First cousins, once removed

JUNE 27, 1923
Happy Birthday Cousin Helen! Helen's mother and my grandmother were sisters which means we are first cousins, once removed. Until last year I lived only a couple of blocks from Helen, her sister Marge, and briefly, her mother. That was some pretty sweet access to family info. Helen, Marge and Mary gave me deep background on my grandmother's family from Half Moon Hill in Bellefonte.


The Importance of Oral Histories
by Lyman D. Platt, Ph.D.

Relationship chart
Use this to untangle your mess of cousins

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

JUNE 21, 2011
On this day we celebrate the first day of summer. I sincerely hope you can produce a more stylish bathing costume than the one modeled by my great aunt. Not sure of the year or location because, as is the custom in my family, all the really great photos are unidentified.

Depending on the year the swimsuit in the picture could very possibly be made of wool. Yes, wool. In the early 1920's Jantzen introduced knitted woolen swimsuits for men and women which were popular until the mid-30's when wool was gradually replaced by Lastex, a material used in the manufacture of girdles.

I'm taking an informal survey: what would you wear to drive the guys crazy back in the day?

a) soggy wool, drawers weighted down by sea-water
b) a suit constructed entirely of a yarn with an elastic core, wound with cotton, silk, or nylon.

The History of the Fashionable Bathing Suit
Victoriana Magazine

Cruel Summer  
by Bananarama

Lucia Maria

JUNE 20, 1886
On this day Great-grandmother Lucia Maria is born in Arnara, Italia. She emigrated to America in 1919 with my five year old grandfather, joining her husband and brother-in-law in Williamsport in a house on Dove Street.

Lucia was remembered by many for feeding hobos during the Depression, but I always found this story to be a little suspect. It was always nice to hear the stories of Lucia's charity, but by 1930 she was a young widow with four children - could she possibly feed the homeless when her own circumstances were so tight? And how exactly did an immigrant woman, who barely spoke English, find the hobos in the first place?

After 30 years, and through the magic of Google Maps, I'm willing to concede the people who actually knew Lucia were not just handing down a romantic fairy tale of her benevolence. Just a few short blocks from my great-grandmother's house is a railroad track. It would appear the hobos came to her.

Women and the Great Depression
from History Now

Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression [DAILY LIFE IN THE US 1920-1940]

First Papers

JUNE 18, 1941
After 32 years in the U.S., Great-Grandfather Raffaele applied for citizenship. This ratty little letter is an acknowledgment from the INS, a receipt for Raffaele's application to file a Declaration of Intention. This was the first step toward becoming an American citizen and was usually referred to as "First Papers".

Actually, this is Raffaele's second application that I know of - the first attempt was in 1917 and I haven't yet figured out why a second application was necessary. Both world wars were in full swing at the time of each application. You might think he was stricken with a burst of patriotism for his adopted homeland and wanted there to be no mistake about which team he was on. But this is doubtful since the application process could take up to five years from first papers to naturalization certificate. Perhaps he got cold feet after the first application in 1917. Many aliens filed more than one application, to the great delight of family researchers.

I believe Raffaele's road to citizenship was detoured by good old-fashioned family obligations. 1920 was not a good year for his family and I suspect he was unable to attend to his application. Stay tuned.

Types of U.S. Naturalization Records
from Genealogy Branches

They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins
Loretto Dennis Szucs

Fan Mail

Well, lookit at me - blogging for one week and already receiving fan mail. I received an email about the "X" markings next to each passenger on the detail of the San Giovanni passenger list. I assumed, based on the number of X's on this list that it was merely an action to note the passenger had embarked or disembarked the ship, but after a little snooping online it's becoming clearer that that the X was not merely a casual notation. Apparently markings varied by port and year of arrival and were used to signify the immigrant was temporarily detained, or held for a special hearing.

There is an "X" next to my great-grandfather's name on the San Giovanni passenger manifest. Well, I'll be darned. Looks like I have some more research to do! It's time to find out what the "X" means. Thanks for the email Karen D. - the link below leads to a great article which explains all of the scribbles found on passenger lists.

A Guide to Interpreting Passenger List Annotations
by Marian L. Smith, Historian, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service