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You guys helped me track down the information on my family that immigrated from Italy. However, I can barely find any information on one of the sons and I was hoping that someone could help me out. I have hit a brick wall and I am frustrated beyond belief.
My great uncle is a family mystery. He was born Guiseppe Francesco Giordani in 1897. He immigrated to Ohio from Italy (then Austria)in 1903. I have a census record of him living with his parents in Roswell, Ohio in 1910. He soon changed his name to Joseph F. Downing. I have found his WW1 draft registration form stating that he was living in Cleveland, Ohio in 1918. I found a marriage certificate from Cleveland in 1924 stating that he married a Anna Mataway. Besides that I can find nothing of him or their life. I can't find him on a 1920 or 1930 census. I have no idea when or where he died. "Family legend" states that he often travelled between Cleveland and Chicago and that he was shot and killed in Chicago. Nobody in my family knows any details besides what they heard and they can't even give me a decade of death because he apparently wasn't around often. They didn't know he was ever married until I told them.
I was hoping someone can track down any census info or death record so I can finally know what happened to Joseph. Thanks.
I found a marriage certificate from Cleveland in 1924 stating that he married a Anna Mataway.
I found the marraige record on Ancestry.com and noticed that Anna Mataway's parents were Andrew and Sue Clark
I was wondering if these records may pertain to Joseph's wife...
From Familysearch-org:
Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962
name: Anna Motway
gender: Female
baptism/christening date:
baptism/christening place:
birth date: 08 Jan 1901
birthplace: Marblehead, Ottawa, Ohio
death date:
name note:
race: father's name: Andrew Motway
father's birthplace:
father's age: mother's name: Susan Kloyman
mother's birthplace:
mother's age:
indexing project (batch) number: C04067-2
system origin: Ohio-EASy
source film number: 947831
reference number:
From Ancestry.com: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973
Name: Anna B Matuway
Marriage Date: 12 Apr 1932
Form Type: Marriage
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Birth Year: abt 1901 Father's Name: Andrew Matuway Mother's Name: Sue Clark
Spouse's Name: George W Bass
Spouse's Age: 41
Spouse's Birth Year: abt 1891
Spouse Father's Name: Andrew Matuway
Spouse Mother's Name: Anna McFadden
California Death Index, 1940-1997 a
Name: Anna Bellem Bass
[Anna Bellem Matway]
Social Security #:
Sex: Female Birth Date: 8 Jan 1901
Birthplace: Ohio
Death Date: 18 Jun 1958
Death Place: Sacramento Mother's Maiden Name: Clark Father's Surname: Matway
from Familysearch.org, same Anna's parents are listed...
Ohio, County Marriages, 1790-1950
name: William Engelhorn
titles & terms:
event: Marriage
event date: 18 Mar 1918
event place: Cuyahoga Co., Ohio
age: 23
birth date:
birthplace: Sandusky, O.
marriage date note:
marriage place note:
estimated birth year: 1895
father: Louis
father's titles & terms:
mother: Mary Schnorr
mother's titles & terms: spouse: Irene Matway
spouse's titles & terms:
spouse's age: 19
spouse's birth date:
spouse's birthplace: Marblehead, O.
spouse's estimated birth year: 1899 spouse's father: Andrew Matway
spouse's father's titles & terms: spouse's mother: Sue Clark
spouse's mother's titles & terms:
reference number: Vol 108 it 31 p 288
film number: 1888831
digital folder number: 4030144
image number: 39
Ohio, County Marriages, 1790-1950 for Mary L. Matway
name: Joseph H. Brophy
titles & terms:
event: Marriage
event date: 25 Jun 1917
event place: Cuyahoga County, Ohio
age: 27
birth date:
birthplace: Wampum, Pa.
marriage date note:
marriage place note:
estimated birth year: 1890
father: Dennis
father's titles & terms:
mother: Mary Cragle
mother's titles & terms: spouse: Mary L. Matway
spouse's titles & terms:
spouse's age: 20
spouse's birth date:
spouse's birthplace: Marblehead, O.
spouse's estimated birth year: 1897 spouse's father: Andrew
spouse's father's titles & terms: spouse's mother: Anna Clark
spouse's mother's titles & terms:
reference number: 119647 pg 162
film number: 1888792
digital folder number: 4030143
image number: 1111
from Ancestry.com:
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973
Name: Mary L Matway
Marriage Date: 23 Jul 1924
Form Type: Marriage
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Birth Year: abt 1897 Father's Name: Andrew Matway
Mother's Name: Anna Clark
Spouse's Name: Carl A Strauss
Spouse's Age: 30
Spouse's Birth Year: abt 1894
Spouse Father's Name: Andrew Matway
Spouse Mother's Name: Catherine Lauer
Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973
Name: Mrs Mary Strauss
[Mrs Mary Matway]
Marriage Date: 7 May 1938
Form Type: Marriage
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Birth Year: abt 1897 Father's Name: Andrew Matway
Mother's Name: Susan Klarick
Spouse's Name: Mr Joseph G Pommer
Spouse's Age: 44
Spouse's Birth Year: abt 1894
Spouse Father's Name: Andrew Matway
Spouse Mother's Name: Anna Zettl
Yes. That is the marriage certificate that I found. That is also Josephs wife that remarried in 1932. The record shows that she and Joseph divorced in 1929. That is the last record I can find about him.
Yes. Mat Downing was indeed Joseph's brother. I have a copy of the death certificate and 2 newspaper clippings from the events that lead to his death.
There has been a strong custom in Italy that determines how children are named: The first male is named after his paternal grandfather.The second male is named after his maternal grandfather.The first female is named after her paternal grandmother.The second female is named after her maternal grandm...
