Pointers In Person, Chapter 22, met at the Italian Community Center, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday, April 13, 2002. Present at the meeting were, Frank Balistrieri, Ginny Balistreri, Jeanne Bieser, Nancy Bushman, Kristin Bushman, Nancy (4317) and Dick Boudreau, Lois Cozzuli (220), Vincent D’Orazio (3418), Tina Favero (4452), Mave Freyberg, Jean Karls, George Koleas (1527), Filomena Lea, Jackie Maggiore (4391), Rudy and Marlene Magnarini, , Barbara Roberts (1202), Marie Roth (766), Jean and Steve Scalzo, Marge Schutz (2149) Pat Therkelson (2356), Joyce Weber (4438) and new members, Cecile Bianco, Rocco and Lee Ann DeFilippis and Dani Marino Graf. Also present was our speaker Joe Dentice.
Susan Petta Nokes (4128), our member in the State of
Washington, sent us the name of a woman who may have information on Maglio and
other families. Barbara Roberts
(1202), who is also researching Maglio, will try to make contact and interview
her.
The National Genealogical Society will be holding it’s national conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Midwest Express Center on May 15-18, 2002. During the Friday session, there will be presentations on the Italian American experience in Milwaukee and Chicago and about research sources in Milwaukee. For information go to www.ngsgenealogy.org.
At last year’s Festa Italiana in Milwaukee, we met author Leon J. Radomile, who wrote Heritage American Style , which is a book with 1492 facts about Italian American achievements. His book will soon have a second edition, with 1776 facts and a bilingual format. For information and a preview, go to www.italianhertiage.net, or e-mail the author at heritage1492@earthlink.net.
For information on Italian immigration patterns, there is an interesting article posted at www.familygazette.info/April10.html .
The
1930 census is now available. For most states, including Wisconsin, there is no index.
The census is arranged by enumeration district. First, you will need to
find your family in the city directory for 1930.
Then look up the enumeration district that covers the address.
Finally you can look up the enumeration district in the census.
Ancestry.com has an online subscription to census records.
They are transferring the 1930 census to digital images and also hope
to create an index in the future. For
more information contact www.ancestry.com
.
Pat
Therkelson brought some magazines to share with the chapter members present at
the meeting.
At
our last meeting, we shared extensive information
sent by Peter Bellanti (4028) on Machi, Alioto (which also appears as Arioto
and Galioto) Balistreri, Busalacchi and many others who descended from Michele
Machi from Santa Elia. Since that meeting, Frank Balistrieri, Ginny Balistreri,
George Koleas (1527) Joyce Weber (4438) all made family connections to the
information. At the same meeting, we also shared information on the Sanfilippo
families sent by Peter Bellanti (4028) and Val Schleicher. Jackie
Maggiore (4391) made family connections to their
information.
Also
found in the information was Joe Dentice’s family. Joe Dentice was available
at the Italian Community Center during our meeting.
We invited him to speak and he graciously told us about his family.
His
story began in 1890 when a relative from the Amato family came to New Orleans.
Joe’s uncle was a close friend of this Amato relative.
Joe’s Uncle was contacted by his friend, who asked him to come to
Colorado to work in a commission house in Denver. His uncle sent stories back
to Santa Elia about America. This included
stories that if the family came to Milwaukee, they could fish in the
ocean. Joe’s father, Antonino, came from Santa Elia, Palermo, Sicily with
some Alioto brothers to Milwaukee to fish. Another of Joe’s uncles came to
work on the Railroad. It was not
long after arriving that they found out that the ocean was really Lake
Michigan. The Alioto brothers decided to move to San Francisco, California, to
fish there. Antonino was asked to come along. He decided not to go, because he
was sick of fishing. Pietro, one
of Joe’s uncles, went with them. In San Francisco, the Alioto brothers
divided the work between fishing and selling their catch. They were ambitious
and used good common sense building their business.
Today Alioto’s is a prime location on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s
Wharf
Why
stay in Milwaukee? There was a
lot of work available at the Gas Company, The Railroad, Falk, American Motors
and many other businesses looking for workers. Antonino and another uncle
started a sausage business that survives to this day.
At
the railroad yard, Antonino saw train cars arriving with produce. He saw
inspectors deciding to throw out damaged food. Joe’s father said “Don’t
throw it out, Can I have it?” Antonino worked out an arrangement with the
railroad and began a pushcart business that later developed into a larger
produce business.
Antonino
married Giuseppa Billante in a marriage that was arranged by the families. In
1921 Giuseppa came to Milwaukee. In 1922, they bought a house on Jackson
Street. The house had gaslights
instead of electric lights. Giuseppa was disappointed in the house. After her
first hard winter in 1922, she was ready to go back to Italy. One of Joe’s
uncle’s convinced her to stay. During 1929, Antonino got sick and was told
that he should go to California for a better climate. Instead, went back to
Santa Elia. While Antonino was in America, he had earned his citizenship.
After World War II ended, the American Consul contacted
Antonino to tell him that if he did not return to the United States, he
would lose his citizenship. So, his father came back.
Joe’s
Uncle in Colorado had a business opportunity in a Basque region of Spain.
He was going to teach the Spanish how to fish for sardines and start a
cannery. After fishing season, he
came to Santa Elia. Antonino
invested money in the business. In
1946 the uncle sent a message
that the business growing and asked Antonino to send Joe to work in Spain.
He gave his son the choice to go to Spain and work in the business or
stay in school. Joe chose to stay in
Joe
explained that Santa Elia was a fairly isolated town, with the main
transportation being by the sea. The
residents liked their seclusion. Many, many years ago, they built a gate
between themselves and nearby Porticello.
Now, the gate is long gone, but the columns that held the gate are
still there. He explained that,
because of this seclusion, there were many inter-marriages, between families
and even within some families between cousins.
Vincent D'Orazio(3418) goes back to Italy every 6 months to visit and continue his research. He is planning a reunion in San Bernadetto in Marche. Vincent showed examples of the terms used in the census conducted by churches in the area around Easter time. You will be able to hear Vincent speak at the POINT Conference this year.
To try to find a living family member in Italy, Vincent suggests that you go to www.gens.labo.net , where you can generate a map of Italy showing where people with the same surname are located. Pick an area on the map where you think your family is from. Then locate an Italian White Pages at www.paginebianche.it/pbol/home/index.html and look up the town to find people with the same surname. Select a name using the naming pattern that exists in your family. Then write to your potential relatives using a letter that you can generate at http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/pearlsofwisdom/Davids_form_letters.html#vitalrecords .
Our next meetings during 2002 will be Saturday’s, September 14, and November 9, 2002 at the Italian Community Center. We will meet, starting at 11:00 a.m. and continuing until lunch. We will then order lunch and continue our discussions until 1:30 p.m. when we will adjourn. Everyone is welcome to attend our next meeting.
If you would like to post a query in the Italian Times, please contact me. I will collect it with other queries from other members and send it in.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact George Koleas at (262) 251-7216 after 7:00 p.m.
