Pointers
In Person, Chapter 22, met at the Italian Community Center, in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, on Saturday, January 11, 2003.
Present at the meeting were, Jeanne Bieser, Nancy (4317) and Dick
Boudreau, Lois Cozzuli (220), Vince and Connie D’Orazio (3418), Louise Doria,
Tina Favero (4452), Elsie Fucile, Mave Freyberg, Jean Karls, George Koleas
(1527), Barbara Roberts (1202), Marie Roth (766), Tanna and Elizabeth
Salvaggio, Jean and Steve Scalzo, Marge Schutz (2149), Pat Therkelson (2356),
Susan White and new members Jane Pipia and Cele Stepke.
Since
our last meeting, we have been contacted by people asking for our help finding
information about their families. Jim Gumina was interested in his Gumina
family and is now researching Zizzo family members.
Sue Bollinger is researching her Dentice family.
Jo Ann and Louis Sanfilippo are researching their Sanfilippo family.
Antoinette Alioto Canepa contacted us about her Alioto and Balistreri
families. In each case we have
been able to help put them in touch with other researchers or we provided
information directly to them.
We
have sent a letter to the Festa Italiana Director offering our services at
this year’s Festa. We offered
to help in any way that was consistent with our purpose.
There
have been requests for us to come
to Racine to have a meeting. Rather
than host a meeting in Racine, we will discuss the possibility of holding a
workshop with the Roma Lodge in Racine.
Tina
Favero (4452)and Mave Freyberg participated in the
Italian cultural display at this years Folk Fair.
We
have informed the Mormon Library of our copying and use of Our Lady of Pompeii
records from their films. We did this to make sure that we are using the
records properly. During our
meeting I read the letter we received in return. We discussed the Family
History Library policy on the use of their copyrighted material to make sure
that we comply with their requirements.
Nancy
Boudreau’s (4317) family was not interested
in genealogy because of the emphasis on the dates of births, marriages and
deaths. To find a way to present
her information about her Longo family that her family would enjoy, Nancy put
together a book, that not only includes the dates of births, marriages and
deaths, but also pictures and all kinds of additional information about her
family. Nancy started using Family Tree Maker software, but found the editing
function too limited. She tried
the Master Genealogist. It was
fully featured, but also complex and too cumbersome. Finally, she settled on
using Legacy, which she found to have a similar look to Master Genealogist,
but was easier to use. A basic
version of Legacy is available as a free download.
A more fully featured version is available for sale.
For details see http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/.
Nancy passed the book at our meeting.
It is a stunning piece of work.
Pat
Therkelson (2356) found that she could obtain
pictures and information concerning a relative buried in a foreign cemetery by
writing to the armed services. Pat’s cousin was a part of the Walberg Troupe Dance Team.
They were entertaining troops in the South Pacific during World War II
when their plane went down in the Philippines. They were buried in the
Philippines and a monument was erected. The Army sent Pat a picture of the
monument along with the location of the monument and supporting information.
If
you are trying to locate a Milwaukee County marriage, the Milwaukee County
Historical Society now has books of marriage indexes that list names
alphabetically. It provides the month and year of marriage.
For females, it provides the husband’s surname in parentheses.
Vince
D’Orazio (3418) recently became interested in his father’s military
record. His father was wounded in
WWI while serving in the Italian Military. Vince contacted the military
district in Rome. He was able to find postcards his father had sent to the
family. The family was required
to send the postcards back to the government and they were then placed in the
folio. Vince then found a WWI
expert who was helpful in locating the battlefield sites. In May, Vince plans to visit those sites along the Slovenian
Italian boarder.
At
the POINT Conference, a lady had asked Vince D’Orazio (3418) to help with
her with her Bazzano research if he was near her families village. In a recent
visit to Italy, Vince was in the area and went to the municipio with no luck.
He then went to the church where the family was from. The church secretary
promised to check the records at a later date and to write to him. Vince
looked in the phone book to find a potential relative. He went to first
address that he found. The older
lady that answered the door had been told in her youth that she was going to
be sent to America. When she saw Vince, she thought he was there to finally
collect her. Just then, a young man arrived.
Vince explained why he was there.
The young man cleared up the misunderstanding and offered to help.
Although they did not find any information, the young man has written
to Vince and they plan to meet again.
The
power of placing queries was discussed. Susan White placed a query on Ancestry
about a descendant’s sisters that went to California in 1917. She received
an answer that provided pictures of the sisters.
Susan was surprised to see
that she looks just like them. Marge Schutz (2149), also made
a breakthrough by placing a query. She
received a response, which connected her to lost family members in Manchester,
New Hampshire. Marie Roth (766), who
recommends using Rootsweb for queries, also suggests that you put as many
surnames as you can in the subject line.
She did this with her Boreii surname and got more responses than she
did using only one name. It is a good idea to place queries on the web and with
genealogical societies that you have joined. Queries in newsletters sit on
library shelves for years. No one
knows how long a query may exist on the web.
You may get an answer in the future when you least expect it. 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.
Our meetings for the rest of 2003 will be on Saturday’s, April 12, September 13 and November 8, at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will meet, starting at 10:30 a.m. and conclude the formal meeting at Noon. Those that wish to, will then go to the restaurant, order lunch and continue to share information and help one another or they may make plans to meet elsewhere. Everyone is welcome to attend our next meetings.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact George Koleas at (262) 251-7216 after 7:00 p.m.
Submitted by George Koleas
