FHL Week 17

Hi everyone;

This has been a good week with a few new genealogical discoveries. I have been feeling the need to search out Uncle Ralph's genealogy of late. So I started looking for the obvious things.  Fo those not familiar with the Uncle Ralph story , here is a brief synopsis.

Ralph was married to Sharon's aunt (aunt Edna) they lived in Portland , Oregon their entire married lives. They had no children, and upon Edna's death we as a family took to visiting Ralph and check on him.  One day I asked Ralph about his ancestors. He said he was Italian. I asked why his name wasn't Italian? " Oh, Ralph isn't my birth name, it was Angelo Shortino!" After much questioning I found out the family story of name changes without any documentation in the early 1920's. In fact the 1920 census shows a partial name change for all the children of his parents.  Ralph's ( Angelo's) mother died when Ralph was but 2 years old and he wasn't even sure of her given name. He thought maybe Mary, since all Italian women were named Mary.  Actually it was Francesca!! It was luck I asked about his heritage and got the story or the family would have been lost because of the name changes.

It has been difficult to find records other than a few census records. So I began searching for the father's death record. Pasquale died in 1917, he was hit by a car while working as a huckster in Kansas City, Missouri. I looked all over for a death record and could find none. Finally I asked for some help with the Libraries staff. Bingo three strokes on the board and their it was, his death record. Plus it listed his parents in Italy. Unfortunately there was no city of birth or residence in Italy. We also looked for Francesca's death record but to no avail. So the next day I continued the search, trying to follow the researchers steps. I found the State site for Death records and typed in the following for Francesca's name; given name FR, surname SC then a year 1910,1911 up popped a list of deaths and their she was Francesca Sciortina!! The death record also had her parents listed. I had earlier found a death record of her daughter Jennie, who said her mothers maiden name was Rosano, but the death record, has her father as Benedetta. WOW, was I excited!! But again no city of birth in Italy, which makes finding a record hard or almost impossible. So I decided to look at the oldest son for Pasquale and Francesca, who was born in Italy before immigration. Immigration records had so far been of no help. So I put in Gaspar's information and I found a Jasper Sciortino draft registration in Kansas City and it listed his birth city as Cetelvatano ( spelling might be wrong). I then applied that birth city to Gaspar's record and searched again, bingo findagrave came through. with both Pasquale and Francesca's burial records, plus Gaspar's younger brother Vito's death record.  A bonaza of records and city of birth for Pasquale!!  This was definitely an Elijah Moment!! More research is need but I now have a foot hold into Italy.

So it has been a good week!! We also welcomed to the mission Elder and Sister Young from our Baldwin Park Ward.  They got moved in and will be heading to the MTC Monday.

I was talking to a researcher and they stated that about 450,000 records are arbitrated every day.  They then become available online.  So if in your research you don't find a document give it a few days or weeks then repeat the search!!

Well must close and prepare for Sunday services.  Love to all.

Bama and Bampa, Chuck and Sharon, E/S Waller, Mom and Dad

                                                              Sister Rawlins and Christensen  form our Hosting Zone

                                     This is the young Elders in our Mision-- a very special addition to the Mission