Wordless Wednesday -- 1855 Marriage Record for Domenico Strano and Rosa Lanza

My great-great grandfather Domenico Strano (b. ABT 1826 in Piazza, Caltanissetta, Sicily) married Rosa Lanza (b. ABT 1829 in Mineo, Catania, Sicily) on 9 May 1855 in the Church of San Pietro in Mineo, Catania, Sicily.  His father was Paolo Strano (deceased) and his mother was Marianna Monaco (b. 1799).  Her father was Giuseppe Lanza (b. 1795) and her mother was Emmanuela Gulizia (deceased).

Heritage Food Friday -- Norwegian Sour Cream Waffles

I would bet more waffles/person are eaten in Norway than any other country.  I used to love it when my grandmother served them up plain or with jam, cheese, or sour cream on top!

Ingredients

1 pint rich sour cream
8 tablespoons water
1-1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix all the ingredients until smooth and let sit for 10 minutes.  Bake on a waffle iron until crisp and brown.

This recipe is adapted from Aase Strømstad's Eat the Norway.

Surname Saturday -- Lanza

I recently learned more about ancestors on my maternal grandfather's line.  My grandfather's grandmother (my great-great grandmother) was Rosa Lanza, born in Mineo, Sicily around 1829.  Her father was Giuseppe Lanza and her mother was Emmanuela Gulizia.  Interestingly, their street address was Cortile Lanza, Mineo.  This dead-end street exists today.  I can't help but wonder if it was named after my ancestors.  Otherwise, I don't know too much about the name, Lanza.  According to Cognomix, a Website where one can visualize how dispersed a surname is in Italy, Lanza is found throughout the peninsula.  Lanza does seem to be more popular in Sicily, but it is also common in Northern Italy. 



The sign to the dead-end street/cortile in Mineo, Sicily, where my great-great grandmother, Rosa Lanza, lived with her parents.  The information was obtained from her wedding record. 



Locations in Italy with the Lanza name.  http://www.cognomix.it/.



Tombstone Tuesday -- Bryn Kirke and Cemetery

Bryn Kirke in Baerum, Norway.  The church was built in 1861.

Wordless Wednesday -- Ludvig Hansen and Nikoline Andersdatter

Great-great grandparents from Vesten in Oestfold, Norway.  Nikoline Andersdatter (1865-1950) and Ludvig Hansen (1858-1929).  They were married 3 June 1883 and had eleven children.  One of them was my great-grandmother Joergine who married Thomas Alexius Haugen, son of Emil Georg Samuelsen and Hannah Marie Andreasdatter.

Heritage Food Friday

I have decided to start a new series -- recipes from Norway and Sicily! 

Pasta Alla Norma

Maria Callas plays Norma. 
Picture from
 http://handelmania.libsyn.com/2006/06

I figure I might as well start with something from Catania, the city at the foot of Mt. Etna.  Most Sicilian cookbooks in the U.S. tend to focus on Western Sicilian cooking and don't pay too much attention to the East.  The truth is that while a lot is the same, there are also differences.

My Aunt Eva in Catania is by far the best cook EVER, and I don't think I could begin to create anything to compare; but when I think of Sicilian cooking, I always think of her.  Here's an attempt at Pasta alla Norma, Zia, that could never be yours!

By the way, Pasta alla Norma is named after the Opera "Norma," which was written by Catania's most famous composer, Vincenzo Bellini. 


Ingredients
4 - 6 servings

1 box Penne (rigate is preferred); spaghetti is okay, too.
1 can diced tomatoes.  You may also take 6-8 medium tomatoes and boil them for about 1 minute.  Cool in cold water and peel the skin, then dice.
1 Eggplant
Ricotta Salata
1 Onion
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves Garlic
Basil
Salt and Pepper

Dice the garlic and onion and saute in a thin coat of olive oil at the bottom of the pan.  When the onion and garlic attains some color, add the diced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer.  The eggplant can be cut in squares (half-inch cubes) or sliced and then fried.  Drain the eggplant on absorbent paper.  The eggplant should be crispy but not burned.  Cook the penne in boiling salted water until al dente -- firm and not overcooked.  Drain the pasta and pour half of the sauce over it.  Mix.  Place the pasta on a plate to serve and add some remaining sauce on top.  Arrange the eggplant on top of the sauce and penne.  Garnish with a few sprigs of basil.  Now -- the most important part -- grate the ricotta salata over the entire creation.  Repeat for each serving.

Now, let me be clear that parmesan cheese does not make this Pasta alla Norma, so try to find Ricotta Salata.  It has a distinctive flavor on the pasta.  Most stores in the U.S. carry the cheese.  If not, a Fresh Market or Whole Foods should have it.  In Catania, aged ricotta salata is the best and is what my aunt uses, but in the U.S. you will probably have to go with a less aged version.

Serve and enjoy!

Picture from http://www.laterrazzadelprincipe.com/the-food.html

A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter and his Family Tree

Call me "Potteridiot" because I don't get the recent craze over "Pottermore," a.k.a the latest marketing ploy feeding Pottermania.  Wow, I almost created a tongue-twister there.  LOL.  Nonetheless, Potter-fans are deadly serious right now about following a trail of clues in the hope of uncovering the latest news of "something big" about to happen in the wizarding world.  The "trail of clues" was announced a few days ago, and countless people have been literally losing sleep over this.  As for me, I've been losing sleep over finding that picture or document of the dead guy I'm currently researching -- I have Geneamania rather than Pottermania. 

Potter-fans will not like to hear this, I'm sure, but I really tried to read The Sorcerer's Stone (a.k.a. The Philosopher's Stone), but it lost me somewhere in the middle, magic wands and all.  The best I can do is give into the crazy idea that I might find a family tree for Harry Potter.  In fact, a few minutes ago, I googled "genealogy" and "Harry Potter" all the while smugly telling myself how ridiculous I am to even consider the existence of such a thing and, lo and behold, there it was... several google links to pages on Harry Potter's genealogy.  There is even a tree I can download or visualize on-site, and it has 180 people in it and 31 families.  Wow!

So, being that I don't get it, why the sudden interest to blog about Harry Potter, you may ask.  Well, I have a best friend.  We have been best friends since 1984 when we met our Freshman year in college and were dorm mates.  Just like a married couple, a bit of feigned interest into the hobbies of your best friend is required -- just the ones a friend does not "get," of course.  After all, she listens to me drone on about dead people she can't possibly care about, and it would only be fair that I listen to her talk about Muggles and Quidditch and so forth.  That's what friends do. 

We have been through a lot together over the years, and for a time, we even wrote books together.  The technique we used was tandem writing.  I'd write 25 pages and she'd follow up with 25 more and I'd add to hers until we actually had a pretty good story.  We had a lot of fun!  But at some point we decided to go our own ways and write our own stories.  I wrote a few novels in the genre of contemporary women's fiction, and she wrote fantasy, mainstream Da Vinci Code type of stuff, young adult... you name it.  She even took her beloved Harry Potter series and created a wonderful workshop that analyzed J.K. Rowling's writing in order to help any writer improve his/her own work.

Recently, she started selling her workshop in book format and then Pottermania broke loose again -- good timing!  She has had thousands of blog hits on her blog site, and she was also asked to post a blog piece regarding "Pottermore" on the International Business Times site -- an online global business newspaper with 5.4 million global users.  And guess what... People going on her blog site have been riding their brooms over to my site because I am listed as a blog she follows -- thanks S.P. Sipal!  I have had around 400 hits on my blog since yesterday.  I have to chuckle, though, when I think that people expecting more Harry Potter end up reading about ancestors and Norwegian and Italian heritage.  But perhaps I should post a tree of Harry Potter and that will satisfy them?  Maybe they'll get curious about their ancestry, too, and hire me to research their own Muggle family history! Hmmm.

Okay, Potter-fans, here is a screenshot of the tree you can look at on this site -- GenoPro.  This is just Harry Potter's tree -- knock yourselves out.  Other characters from the series have trees, too.  Note, I did not find the tree that intuitive to view.



Click on the picture to enlarge it for better viewing...
Obtained from http://familytrees.genopro.com/harry-potter/default.htm

 This one's for you S.P. Sipal.  You are awesome!

Sunday Biography Series -- Akoline Oleane Jakobsdatter Part V

I have previously written about my ggg-grandmother Akoline Oleane Jakobsdatter here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Also, if you go to the bottom of this article and click on the label, all the posts will come up at once and you can read them all together.

I thought that I would add an update to Akoline's story.  Last summer when I went to Norway, I visited the Methodist Church in Fredrikstad where Akoline/Oleane and her husband Samuel became Methodists.  It is also the church where my gg-grandfather Emil Georg Samuelsen Haugen was baptized.  When I visited, I met with an historian affiliated to the church, and he showed me not only the original book of records, but also a picture of the minister who would have baptized them all.  The book of records also recorded the unfortunate death of my ggg-grandfather Samuel Andreasen.  The record said he had died on 3 June, 1875 by drowning at sea.  Of course, I have previously posted what actually happened to him, which is a little different.  My gg-grandfather had told my father (my father was a boy at the time) that his father, Samuel, had fallen to his death from the ship's mast after going up to make a repair.  In fact, at the archives in Norway last summer, I had discovered the record that said exactly this.  The accident occurred somewhere on their way to Bristol, England.  I'm sure he was buried at sea, which is what the church record means by saying he "drowned."  Here is a link to Samuel's story.

Last summer I posted very briefly about what I found in the Methodist Church.  Here are some more pictures with further comments.

Fredrikstad Methodist Church.  Below is the inside of the church; the historian I met said it had to be redone due to a fire.




The minister who baptized Akoline/Oleane, Samuel, and Emil was Bernt Johannessen.  Below are the pictures of all the ministers who have served the Methodist Church in Fredrikstad.

The first part of the baptismal records for my ggg-grandparents Samuel and Akoline/Oleane.  Here
my ggg-grandmother is Johansdatter rather than Jakobsdatter (her father, whom I found out was not her biological father, was named Johan Jakob, and she used these names interchangeably for her surname.  Also, "Akoline" seems to have appeared from nowhere just about during this time.  Her birth and previous records only use the name Oleane.  Moreover, she also sometimes used 9 February as her birth date when it was actually 17 February.  She seems to know her birth date is 17 February in previous records, yet sometimes she used 9 February later.  I believe she had some reasons for doing these things, and that they were not mistakes.  Earlier records show she is born in Sweden, but in at least two records later in life she is shown as being from Sarpsborg, Norway, which is actually where she emigrated to from Sweden.  These were census records, and she must have given this incorrect information.  I think that she wished to forget some of her early past.  Both marriage records (she was married twice) and other earlier records show her with her accurate name, birth date, and birth location -- all of which I have verified in the Swedish records.

This records says my ggg-grandfather, Samuel Andreasen died on June 3rd, 1875.  Below it says that he drowned at sea.

The book of records from the Methodist church containing the baptismal records for my ggg-grandparents
and of their son, Emil Georg Samuelsen Haugen.  It also contained the death record for my gg-grandfather, Samuel Andreasen.

Amanuensis Monday -- Nonno Enzo's Diary -- December 2, 1915

Continuation of the translation of my grandfather's diary, which was written at age 15 while he lived in a boarding school in San Gregorio, Catania, Sicily. He was born in Palagonia, Sicily, on November 15, 1900.  For previous posts, follow the trail here and keep going back.

                                               Thursday, December 2 (1915)

Here we are in December, the most beautiful month there is, which reminisces over the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The Novena of the Immaculate Conception has already begun -- also a beautiful feast.

Today we went for a walk.

We were led by Don Rasa, our new professor in place of Don Traina. He is a very intelligent young man -- a baby face with a fine and smooth nose, as well as a short person with a happy look about him.  In other words, you could mistake him for a boy.

He came out of the parlor and said: Come on, guys; if you want to go far, you will have to pick up your feet and walk ahead of me.

Arriving at the road, we took a few paces and then deviated onto a rocky road that began to roll beneath our feet.  We headed to Aci Castello, a village on the shores of the sea where the railway passes and the tram that goes from Catania to Acireale. The village is noted for the castle -- well known in history as impregnable; but now its beauty cannot be seen unless it is from one side of the castle.


www.italiaguides.it 
Picture of the castle in beautiful
Aci Castello


For a few minutes, we were allowed to contemplate the sea and breathe in a bit of fresh air. The waves formed into breakers, crashing against the rocks of the shore and producing a delightful roar.  In the distance below us, in the middle of the sea, several boats rocked cheerfully.

My classmates and I grabbed some stones and hurled them against a boulder where two letters were cut into it - CG - and I was among the lucky ones to hit the target several times. But the fun was short-lived. We had to return.  We were forced to walk in a single line during the crossing of the small town, so we decided to spread out, some of us going one way and others another way.

The return was very cheerful with singing and talking. In Ficarazzi, we saw a turkey with little ones around her. They were the size of chicks, and I was easily deceived into believing this is what they were (he may mean they did not look to him like turkey chicks but more like chickens). But, finally, we arrived at the boarding school -- weary, yet always rejoicing.

Original diary pages below:

Happy Birthday Nonna and Dad



My nonna, Giuseppa Napoli, born in Catania, Sicily, June 11, 1914; below, Dad, same day of birth, different year



Tombstone Tuesday -- Tanum Kirke and Cemetery



Beautiful Tanum Kirke in Baerum, Norway.  Nearly 1000 years of ancestors were baptized,
confirmed, married, and buried here.



Amanuensis Monday -- Nonno Enzo's Diary -- November 20-25, 1915

Vincenzo Dibennardo
1900-1982

Here is the next translated entry from my grandfather's diary, written in Sicily when he was 15 years old.  For previous entries click here.

                                                        20-21-22 November, 1915

These days it rained continuously with a mighty wind and a bit of cold.

***

                                                        25 November, 1915

Today was a day for walking.

My fellow fourth gymnasium schoolmates and I took a stroll. Don Mattias, the school catechist, led the way.

The walk turned out truly splendid. We went to San Francesco di Sales (boarding school) in Catania where we found the director, Don Massimino; the prefect, Don Scelsi; Don Vanoli; and others. The latter person showed us some dormitories occupied by the wounded (WWI); there were those injured in the arm, fingers (unsure if writes "finger"), others in the head, and some with wounded feet. It was a desolation. There was also one man from Genoa with frostbite to the feet who gave a letter to Don Vanoli to mail for him.

Later, we visited the various laboratories, and therefore some, or rather most of us, went with Don Sinatra to the "soid" (unsure of this word), while I, Putrino, and Di Bella remained in the school.

Along with Don Patané, director of the Amico (Friend) (Salesian newspaper), we went to the first floor where there was a pantry with Salesian books. There, my classmates chose some annual issues of the Amico and handed them over to Don Patané to bind them.

When we arrived in his room, we all changed our address, and I had him give me the last issue of the Amico. (Note: In an earlier entry, my grandfather explains he attended San Francesco di Sales before the boarding school in San Gregorio. According to my research, San Francesco di Sales was closed in 1915 because it was used as a hospital for WWI wounded. This may be why he "changes" his address so he can receive the Salesian newspaper.)

When we left him, we walked with another superior near the flower beds, spending another good half hour waiting for Don Mattias; but when we saw that he did not come as promised, we came up with the resolution -- also coerced by the inspector -- to begin a swift walk toward San Gregorio at 5 minutes after 5.

We continued to talk softly while walking. Arriving near Cannalicchio (a district of Catania), with the one called Di Bella who had ten cents, we went to a belsola (a grocery -- unsure) to buy bread, but unfortunately none was to be found. So we continued our journey.

To tell the truth, I turned back a few times to look behind me, feeling a bit scared; but then reassured, I continued on my way. Arriving a little higher, above Cannalicchio, we met a young man who was going to Ficarrazzi -- a small village not too far from San Gregorio. He was heading home after being in Catania to do masonry work, and he now returned to get bread.  My mind was filled with scary thoughts, but I did not express my weakness to my friends; my consistent turning around to see behind me was quite useless.  The darkness was perfect and one could hardly distinguish one thing even ten meters away. The moon was not in the sky, and the stars were hidden behind the clouds.

The young man started to recount some things while we had our ears open for any sounds, consoling ourselves that our other classmates were probably nearby.  But, no, we were deceived, and we could accept this when we entered the dormitory and at first did not see anyone but, going down to the study hall, we found them at their respective places, staring at us with questioning eyes.  I have to warn my dear readers that they must forgive even when a learned man makes a mistake because in this world we are all made of flesh and, therefore, easily make mistakes.  So, I must tell you that we went to the Director and told him the story; but, as always, he put on a smile and said, "Go on sons, and next time be more careful" which left us confused and heavy-hearted.

So this is how our nice walk turned into our adventure.

Original diary pages:

Stay tuned for the next entry...

Pasquale Ursino's Brother, Giuseppe

Now that my son is out of school for the summer, I have more time to research my family history!  In anticipation of the free time, I ordered 7 new microfilms of Italian records via my local family history library about two weeks ago.  Four microfilms arrived Thursday, and this morning I went to see what I could find. 

One of my goals was to find the birth record for my great-grandmother, Francesca Scuderi, so I can learn about her parents; but that film had not arrived yet.  Out of the 4 that did, one was a microfilm of marriage records from Catania, Sicily, spanning 1888 to 1893.  The story told to me was that my great-grandmother married very young -- perhaps as young as sixteen.  This would mean she may have married in 1892; however, I did not find a record for her through 1893, and I checked the earlier years, too.  It looked like I would have to order marriage records starting in 1894 and that she probably married young but not as young as sixteen.  However, I did take the time to see what else I could find in the records.  After all, my great-grandfather Pasquale was widowed twice before he lived with my great-grandmother, and one of his marriages could have occurred between 1888 and 1893. 

Again, no such luck, but I did find a marriage record for a brother of his I did not know -- Giuseppe Ursino.  Finding a great-uncle was quite exciting because it told me a few things.  For one, Giuseppe was nine years younger than Pasquale, which means there must be more siblings.  It also gives me a later date as a starting point to find out when Pasquale and Giuseppe's parents may have died.

Giuseppe Ursino may have married a cousin since his bride's name is Carmela Ursino.  The marriage record shows Giuseppe's father and mother to be Orazio Ursino and Maria Stabile (as expected) and Carmela's father and mother are Giuseppe Ursino and Rosaria D'Arrigo.  I will have to dig into the records and see if Orazio had a brother named Giuseppe.

Michele is a brother I have heard may have existed but I have yet to find.  Giuseppe Ursino is a new brother I
 discovered today. Pasquale Ursino is my great-grandfather on my maternal side from Catania in Sicily.

A rough piecing together of the marriage record I found telling of the marriage between Giuseppe Ursino and Carmela Ursino.  The marriage took place 18 June 1892.  Click on picture to enlarge.

My Nonna and Her Half-Sister

Left: Innocenza Napoli (called Zenna), probably born before or around 1900.  I was lucky to meet her once in the early 80's but too young to think to ask the right questions.  Right: My grandmother, Giuseppa Napoli, or as I called her, Nonna Pina, born June 11, 1914.  She was half-sister to Zenna, but as I have explained before, she carried the surname of her mother's legal husband.  There was no divorce in those days, so my great-grandparents managed to get the legal husband to claim the children (I believe they paid him).  Her father was Pasquale Ursino.  Both sisters were born and lived in Catania, Sicily.

Happy Birthday, Bestemor!

Happy Birthday, Bestemor!  My grandmother, Gyda Kristiansen, circa 1933.

Wordless Wednesday -- Emil Samuelsen Haugen and Family in Finland

Emil Georg Samuelsen Haugen (1871 - 1954) and Hanna Marie Andreasdatter (1871 - 1943) with children, Elvira Helene Haugen (1901 - 1979) and Hans Ereinius Haugen (1906 - 1993).  This picture was taken soon after arriving in Finland in 1914.  They stayed there for 3 years before returning to their home country, Norway.

Amanuensis Monday -- Nonno Enzo's Diary -- November 18 - 20, 1915

The continuation of my grandfather's diary.  He had just turned 15 on November 15, 1915 when he wrote these pages a few days later.  He was born in Palagonia, Sicily, and was living in a Salesian boarding school in San Gregorio.  His mother had died when he was very young, and it was custom, in such cases, for fathers to send their children to boarding school.  To find the trail of previous posts, go to my last post.

Translation below

   

                                                                                    November 18.  Thursday.

Today we headed to Pedara. In Trecastagni, we met with those of Pedara [Salesian school students], and there was a stampede. I was surrounded with old classmates from boarding school and other villagers [he probably means they were from his same town], such as: Nicolino, Salvatore; Calcaterra; Pappalardo; Claudio Condemi; Pastura, Giovanni; Squillace, Gaetano, etc...  Later, we walked as far as their boarding school.  We visited the Director, Don Massimino Morganti, the Prefect [resident advisor], the Catechist, and other superiors. Afterward, we descended into the courtyard and found that the boarding school teams had been formed once more.

We drank a little wine offered to us by the Prefect and then returned to our boarding school.  As always, we arrived in San Gregorio singing.

                                                                                    November 20 [he probably meant to write 19]

This evening, during the blessing, a flower caught fire, and if the Catechist, Don Mattias, was not quick to act, the fire would have spread throughout the altar. I kept my eyes closed to the flames and reopened them in a burst of fright.

                                                                                    November 20. Saturday.

This morning, at a quarter past ten, my father came.

My hometown friend, Brancato, came to ask permission from my professor, who willingly consented. I was really happy, and as I left the school, I ran into him right away, so I hurled myself into his arms with much affection.  Afterward, I kissed my sister, and then we walked to the parlor.  We sat down on a soft sofa, immediately starting an animated conversation.  They brought me a large basket [type used for bread] filled with ten eggs and some biscuits. There were also eight notebooks of twenty cents each.

Our talk lasted a good hour and a half, and when the bell rang, we entered the office of the Director, who cordially received us.  Having asked permission, I went to the bedroom, to my place [probably means "bunk" since this is a dormitory with several beds], and I put away my goods before returning to my father.  We stayed with the Director for about a quarter of an hour, and then he wanted to accompany us to the parlor.

Nearby, there was a priest who played the piano.  The Director made us go in and insisted my sister play something. The Director affectionately said goodbye to my father and left us.  Then, I hugged my father and my sister and gave them a last farewell as they left.  I retired feeling afflicted but without shedding a single tear.