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.”