Happy New Year!

Goodbye 2008 and Hello 2009. Thanks to Robert's persistance and generosity, here is a New Year's picture for you all. I see Uncle Tommy, Aunt Josie, your dad, your grandfather, Walter and Aunt Rose in the foreground. Clearly this is New Year's Eve somewhere, but I am not sure where or when this picture was taken. There are a couple of boys just in the background and I almost think that might be James blowing a noisemaker as if it were a trumpet. So a wild guess is that this might be around 40 years ago. Any further insight from any of you would be appreciated.

Happy Anniversary to Robert and Bobbie and Happy Birthday to Kathleen this week. I understand Robert and Bobbie are overseas so we wish them a particularly memorable anniversary and New Year's. I suspect Kathleen may have to rest her way through her birthday after the great Long Island vacation recently!

I am working my way through the pictures slowly but with great pleasure. Thank you again for sharing and I think you'll enjoy the upcoming posts.

Just Peachy

James just came out of the neighborhood store with my newspapers and and and peach pie which he presented proudly. And he should be proud that he was thoughtful, but I couldn't help but shiver a little bit seeing this peach pie.

There was a bumper crop of peaches the year I was about 10 years old. I have no idea who provided my mother with ALL THOSE PEACHES, but we had bushels and bushels of peaches. And bushels more of them it seemed. We had peach pie, peaches with milk, and peach jam till the cows came home (almost literally). I distinctly remember peach jam and peanut butter sandwiches in my lunch for weeks. I recall the jam left sugary remains along the rim of the jars so you couldn't always get them all the way screwed back on properly--which I'm sure made the problem worse but no fear--there was more where that came from! I really can't look at peaches to this day without thinking about this and kind of shivering.

Did your family have any such experience that left a lasting impression on you even to this day where you might avoid something as a result? I think all my siblings remember this and it's one of those stories that gets shared when we are all together such as for holiday celebrations. Sharing these sotries is a way of keeping the history alive especially for the kids, who might be rolling their eyes now but will certainly be retelling these one holiday in the future around another table.

Thanks for another great holiday full of memories and stories to share. I am having a grand time with the pictures Robert kindly allowed me to borrow and you'll be seeing these soon. It's been about a year now of sharing stories with this blog and I've got lots more waiting in the wings for you in 2009!

Christmas 2008 Dalpiaz Style

Hailey, Robert, Brad, Marisa, Jake, Brandon, Thomas D, Ryan, Steve, Bobbie, Mallory, Linda, Nick, Pat D, Ron, Michelle, Jean, Sarah, Scott, Amanda, Amy, Drew, James, Emily, Bob, Thomas H, Lindsay WD, Brian, Pat H, Danielle, Kathleen, AND Lindsay D--says it all for Christmas 2008 Dalpiaz Style.

I have sent you all an invitation to the pictures I have on Shutterfly. I hope you enjoy. First anniversary of the blog. Thanks for reading it! More fun to come before you know it.

Christmas Past ...and Christmas way, way Past

Christmas Past circa 1987. Robert helping out.

Christmas way way Past 1967 Robert helping out.

Christmas 2008. Priceless.

See you all soon!

Coffarelli News

It looks like you all will need to make a little more room on your Coffarelli family tree! I believe I have found another generation--great great great grandparents.

In 1910 and 1915, Nicholas Coffarelli (James Coffarelli's grandfather) lived with his son John's family in Long Island City. He had arrived from Italy when he was probably about 88 years old. Can you imagine making such a change in your life at that age? I suspect perhaps he wasn't in very good health but I don't know too much about that yet.

But I had never found out what happened to Nicholas. I didn't expect he could have lived very much longer and by 1920 he no longer lived with the family. Some extra persistence paid off and I think I found his death record in January 1917 at the age of "99 years 4 months and 20 days" (making his birthday August 18 1817). He is listed as having been found dead in bed of "chronic myocarditis; arterio sclerosis and general senility". Small wonder.

He is actually listed on the death record as Giuseppe N Coffarelli, and since I'd been looking for Nicholas, it's no wonder it took persistence to find him. Another lesson learned. I should have been a little suspicious since I hadn't found any children named Nicholas anywhere yet. Your family research is certainly teaching me many lessons!

Anyhow, back to the new added branch on the family. Guiseppe N Coffarelli's parents are listed as John and Isabella Malizasso! Welcome to the family John and Isabella! Isabella Coffarelli is a very pretty name.

A new branch on the tree is always a cause for celebration and a new surname to boot is a terrific bonus. I recently bought some old but very beautful Christmas tree ornaments and finding Isabella Malizasso Coffaerelli is like hanging one of those pretty old ornaments-- a pretty sparkling ornament sitting in an antique shop just waiting to be discovered. And you always know there are more out there!

Happy Birthday shoutout to Jake!

From My Family to Yours

Happy Thanksgiving. It's the traditional time to contemplate those things we are most thankful for, so I'd like to take a minute to thank you all. As we were growing up, our families were very similar in many ways. Large, Catholic family with dad at work living modestly just trying to do the right things. West Islip was much more urban than our hometown but I imagine it was the same yard littered with bikes and toys. OK, we had a slobbery dog and you didn't but.....I consider you the lucky ones in that department.

Despite the similarities, James and I each had significant differences in our respective households. The Ryans could be found watching the football games during dinner, while you all were listening to Frank Sinatra.

Your dad would bring a bus to special family events--my dad would bring a dress so he could switch clothes with an aunt to entertain us with a number!

I learned from your mother that some families accept the garlic buds at the breakfast table. Ours was more likely to have beer caps leftover.

Your grandfather had a still--mine played Hearts for pennies with us and made my mother pay up.

Yes, we each had to make some adjustments but I always felt welcome in your family. This is probably at least 20 years late but thank you for adopting me so graciously into the family. My siblings and I found out far too late that my sister-in-law did not feel welcome by us. This took us completely by surprise as we certainly had no idea that we had acted in a manner that made her feel like she wasn't accepted by us. But that was her perception so that's all it takes to give it validity. I can't imagine such a feeling. Thank you all!

I am just beginning to get an idea of how hard it must be for a mother to "give up" her son to another woman (no, Ryan isn't getting ready to elope or anything--he's just getting older so I started thinking of his adulthood a little more seriously). Your Mom never ever made me feel like anything less than a full family member, same with your Dad. I always appreciated that.

So, again Happy Thanksgiving and thank you!

Giving Thanks

I don't know what everyone's Thanksgiving plans are, but I hope you all enjoy the day. I like Thanksgiving especially because it seems so "low-key" compared to other holidays and is mostly a reason to get together and just have fun. One of my favorite and enduring Thanksgiving memories is of going to the hospital to greet Brad. I remember the nurse left him with us for just a few minutes so I always felt as though we were his first babysitters. This is "Mookie" that day 22 years ago.

Birthday wishes this month to Thomas, Michelle, Brian, Lindsay and Steve! We are especially thinking of Jake, Lindsay and Emily and wishing them a very special first Thanksgiving together as a family. A new member of the family is indeed someone to be thankful for.

Aunt Louise

One of my recent research goals has been to find out a little bit more about the Coffarelli family. I don't know too much about them yet. We know that your grandfather James was the youngest of 9 children. His mother, Rose, died when James was pretty young although I don't exactly when or where yet.

James' obituary noted he was survived by four sisters including Sister Magdalen Maria (probably his sister Tessie/Theresa); Mrs. M Desabto (either Margaret or Mary); Elizabeth; Mrs. M Barra (probably Louise/Lucy) as well as two brothers Joseph and Phillip. So I started researching the surviving siblings.

Initial research shows that Louise Coffarelli married Michael Barra in June 1919 and Lena Coffarelli married Anthony Fierro just 3 months later. I presume Louise Barra is surviving sibling Mrs. M. Barra. Lena's fate is still uncertain but perhaps she did not survive him. He had six sisters and 4 lived after he died in 1934.

I came across a Social Security death record for Louise Barra and from that information I obtained an obituary noting her death in Florida. I think this might be your Aunt Louise. Interestingly she "only" died in 1989--pretty recent in the realm of family history work. I am startled that there might have been a living Coffarelli aunt within the time frame of the work I've done on your family so far! I expect one of you to blurt out--"Oh yeah, I remember Aunt Louise!" in one of those lightbulb moments.

This obituary notes that Louise is survived by 2 sons Anthony and John -- in 1989 one of them practically lived in our backyard. Catskill is not that far away from here!

I feel as though the evidence just barely hangs together--not quite enough to feel certain that this is your great aunt Louise Coffarelli. Then another little miracle fell into my lap. Literally.

Every now and again I flip through the same photo albums, papers, memorabilia etc just to see what I find that's new to me. This time the news came from your mother's old metal address file. It pops open and the pages fall out of it -- full of pen and pencil marks, cross outs and changed numbers or addresses. Including Louise Barra and Anthony Barra!!! In Catskill!!! I scanned this sheet even though it's messy, it's like a sparkling diamond to me.

So I've done a little more investigating and discovered an Anthony Barra (along with several other Barras) in Catskill. I suspect this is Louise's son and he is likely quite old now (or I'm way off base). I've written to him and hope one of the Barras will help confirm that Louise is one of our Coffarellis.

And the address file yielded another gem. Remember Lena Fierro? Well, there are two Fierros listed in your mother's addresses. This will be my next focus. There may be new Coffarelli cousins coming out your ears before you know it. How cool is that?

A Proud Mom

So here's what I'm thinking about today. Twice today, people mentioned things Ryan had done recently that are the kinds of things that really make a parent proud. All day long I smiled to myself because I am so proud of him and the adult he seems to be growing into (actually it was closer to "teary eyed" than to smiling, but who's counting?).

There aren't many other parental moments that rise to the level of pride in our children over the behaviors they exhibit, especially when they have no way to expect we would find out. Of course, in some ways, it's all about us right? And our parenting? Mostly our doubts about how we are doing with that job as time goes by. Then we get validated by learning our child has made us proud. And we smile (or wipe tears away) for the rest of the day.

In this case, these were little things --as they often are. Little gestures or responses that can easily go unnoticed and often go undetected by mom-radar. Which made me think about my parents and their parents and so on. Was there anything I did that made my mom feel the way I do today? I don't recall that she ever mentioned such a thing but I suppose there had to be at least SOMETHING. Maybe when I was about 6 or so! I think I'd like to know. Especially because it's usually those little everyday things that define our relationships in this world and make such a difference with those looming life-defining moments we all face eventually.

So, I'm going to make a point to tell Ryan tonight that I am so proud to be his mom. I hope you will do the same with someone you love in the near future. Maybe they will remember it and understand a little better what makes them the people they become.

DNA anyone?

Recently I talked my brother into submitting a DNA sample to a surname project in the hopes of making some connections with the Irish Ryans. I cannot say I understand any of the results that have come through so far, but I did gain about 8 Ryan contacts to pursue. The most interesting Irish Ryan stories have come to me even though none looks like a match to ours (so far). It's something you all might want to consider, although you are fortunate enough to have substantial "old country" information, the stories add a great deal of insight to our ancestors lives.

So, here's a bit of Dalpiaz lore. This image may not be particularly clear but it is a tribute to Erminia Dalpiaz Maistrelli. I think she looks like a Dalpiaz! Erminia was an aunt to your grandfather Costante. Erminia's daughter Emelia was married in 1921 in Las Animas Colorado and lived in the area until at least 1930.

So here's what I find interesting. You may remember the story of Otillio Dalpiaz who was murdered in Colorado in 1928 and apparently died without any family claiming him. This murder occured in the same county that served as home for Otilio's niece Emelia yet no mention was made of any family ties for him during the inquest or investigation. Makes you wonder how it happened that perhaps Emelia never knew her uncle was nearby--or, if she did, why no evidence of it came to light.

I feel pretty strongly that it is likely she knew she had an uncle in the area. That's just how things were for families at that time, especially immigrants in a community with others from the old country. Just another little story for your consideration. Enjoy these beautiful fall days!

One of my most recent searches is for information about Long Island City in the 1930s or so especially for the sugar house in Greenpint (Jack Frost) that your grandfather Costante worked in. Aunt Josie also said your grandmother worked there as well. She said Costante first worked in this sugar house then started working the trollies then to the buses. I have no idea what working in a sugar house was all about but I think I can just about imagine the smell which I am supposing may have been sweet but not a pleasant homey kind of sweet smell--more like the overwhelming hot sweet smell that fills your nasal passages.

I did find this picture apparently by photographer/artist Miklos Suba (perhaps of Brooklyn) that I think might be the Greenpoint Brooklyn Jack Frost Sugar factory. It might be around the approximate time period that this factory provided a living for your grandfather and grandmother. Just thought you might find it interesting.

Now to move into current times: Happy birthday Drew! Isn't it nice to have a long weekend for your birthday almost every year? The leaves are so beautiful this weekend they just take your breath away. Go out and enjoy.

Italian American Museum

I thought you all might be interested in hearing about the Italian American Museum. I don't know my Manhattan geography very well, but so far as I can tell it is located in Little Italy at the site of a former bank frequented by Italian immigrants (corner Mulberry and Grand Street). This article in the New York Times caught my eye and I thought of your ancestors and their lives in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It notes that a thrid class ticket from Naples to New York cost $30 in 1894 (about the time the Manzellis arrived also from the port of Naples). I'm sure $30 was a large investment for such travelers.

In particular, I took note of a researcher's statement that "the neighborhood was a cluster of enclaves within an enclave, with various streets representing various regions of the old country" and that those who lived north of Broome Street was from Bari. Now, I don't know Broome Street from 5th Avenue, but I do know that one branch of your ancestry comes from Bari! I would just love to visit this museum. If any of you happen to visit, please be sure to let me know (sounds like Robert and Bobbie to me!).

Back on track

I feel like I've ignored the blog for too long! Have you all missed me?? Amy was home for the weekend since it was Homecoming and it was great to spend some time with her. She really wanted to see Ryan play and she got to see a win. This is Ryan's leaping TD run. It was fun to watch. Ryan recovered nicely from his concussion. Whew. They are 3-1 now which is a great start.

I haven't done much with anything related to genealogy recently and I am really missing it. Stay tuned because I'll get back to some story telling soon I hope.

Thanks Kathleen for the family info sheet. Always handy and greatly appreciated. Linda, I'm waiting to hear that you were able to set yourself up to use the blog! Scott, I filed the VADIR report today!!! No wonder I feel relief. Now on to the next deadline.

Something Fun to Try

Here's one way to waste some hard earned online time: Try the World Names Profiler and see how surnames are distributed across the globe in the present day. Type in the surname you are interested in--let's say you are wondering about "Dalpiaz". Make sure you click the SEARCH button after the name.

The page takes a minute to reload then you'll see a world map with shaded areas demonstrating the high/low ranges of families with that surname in a particular area. Click the darkest areas which are the heaviest density for that surname, the page will take a second to reload then you'll get a closer view. You can click down to general localities.

Now, I enjoyed doing this but even more fun was scrolling down the page past the maps to see the most common first names with that surname and the specific cities with the highest density of the surname. I learned about this from one of my favorite podcasts and it was more entertaining than I expected it to be! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

I spoke with Linda today and she mentioned she was having a hard time figuring out how to leave a comment or a post on this blog. You are all WELCOME to add whatever you like to this blog! So I thought I would just make some suggestions on the easiest way to get set up to add comments or posts to this blog.

I think the easiest thing to do is to create yourself a Google Account. Click this link to get started. Although you do not have to use gmail in order to make good use of your Google account, I find it works better if you have a gmail account also. Just a suggestion.

Once you have your account set up, you will need to verify it by email. Google sends you an email to the address you supply in your account and I think you just click a link to verify. This is one of the places where the gmail account comes in handy.

After you are verified, you can access the blog however you usually find it (I hope it's on your Favorites!) and sing in (upper right corner). Once you are signed in, you can add to the blog by commenting or adding a new post.

I hope this helps a little bit. I've resent an invitation to the Hartmans to be authors for this blog and can do the same for whomever else is interested. Just let me know! dalpiaz@echoes.net

The Dalpiaz Name in the Headlines!

Well, sort of. It's kind of cool to see the Dalpiaz name in headlines even if it is only the local weekly paper. This marks Ryan's first varsity football victory! For Harpursville football, it's an exciting start to the season.

We hope everyone has gotten September off to a good start. We are thinking about Sarah's first day as well as our college freshman. We are also thinking about our other athletes Mallory and Drew on their respective school teams. Best of luck to all!

I'd just like to reflect for a moment on Sept 11 and what it has come to mean for us as a country. We were all keenly aware from the moment we heard the news that our world had changed forever. I don't claim to know what is the proper way to recognize Sept 11, but I do know that we can't let it go without recognition. I am certain we all did so in our own way.

I just love this picture. I think Marguerite Manzelli is the bride and James Coffarelli is the groom. The attendants are probably Philip Coffarelli, James' brother and Emily Manzelli, Marguerite's younger sister. They were married June 27 1923 in Long Island City.

The question is --who is the very proper child? My guess is that is is a Manzelli, perhaps Anna who would have been about 8 or Madeline when she was about 7 years old. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

The wedding attire is very typical of the time period and very beautiful, I think. And what magnificent flowers!

Farewell Summer 2008

Last official summer weekend is already upon us. And you know what that means for most of us--back to school! Those of you who are retired, perhaps this last holiday of the summer isn't as sweet as it is for those of us going back into the classrooms. This last Monday seems like such a sweet gift.

James tells me he thinks he recalls the family would host a Labor Day pool party. Nothing special at my house for Labor Day. The first sign for back-to-school was trying on all the clothes to measure for adjustments--especially to hems. The eternal struggle for the hemline! I guess I shouldn't say "eternal" as it doesn't so much seem the case now!

I don't remember that we ever went "Back-To-School" shopping the way we do now. Of course, it wasn't a media event in those days.

Have a great first day of kindergarten Sarah!! What was your kindergarten teacher's name? How was that first year for you?

Happy Birthday to the girls--the kindergartner, the college freshman, the new driver (!) and the actress.

One mystery solved--sort of!

When I received the list of interment list for the Manzelli plot at the Calvary Cemetery, I noticed a listing for Dorothy Manzelli who died at the age of 17 and was buried outside the vault. I've been very curious about Dorothy, operating under the assumption she was a Manzelli child. The mystery, for me, was: whose child?

So, I followed up the way most any curious librarian/family historian would do and sent away for her death certificate. I was surprised to learn she was the wife of Andrew Manzelli, your grandmother's brother who later married Lois and became father to RuthAnn and Peter. She died in November of 1934 after about a month in the hospital of an acute intestinal obstruction. She must have been in a great deal of pain. She was ony 3 weeks shy of her 18th birthday at the time of her death.

Andrew was about 8 years older than she was and it must have been quite tragic. Kathleen tells me she recalls being told they had been married only about a year when she died. It appears she may have been ill much of that time.

In that calendar year from about November 1933 to November 1934 was a very difficult time for your grandmother Marguerite. In December of 1933, her father died suddenly while at a welcome-home-from-the- hospital party for her husband James who suffered from leukemia. Two months or so later, in February 1934 her husband died in the hospital. The following November her sister-in-law Dorothy died after a protracted illness. This must have set Marguerite back on her heels a bit, especially given these were the Depression years. She had two young children to care for as well. They were only 9 and 5 years old when their father died.

I picture that she had the support of her extended family of siblings and spouses, just as we do today. So allow me to say thank you to you all for that and to remind us all that it is part of a family tradition, whether we were aware of it or not.

New Blog you might like!

Ryan has joined the blogging world. If you are interested in the point of view of one HS athlete, check it out at http://dalpmania.blogspot.com/ He welcomes your comments! I was also happy to see a new comment from Jake and Lindsay. Hope all is well for them. Here's their link in case you need it: http://babydalpiaz.blogspot.com/

All is well here. We are trying to make the best of the last truly free weekend for a while since FOOTBALL starts Monday. So, true to form, James is off in one direction and I in another. James is taking Amy a carload of things that she forgot when she flew out of here earlier this week. It got strikingly quiet very quickly after she left. As soon as she gives me her new mailing address, I will share it with you but if you are interested her email is adalp652@kutztown.edu

It is very hard to believe so much time has passed since your Mother's death. So many times, it feels just like she is here with us.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Take a close look here: this is Kathleen on the water slide at our Disney hotel! Something about that place makes us all forget ourselves a little bit--Nick talked me into Test Track and then there was Splash Mountain (on the "wet side" of the car!). Anyway, it was a great trip--thank you Kathleen and Nick for spending some time with us. I think that was a great way for Kathleen to begin her retirement.

We are looking forward to seeing some of the rest of the family tomorrow at Jean's!

Help needed with a little mystery

Spending a nice quiet Sunday morning doing the usual--going through family files! What else would Pat be doing when she has a few quiet minutes? I came across a little mystery I am hoping some of you will be able to help with by thinking through some of the stories you've heard.

Notes from an interview with Aunt Mary indicate that Peter Manzelli (Marguerite's brother, your mom's uncle) was first married and had a little girl then later lived with another woman ("the Nervo girl") and had no other children. My note says (and I believe I'm quopting Aunt Mary) "this makes Johnny the first official grandchild". I've never thought too much about it and I don't suppose it matters very much who was the first official grandchild (Emily Anne and I have something in common there) BUT genealogy abhors a lost family so I got looking to see if I could find Uncle Peter and this family.

I found a good candidate Peter Manzelli 30 years old in 1930 married for about 10 years to Mildred with 8 year old daughter Evelyn. Aunt Mary says she does not know what happened to the first wife but I wonder if these could be the family? Anyone have any memories of Uncle Peter Manzelli stories? Children named Evelyn? Any Mildred memories?

Neither do I know when Peter died. There's a Peter Manzelli of about the right age who's last residence was Broward County Fort Lauderdale Florida at the time of death August 1978. Any chance this might be the right Peter Manzelli?

If this is the right family, it appears that perhaps Uncle Johnny may not be the first grandchild as he was born about 2 years after Evelyn was born. If you recall any stories it might help me go a little further in this research. I already have found Mildred as a child so it would be interesting to know if I'm on the right trail!

Take care to all. Hope your summer is going well. We expect to see Kathleen and Nick next week at Disney before they come north.

Baby Smiles

I guess the upcoming baptism of Emily got me thinking about babies (mostly my own of course). I can recall very distinctly the first time Ryan grinned at me in that way moms know is just for them and not gas bubbles. Here's the card Michelle sent along when Ryan was born and it says it all about that first smile. I have kept it on my bedroom mirror all these years to more easily bring back the joy that first smile brought. You can click on the image to enlarge it for easier reading.

What little memories do you have of the babies in your life? I was old enough to remember when my mother brought sibling number 5 home. I can still see her coming through the door with the baby for the first time. Another sister wondered why we had ANOTHER and did we have to keep her. That's the advantage of being one of the older ones in the house--no one says that about you!

So think about sweet baby smells, smiles and gurgles. Here's wishing for a blessedly wonderful baptism day for Emily. God Bless.

Welcome Emily Anne!

We are very excited to hear of Miss Emily's arrival into the world, especially since it heralds the beginning of a new generation for the Dalpiaz siblings. Another layer of family history is about to be woven into the tapestry of your story. How do you like that flowery language?

I find it interesting to note how names follow down through the lines. New parents usually do not do this deliberately but first names often repeat themselves several generations laters. Of course, you know that Jake has a great great grandfather Jake (not his given name, but it's what he was called) as well as a great grandaunt Emily. I have no idea about Lindsay's family but perhpas there is even a Lindsay back along the line somewhere.

Anyone up for naming a baby Costante??

First Weekend Summer 08

Here we are already on the first full weekend of summer 08. What are you all doing?? To update you on some rural upstate activities, Ryan is playing summer baseball, basketball and football. This alone keeps us on the road (thank you gas prices) and mostly out of trouble. He has now finished his Regents exams and is officially done with his sophomore year.

Amy is home and working and the Binghamton Mets and for elementary summer enrichment. She is enjoying the downtime with her friends and giving some extra love to the cats. She plans to visit Allentown and the new boyfriend next week. She is really feeling like she misses her cousins and wants to have a Ya Ya get together sometime soon.

James is outside right now revving up his new weed whacker. More power! He'll be marching this summer and getting ready to take his band on the last trip under his direction. They plan to go to Florida next November so the fund raising is in high gear.

So, again, what are you doing this summer? What did you do the summer you were 16??? Or don't I want to know.....???

Since graduations are high on the list in June, I thought you all might like to see this. It appears that your grandfather attended night school at the elementary level. I imagine it was to learn English but I've never heard anything about this--do you know the story? Looks like your grandfather was about 33 years old with young children in the house when he attended this program. It must have been very important to him and I see the importance of education survives in his descendants.

Welcome June!

This will certainly be an exciting month for all of us. I am enjoying Jake and Lindsay's blog and look forward to a new branch on the family tree this month! That's a great first baby picture there!! Congratulations Jake, Lindsay and Marisa on your graduation. We are very proud of you all even if we can't be with you all too much.

Recently, a sudden random sound of construction brought me directly back to one afternoon when I was very young. I was in my room for my afternoon nap and the same construction noises kept me awake. I have never forgotten that afternoon--I believe it to be my first memory. Construction noise regularly makes me recall that day.

Sounds can be very powerful triggers. Garbage truck sounds bring me back to Duffin Avenue. You all know exactly the sound I mean. I was talking to Amy about this as we were driving back from Wallops Island this weekend and she volunteered that the Barry Manilow song This One's for You always makes her think of her Grandpa Dalpiaz. She shared that she didn't get to know him as well as she would have liked and that she wished he knew of her accomplishments and daily activites. That's why that song makes her think of him. I find it very comforting that a song you might hear any time would bring your dad back to mind. It helps keep him alive even for his grandchildren.

So this brings me around to say Happy Birthday and ask what kinds of sounds bring memories back for you?

Pietraroja Italy

I was going through some of my papers and came across a couple of interesting pieces of information about Pietraroja Italy, where the Manzellis came from. Actually, there are apparently 2 Manzelli families currently listed in the phone directory for Pietraroja. That's a lead I may want to follow.

According to Steve Barbieri, one of your Manzelli cousins, the village of Peitraroja (spelled with a j) was founded a very long time ago and gets its name from a Spanish dialect and it means "red rock". Guess we might have been able to figure that out with Spanish 101. The village got its latest name in the 17th century when the townspeople mined red rocks for making cosmetics. The letter "j" was replaced by "i" when another dialect became the national language. This dialect did not contain letter "j". After WWII the letter "j" was put back into the name as proudly displayed by the town monument.

Apparently there had been a tradition in Pietraroja to conduct a town fair the first weekend in Sept. At this fair, the single women auctioned off baked goods to all the single men (do I hear an "Oklahoma" refrain in the background?). The winner "kept" the woman. Again according to Steve Barbieri, at least one ancestor may have obtained her spouse in this manner--but not your direct ancestor (whew).

This picture Steve sent me back in 2001 seemed to say it all for Pietraroja. He describes it as a mountain top view of the village. I think it's beautiful.

Spring update from Harpursville! This is one crazy place. Did you hear about the stabbing we had on campus last week? Here's the lowdown and maybe it's not that big of a deal for some of you, but it was pretty disturbing for us. Ryan was one of the witnesses they questioned. It's not that much like Law and Order! Makes the bomb threat evacuation pale in comparison. Never a dull moment.

Amy finished her sophomore year and is now on Wallops Island for her summer course. I took her down last weekend and we got to spend Mother's Day morning at the Wildlife Refuge on Chincoteague--just the 2 of us.

Ryan's season is going fairly well. He expects the team to go to sectionals. He plays second base for the team this year and is very happy to be on the infield. He's done a very little bit of pitching. James' team should also go to sectionals. He is doing a great job with them. He's doing really well as a varsity coach.

We are sorry we will miss the baby shower. Best wishes to Lindsay and Jake!

Happy Birthday Mr. Brandon! 7 years old..where does the time go? We hope you had a great day. Let's see, what else does May bring? Mother's Day!! Happy Mother's Day to Bobbie, Jean, Pat, Linda, Michelle (special blessings on Michelle this month).

And May brings college students home, so I will be spending Mother's Day with Amy traveling from Kutztown to Wallops Island VA for her summer course. She calls it "Harpursville-by-the-Sea" honoring its desolate location and lack of amenities. She has begun to send her stuff home, including a new aquarium and residents. So far, no casualties under our inexperienced care.

James' softball season and Ryan's baseball season are going along relatively well. They each have 3-4 games a week so this keeps us all out of trouble.

Unfortunately Amy and I will have to miss the baby shower (we love reading the Baby Blog, though!). One of my favorite shower gifts to give are books so I'm happy to have an excuse to dwell on those titles that bring back smiles.

What are your favorite childhood books? Amy always loved the Mother Goose stories that went with the talking Mother Goose your Mom gave her. Both of them liked Farmer Patrick Pig. Ryan and I love Is Your Mama a Llama? and the Stinkyface books. Love those Stinkyface books!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Calvin Coolidge was in the last year of his presidency. Charles Lindbergh was Time Magazine's Man of the Year. Amos n Andy was popular on the radio and Mickey Mouse made his debut in Steamboat Willie. The year was 1928, the year your Mom was born. Johnny was 4 years old when he greeted his new sister.

It's a little hard for me to imagine your mom at 80 years of age as she would have been this year. I'm sure she's in your minds at a certain age--probably not as shown in this picture. I love this classic pose, labeled June 1938 making Mom 10 years old. And both her parents already gone! The love and support of her extended family served her well as demonstrated by how she raised her own family. Happy Birthday.

Feel free to share some of your favorite Mom Memories.

A New Branch on the Family Tree

Perhaps you don't know the Isoldi family too well. Giovanna Isoldi married Joseph Manzelli (a barber) in November 1896 in Long Island City. Your grandmother Marguerite Manzelli was their first child.

Giovanna(Jennie) was born in New York City and her parents were Graciano and Antonia Isoldi. Her siblings were Ralph and Amelia, according to Marilyn. The census seems to indicate another sibling Michael.

Antonia died of pneumonia in 1912 aged 55. Her death certificate lists her parents as Ralph and Sarah Curcio (surname is a little hard to read). Ralph and Sarah may be the new branches on the family tree (if I have the right Antonia Isoldi).

Two years after Antonia died, her widow Graciano remarried a neighbor lady Maria Saraceni. I can just about picture Graciano (about 60 years old) casting his eye about the neighborhood for a potential mate! Maria was a 55 year old widow living a few doors down the street. Anyway, he died in 1934 and she survived him. This Isoldi family lived in the same Astoria house for at least 35 years.

This picture shows "Joe and Jennie" and their family members. Joseph (Guiseppe) is the guy with the moustache and Grandma Jennie (according to Angela Ruska) appears next to him. Angela was unsure who the older lady at the end might be but perhaps it is Marie Isoldi, the second wife. You can see Marguerite and James behind her. I am a bit unsure about the others but I believe they are Manzellis.

So I feel pretty certain that Sarah and Ralph Curcio are your great great great grandparents. Congratulations!

Springing forward

Happy Spring to you all! Happy birthdays to Danielle, Robert and to Nick, Thomas and Lindsay coming right up. All is well here with us. The spring season is underway and this seems to be our busiest time. It will be nice to get outside, won't it?

A little bit of news in your family history: I need to confirm this, but I think I have reached back another generation and have located the parents of your great-greatgrandmother Antonia Isoldi (Marguerite's grandmother). And--here's something special to note: Antonia's mother's name is SARAH!! Isn't that interesting? As I said, it still needs to be confirmed but it's always very exciting to find another generation. I just love the way names flow through the generations.

Easter Mystery

Can you believe it's almost Easter? It doesn't seem quite right, but here's a little mystery for you to ponder as you enjoy the Easter ham and jelly beans. Who ARE these people? Aunt Josie thought perhaps the older girl might be Madeline Manzelli and the boy her brother Joseph, but Madeline was about 6 years YOUNGER than Joseph so something isn't right. Any ideas?

And Happy Easter to you all!

Hello March, Hello spring (?)

I am always very grateful when February is done. For a short month, it usually feels like it drags on and on. I hope February break was great for anoyone lucky enough to get one! You may have heard that James and Ryan were able to visit Kathleen and Nick for a couple of days. Great hospitality on Aleta Drive!!

Lots of birthdays to celebrate this month! Pat, Jean, Amy, Danielle and Robert--happy birthday to you! James and I now have our first grand niece in the family--her name is Delany (niece Jessica and Sean's 3rd child) . She's a February baby, but her brother Aiden has a March birthday also. It's a busy month.

"As Others See Us"

A short one this time! Portions of the poem As Others See Us" from the Souvenir Graduation Program Ravesnwood School PS 83 Wednesday June 24, 1942:

"Robert Dalpiaz with dishes in hand,
The floor's the place where they will land.

Always on time and standing at the gate,
Is Regina Coffarelli asking, "Why were you late?" "


I thought this was cute. What did your yearbook say about you??? For all on Feb break--enjoy!

Marguerite Manzelli Coffarelli

February 13 marks your grandmother Marguerite's 110th birthday so I'd like to say Happy Birthday to her by posting a partial transcription of the story relayed to me by Marilyn Pitelli Sheerin several years ago. The photo is one I think many of you have seen. Marilyn got this from Aunt Marie and forwarded it to me. Marilyn noted on the back that you see Anna, Marie, Giovanna, Madeline, Emily and Regina in front. I suspect it was taken perhaps around 1940-1942.

Before I post the transcription, I'd also like to say Happy 15th Birthday to Miss Amanda!

Enjoy. I welcome your comment or thoughts on your memories of such stories. I've put some of my own notes in red.

After their father died, Joseph, Giacomo, Pasquale and Michael decided to leave Pietraroia Italy to come find a better life in America. They left their mother and younger brother and thought they would send for them later.

Giacomo was a bachelor and lived with Joseph even after her married Giovanna. (remember the passport photo of this guy Giacomo?) Pasquale was a priest and founded Saint Joseph Church, New Rochelle NY.

When their mother became ill in Italy they sent for her. But, the younger brother Andrew was about to be married and chose to stay in Italy. He died many eyars later, but the woman he married Christina is the woman Ed and I visited in Pietraroia last July. It was a dream come true for me. She still lives across the street from the church where the Manzelli boys were baptized and Pasquale said his first mass.

Marguerite was the name of Joseph, Michael, Pasquale, Giacomo and Andrew’s mother and you can see that Joseph and Andrew named their first born daughters after their mother. And Uncle Johnny followed suit with his daughter Marguerite. It is very interesting how the family names keep popping up ie Peter, Michael, Andrew (by the way Giacomo is Italian for James!)

Anyway, back to the story-when the ill mother came to America Fr. Pasquale took care of her at St. Josephy Rectory in New Rochelle. In the meantim the three brothers decided to build a family mauseleum at Calvary Cemetery where the whole family could be buried. …..When Marguerite died the mauseleum was finished and she was buried there.

One little story I remember my mom (Aunt Anna Pitelli) always telling is when Regina’s Dad James Coffarelli was diagnosed with leukemia, he spent a long time at NY Hospital and was finally going to be released. The family planned a wonderful Welcome Home Party (my mother was 14). About 9 PM her father (Joseph) said good night to the guests and went upstairs to bed. All of a sudden they heard a thum and Joseph Manzelli collagpsed and died of a heart attack. (December 10 1933).

James Coffarelli died eventually of the leukemia (Feb 20 1934—only a couple of months later) and the story I heard was that Marguerite almost died of a broken heart about 2 years later (Jan 3 1938) leaving Johnny and Regina. She never really accepted her husband’s death. My mom also always said Marguerite played the piano, gave lessons and also played the organ in church.”

Happy birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday yesterday to Scott and Linda. We hope you had a good day. Maybe you watched the game (you know which game!)--wasn't it a good one? I realize I'm in Giants territory, but I was sort of rooting for a perfect season. But I didn't win any money in the pool, so maybe I'm just a little bitter.

Amy is back safe and sound at school. She is still having some headaches and a little nausea when reading, but seems to be coming along as expected. They said it would be at least two weeks before she might expect to feel more like herself. Thank you to everyone for your calls and good wishes. If you'd ilke to email her it's adalp652 at kutztown dot edu. (I'm writing it that way so her email has less chance of getting "hijacked").

We are coming in for a landing with Ryan's basketball season. It hasn't been real successful in the win-loss category but overall they did well and put up a good fight for most opponents.

OK--I'm thinking about the next family history story and I think it's going to be about the "other" Costante Dalpiaz. Did you know about him? Coming soon!

News from the Recovery Room

As you might know, Amy had a snowboarding accident Saturday and spent the night in the hospital due to a concussion. No one saw the accident and she doesn't remember so it's hard to judge the severity of the concussion but she seems fine although a bit sore. We brought her home to Harpursville for the more official kind of observation (the Mom kind). The dorm just didn't seem like the optimum recovery location!! We hope she will be ready to go back to Kutztown before the weekend.

Thanks to all of you for your support. It was a very long day and pretty scary for a while but we are happy to report that she seems to be recovering as expected. Ryan, ever being the loyal brother, snuck a hospital picture of her on the cell phone but she is currently paying us not to share it.

She doesn't remember her first helicopter ride either and I figure she will wake up with a bad nightmare about crashing and helicopter noises in the next few days. I hope I'm better rested by then!

Dalpiaz Unsolved Mystery

A while back, one of your long lost cousins included some intriguing information about a great granduncle Ottilio Dalpiaz being murdered in Colorado after overhearing a Mafia murder plot. What self-respecting librarian/family historian wouldn't feel a great urge to research such a story??

Otillio (first name spelling varies greatly from source to source) probably immigrated from home in the late 1880's. Sal Romano's Trento website gives great information on some emigration patterns and I'm guessing Otillio followed this pattern. In 1900 he appears to have been a coal miner in Gray Creek Colorado. If you go to the Colorado Mines link on this website, you will see some Gray Creek mining pictures I think are very interesting. I haven't found him again until he was murdered in 1928.

I imagine it was a warm morning August 20 1928 in the Grand Hotel when Ottilio was shot to death after an apparent struggle in his room in the annex at the hotel. He'd been employed as their night dishwasher but had quit his job and collected his pay very shortly before he was attacked. Witnesses heard some discussion in his room, a struggle, crashing noise and shots. Seven bullet wounds from a .38 were found in his body. SEVEN!!

Otillio was probably around 54 years old when he died. It appears he had no friends or family in the area and was described as "a quiet fellow who did not talk much" . The reports from the coroner's inquest made no mention of any Mafia involvement and the murder was apparently never solved.

For me, this is a sad story of dying alone but perhaps sharing his story bring some justice to the great injustice of an unsolved murder.

The Latest from H'ville

Nothing is simple around here!! I think most of you already know that. Oscar came home from the vet after passing a kidney stone and having a chiropractic treatment. Yes, you read it right (I even spell checked it). Hard to believe ins omany ways!

Amy went back to school this week and the house was pretty lonely feeling for a couple of days but now we are used to having the computer back! Ryan has a game today so that will probably delay taking down the Christmas lights. The windstorm blew James' tent covering the Mustang into the woods and it's going to take the entire basketball team to haul it back up.

How are those New Year's Resolutions coming along for everyone??

Postscript to the Christmas Cat Story

Well, I know you have all been wondering how things are up here with the cat since we left you on Christmas Day. The adventure continues. If you can believe it, Oscar is at this very moment being treated for another blockage. (I'm getting ready to block something myself and it involves your brother James). This time, at least, James took him to the local cow vet and it looks like this will not cost very much more than filling up your gas tank these days. Jeez.

Funny what kinds of things we actually find comforting--paying as much for a tank of gas as for feline "septic pumping".

Hope things are nice and calm with you all. Aunt Josie called last night just to say hi, but neither James nor I were here to speak with her. We will probably try to get caught up with her over the weekend.