and a cousin are sharing information and photos with each other. She mentioned that she really needs to get back to Connecticut to get more information. Jim Gerick showed a new book about ethnic groups in Texas, which is a compilation of individual ethnic books called, Texans One and All published by the Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio.
Jim Gerick passed out the new PIP Membership Directory that he and Virginia prepared. It was dedicated to the memory of John Generali, a charter member of the group, who passed away Nov 7, 1996. John had designed the cover before becoming ill.
Marie MASTRANGELO told that she had found some distant relatives named Birkland in Montana who were from the same Norwegian town of Sogne, as her father. Joe MASTRANGELO (#2614) mentioned that he had sent a request to Ashville,Pa, where his father was born, trying to get some information about the church history and the makeup of the original parish families. He hasn't received an answer.
Joe located another Mastrangelo family in Westmoreland Co, Pa, and is trying to tie them to his family with a marriage record that he has requested. He is collecting all Mastrangelo famiies in the Putignano microfilmed records. He found an Angelo Mastrangelo on the passenger list for the s/s Gottardo in 1903 but is not sure if this is his grandfather. Joe also showed everyone a copy of a zip code book that he purchased, published by Bill Girimmonti III, called Italian Town Listing (by town) that sells for $5.00 (call 1-850-243-1446).
Frank and Bert Henry (IANNARINO) (#3258) reported that they are traveling back to his hometown of Pittsburg, Pa.
Anthony ABBATTISTA (#2641) is working on getting the siblings for his grandparents. He suggested that members look at the New York Comptroller's web page of unclaimed accounts; he found listings for his mother in her maiden name and his grandmother's name.
Next meeting is Saturday, October 17 at 1:00 p.m. at the Bank One Bldg, Round Rock. It will be a pot-luck meeting; bring a dish and $1.00 to defray expenses.
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