Valentino! Mia Famiglia!!
Two years I've been knocking on a brick wall. Two. Years.
And today, that wall has come Last year I wrote to the Comune Di Asiago asking for records for Valentino Paganin, not the Valentino who emigrated to America and lived a rich, full life, but the Valentino who died tragically leaving my great grandmother Angelina no choice but to move to America herself and start over. It was quite the process. Within about a month they emailed me back saying they found 18 records, and I'd need to send $58 american dollars to them for the copies. They wanted this done through an international wire transfer. No big deal, or so I thought.
My bank does not do international wire transfer, only domestic, and it was going to e pretty expensive anyway, on top of the $60. Despite my efforts I couldnt locate anyone else to do the transfer. So another email was sent, asking if theyd do PayPal or credit or debit card. Another few weeks go by, and I get the response that they do not. Basically I am told to 'put money in an envelope and send it to the Comune." sure....I'll get right on that LOL.
I hedged my bets and got a money order for $60. They could keep those extra few bucks for all the trouble haha. Only they didnt give me an address. Italian addresses are not even close to american ones. Between google and what they had on the bottom of their emails I hazarded a guess the address was
Comune Di Asiago
Piazza II Risorgimento, 6 - 36012 Asiago (VI)
Italia
On a wing and a prayer, as they say.
I sent an email asking them to watch for my envelope. Meanwhile, in Northern Italian Genealogy group on Facebook, someone said they wouldnt accept money orders. Worry threatened to set in, but theres nothing to be done about it now but wait. So wait I did.
And then the email came.
Buongiorno, si allega il certificato richiesto. Cordiali Saluti.
"Good moring, there is the certificate you requested. Cordial greetings." (Thank God for Google translate) And that's it, no fanfare on their end, but here I am doing the happiest happy dance in the history of all happy dances. I literally about cried at work when I received the email.
This is what all the waiting was for, and it was all worth it.
Valentino is no longer a mystery, and so too has some of the other questions been partially solved. Valentino was born to Domenico Paganin and Giustina Bonomo, Domenico's second wife. Between his two wives, he had eighteen children, Valentino being the 15th. Granted, only about four made it to adulthood and married, but without knowing what they did for a living, I'd say birthing and burying all those children was quite expensive. I was told Angelina emigrated because when Valentino died ( which I now know was Jan 15th, 1913) they could or would not support her, as was customary, so she left, following her brother Pietro to Illinois with their mother and year old daughter in tow. This helps shed light on why; I'd say it isn't that they didnt want to, but most likely that they simply could not.
As happy as knowing this makes me, it also determines me that much more. I've learned the system and beaten the waiting game. I know how and where to write to attain my needed information. Several children moved to other comunes: Schio, Marostica, Tarvisio, Varese. I can now write to them and follow the line down. I can also pester poo Asiago further for children borne to the few who lived and married, and ask again now for Domenico's parents. Those who did marry, did so into family names I am already familiar with, Carli, Rodegiro, of which I can follow and link into my own.
It's been an amazing day, my friends. Never give up the search. <3
In one fell swoop I went from this:
To this!
Amazing.
And today, that wall has come Last year I wrote to the Comune Di Asiago asking for records for Valentino Paganin, not the Valentino who emigrated to America and lived a rich, full life, but the Valentino who died tragically leaving my great grandmother Angelina no choice but to move to America herself and start over. It was quite the process. Within about a month they emailed me back saying they found 18 records, and I'd need to send $58 american dollars to them for the copies. They wanted this done through an international wire transfer. No big deal, or so I thought.
My bank does not do international wire transfer, only domestic, and it was going to e pretty expensive anyway, on top of the $60. Despite my efforts I couldnt locate anyone else to do the transfer. So another email was sent, asking if theyd do PayPal or credit or debit card. Another few weeks go by, and I get the response that they do not. Basically I am told to 'put money in an envelope and send it to the Comune." sure....I'll get right on that LOL.
I hedged my bets and got a money order for $60. They could keep those extra few bucks for all the trouble haha. Only they didnt give me an address. Italian addresses are not even close to american ones. Between google and what they had on the bottom of their emails I hazarded a guess the address was
Comune Di Asiago
Piazza II Risorgimento, 6 - 36012 Asiago (VI)
Italia
On a wing and a prayer, as they say.
I sent an email asking them to watch for my envelope. Meanwhile, in Northern Italian Genealogy group on Facebook, someone said they wouldnt accept money orders. Worry threatened to set in, but theres nothing to be done about it now but wait. So wait I did.
And then the email came.
Buongiorno, si allega il certificato richiesto. Cordiali Saluti.
"Good moring, there is the certificate you requested. Cordial greetings." (Thank God for Google translate) And that's it, no fanfare on their end, but here I am doing the happiest happy dance in the history of all happy dances. I literally about cried at work when I received the email.
This is what all the waiting was for, and it was all worth it.
Valentino is no longer a mystery, and so too has some of the other questions been partially solved. Valentino was born to Domenico Paganin and Giustina Bonomo, Domenico's second wife. Between his two wives, he had eighteen children, Valentino being the 15th. Granted, only about four made it to adulthood and married, but without knowing what they did for a living, I'd say birthing and burying all those children was quite expensive. I was told Angelina emigrated because when Valentino died ( which I now know was Jan 15th, 1913) they could or would not support her, as was customary, so she left, following her brother Pietro to Illinois with their mother and year old daughter in tow. This helps shed light on why; I'd say it isn't that they didnt want to, but most likely that they simply could not.
As happy as knowing this makes me, it also determines me that much more. I've learned the system and beaten the waiting game. I know how and where to write to attain my needed information. Several children moved to other comunes: Schio, Marostica, Tarvisio, Varese. I can now write to them and follow the line down. I can also pester poo Asiago further for children borne to the few who lived and married, and ask again now for Domenico's parents. Those who did marry, did so into family names I am already familiar with, Carli, Rodegiro, of which I can follow and link into my own.
It's been an amazing day, my friends. Never give up the search. <3
In one fell swoop I went from this:
Amazing.
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