September 22, 1999 Meeting Minutes

POINTers IN PERSON Minutes
Central Texas/Austin

Marilyn MANISCALCO Henley (#1653)

 Lin ONOFRIO Brinkman (#1388) opened the monthly POINTers In Person meeting
at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 22 with 24 members attending. Minutes of
the August meeting were distributed. Lin read an article in the University
of Texas newspaper regarding genealogy material donated to UT’s Center for
American History. She passed around copies of the article, “Easter in a
Place called Bruculina” from the April 1999 Catholic Digest that Virginia
MACRI Gerick had brought to the July meeting.

Lin announced that the Italian Cultural Association of Austin is having a
New Year’s Eve dinner, dance and breakfast. She passed around a European
Translator (TR3000) she had just purchased. A POINT 2000 Conference update
was presented. The registration form is ready to be printed. Dr Tom
Militello will post it on the POINT web site
http://members.aol.com/pointhompg/conferen.htm and Tony ABBATTISTA (2641)
will put it on our PIP site
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/3752/index.html

Henry and Zina VERSAGGI Graalfs (3336) spent a marvelous and productive
week in Salt Lake City looking up records for the VERSAGGI name from Augusta
Sicily. She added names and dates from the mid 1700’s – 1910. She asked
about the term “naturale” on the birth certificates. Zina bought a book in
Nova Scotia about the Arcadians who went to Louisiana.

Frank and Bert HENRY (IANNARINO) (3258) are heading up to Pittsburg, Frank’s
hometown, in October.

Bill BRINKMAN is reading records from Capua Italy and waiting for
Declaration papers.

 Louis SCOPEL talked with Gerron Hite of the Texas Historical Commission to
have the Thurber Cemetery, located in Palo Pinto and Erath Counties,
declared a state historical cemetery. Many Italian immigrants who worked in
the area coal mines in the early 1900’s are buried there.

Eugenia LUKEN passed around an old Riseria Asti bag from Milan that she
found with her late mother’s items.

 Sharen APPINO Nichols (2649) is corresponding with Anthony APPINO in Ohio.
They are trying to determine if they are related. Sharen’s Appino’s come
from FAVRIA, Italy.

 Marilyn MANISCALCO  Henley (1653) announced the birth of her granddaughter
Cameron Ray Kelly born Sept 2 in Galveston to daughter and son-in-law Shelly
and Bryan Kelly as she passed around photos. She is preparing for the
MANISCALCO/MONTALBANO/WEIDO (GUIDA) Family Reunion on October 10 in the
Houston area..The families are from three MESSINA sisters from Poggioreale
Sicily who married and immigrated to Houston after 1900. Marilyn announced
that the August AGS seminar netted $4,000. Donaly Brice of the Texas State
Archives is speaking at the Austin Genealogical Society meeting on Sept 28,
and the next morning Marilyn is presenting a 2 hour lecture to a beginning
genealogy class.

 Jamie CANNONE is extracting 30 years of death records from MERCENASCO Italy
and passed around the extraction form he designed. He has added two new
surnames: CORNA and PEILA.

 Angie CLARK has been sending out e-mails to make any new connections. She
did a name search on the web for SCOPEL and DAL MOLIN.

 Laurie GUGINO Riester (#3878) is working through the birth records for
Valledolmo, Sicily for 1820-1910. She has found the birth records for her
four grandparents, adding the surname LEONE to her family. She sent a letter
to Valledolmo to the nine GUGINO families she didn’t get to meet on their
recent trip.  Since returning from Italy and Sicily, Laurie expressed how
much she missed the authentic Italian cooking she discovered there. So, she
purchased the book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
and is trying out new recipes as often as possible.

 Several members mentioned two new Italian restaurants in Austin that are
very good. They’re Vespaio at 1610 Congress and Bellagio of FM 2222 and
Jester Blvd.

 Joe MASTRANGELO (#2614) received the topographical maps from the 1800’s in
various Italian sectors sold by the Library of Congress. Joe received a
letter from the Italian Consul office in Houston that implied he is not a
U.S. Citizen and is not registered. Joe called the Consul office and the
phone was answered by Carlo Columbo, the Consul General of Italy in Houston.
It seems that the last two letters Joe received from Italy came through the
counsul’s office, which triggered this letter. Joe took this opportunity to
mention the POINTer Conference, which will be followed up with a letter.

 Joe is also extracting and entering vital records on a data base for the
MASTRANGELO and PUGLIESE names from Putignano Italy. He will then be able to
sort the names to determine relationships.

Jim and Virginia MACRI Gerick (2730) are leaving for New Haven Connecticut
on Oct 12 for Virginia’s reunion of Albertus Magnus College. Jim devoted a
week to editing a book being published by the Czech Heritage Society of
Texas, Texas Military Veterans of Czech Ancestry. Jim is also featured in
the 586 page book.

 Jeanie MARSALIA received a letter from a cousin in Edwardsville, IL with
copies of records, including marriage and death of her grandmother’s
brother. His name was written as Louis PITTINO (PATTINI) and Louis
MARCHETTI. One record used Pittino as the middle name. His wife’s name was
Domenica BANCHE. The naturalization record was dated 1906 and from Oklahoma.

Lin announced that the garage sale to raise money for the POINTer Conference
is changed to Saturday, Oct 9 at her house, with the next meeting
immediately following the garage sale.

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