Hunting History - Finding Family

It would be an understatement to say that Louis Barra launched my genealogy obsession.  At some point, probably some fifteen years ago, I was handed a paper book, the Barra family history.  You'll have to forgive me if this post is not as descriptive as I'd prefer it to be, I've recently moved and said book is buried in a stack of unpacked boxes. It wasn't the most comprehensive of family histories, but considering that Louis had built it in an age before ancestry.com, familysearch, or even the internet, it's a pretty impressive piece of work.  He did what I can't do, went to the source and talked to the older generations of relatives. I bring this up not just to reminisce on my own introduction to the time suck that is family history research, but because I received a rather random email from a Jerry Olivera at the beginning of January about Louis; "I have a photo taken in early 1940s of a Louis (Lou) Barra. My father had the photo from his Army days i...

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 res...

I know it's been a really long time since I've written....genealogy unfortunately tends to take a backseat to my business, and other work, and family....but I had to share this revelation! Uncle Alan Heigert was the one who told me my ggrandmother Angelina's forst husbands name was Valentino Paganin.  For whatever reason I identify closest with my Italian heritage, and he was a complete mystery.  My ghost.  All I, or anyone, really knew was that Angelina's first husband, Rena's father, died when Rena was very young, and the family for whatever reason would not help support them, and they emigrated to the US, she married Giuseppe "Joe" Barra, had a passel more kids, and here we all are.  But you know I couldn't be happy with just that. No, I HAVE TO KNOW MORE. I've been hunting Valentino for years.  Unsuccessfully, I might add.  I have another blog post about that.  But this time, we found him.  Thanks to cousin Mary, (My Nona's twin sister ...

I may not have been blogging lately (I've been pretty busy with my business) but I have been working on my tree.  Recently a distant cousin from Kansas (who still spells his name Hiegert) contacted me and we spent weeks trying to connect our trees.  I have connected two other branches...not his yet, but it's there!!  Today, though, I'm going to talk a little about my Maternal side. I work really hard on the paternal side of my tree, because it's a challenge.  They're the immigrants, only being in the US for a few generations of several surnames.  But my maternal side, the Wellers, have been here for a very long time. Recently I've been watching the show "Who Do You Think You Are" on TLC, and last night's episode was mainly based on the Revolutionary War.  Which got me thinking, I have MANY Revolutionary War Veterans on the Weller side of the tree.  In fact, one was almost fresh off the boat....so we're going to look at some of them today.  ...

I recently wrote to the Comune Di Asiago searching for My second great grandmother, Anna Maria Angela "Mary" Strazzabosco's husband and family.  I've found them to be an invaluable resource, although I have never actually ordered any of the documents.  I am sure if I did, I'd be getting a lot more information other than just names, because they're not just going to tell me something if they can get me to pay for it, of course.  Lucky for me, my second most valuable resource IS free, and I use it often: italiangenealogy.com. So anyway, the Comune emailed me back with the name of Mary's husband, Giovanni Antonio Nardin.  I knew he was a Nardin of course, but nothing more.  So they give me the name then ask for money for a certificate.  I reply that I only want the certificate if it lists his parents as well, and lucky day #2, they write back with more info (assuming so that I'll actually pay the 10,32 Euros- about $12 - for the certificate.) about his p...

So, Barth Cunico, fellow genealogist/researcher to the Strazzabosco family, helped me send a few emails to Asiago searching for family records, one of which was family info for Valentino Paganin.  What I got was this: Good morning from research done in the historical records, we found that parents of PAGANIN VALENTINO n. 05.22.1885 died on 15.01.1913 who married NARDIN ANGELA are PAGANIN DOMENICO and BONOMO GIUSTINA and not PAGANIN Antonio and Strazzabosco Sunday. However, it also a PAGANIN Valentino born 11.20.1883 emigrated to North America in 1912 married to Cristina RODEGHIERO son PAGANIN ANTONIO and Strazzabosco Domenica. Which, if nothing else, gave me Valentino's Birth and Death dates.  So, the birth date I had before was incorrect, and I had an estimated death date of 1912, which was pretty close, as he really died in Jan 1913.  But it also tells me that the parents I had thought were his were for the OTHER Valentino, the one I traced to America.  Of cour...

The last few days have been a whirlwind of information for me. :) First, I was contacted by Mary, who found me while searching for her family, through all things, this blog. (!) Mary then connected me with (distant cousin) Nancy, who claims Pietro Nardin's (my great grandmothers brother) line, and then to Barth Cunico, who is a veritable wealth of information, and has just given me three generations of Strazzabsoco's I did not know.  All in three days!! My initial intention for this blog is simply to record how I search, my leads and dead ends, and those precious few successes.  So now I'll be working on the Strazzabosco's, and hoping that Barth can find more info on the Paganini's and Nardin's as well. He (and I) both find it amazing that he had ONE Nardin listed in his research, and lo and behold, it is my very own great great grandfather Giovanni Nardin (who even I did not know of until just recently.) So, through Barth, I know have all the children of ...