Helping finding Great grandfather in the 1920/30 censuses

[vj]

Hi all!
Thanks wldspirit, wouldn't have looked for
Clara if Essgee hadn't suggested it.
Peggy,
The search I used on ancestry was specifically
for the 1920 census.

(this was after trying last name Seb*)

Name: Cla* (no last name)
born 1906 +/- 2yrs in PA
in PA, Jefferson County

Very lucky that they were in Jefferson county!
Valarie

[wldspirit]

Essgee provided a great summary....very helpful when we have more than one thread, and varying info.......
wldspirit

[suanj]

Essgee, good eye but I dont think this is Dominic because the age says 33 in 1920. Dominic was 30 years old in 1924 when my grandfather was born, so my Dominic would have been 26 in 1920.

yes, I agree; this Domenico Benzi ( right) is another people, divorced, and as I remember( because also I found it previously) he was born in Sermide town, Mantova province... so is no he... regards, suanj

[bbango]

Ok guys, I have just looked through everypage of each district of Brockway, Brookville, Punxsutawney, and Beaver Boroughs for 1930. Wow. Nothing. I'm going to keep trying in Jefferson County.

[peggymckee]

VJ--I am in awe! Many thanks for explaining your magic! Peggy M

[vj]

Peggy, anytime!
I remember the bad old days of no indexes.
I try to do anything to keep from going page by page.
Sometimes, it is the only answer though .
Valarie

[Essgee]

Well........

I still think the entry for Indiana County (which boarders Jefferson) might still be the right record......... There were Sebastiani's in Indiana county as well......there is 75 miles between Conemaugh and Brockway.....long shot I know, but at least it is in the right ball park.

Anybody know where Oscar and Louisa were in 1910?

These names couldn't be more difficult to find in 1930 if they were mispelled on purpose. Even tried Domenico as a last name variation. Did they only have the two children? Any chance there were more?

When you talked to your Aunt Lena....where did she go to school? She would have started first grade about 1930ish or so...might clue where they were living.... Where she had her First Communion? She is going to have the info you need, you are just going to have to trigger it in her memory.


Glad VJ, Wldsprit, and Suanj showed up...they are the best!

[bbango]

Essgee, you're right Indiana Co does boarder Jefferson and the age does match up being 26 in 1920. It's a possibility and its the closest thing match I have so far for him in 1920.

Oscar and Louisa should have been in that general area in 1910. Clara was born in Brockwayville (Brockway) in 1906.

Dominic and Clara did only have 2 children, I know they didn't have any others.

I'm not sure where my Aunt Lena went to school. She was born in about 1926 (I'll verify this date tonight). When I talked to her about this last year she couldn't remember barely anything, but I will try again.

Grazie a tutti per l'aiuto

[bbango]

So I talked to my Aunt Lena last night and she told me a couple things, but she couldn't remember or she was too young to know much about exact dates.

She was born in Conifer near Brookville in 1926. She said after she was born they moved out to Masury, Ohio for a "short time", then moved back to the Punxsutawney Area. First Anita, PA which is right outside Punxsy, then their house burnt down and moved to Adrian, PA.

She went to Elementary school at Jenks Hill, and she would have started in 1931 or 1932.

So to come to a conclusion, I would have to say that in 1930 they lived in the Punxsy area, either Anita or Adrian in Jefferson County.

[Essgee]

Well, glad you got to talk to your aunt. Still nothing clicks for me.

I keep seeing this one census image....ages are right, names are off, but something remains interesting about it. I cannot find the name Benigmi to exist anywhere else...so it might be a butchered form of another name. I am linking to it only so you will know about it. However, it certainly is similar to your Benigni name that you are researching so maybe it is another relative somewhere...

Sometimes the strangest things turn out to be true.....

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8972 ... gmimz4.jpg

Back at it and see if there is anything else. I couldn't get Ancestry to recognize either Anita or Adrian PA. Must be part of a larger city now.

Have a good one!

[vj]

May help
Both 'coal company patch towns'
Anita (Florence PO), McCalmont Twp, Jefferson
Adrian (Delancey PO), Young Twp, Jefferson
edit: added
note: Sebastiani family living in Adrian in 1930

[vj]

Brandon,
It's great that you talked with your Aunt Lena!
Essgee's so right, relatives can be a wonderful
source of family information for your research.

There's a couple of interesting articles at
about.com on interviewing relatives and
an interesting/revealing list of questions.
Valarie

interviewing relatives
50 interview questions

[Essgee]

vj.........

You are truly one of a kind! You ability to research something is second to none.

The needle in the haystack doesn't stand a chance against you.

I am a big VJ fan!

Have a great day....

[vj]

Thanks essgee,
It is quite an experience building on and adding to
everyone's research!
We all seem to have wonderfully complimentary
strengths .
I don't know how 'professional' genealogists do it
on their own.

I just went thru the town of Adrian for 1930.
(pages 1 thru about 22 in Young Twp)
If the Bonghi family had temporarily moved
in with the Sebastiani's, they aren't listed.

The census for Adrian does seem complete.
(the pages are numerical)
I can see how the Sebastiani's name got
mangled. It was a community with many different
countries represented.

edit: added
Checked McCalmont Twp for 1930.
(Anita was written on first few pages and
crossed out).
Nothing, only 21 pgs and it seemed complete also.

Checked the current location of Jenks Hill
Elementary School, it's on 200 Jenks Ave,
but listed as Punxsutawney (4 mi from Anita?)
map

Valarie

[bbango]

Hey guys, thanks for all your help. I too have been looking page by page of the censuses for those areas, but still not coming across anything.

There were some Benigni's in the area, but my Aunt Lena mentioned Silvio Benigni who would have been her great Uncle (Clara's Uncle) and I was able to find him in the census in Jefferson Co.

I really don't know why we can't pin point Dominic and Clara, I guess I'll just keep looking in Jefferson because that seems like the most logical place to look.

And yes Jenks Hill does seem to be listed as in Punxy. Would they had to live in the Punxy borough to attend school there? I'll double check the Punxy borough censuses.