In the Army Now

JULY 31, 1899
On this day in 1899 Great-Grandfather Raffaele earned this large, impressive certificate from the Italian Army. I heard many colorful stories about Raffaele but it seems everyone forgot to mention this accomplishment. 

Turns out the immigrant shoemaker was also a tiratore scelto, a sharpshooter. 

Italian Military Records
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Ancestry

Who Knew?

JULY 28, 1919
On this date my Great-Grandmother Lucia submitted a Declaration of Intent to Depart for the United States to the American Consulate in Rome.

This document is a big fat surprise for a few reasons:

1) I've been working on my family history for more than 20 years and have never even heard of a Declaration of Intent to Depart for the United States. The delight of discovering something completely unknown is gradually turning to irritation with the document which probably shouldn't be new to me at all. A real genealogist would know what this paper means. I used to love spending hours (days?) flipping through books and clicking through web sites to track down a piece of information ... now, not so much. I've recently taken up gardening.

As first glance it appears to be an application for a passport, but that's incorrect because according to the form Lucia applied for a passport on July 18, 1919. I'll report my findings on this form when I know something more.

2) Usually any document which originated in Italy requires a magnifying glass and Google Translator, but not now - this form is bi-lingual! Below each English question is the Italian translation. Very handy, but odd since Lucia and about 4 million other Italian-speaking cittadini completed this form in Italia. This should have been written in Italian in the first place.

3) I'm not sure why my family was in possession of this - shouldn't it be stuffed in a moldy government file somewhere? Why would my favorite uncle keep this document stuffed in a drawer for years and years without telling me? Is he new? Doesn't he know I need to know everything that happened 100 years ago ... er, now?

Introduction to Immigration Records
The National Archives site

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives
U. S. National Archives and Records Service

Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives: The Website and Beyond
by Amanda Bevan

Every Italian Family Has a Josephine

JULY 8, 1906
Every Italian family has a Josephine - ask around if you don't believe me. In our family she was my grandmother's sister. Her given name was Maria Giuseppa, and occasionally she went by Maria Giuseppina. She is pictured here along with a her birth record from Sannicandro di Bari issued in 1908.

Great-aunt Josephine was not our only Josephine, but she was the main one. We had a few spare Josephines by marriage - technically they count if you're keeping score, depending on your relationship to the husband. For me there is really only one and it has to do with this picture.

My grandmother did not organize her family pictures in any way that would make a family historian happy: stashed in envelopes, stacked in the basement, stuffed in assorted boxes. When i was growing up a typical visit always began with tour of the house, rummaging through drawers of the oldest pieces of furniture, staring at the old photos and trying to identify the people I knew or had heard of.

The day I ran across the picture of Josephine, posed on the chair with her big sassy hat, was the very day the family research began. You see, until I laid eyes on this picture I never even knew my grandmother had a sister named Josephine.

The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy: Use the Web to trace your roots, share your history, and create a family tree (Everything Series)
by Kimberly Powell

Genealogy Online For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
by Matthew L. Helm

Hat in the Ring

JULY 1, 1904
On this day in 1904 great-grandfather Raffaele wrote a letter to the big-wigs in Provincia di Bari. I'm fairly certain I have the letter translated, if not word for word then at least the high points.I'll post the translation in a couple of days - I want to milk this letter for awhile.

Is this is a copy of the letter or the undelivered original? I suspect the original. Two documents are referenced as enclosed with the letter and since I'm in possession of these items it looks very much as if the letter and attachments were never sent.

This letter looks pretty darn good for 100+ years, amirite? It was discovered in 1992 following the death of my great-uncle along with many other delicious family treasures. Hundreds of photos, letters and documents were found in unbelievably good condition considering no special protective measures were taken.

What's that I hear? It's a chorus from my favorite song: Old photos and documents should be stored in archival quality boxes and albums!

Preserving Old Photos & Documents
Warning: This page starts off with a big Warning!

Pioneer Jumbo Scrapbook Storage Box, Sage Green
Acid- and lignon-free rocks