a little help with a letter

[warriorrabbit]

In the last three years, I've found a bunch of cousins. One was nice enough to send me the letters she had that my great grandmother had written her grandfather.

In one of them, if I'm reading this right (at the bottom of page a and on through the end of page b) there was a startling revelation that my great grandfather had a brother here in the US. This brother also seems to have died here in California (in Dixon, near Sacramento).

http://www.describe.org/genstuff/zappal ... _1962a.jpg
http://www.describe.org/genstuff/zappal ... _1962b.jpg

I just want to confirm that I've got that right, that she's saying Lorenzo's brother Vanni died on Father's Day in May of 1962 in Dixon. Is that right?

Strange thing is, I've looked on Ellis Island and I can't find this guy coming over -- even using the 'sounds like' on Morse's site, which brings back every permutation. I also can't find him in the CA death index.

It's taunting me! Here's a long lost branch of the family suddenly dangled in front of me -- in the US! -- and no trace of them in all the places I can think to look. Exasperating.

Anyhow, just want to confirm that I'm reading this right. (And if anyone has any suggestions...)

[liviomoreno]

I just want to confirm that I've got that right, that she's saying Lorenzo's brother Vanni died on Father's Day in May of 1962 in Dixon. Is that right?

That's correct. When searching on Ellis Island, did you try with Giovanni as first name?. Vanni is short for Giovanni...

[warriorrabbit]

Yes. And using Steven Morse's thing, I skipped the first name and went with the 'sounds like' on the last name. Got nothing. Still, maybe he came over much later.

There's a lot that's confusing here anyhow. Father's Day isn't in May, it's in June. Did she mean Mother's Day? Also, there doesn't appear to have been an official Father's Day in 1962. I was trying to figure out what date that would have been, and it seems Gerald Ford made it an official day in 1975. So, what was she talking about in 1962? Maybe there was an unofficial Father's Day before 1975, I don't know.

Plus, still no sign of this guy in the CA Death Index. I'm really just... lost. It appears he might have had a son, too. I think it says he was with his son in Dixon?

I know Lorenzo is the first born; I have his birth act and his parents' marriage act. Also, he was one of those hereditary knights, so he was definitely the oldest, even if I didn't have those records. I had no idea he had siblings. So this means Giovanni was born after 1877, and that's all I know.

[warriorrabbit]

Is it possible that's not Vanni, but something else? Something short for Ferdinando? I know it really looks like Vanni, but...

The CA Death Index allowed me to search for 1962 and mother's maiden, and Lorenzo's mother's name was Velardi.

There was a Ferdinando Tama (well they have Ferdunan A Tama) who died June 17, 1962 in Dixon (!) and his mother's maiden name was Velardi. (Dixon is a tiny town even today; it must have been even smaller in 1962.) Maybe Lorenzo's father died and his mother remarried?

Although there was no official Father's Day until 1975, this amateur site http://home.comcast.net/~s.astorino/Cal ... lendar.htm says Father's Day was June 17 in 1962. (So maybe my great grandmother wrote May in the letter but meant June. Hard to say with no officially mandated Father's Day anyhow.)

I found a Ferdinando Tama coming from Messina (where Lorenzo is from) in 1903, but I can't read his occupation or who he's coming to see. http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipM ... 2678090582

[liviomoreno]

Is it possible that's not Vanni, but something else? Something short for Ferdinando? I know it really looks like Vanni, but...

Well, it could also be Nanni, which may be short for Ferdinando.

[pink67]

I found a Ferdinando Tama coming from Messina (where Lorenzo is from) in 1903, but I can't read his occupation or who he's coming to see. www.ellisisland.org/se...2678090582

here are a better copy of the arrival manifest for Ferdinando from Ancestry.com:

[img=http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3954/tamae.th.jpg]

Tama Ferdinando, age 16, barber, from Messina to New York, joining his brother Lorenzo ????

and this is the page record of detained aliens:

[img=http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1664/t ... do3.th.jpg]

where you can see he was going to his brother Laurence living on 320 East 121 street - NYC

Hope this helps!

Laura

[warriorrabbit]

Ahh, yes that's easier to read, thanks. It might say 'his brother Lusitano Lorenzo,' although who knows. The detainee thing was helpful as it clearly says his brother Laurence.

Later I found his WWII draft record and he put his brother 'Lawrence Tama' as his person, but with Lorenzo Lusitana's address. So I think they are for sure related. I found a relative of Tama's still in Dixon and will contact him.

If my cousin hadn't returned that one particular letter, I'd have never known...