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!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
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.”
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.”
Monday, February 4, 2008
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!
Monday, January 28, 2008
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!
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!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
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??
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??
Saturday, January 5, 2008
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.
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