These minutes were sent to members with e-mail on 5-3-2007
On Saturday, April 28, 2007, a meeting was held at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 10:30 a.m.. Those in attendance included: Members: Larry and Glenna Amateis, Barbara Bombaci (5064), Fran Coloboth, Vincent D’Orazio (3418), Sandra Ivers, Lisa Joecks (5065), Rosemary Joecks, John and Arlene Jorgensen, George Koleas (1527), Filomena Lea, Lucia Mennen, Barbara Roberts (1202), Marie Roth (766) Steve and Jean Scalzo, Tanna Salvaggio (4835) and Lynn Thrasher
New members: Donna Huck, Jim Pingitore (4053), Carol Johnson Schrek
Guest: Linda Presto
Madeline Carome informed us that Chuck Carome (930) died on April 2nd. Charles was one of our founding members. We will miss him and we offer his family our prayers and condolences.
We are continuing our planning for a display on Calabria Genealogy at Festa Italiana , that will be held July 19 to July 22, 2007. http://www.festaitaliana.com/ . Anyone with ancestors from Calabria or elsewhere is welcome to help. We particularly will need the largest map of Calabria that we can find and family trees that display Calabrese descendants. Filomena Lea supplied a family tree and information. Jim Pingitore will supply a family tree. Steve Scalzo supplied a small map that could be blown up.
New members are researching the following:
- Donna Huck is researching Citrano and Serio from Cefalu, Palermo, Sicily http://www.comune.cefalu.pa.it/comune/Default.aspx , and Fava and Maglio from Santa Stefano Di Camastra, Messina, Sicily http://www.santostefanodicamastra.com/ and Conti or Conte from Sicily
- Jim Pingitore (4053) is researching Pingitore from Pediviglano, Cosenza, Calabria http://www.comunedipedivigliano.it/ and Faraca from Pedace, Cosenza, Calabria http://www.pedace.informationsystems.it/it/utenti/
- Carol Johnson Schrek is researching Pellegrini from Capostrano, Abruzzi, http://www.comunedicapestrano.it/ and Janetto or Gianetti and DeGrado from Palermo, Sicily
Joan Neustedter contacted us. Her grandfather’s name was Rosario Cannistra and she believes he was born in Milazzo, Messina. http://www.comune.milazzo.me.it/citta/testocitta.htm
Lucia Mennen has returned to genealogy after 7 years, researching her Costanza family. She described her recent trip to Calabria
Linda Presto is researching her family in Calabria. She began her research 35 years ago and is now looking at researching the materials she has collected with genealogy software.
We discussed the different genealogy software used by members. Many use Family Tree Maker. Some use Personal Ancestral File (PAF). PAF is available for free along with a free companion chart creator. The free downloads are available at the Family History Library site located at http://www.familysearch.org/ . At the same site, you can get a number of free resources, including a research guide. Select “Search”, then “Research Helps”, then “I” for Italy and scroll down to the guide.
We discussed the two Family History Library locations in the Milwaukee Area. They are:
9600 W. Grange Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Phone:
414-425-4182 Hours: T-Th 8:30am-3:30pm, 6:30pm-9pm; Sat 10pm-1pm Closed:
Closed holiday weekends and 2 weeks over Christmas & New Years and
755 Woelfel Rd, Brookfield, Waukesha, Wisconsin, Phone: 262-641-7408
Hours: T-Th 9am-3pm, T & W 6:30pm-9pm, Sat ,1pm-4pm, Closed: Dec 15 - Jan 1
For other Family History Library locations in Wisconsin, go to http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHC/FHC_Results.asp?FHCCountry=United+States&FHCStateProv=WI&FHCCounty=&FHCCity=&submit=Search
The first annual Italian Film Festival in Milwaukee -- sponsored by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago and the National Italian American Foundation -- will premiere three Italian films at Marquette's Varsity Theater on May 22-24, 2007. Admission to all screenings is free. For details go to : http://onmilwaukee.com/scoops/articles/italfilm.html
Anthony Grillo (3003), the President of PIP Chapter 9, Philadelphia, reported on PIE that since the article about the 2008 conference was submitted, the planning group decided not to proceed with organizing and sponsoring a 2008 Conference.
What do you do if you know that your immigrant ancestor arrived at Ellis Island, but you can not find them at www.ellisislandrecords.com ? Try the search engines created by Stephen Morse. He is well known for creating the "One-Step WebPages" for easy searches of the Ellis Island database, among dozens of other databases located at http://stevemorse.org/. Stephen Morse will be speaking at the 29th Annual Polish Genealogical Society of America Conference "Bridges to the Past", held the weekend of September 28-30, 2007 at the Schaumburg Marriott, Schaumburg, Illinois.
The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society, located at http://www.rootsweb.com/~wsgs/ reports that Wisconsin Senate Bill 40, the budget bill, contains provisions that will increase the price of birth records, including each copy, from $12 to $20, and increase marriage, death and divorce records, including each copy, from $7 to $20. This increase is intended to raise over $16,000,000 for the biennium. Some of this money will go to programs outside of the State Registar’s office. Please write to your legislators now to oppose this dramatic increase. For more information and links to your legislators, go to: http://www.rootsweb.com/~wsgs/records.htm#state1
The Family History Library (FHL) has reported that technological advances have substantially reduced the amount of time it will take to digitize its vast collection of microfilmed records. The FHL expects the project to be completed in a matter of years rather than decades. The FHL is using digital cameras to microfilm new records. There are reportedly over two years of records that have not yet been catalogued and so are not yet available in the FHL online catalogue. The Family History Library site located at http://www.familysearch.org/ .
Vince D’Orazio (3418 ) described his participation in the National Geographic Genographic Project. Vince has submitted his Y-DNA (male line)and his MtDNA(female line), as have other members. There is a fee to participate. Your results will reveal your deep ancestry along a single line of direct descent (paternal or maternal) and show the migration paths they followed thousands of years ago. Your results will also place you on a particular branch of the human family tree. Furthermore, this is not a genealogy study. You will not learn about your great-grandparents or other recent relatives, and your DNA trail will not necessarily lead to your present-day location. Rather, your results will reveal the anthropological story of your direct maternal or paternal ancestors—where they lived and how they migrated around the world many thousands of years ago. Details can be found at https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html .
A free DNA test is provided by The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF). SMGF is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the world's foremost collection of DNA and corresponding genealogical information. You will be asked to submit a four generation chart. You will have to wait for the time when the SMGF will be ready to let their participants search their database. SMGF was inspired by discussions in 1999 between philanthropist James LeVoy Sorenson and BYU Professor Scott Woodward about using DNA in genealogy. Since that time, SMGF has collected more than 60,000 DNA samples, together with four-generation pedigree charts, from volunteers in more than 100 countries around the world. For details and ordering information http://www.smgf.org/pages/overview.jspx
Vince D’Orazio (3418) presented his talk on Italian Names to the Italian American Women’s Club on May 2, 2007. They are in for a treat. We have heard his speech and it is terrific. Vince also told us that he will be missing some meetings as he will be teaching at a medical school in China for a year. Good luck Vince!
We discussed resources for learning Italian including the classes offered by then Italian Community Center and community colleges. We also discussed the possibility of using pod casts. Remember that fees may be required. Here are some sites you could try: http://www.learnitalianpod.com/ , http://letsspeakitalian.libsyn.com/ , http://coffeebreakspanish.typepad.com/mydailyphraseitalian/ . You will find a free Italian genealogy word list at http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/guide/WLItalia.ASP .
Our next meeting will be on Saturday, September 8, 2007, at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, starting at 10:30 a.m. and concluding at noon. Please mark your calendar for our other remaining meeting in 2007 on Saturday, November 10, 2007. We welcome anyone with an interest in Italian Family History. If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact George Koleas by e-mail or by calling (262) 251-7216 after 7:00 p.m..
Submitted by George Koleas (1527)
