HIdden Gems

We like Dunkin Donuts coffee.  We especially like to have some when we travel.  So often do we find ourselves seeking that lovely exit sign with the DD emblem, that I installed an app to help us find them when we travel.  Yesterday I drove to Albany for a meeting and noticed that our GPS indicates where the Dunkin Donuts are located on our route!!!  I didn't know our little machine did that.  It was a nice little treat--a hidden gem.

As I was trying to land on a subject for this blog post, I thought I might treat you to some hidden gems.  But I was having a little trouble finding enough to really interest you UNTIL I went back to the original drawing board and opened up my "Dalpiaz" file.  A real file stuffed with papers and notes about the Dalpiaz family in general.  It's good practice to go through such information once in a while for just this reason.  I found some interesting little tidbits to share with you that I had forgotten I had.

The tidbit that started me on this journey, oddly enough, was the 1940 census record for your mother and Uncle Johnny living with their grandparents.

If you look at this more closely, you'll see that your Uncle Andrew Manzelli was a painter for the World's Fair.  As I'm sure you know, the 1939 World's Fair was held in Flushing and was called "Building the World of Tomorrow".    This hopeful sounding title apparently did not help Andrew's brother Joseph (age 29) and sister Madeline (age 23) obtain similar jobs with the World's Fair as their occupation as "New Worker" in this census indicated they were seeking work and had no previous work experience.  In the previous census (1930), Andrew was a painter and Joseph is listed as a "junk auto wrecker"-- a little amusing since his brother Albert was a chauffer!  Anyhow, I found that little tie to American history very interesting and thought you would as well.

Other tidbits include my finding (re-viewing previously obtained stuff) that some of the Dalpiaz immigrants entered the county through Boston.  I generally automatically assume they came through Ellis Island.  I believe this is a common misconception and I have now been reminded to be more vigilant.  Your grandfather's sister Erminia may have been one such case. She arrived in Boston in 1921 with at least 3 others from Tassullo.

I may have shared this previously, but perhaps you could use the same kind of reminder as I.  In some 1997 correspondence with a guy that has Val di Non family, I learned that "Apparently the Dalpiaz name was first noted in Val Di Non records in the 1500s and there have been arguments about itsorigins.  One historian said it came from the name Dalla Piazza (on the square).  I have seen this version.  Another historian states that it originated from the German Der Platz."  Huh.  German would be interesting, right?

I also came across handwritten notes (my notes) with names and death dates.  I think I took these from Mass cards at 21 Duffin but I don't exactly remember.  Anyhow, these notes cleared up a couple of little hanging details for me such as the death date for Thomas Albertini, Uncle Lou and Uncle Tommy's father.  It kills me when I find I've had this information all along!!!  Elizabeth V. Dalpiaz was also on this paper having died Sept 18 1976 and I found another piece of paper I'd printed out a while ago for her obituary! Now I can link the two definitively with "your" Dalpiaz clan.  She was cousin Victor's wife.  There is also a Fred Dalpiaz (d Sept 29 1986)--not sure how he fits in yet.  Anyone know?

It was a great blessing to go back through this folder after such a long time.  I confirmed some other details and will be working to add names and dates to the family tree.  I confirmed (once again) how valuable Aunt Josie and Aunt Rose's recollections are.  Can't wait to see Aunt Rose and Uncle Lou again for this very reason.

Countdown to Christmas is in full swing and I know everyone is very busy.  We plan to travel to Long Island for the festivities on Christmas Eve.  Merry Christmas to all. 

Welcome to December.  I hope Robert is healing nicely from his recent surgery.  Happy birthday to Jake in just a few days!  I've been baking up a storm these last couple of days and contemplating Christmas.  Hard not to when you're up to your elbows in your 5th batch of cookies.  It's coming up fast but this year I'm in the holiday spirit in ways I haven't been in recent years. What a relief since I'd been wondering about myself.  Back on track for now and prepping for the holidays along with the rest of the family.

I recently saw that 2013 is a year in which none of the numerals repeat themselves.  This has not been so since 1987.  (Good evidence right here that I spend way too much time surfing the web.)  So I thought it would be fun to take a little walk down memory lane to 1987 and compare it to 2013.

Ronald Reagan was president and the New York Giants beat Denver in the Super Bowl back in the day when the Super Bowl was held in January :)  Les Miserables and Married with Children debuted speaking to the social conscience of the day.  Mark McGwire is a rookie and Jessica McClure falls down a well which captivates the media for the next several days as we all watched anxiously. 

On the local front, James and I had been married two years and learned we were expecting Amy that year. 

This is where we lived that year.  I liked that car but James didn't like that it was a Dodge.

 

We went to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with my grandmother.  We vowed never ever to travel by air on Thanksgiving weekend.  What a nightmare.

We chaperoned the senior trip to Disney World that year--I believe this was my first visit to the happiest place on Earth.

Aunt Rose, Grandma and Michelle at Linda's baby shower.  This is a nice picture of them all.

Brad's baptism near the end of 1987

And a repeat of this classic from 1987 Christmas at 21 Duffin

2013.  Barack Obama is POTUS -- something I wonder if Reagan ever considered might happen.  The Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in New Orleans and they weren't even a team yet in 1987.  Cinderella debuted on Broadway and we went to see it.  It did surprisingly well even garnering some Tony nominations and winning one for costume design.  The Goldbergs debuted on network TV--a show ABOUT the 80s.  Yikes.  And the media event of the year was probably the Baby Watch for young Prince George.  Nothing like royal weddings and babies to capture media attention.

We welcomed Robinson to the family in 2013.  New Dalpiaz homesteads were established with their own pieces of the American dream--congrats to Jake and Lindsay; Brian and Monet and Jesse and Lindsay.  Of course, we got to live our dream (well, my dream) to visit Ireland and Nick and Kathleen got to achieve their dream trip to Erie PA (hahaha).  AND I RETIRED.

This is what that other picture looks like with a little Google 2013 magic thrown in.  This is a .gif and there's a current controversy about proper pronunciation.  I go with the hard "g".  Anyhow, isn't this cool?

 Erie summer 2013--this is one of Nick's pictures.  I was pretty sure he wouldn't mind even if he's not in it.  Ryan was able to join the fun and Michael got to meet some of the family.

Thanks to Jean for putting together a little reunion over the summer.  It was a great time.  I always like these pictures where no one is paying attention yet.  They make me smile, as this one does.

So, 2014 will be another year in which the numerals do not repeat but don't expect another post comparing it with 1987!  But, I do wish you all a grand and glorious 2014.  It looks to be a year to remember for the Dalpiaz clan--especially the Hartmans!

Happy Franksgiving?

I am contemplating Thanksgiving and thankfulness, along with most of the rest of the nation this week.  I love Thanksgiving because -- for me -- it's one of the "easy" holidays.  All you really need to worry about is the meal.  No gifts, decorations, cards to write and so forth.  For the most part, it's pretty relaxing as traditional family events go.  This gives a person more time to reflect on what there is to be thankful for. 

Reflecting on thankfulness is a valuable exercise.  It takes us outside ourselves to think about influences beyond the confines of our personal space.  And when you join families through marriage or relationships, these influences can spread to the following generation.  Such is the nature of my gratitude for your family's efforts to keep cousins connected.

My mother was an only child so I had no aunts, uncles or cousins from her side of the family.  My father was the oldest of 3 boys and he was 13 years older than his next youngest brother.  My dad settled and started his family several hundred miles from his own hometown of Gloucester Massachusetts.  His brothers stayed in Gloucester, married and started families.  We saw very little of our Gloucester aunts, uncles or cousins.  It was an unusual event indeed to see them.

But your family has always seemed to be able to maintain pretty close ties with their associated families.  Even as youngsters, your parents seemed to spend a great deal of time with their extended family--this, of course, was partly due to the close geography and culture of the day.  But as you grew to adulthood, you all have made amazing efforts to allow our children to spend time with their cousins.  As I've come to know my own cousin a little better in recent years, I've learned to understand the value of this family bond.  So, thank you for making it so! 

As we await the impending storm, I thought it might be fun to review some of the fun times had by cousins, aunts and uncles as we gathered to celebrate in the summer of 2010:




Originally I had planned to research what Thanksgiving was like for Italian immigrants in Astoria in the 1940s. Oddly, I didn't find the kind of information I was seeking but I did find an interesting little factoid that perhaps you will find interesting.  Apparently in 1939, the fourth Thursday in November (the traditional date to celebrate Thanksgiving) was late in the month, as it is this year.  At the time, it wasn't considered  proper to begin Christmas prior to Thanksgiving (imagine such a world!) and retailers were worried about the bottom line in a shortened shopping season especially as the Depression effects lingered.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving back a week in order to allow the extra shopping week.  Did you know this?  Derisively, it was known as Franksgiving and resulted in certain and rapid response from our US Congress.  It's an interesting story.  Check it out here.   I plan to ask Aunt Rose and Uncle Lou what they remember about this. 

Regardless of when you celebrate or with whom, please enjoy every minute of your time together.

Way Back When

We have just returned from a great weekend with Robert and Bobbie in Brooklyn.  They showed us the sites and were great hosts.  We went down to the Sept 11 memorial, walked the High Line and even got to see Chicago on Broadway!  "He had it coming.....He had it coming..."  It was nice to spend some one-on-one time with them and get caught up.

Cheers from the Blind Tiger (the oldest people in the place)

We reminisced a bit and one of the things I asked Robert was if he'd kept any kind of journal or track of the performances he's done over the years.  James had recently told me that one of his "band-mates" for a musical had done so and it seemed to have been a very wise choice on her part way back when.

 

So, here's a start for you Robert.  I found that you were a guest conductor in December 1972 for the Band of the Royal Blue performance in Homer NY.  Yes, Homer NY.  Can't be wrong if it's in the paper, right?

 

There's a little stroll down memory lane for you.  And I have more for you to consider.  It's become kind of important to me that I am able to "close the story" for some of the ancestors by adding death dates to their records.  Sometimes it's not so easy to do so but I have some leads to follow up on and I am asking you all to take your own stroll down memory lane and see if anything pops up that might be helpful. 

Do you remember anything about the deaths of either Thomas Albertini (this would be Lou and Tommy's father) which may have occurred in Jan 1964?  That's kind of a stretch I realize since you would have been pretty young but perhaps if you think about how old you were that year and consider things that happened when you were about that old, perhaps something will come to you.  Same with his wife Marcela who may have died April 1987.  That's a little easier perhaps for you to place.  Seems as though I should be able to place it, but I guess I was out of the loop on that family news of the time.  And their son Peter who may have died just recently April 2011.  Seems I might almost remember that but somehow did not take "official" note of it.  I've already written to Uncle Tommy and will plan to talk with Rose and Lou as well. 

Sometimes if you start thinking about the time frame, interesting things will pop up and if they do--please share!  How about Victor Dalpiaz (I think that's your Dad's cousin that emigrated with him, correct?)?  He may have died April 1981 perhaps in Gardiner NY.  I know some of you have memories and stories about him! 

I've shared this picture before but here you go again to put things in context:

This is the Russo clan celebrating Eugene and Amelia's 40th wedding anniversary so this was taken in 1946.  Amelia was an Isoldi and a sister to Giovanna Manzelli (your mother's grandmother and guardian).  Do you recall anything about the Russo family?  They had three children Cecelia, Margaret and Anthony but I'm mostly trying to confirm anything about Amelia and Eugene.  Amelia and Giovanna had another brother Ralph (he married Sarah) and I'd like to "close the book" on him as well. 

This is what I got about this picture: Attached shed to Eugene- Amelia's house on 43rd St in Astoria L-R: Antoinette Russo (Marino) Louie Dino (family or friend of), Francis Isoldi's wife Alice Isoldi?, 2 women and baby boy - unknown, Celia Russo (tall woman in back), Eugene Russo, Amelia Russo (Isoldi), Anthony Russo, Giovanna Manzelli (Isoldi), Unknown (Manzelli?) Ralph Isoldi, Sarah Isoldi, wife or Ralphie Isoldi, and Ralphie Isoldi, Couple sitting on floor unknown

Put your thinking caps on, reminisce and report!

 

Welcome to the world Robinson

November is a big month for the Dalpiaz clan, but we all got a big bonus when Robinson was born. Happy 15th birthday to Thomas--you have a new one-time removed cousin!

We are very happy for Brian, Monet and Dylan.  They have had quite a year!  Congratulations to Brian for being inducted into the Sayville Hall of Fame recently.  It was a really nice surprise to come across that news and I thought it might be fun to take a look into the "way-back machine" for Brian.

Here's one of the first pictures I have of Brian from Easter 1984 when he was just a few months old:

He looks a little frightened here.  Maybe it was that big Dalpiaz holiday crowd!

Christmas 1990 looking more relaxed

Mother and son at Pat's wedding 1997

2001 probably my very favorite picture of the siblings taken during the Southampton vacation.  This was just before the appendicitis emergency.

Doing the Fun Daddy/Uncle routine at Jean's this past summer

It's been grand watching all the kids grow into adults over the years and I wish the same for them as they watch their children, nieces and nephews grow as well!  

Happy birthday Michelle, Brian, Thomas, Steve, Lindsay Walker Dalpiaz, and Brad (Whew!)

Happy Halloween 2013!

Ah.  My first Halloween in retirement.  No hopped-up-on-sugar adolescents to tame.  Nice.  Gotta love it.

We have returned from our two week stay in Gloucester Massachusetts.  It was a great visit filled with children, whales, research and birthday surprises.  Your brother James did a great job for my birthday this year.  To be in Gloucester was enough of a gift, but he also arranged for a surprise birthday dinner that night.  Well done, dear!

To be in Gloucester during the playoffs and World Series while the Red Sox were involved was an amazing experience.  They are rabid about their sports in Ireland, and the same in the Boston area!  We had to be a little bit careful.  We were at a bar watching the Patriots lose to the Jets partially due to a controversial call and James let a small "whoop" out in favor of the Jets.  Not a good idea.  I also nearly made the mistake of wearing my new embroidered (with cardinals) vest and matching red shirt to Boston one day for research.  Also a bad idea.

Our apartment was perfect for the two of us.  It overlooked one of the many coves in the Gloucester area and was convenient for walking around.  My cousin has twins that are now 2 years old and we got to spend a great deal of time with them and with their older sister.  James is like one big toy to them, and he enjoyed every minute.

I was able to get quite a bit of research done and felt very accomplished.  There was a 3 day workshop in Boston that I attended and was able to confirm Mayflower descendancy from time spent there.  I was allowed some expert help because I volunteer for this organization and this guy was amazing!  He has some kind of incredible memory whereby he sees family names and and can make instant connections and knows right where the material is for you to use.  He hand-wrote a 3 page family history for my "Yankees" (as he called them).  He kept saying "Just watch me work.  Don't look over there.  Watch me."  It's not in my nature to sit still while surrounded by all these tempting book sources but it paid off.  He's a genius but a little hard to take.  Think Sheldon on Big Bang Theory.  I went back to research on my own using his starting points and made lots of headway up another Yankee line.  It was a great feeling to be back in the stacks, searching through old books and taking appropriate notes.

Similar headway was made right in Gloucester with my dad's aunts and uncles.  We had quite a cemetery adventure searching out my Dad's favorite Aunt Bud.  As the Archdiocese of Boston told me, "we can't confirm or deny" she's buried there so we still have some work to do.  It was the first time I'd used a funeral home to get information (James kind of pushed me to do so and he was right on the mark).

We went on a whale watch which was quite extraordinary--at least according to the guide.  The boat was loaded with German high school students who spent their time inside texting and tweeting while actual whales were performing just yards away.  It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut.

Upon our return, I needed to add a new baby on the Ryan side to the family tree as well as Colleen's wedding.  It's a little unusual to have two items to add to the tree in a short time period like two weeks, but a joyful task in these cases.  Happy Halloween to all!

October memories

It's easy to get a little sentimental at this time of year.  Today we remember your Dad and mourn his passing.  I'm sure you all recall that day as well as I do.  It's hard to believe it's been 17 years.

We also have birthdays to celebrate to remind us that time passes all too quickly.  Drew will be 21 in a few days!  I hope he has a great day--this is a great turning point in a young adult life.  Enjoy. I thought it might be fun to go back to 1995 when most of you were able to celebrate James' 40th birthday here in Harpursville with us.  We also celebrated Drew's 3rd birthday that infamous weekend making it a great family memory.

From James' surprise party.  The surprise part of this was pretty easy for me as your brother doesn't pay a great deal of attention to detail unless someone else's child is holding a musical instrument (said with love, of course).

 How nice to have everyone here though it must have been a little chillier that weekend than what we have been experiencing lately.

Football, of course.......what gathering of Dalpiaz and related males would be complete without a game of football in the yard?

 Not everyone played football

We had lots of leaves that year.  These are classic.

 Some preferred to stay inside.

Drew and Mallory drawing and Ryan is watching Dalmations.  That's my boy!

Some assembly required.  I do not believe this was James' new grill, but rather Drew's gift!

Happy birthday boys.  Enjoy the marvelous autumn!