The Archives of

Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei

Part 7

Last updated November 3, 2001

On February 3, 2001, Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei hosted 26 enthusiasts of Italian genealogy. A brief summary of the discussion follows:

Kay Hogan-Torpey - received a CDROM from her Italian researcher last July and just received the bill for his services!

Mirella Baroni - has relatives in Trentino region and is going to Italy in April to research.

Jay Pulli - has relatives in Pisa and Calabria and is planning a trip in September. Relatives have been finding his website and contacting him. He is busy scanning family photographs from relatives.

Margaret Cutino & Joe Pelczar - are searching for military records of her grandfather in Italy.

Kay Hill - is going to Italy in May. She will have her article published in the next POINTers. She recommended a book "Dances with Luigi."

Marguerite Bertoglio - a cousin is trying to determine the naturalization state of his father in hopes of a dual citizenship.

Elisa Ulino - has relatives in the Marche region and she showed us two passports from the reign of Umberto I; needs help translating. She found her own POINT number in the latest issue of four-star names. She contacted the fellow POINTer in Wisconsin and he has added much to her files. She is searching for any ship maniftest of those going from NYC to Italy.

Robert Carrubba - is researching in Enna and Agrigento (SI). He has used the LDS records to find two more generation in Memfi.

Richard Camaur - reported that a relative died in 1851 of "vexation." He submitted his application for a Certified Genealogist in May 2000. His case was finally adjudicated on December 28, 2000!

Nancy De Santi - is hoping to go to Italy and is learning Italian from a local group.

Bill Menza - has "traveled" to all of the PIP websites and links. He distributed a collection of notes from recent sources.

Art Manfredi - is still using Trafford Cole for his mother's side. He has received a photo of the house in which he resided as a child in NYC. The photo was taken in the 1930s for taxation records.

Marie & Alden Bestul - were unsuccessful in getting a birth certificate for the mother of a 2nd cousin. They did get a death certificate from San Diego with much extra information to include the birthdate.

James & Jane Ferrigno - have records dating to 1700 from Palermo (SI). They are using the death index of Palermo.

John Iaconis - is doing research on the maternal side of his father from Potenza. He recently returned from a tour of Italy.

Joe Guirreri - parents were born in Brooklyn. He has used Infospace to get addresses to send inquiries. Two responded and are 3rd cousins. Now one is corresponding via email. His grandfather was in the military in Italy and acquired carpentry skills.

Vince Manara - has family from Verona. He has his grandparents' passports. He also intends to travel to Italy this year.

Bob Magnini - has been researching his maternal side for the past two years. He is still looking for the town of origin. There are some Magnini from Pistoia.

Lou Fatale - had a grandfather come through Ellis Island to Camden, NJ in circa 1914. An uncle came earlier from Napoli. They had no contact for 75 years. Lou visited in 1989 and met relatives north of Napoli.

Jody Nescola - has a grandfather that arrived in early 1900s. She researched some records in 1994, but is basically starting over.

John Tromba - recently distributed his database of the current living relations to relatives.

Lou Alfano - reported on his trip to the POINT National Conference 2000, at which he spoke.

Paul A. Traunero - is planning a trip to Italy in the fall along with his wife and father-in-law.

After the meeting, about a dozen of us went to nearby Pulcinella's Restaurant for an Italian lunch.

Our next meeting will take place on Saturday, June 2, 2001, at 10 am at the Dolley Madison Library in McLean, Virginia.

As always, we invite you to our website at

for past minutes and future meetings and events.

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

Our remaining meetings for this year are August 18 and October 20, 2001, at 10:00 am at the Dolley Madison Llibrary. Much of the conversation at the recent meeting concerned the Ellis Island online database.

Margaret Cutino (#3538) with husband Joe Pelczar reported that Joe recently received a BS in Computer Science as a second career/hobby. She reported about a DOJ inquiry regarding transgressions of Italian-American civil liberties during WWII. She also has received her great-uncle's military discharge record via the Italian embassy's military attachè section.

Ed Maltese is just beginning to research available records for his grandfather who was adopted while living in NYC.

Jay Pulli has a WWW posting on his site that is the basis for an article in an Italian magazine. He has spent time on the Ellis Island database, which generally covers arrivals from 1892-1924. Images of some of the passenger ship manifests are available. Only recently did he discover his mother's real maiden name from an uncle!

Kay Hill (#4183) took her POINTers to Italy to show her article to her relatives. They gave her a book of the history of the town of her great grandmother. She is now researching her great grandfather near Brescia.

Marie Bestul (#1025) (with husband Alden) has revised her 1990 genealogy with the help of a cousin. She commented that most of the Italian culture is being lost over time.

Elisa Ulino (#2301) found her great grandfather in a NY census search by spending a week in the 'local' library and is now collating her information.

Mary Madeline King is new to computing and has lineage from Abruzzi. Her mother, a Bevilacqua, was the first-born in America of her grandparents.

Donna Dengler, with husband Dan Else discovered a one-step access to the Ellis Island database. She has found an extended family among the database:

Nancy DeSanti shared an article from PRIMO. She is going to a family wedding in Italy in August. She is happy that her father is writing his memoirs.

Louis DeSanti is looking for a publisher for his book on Mussolini. He recounted his travel from Italy to NYC and then onto Worcester, MA area at the age of 15. He was born in the USA, but was taken back to Italy until his return.

Richard Camaur (#3158) has found a Spinetto branch of his family because of an ongoing lawsuit in Italy. He recently attended the NGS conference and noted that no Italian research is being discussed or presented.

Bill Menza (#1029) continues to seek Menza information via the Internet. He still communicates with Franco Menza in Roma.

Bob Magnini (#4488) received a response to his letter to Italy with birth date of Anselmo Pagliarulo, who died in 1924. He also used the Ellis Island database and found 3 of 4 grandparents listed.

John Iaconis (#2953) has relatives from the 'arch' of the boot. He found a source of picture books that he uses to purchase gifts during his travels.

Marie Varrelman Melchiori (#2828) mentioned the anticipated 1930 census, which will be release next March. NARA is educating people about that census's content. She noted that sometimes people may have signed their last name first, so you need to do an additional SOUNDEX search.

Bob Melchiori was looking for his grandfather who died in 1905, after arriving in 1903. On the Ellis Island search he used Melchiori without a hit. When he used Nelchiori, he was prompted to look under the alternate spelling of Melchiore, which is how the passenger list presents the name!

Bob Carrubba (#4406) found a cholera epidemic in 1867 that caused many deaths in the town of Memfi.

Art Manfredi (#3414) recently returned from a two-week pleasure trip to Italy. While there he visited the old hill town of his ancestors which is nearly deserted now. He also gave away some of his travel books that he used.

Lou Alfano (#2114) provided his usual store of resources for everyone's use. He also advised that he found the names of a great-granduncle and great-grandaunt by using the Ellis Island web site. After his great graqndparents had immigrated to the U.S., his great grandfather went back to Italy a number of times, including 2 trips in 1907. The 1907 passenger lists asked who his nearest relatives were in Italy - once he named a brother, and the other time a sister.

Fran Wallingford is looking for land records in Italy because she has inherited some land near Messina. Some are offereing to buy it, but she wants to research the land first.

Paul Traunero (#1541) mentioned his viewing of a PBS travel show of Firenze and surrounding area.

Visit our website linked at POINT:

or directly at:

for past minutes and future meetings and events.

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

Twenty-three attendees were present for the latest meeting of the Mazzei PIP on August 18, 2001. Several members attended a luncheon afterwards at Pulcinella's, in McLean, VA. Our remaining meeting for this year is October 20, 2001, at 10:00 am at the Dolley Madison county library. Much of the discussion revolved around how two new attendees can get started and organized in the genealogical pursuits.

Paul Traunero (1541) noted that a small display relating to Filippo Mazzei is at the Michie Tavern, near Monticello. Mazzei was at one time a neighbor to Thomas Jefferson and is the namesake of our PIP. He also made available the letter from POINT about the PNC 2002.

Lou Alfano (2114) once again brought his reference material that was used during our meeting and added insightful tips to the members.

Linda Mancini is a new member and her grandparents were born in Italy. She wants to visit there and is researching the BASSETTI line. She was told of numerous resources for beginning her research.

Kay Hogan-Torpey (2543) has had a cousin who is 86 years old call her and they talked for an hour. They have promised to relay information. She recently read "Dances with Luigi" and recommends it.

Mary Madeline King traveled to Italy after our last meeting. She is researching the BEVALACQUA line from the town of Introdacqua.

Peggy Nicastro (4264) continues research of her husband's lineage from Enna (SI). She advocates the ROOTSWEB queries on the Internet for broadening the scope of your research.

Elisa Ulino (2301) is searching in the Basilicata area. Since the last meeting, she went to the Jamaica, NY and reviewed the list of newspapers for Long Island City. She found an obit from 1926 of her great-grandfather that listed the locale of the wake. Later in a trunk at her uncle's house she found a picture of the casket that also had a picture of her great-grandparents that was large enough to enhance.

Marie & Alden Bestul (1025) continues to be the only family member interested in genealogy. She has found a cousin that has been able to update her information.

Fran Wallingford has a son that while working in France, visited Lago Maggiore during a European trip. She discovered that here grandparents names were lined-out in a ship's manifest. She learned that her mother and uncle used the tickets at a later time. This generated some discussion about how and when and where the manifests were made.

David Ciummo is also a new member and brought many 'documenti' of his father. His dad was born in Acquaviva in Molise.

Margaret Cutino (3538) was impressed with her visit to the Library of Congress still photo room in the Jefferson building.

Joe Pelczar proposed a research project to investigate the procedures for creating the ships manifests.

Donna Dengler and Dan Else recently went to John Colletta's presentation of "A Few Bones." The story tells of genealogical research's role in an investigation of a murder.

Visit our website linked at POINT:

or directly at:

for past minutes and future meetings and events.

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

The latest meeting of Il Circolo Filippo Mazzei (#6) was held at the usual meeting place at the Dolley Madison Library in McLean, Virginia on October 20, 2001. We numbered 20 and had good information and stories to share.

Bill MENZA received an email from an Italian relation now living in London. He remembered Bill's trip to Italy in 1976 and is interested in the family line.

Vince MANARA has the passports of his grandparents. His grandmother's includes the names of five children. He has found P.I.E. very informative.

Bob CARRUBBA has received his photo of a house in Brooklyn in which he lived at the age of four. He is researching the town of Menfi AG, but has not found any living relatives there.

Jay & Peggy PULLI recently returned from a three-week trip to Italy. They being geology buffs visited the 'hot' rocks of Etna. They reported that there is still enough heat near the surface to burn paper on contact. He will be posting some of his photographs on his website.

Jerry POLIZZI was with us for the first time. He reported that his father came to the US in 1906, when Etna was erupting.

Lou and his daughter Nancy De SANTI attended a relative's wedding in August. They reported that it was a simple wedding with no tuxedos or attendants. However they did drive off in a red Ferrari!

David CIUMMO has organized some of his genealogical materials and has them in protective sleeves. He has also found some blank forms and read a beginning book on Italian genealogy.

Art MANFREDI finally has some photographs of a town of origin of his paternal relatives. The town is sparsely populated today. He was going to the NIAF annual dinner that evening.

John IACONIS is looking for New York state censuses for 1885 & 1895. He was directed to the Brooklyn LISTSERV for possible information. He is wondering when surnames became customary for peasants.

Mary Madeline KING shared an Italian cookbook from the Italian Cultural Society from 1984. She was surprised to find a section regarding Abruzzo.

Dave NATELLA graced us with his presence to inform us that he recently received notice that he may apply for his Italian passport. His request for Italian citizenship based on his paternal side has taken five years to validate and process! Dave is one of the original Mazzei members.

Kay HOGAN-TORPEY has finally made contact with a previously unknown relative as a result of her genealogy research. He retired to New Jersey to find relatives after living in Bethesda, Maryland for 40 years. She visited him and now has pictures of her great-grandmother and an uncle via a picture-in-a-picture.

Mirella BARONI has researched back to the 1600's via notaries and wills in Trento. She noted that the native Italian population in that area is dwindling.

Margaret CUTINO with her mother, Rose, and husband Joe reported that several of the federal agencies in the Washington, D.C. area have libraries with different resources, such land records, applications and history. She especially likes the National Archives' annex in College Park, Maryland. Most all of these places are only open on weekdays.

Lou ALFANO has generalized his posting on the WWW to preserve privacy of his relatives. He tries to give them a historical theme or to centralize sources of information on rare topics. His Angri and Vasto homepages are examples.

Paul TRAUNERO reported that he was to attend his parents' 50th wedding anniversary on October 27, 2001. He and his wife, Carda, share the anniversary date, but have 38 more to go to make it to 50. Paul's paternal grandparents and great-grandparents also celebrated 50th anniversaries!

Our next two meeting dates are January 12 and April 13, 2002 at the usual location.

Visit our website linked at POINT:

or directly at:

for past minutes and future meetings and events.

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