The Archives of

Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei

Part 5

Last updated January 3, 2001

Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei (PIP #6) met on 23 January 1999 at the usual place, the Dolley Madison Library in McLean, Virginia. We numbered 19, including new members via PIE and the WWW. Attendees were:

JoePelczar& Margaret Cutino (#3538)
Kay Hogan-Torpey (#2543)
Jane Ferrigno (#3693)
Elisa Ulino (#2301)
Alden & Marie Bestul (#1025) John Tromba (#2915)
Jim Giannamore
Art Manfredi (#3414)
Stephen Carfora (#1279)
Richard Camaur (#3158)
Don DiLoreto (#3966)
Vito Florimonte
Jay Pulli and his wife Peggy Marshall
Lou Alfano (#2114)
Judy Tavano Gardner (#2167) Paul Traunero (#1541)

A wide range of topics were discussed, including scanning photos for digital storage, sharing correspondence from Italy, recent trips to Italy and using the Internet for genealogical purposes. We also want to extend our 'auguri per compleanno' to Rose Cahill who celebrated number 103 today! She is the mother of our own PIP's Hope (Castagnola) Bogorad (#1629).

On 24 April, we have arranged to dine at Pulicinella's Italian restaurant. Our PIP's last dinner gathering was in October 1994.

Our next quarterly meeting will be on 22 May 1999 at the usual place and time.

For further information contact Paul Traunero (#1541) or visit us on the WWW:

On April 24, 1999 Il Circolo Mazzei gathered for a dinner event at the Pulcinella Ristorante in McLean, Virginia.

We welcomed some new members and enjoyed one another's company. We enjoyed a delicious meal of various pasta and sauce combinations, and topped it off with coffee and Italian desserts. We thank Salvatore Esposito, the proprietor of Pulcinella for accommodating our 'expanded' attendance of 26:

Paul & Carda Traunero, Vito & Toni Florimonte, Jay & Peggy Pulli, Margaret Cutino & Joe Pelczar, Richard & Nancy Camaur, Jane & James Ferrigno, Donna Dengler & Daniel Else, Richard DiBuono, Elisa Ulino, Marguerite Bertoglio, Vincent & Donna Bonzagni, Hope Bogorad & Seymour Goodman, Rino DiMasso, Kay Hogan-Torpey & Joe, and Frank & Marion Azzarita.

Everyone was reminded that we have an off-schedule quarterly meeting on 22 May and return to our regular schedule on 24 July. Please contact Paul Traunero (carda@ix.netcom.com) for more information."

Fourteen members and guests gathered at the Dolley Madison Library for our regular quarterly meting. John Mafodda (#2585), Bill Menza (#1029) and John Tromba (#2915) sent regrets via e-mail, and Paul Traunero (#1541) called to say he couldn't make it.

We were treated to biscotti in 4 flavors by Margaret Cutino and Joe Pelczar.

The meeting followed our usual show-and-tell format, and, in Paul's absence, Lou Alfano (#2114) acted as chairman. POINT membership applications were made available to those interested.

Dan ELSE inquired about Italian genealogy e-mail mailing lists and was advised about PIE (which is temporarily off-line) and Comunes Of Italy, and told to check Cyndy's List on the Internet for subscription instructions.

Donna DENGLER has exhausted the Birth, Marriage and Death records in the Sicilian town(s) of her ancestors and is now checking the Allegati and Rivelli - she wanted to know if the Rivelli were indexed.

Marie BESTUL (#1025) and husband Alden discussed the problem of lack of interest in genealogy among family members - a common complaint of all of us bitten by the "bug."

Alden BESTUL also told us the following, which, while not pertaining to Italian genealogy, is still of historic and genealogical interest:

"On December 11, 1782, at a meeting of the St. Andrew Society, General George Washington expressed to a group of Scandinavians his pleasure at being present among the people of his forefathers blood, as he claimed descent from the family of Wass, who emigrated from Denmark in the year A.D. 970, and settled in County Durham, England, where they built a small town, calling it Wass-in-ga-tun (town of Wass). This places his ancestors among the Viking Danish invaders of England at that time." The documentation for this story is from A History of Norwegian Immigration to The United States, by George T. Flom, Ph.D. p. 40. Privately printed 1909 in Iowa City IA and later reprinted in 1992 by Heritage Books, Inc., Bowie Md 20716.

Marguerite BERTOGLIO (#878) also addressed the matter of lack of family interest, indicating that many cousins don't even bother to respond with a "thank you" when they are sent genealogical information.

Dave NATELLA (#1073) is still pursuing his dual citizenship - a quest of at least three years, so far. He has heard from the authorities in Salerno that all his documentation is in order (which was quite an accomplishment), and now is waiting for final word from Roma.

Dorothy NATELLA (Dave's Mom) explained that Dave began pursuing dual citizenship after she introduced him to his father's genealogy.

John IACONIS (#2953) described his research into a coal mining disaster in Monongah, West Virginia in December 1907. Several cousins and an uncle died in this disaster - the worst coal mine disaster in US history killing almost 500 miners, about half of whom were from Italy. John found information about it in a book, Italian language newspapers, and other reports in the Fairmont, WV library.

John also promised to provide information about obtaining naturalization records, which he sent along via e-mail:

"This information is about two years old. So you need to check that the form, addresses, and procedures are still the same. I will give you two telephone numbers to establish initial contact. FOIA/PA - 202/514-3278 or 202/616-7859 {hope these numbers are still correct]. Request a Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request Form - G-639 from the US Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service. Federal regulation FOIA (5 USC 552) applies. Addresses - Immigration and Naturalization Service; 425 I Street NW; ULLICO Building 2nd Floor, Wash DC 20536.

"Basic procedure - get citizenship date from census form. Show that you are a direct descendent of immigrant (birth, death, marriage certificates as appropriate); fill out FOIA form; request entire file and BOTH Declaration of Intention papers and Naturalization papers. Mark outside of envelope "Freedom of Information Request" Wait about six months and when the chestnuts and walnuts are ripe and dropping and ready for picking in the mountain of Italy and the grapes have been crushed and are fermenting - you will get a response."

Art MANFREDI (#3414) reported that while he hadn't done much with his own genealogy recently, he has had some recent success in finding his wife's Italian ancestors.

Joe PELCZAR reported that the LDS Family History Center in Kensington, Maryland is being temporarily housed in a trailer. It is expected that they will move back into their permanent facility in July.

Margaret CUTINO (Joe's wife) advised that she had written to Italy recently seeking the military records of her paternal great-grandfathers.

Jay PULLI shared a copy of "Leading Americans of Italian Descent in Massachusetts" from his library, inscribed by tha author to James Michael Curley, who was mayor of Boston for 16 years. Jay also displayed an album of pictures which he had taken in Italy. His Web site, contains many of his Italy pictures.

Peggy MARSHALL (Jay's wife), our FFV (First Families of Virginia) representative, was recently interviewed by a reporter from "Preservation" magazine concerning the work she has been doing on the restoration of Marshall Hall. Peggy also advised us that the DAR is rededicating a plaque at the Patowmack Canal in Great Falls Park in Virginia.

Lou ALFANO (#2114) brought along his usual reference library for our use at the meeting. He pointed out his recent acquisitions:

The Italians In America Before The Revolution by Giovanni Schiavo (1976),
The Italians In America Before The Civil War by Giovanni Schiavo (1934),
Four Centuries Of Italian-American History by Giovanni Schiavo (1954),
The Columbus People - Perspectives in Italian Immigration to the Americas and Australia edited by Lydio F. Tomasi, Piero Gastaldo and Thomas Row (1994),
Crossing the Tracks - America Rediscovered By Its Italians by Maurice R. Marchello (1969), and
The Land of the Italian People by Frances Winwar (1961).

Lou pointed out that the author of the last work was born Frances Vinciguerra, but, according to information in "La Storia" by Mangione and Morreale, she adopted the nom-de-plume of "Winwar" when told by her publisher that "Vinciguerra" would not fit on the spine of her book.

Door prizes (copies of Lou Alfano's Dictionary of Italian Occupations) were won by Donna Dengler and Dave Natella.

Our next meeting will be on Saturday, July 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Dolley Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue, McLean, VA. To get there, take the Capital Beltway (I-495) to Exit 11 (VA Route 123) eastbound (to McLean - NOT to Tyson's Corner). Follow Route 123 (Dolley Madison Boulevard) about 2 miles to Ingleside Avenue. (The intersection 1 block before Ingleside Avenue is Old Dominion Drive; there is a traffic light at Old Dominion, and it is one VERY SHORT block to Ingleside.) Take a LEFT onto Ingleside, go about a block to the fork in the road, keep LEFT at the fork - this is Oak Ridge Avenue, and the Library is on the left. We meet in the basement meeting room, on your left as you face the front of the Library.

Visit us on the Internet at:

or e-mail Paul Traunero or Lou Alfano for additional information.

Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei held its quarterly meeting on July 24, 1999 at the usual meeting place, the Dolley Madison Public Library in McLean, Virginia. Fifteen attendees exchanged their stories of endeavors and successes in tracing their lineage. The attendance continues to draw new members, usually via the Internet or referrals from the Family History Centers in the area.

Our gathering included Lou Alfano, Richard Camaur, Daniel Else, John Mafodda, Fran Wallingford, Tom & Peggy Nicastro, Mirella Baroni, Marie & Alden Bestul, Bill Menza, Paul Pinocci, Joe Pelczar & Margaret Cutino, Kay Hogan-Torpey, Elisa Ulino, and Paul Traunero.

Three different door prizes were given out at the meeting:
Two copies of the Italian Occupations Dictionary compiled and donated by Lou Alfano were won by Bill Menza and Mirella Baroni.
A Concise History of Italy by Duggar and donated by Marie Bestul was won by Dan Else.
And They Made It in America by Corte and donated by Kay Hogan-Torpey was won by Joe Pelczar.

Our next meeting will be on October 23, 1999 at the usual place and time. Ci vediamo!

Visit us on the Internet at:

or e-mail Paul Traunero or Lou Alfano for additional information.

Twenty members and guests gathered at the Dolley Madison Library for our regular quarterly meeting. Rino DiMasso, Art Manfredi, Bill Menza, Peggy Marshall and Jay Pulli sent regrets via e-mail.

We were treated to home-made pizzelle by Marie and Aden Bestul.

The meeting followed our usual show-and-tell format. Paul Traunero and Lou Alfano shared the role of chairman, since Paul had to leave early. POINT membership applications were made available to those interested.

Paul TRAUNERO opened the meeting by announcing that the next biennial POINT Conference will be held in Austin, Texas in October 2000.

Kay HOGAN-TORPEY advised us that the shipping records published in the New York Herald during the 1850s (her particular example was from 1851) include certain specific information about each voyage, including departure dates, number of days the crossing took, and arrival dates. She advised that these are available at the Library of Congress Newspaper Room. Kay also donated a copy of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Library Guide by John W. Heisey for use as a door prize.

Carolyne REEVES is visiting our area from Alabama. Her ancestry is from the Abruzzo region.

Marie and Alden BESTUL advised us that they had recently received a copy of a Stato di Famiglia document from the Comune of Casalanguida, Chieti, which they need help translating.

Mirella BARONI told us of a copy of a diary with information about the Napoleonic conquest of her ancestral town in northern Italy.

Lou ALFANO brought a selection of books from his library for our use at the meeting, as is his custom. He also brought and displayed his recently-acquired Italian flag. He explained that this particular design (which also appears on his Web site) is the state (or government) flag of the Kingdom of Italy, was used only on government properties, and which was first adopted in 1850 by the Kingdom of Sardinia. The coat of arms of the Casa di Savoia (House of Savoy) surmounted by a crown is shown on the central white vertical stripe. The Casa di Savoia became the ruling house of the Kingdom of Italy upon its establishment in 1860-61. Lou further advised us that the civil flag (used at non-government locations) of the Kingdom of Sardinia was the same flag, but without the crown, adopted in 1848 and carried over as the civil flag of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860-61. The current Italian tricolor was adopted upon the establishment of the Republic of Italy in 1946. In reply to a question, Lou advised that the tricolor with the fasci (or fasces) shown vertically in the white stripe was the flag of the Fascist Party, not a national flag. Lou donated two copies of his Dictionary of Italian Occupations for use as door prizes.

Fran WALLINGFORD told us that she had just returned from Italy, where her son had sung at the Vatican. She also visited with family in Messina. Fran also advised us that orphanages in Italy are beginning to release information of genealogical interest.

Richard CAMAUR will be flying to Italy on Tuesday, October 26, to do genealogical research at about 12 different locations. He is going to Trieste, eastern Genova Province and Udine. As usual, Richard made many useful contributions to our discussions.

Kay HILL advised us that her family came from Lombardia. When she traveled to Italy in May, she took pictures of the church where her ancestors were baptized. She met her cousins, the Ciotti family, for the first time at the church in Luvinate, Varese. Her family spent the day with them and were guests in their home.

John IACONIS told us that he had visited the National Italian-American Foundation (NIAF) meeting last weekend at the Washington Hilton, where he picked up several items to share with the group, mainly pertaining to tourism. He also told us that he was using the bookfinder.com Web site to find titles of books on subjects of interest. Since many of these books are high-priced items, he then used the public library to request copies via inter-library loan to determine if the books were of interest.

Elisa ULINO told us of her recent good luck. She wrote to Potenza seeking information about her paternal grandmother. The people at the Stato Civile in Poetnza gave her letter to an American woman who was visiting there to do some genealogical research. This woman later contacted Elisa, advising that she had the LDS films for the town on indefinite loan at her local Family History Center, and has provided Elisa with much information which she wanted.

Margaret CUTINO advised that she had received correspondence from a young man in Italy who had set up a Web site about her ancestral town, Apollosa with several images of the town. During our discussion, it was determined that the Web site was that of the Apollosa Pro Loco (tourist office), at which the gentleman is employed.

Steve CARFORA told us that he had recently read A Bell for Adano by John Hersey, which he recommended highly. He also advised us that he had recently visited the Bronx, and went to see the two churches which his father had attended when he was growing up.

Mr. Jean EVANS told us that he seemed to be striking out. He wrote to the Stato Civile and the Anagrafe in the Comune of Condino and was advised that the "records were destroyed during hostilities." A letter to the parish church also brought a reply that "records were destroyed during hostilities."

Frank and Marian AZZARITA told us that the family name had been "changed by his teachers" from Azzariti to Azzarita. Frank was born in the U.S. to Italian immigrants, went to first grade here and was then sent to Italy to live with his grandfather in Corato, Bari. Since he knew no Italian, he repeated the first grade in Italy. Then, because World War II was looming on the horizon, he was sent back to the U.S., where, because he had lost his command of English, he again repeated the first grade.

Donna DENGLER told us that she had completed her research on her family's civil records, as found in LDS microfilms.

Dan ELSE advised us that since he is a student at George Washington University, he has access to certain data bases which can be useful in genealogical research. He also advised us to contact him if we thought these data bases might be useful to us.

Peggy NICASTRO stated that she had found the New York City vital records index films at the Oakton LDS Family History Center very useful in her family's genealogical research.

Door prize winners were:

Mirella Baroni - Pennsylvania Genealogical Library Guide
John Iaconis - Dictionary of Italian Occupations
Steve Carfora - Dictionary of Italian Occupations

Our next meeting will take place on Saturday, January 22, 2000, at 10:00 a.m. at the Dolley Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue, McLean, VA. To get there, take the Capital Beltway (I-495) to Exit 11 (VA Route 123) eastbound (to McLean - NOT to Tyson's Corner). Follow Route 123 (Dolley Madison Boulevard) about 2 miles to Ingleside Avenue. (The intersection 1 block before Ingleside Avenue is Old Dominion Drive; there is a traffic light at Old Dominion, and it is one VERY SHORT block to Ingleside.) Take a LEFT onto Ingleside, go about a block to the fork in the road, keep LEFT at the fork - this is Oak Ridge Avenue, and the Library is on the left. We meet in the basement meeting room, on your left as you face the front of the Library.

Visit us on the Internet at:

or e-mail Paul Traunero or Lou Alfano for additional information.