These
minutes were sent to members with e-mail on September 23, 2001.
On
September 15, 2001, PIP Chapter 22 met at the Italian Community Center, 631 E.
Chicago Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 11:00 a.m.
The
following were in attendance: Ginny Balistreri, Tina Favero (4452), Mave
Freyberg, Jean Karls, George Koleas (1527), Jackie Maggiore (4391), Gloria
Monreal, Barbara Roberts (1202), Marie Roth (766), Jean and Steve Scalzo,
Margaret Schutz (2149), Pat Therkelson (2356), Susan White.
We
were also joined by new members: Gloria Italiano Anzilotti, Betty and Deb Dyer.
Each person present introduced themselves and told what surnames they
were researching.
We
discussed the two displays we were part of this summer.
We displayed at the 24th Annual Festa Italiana in Milwaukee,
July 19-22. Members who
volunteered included Al and Bonnie Dompke, Gloria and Abby Monreal, Ben and
Mary Favero, Tina Favero (4452), Mave Freyberg, Margaret Gerkhardt, Laura
Lancione Bearskin, Jeanne Bieser, Kris Bushman, Nancy and Dick Boudreau
(4317), George Koleas (1527), Jackie Maggiore 4391, Ron and Pat Moon, Don and
Marie Roth (766), Tana Salvaggio, Pat Therkelson (2356),
Phyliss Pinter and Matt Bare, Steve and Jean Scalzo.
We met many members from the Chicago chapter.
We would like to thank those who stopped by. We enjoyed meeting you.
There were many visitors from all over the country.
We tried to direct visitors to the appropriate P.O.I.N.T. chapter.
We
also had a display at the Roma Lodge’s 23rd annual Italian
Festival, July 27-29 in Racine,
Wisconsin. Members who volunteered included Nancy and Dick Boudreau (4317), Al
and Bonnie Dompke, Gloria and Abby Monreal,
Pat Therkelson (2356).
Our
displays included maps donated by member Frank Balistreri, posters about our
chapter, the surnames we were researching, family trees supplied by members
and Ellis Island immigration. We used P.O.I.N.T. directories to tell visitors
if there was anyone researching their surname.
Marie Roth (766)
told of the passing of her sister, Edna
Mercurio Rober (1931-2001) of Massachusetts and Arizona. They had been a team
for research, travel, communication and translation. When she became sick, the sisters agreed to
finish a translation project they had undertaken. Canonico
Francesco Borrč (1792-1873) [Canonico was his title as a canon of the
cathedral in Bobbio was the uncle of Marie’s great-grandfather (the brother
of her great-great-grandfather, Giuseppe Borrč. Canonico, as they called him,
took care of the family when Giuseppe died of cholera in 1855 in the village
of Zerba in northern Italy. Canonico Francesco Borrč was extremely
proud and loyal to the concept of family and above all wanted to preserve the
"Borrč Family of Zerba". He wrote an extensive history of all
the family members he knew. Marie and Edna finished the project before Edna’s
passing. Marie displayed the
bound volume that was the result of their work together.
Tina
Favero (4452) reported about a document that she found dated
December 8, 1919, Superior Court, Cochise County, Arizona, that told
the story of a copper strike by the International Worker’s of the World when
2000 Italian miners were arrested by vigilantes saying they were enemies of
the country. The Italians were
turned over to a Federal army camp in New Mexico for deportation. The act was
later ruled as illegal. One of the miner’s was Tina’s grandfather.
George
Koleas reported about recent connections he had made with another POINT member
Peter Bellante (4028), and others including Michael Machi and Jaime Aukskalnis
in other parts of the country researching Alioto/Arioto/Galioto, Balistreri,
Dentice and Machi. The compiled family trees that they provided were shared
with members.
Italian
naming patterns were discussed. It
was pointed out that if your relatives name doesn’t match the pattern, he or
she may be a brother or sister of the person whose name does match. When you
get stuck going backward, go sideways.
We
all assume that records are always available. Margaret Schutz (2149) explained
how she had experiences where civil records that should be available, are just
not there. Before 1900, in many parts of the country, recording was not
required. Pat Therkelson (2356)
pointed out that for some, the process of registering these events was
inconvenient and costly. There was no real benefit to register, so it
sometimes was not done. Census
and church records may be the best place to find such relatives.
Steve
Scalzo passed on a website he had found with information on Sicily at http://sicilia.indettaglio.it.
George
Koleas (1527) passed out brochures from Juliet Viola, an Italian translator,
who can be contacted at julietviola@home.com
or http://members.home.net/julietviola.
For an Italian researcher, try www.myitalianfamily.com
or http://www.gentracer.com/.
For general Italian genealogy, try www.italianancestry.com.
Most
of us are familiar with the mailing list pie@jsoft.com
used my most P.O.I.N.T. members. Barbara
Roberts (1202) likes the information on the mailing list called Comunes Of
Italy (COI). For more information
go to http://www.comunesofitaly.org/.
For information about the magazine Comunes of Italy, go to http://www.italianancestry.com/coi/.
The
tentative meeting schedule was set for 2002.
We will meet four times, Saturday’s January 12, April 13, September 14 and November 9, at the Italian
Community Center, 631 E. Chicago
Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin starting at 11:00 a.m. and ending about 1:30 p.m
Members
should update George Koleas, GeorgeJK676@wi.rr.com,
on any address or e-mail changes or updates to surnames being
researched so that our website at www.geocities.com/point11_2000
(note the underscore between 11_ 2000) can be kept current.
