The Spiraling Chains - The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski - Bellan Family Trees

Funny Friday: Bernardo Licciardi or The Lorax?

2/5/2015

Earlier this week, my four year old daughter and I were doing a craft that involved looking at photos of ancestors. We were cutting them out, preparing them to paste onto paper hearts, when we get to this one, a photo of my great-great-grandfather, Bernardo Licciardi:

So, as with all the other photos, I tell her who it is, but (in her silly voice) she says to me, "That's the Lorax." Many of you probably know that the Lorax is a Dr. Seuss character. We've read the book, we've watched the movie, and my daughter even painted a little paper Lorax at preschool. And now she's decided that her great-great-great-grandfather is a Lorax doppelganger. I gotta say, I can't argue with her.

Great-Grandma's 120th Birthday

1/6/2015

A Young Adele Parazzini Licciardi

On this date in 1895, my great-grandmother, Adele Parazzini Licciardi, was born in Milano, Lombardia, Italy. A couple of years ago, I wrote this post about what I remember about her. Today, I thought I would share her Petition for Naturalization from 1945. (Click for larger image.)

On this form, as well as on her ship manifest from 1921, her surname is listed as 'Parrazzini,' but her birth surname may actually be spelled 'Parazzini, as the former does not seem to be at all that common in Italy. Adele came to America in 1921 and passed away in 1990 at the age of 95.

Petition for Naturalization for Adele Parazzini Licciardi

Adele married Luigi Licciardi in 1913 at the age of 18. (The petition lists her marriage date as 1919, which is incorrect.) Luigi was a Sicilian, and they met in the north when Luigi was on military duty with the Italian Army. So, my grandmother and her sister had the unusual combination of a northern AND southern Italian parent.

I do not (yet) know the names of Adele's parents. They did not come to America and probably lived out their lives in Milano or in a nearby area.

More about the Adele and her descendants can be found here:
Licciardi Family Documents

©2015, Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Louis Licciardi in the Newspaper

11/4/2014

On this day in 1935, my great-grandfather, Louis (Luigi) Licciardi, had his photo in The Cleveland Plain Dealer! He was the president of the Italian War Veterans (Cleveland Branch), and the newspaper article recounted a large event in honor of several commemorations important to the city's Italian-American community. (Click for larger view.)

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4 Nov 1935, page 7

This article reminds us that Mussolini and his actions were looked upon favorably by Italians in America, at least for a time before the onset of the Second World War.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Grandma's 100th Birthday

9/4/2014

I couldn't let the day end without publishing something on my blog related to my maternal grandmother, Dina Licciardi Bellan. Today would have been her 100th birthday. She was born 4 September 1914 in Iselle, Italy, which is a small mountain town on the Italian-Swiss border. She immigrated to America with her parents and sister when she was about six years old. She served in the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII and married my grandfather, William Bellan, in 1947. They had two children. She was active in her church community and loved to cook and socialize. She passed away in 1997. Here is a photo of her with me as a baby, circa 1979.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

How Grandma Came to Join the Coast Guard

8/4/2014

Today is the 224th birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard. The following was transcribed from an account written by my maternal grandmother, Dina Licciardi Bellan, regarding her decision to join the Coast Guard during WWII, and includes a little bit about what her time was like in basic training.

Dina Licciardi Coast Guard Portrait

"Patriotic fever engulfed me in 1943 as it did many other Americans. One day while walking home from work I spotted a large poster encouraging women to join the Coast Guard and become SPARS. "that's it" - I just knew what I wanted to do. I didnt know anyone in the Coast Guard and wasn't even sure what else they did besides guarding the coast as the name impled.
The recruiters were glad to see me and after answering some pertinent questions I made an appointment for my physical which I had to cancel. Four months went by and I still had not rescheduled. Why? Because I didn't know how to break the news to my father. He was a very strict parent and I just knew he would not approve. Finally I gathered enough courage and broke the news to him. I nearly fell through the floor when he said "Good for you."
In July 1943 I boarded the train at the Terminal* bound for Palm Beach Florida where I was to train. Florida in July is hardly anyone's dream of heaven! We arrived with our heavy suitcases grimy and sweaty at the beautiful Biltmore Hotel.
We had assumed that the Coast Guardsmen standing at the curb would assist us with our luggage. Instead with arms folded they just glared at us. One laughingly informed us that since we were to replace them for active duty we might as well start learning to act like one of the boys.
The Biltmore a famous resort no longer resembled that prestigious hotel. All the furniture and carpeting was removed and the rooms for two were now rooms for 6. The heat was oppressive - no air conditioning at that time. We looked at each other and if it were possible I believe we would have all taken the next train home.
Six girls getting ready for 6am muster was no small feat. I locked myself in the bathroom that first morning planning to shower. Angry knocks at the door brought home the realization that privacy was a thing of the past and that all bathroom activities were going to be shared!
Adjustments were not easy, perhaps easier for me than some others. Many girls did not even know how to launder their clothes. Finally the strenuous 6 weeks of basic training were over and we anxiously awaited our assignments. I drew Norfolk Va. which didn't particularly appeal to me. One of my roommates from Minnesota desperately wanted to go there because her boyfriend was stationed there. The officer in charge gave her permission to switch with anyone willing. I decided it didn't matter to me so I switched. Her assignment was Miami Beach only 50 miles away! Although I was not happy about going there I never regretted it. I made great friends and enjoyed my work. However in 3 years that's as far as I got!"

(*) Referring to Cleveland's Union Terminal train station.

Click HERE to see some of my grandmother's photos from her time in the Coast Guard

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Sunday's Obituary: Louis Licciardi

5/24/2014

My great-grandfather, Louis Licciardi, passed away February 26, 1974. He was born January 30, 1891 in Palermo, Italy, and came to America in 1920. This obituary was published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer on February 27, 1974.

Obituary for Louis Licciardi, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 27 Feb 1974, Page 6-E

A shorter obituary was published the same day in the 'Death Notices' section of the same newspaper on page 7-E.

Obituary of Louis Licciardi, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, 27 Feb 1974, page 7-E

Here is a photo of Louis dancing with his wife, Adele, at my parents' wedding, which was about five months before he passed away.

Louis dancing with his wife, Adele, 1 Sep 1973.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Ellis Island Family History Day

4/17/2014

Today, April 17, has been designated at Ellis Island Family History Day. On this date in 1907, more than 11,700 people came through Ellis Island - it was the most immigrants to be process through the station in one day. In my own family, seven of my great-grandparents arrived at the port of New York and came through Ellis Island. (One of my great-grandfathers arrived at Baltimore.)

My grandmother, Dina C. Licciardi Bellan, sailed from Naples on 27 Apr 1921 with her mother and sister and arrived at Ellis Island on 12 May 1921. She was 6 1/2 years old. Her name is on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor at the Ellis Island Museum. Before she passed away, she had the opportunity to travel to NYC and see the wall (and her name) in person. Here is a photo of her next to the wall and below that is a rubbing she made of her name.

Dina (Licciardi) Bellan in front of American Immigrant Wall of Honor

Rubbing of name from Immigrant Wall of Honor

Late in life, my grandmother started to fill out a 'Family Heritage Workbook' about her life and her family's life. As far as the journey across the ocean, all she writes is, "Crossing the ocean is vague, but I do remember getting off the train in Cleveland and seeing my father leaning against a big car." (Her father, Luigi Licciardi, had immigrated to America the year before.)

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Those Places Thursday: Google Street View Matches an Old Photograph

3/19/2014

This past Sunday, I wrote a blog post about how I used 1940 enumeration district maps to figure out just where my grandmother and great-grandparents were living at that time. From about 1934-1940, they were living at 3591 East Blvd, which has since changed names to Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Once I sorted out the mystery of the street name change, I plugged the address into Google Street View and found an image of the old home. Nothing really surprising - it's an old, large home on a fairly long, but narrow, lot. My great-grandparents were only renting it at the time, and another family is shown living at the same address in the 1940 census, so they only occupied either the upper floor or the main floor.

3591 MLK Dr, Cleveland, Ohio (Image: Google Maps)

I then decided to look through some of the old 1930s photos that my grandmother had saved. My great-grandparents loved to take photos of their girls standing with each other, not unlike what most parents (including myself) do today with their kids. I have several from this period of the 1930s when they were living in this house, but one in particular caught my eye. It's blurry and doesn't really do justice to my grandma and her sister, but I was more interested in the setting and background.

Dina (left) and Yola (right) on porch of 3591 East Blvd, September 1935

Thankfully, my grandma (shown on the left) was pretty good at labeling photos with the proper dates, so I know this one was from September of 1935. (She didn't label it as such, but if it was a special occasion, it may have been around her 21st birthday.) But there are bunches of homes in this part of Cleveland with brick porches very similar to what the photograph shows; how do I know that they were standing at the same home shown in Google Street View?

Check out that porch post right over the back of my grandmother's shoulder. It has a nice, unique little diamond decorative touch to it. I tried to zoom in as far as I could on the home in Google Street View; the resolution isn't great, but it was enough to convince me.

Porch of 3591 MLK Dr, Cleveland, Ohio (Image: Google Maps)

That's it! That's the pillar in the picture. Usually seeing these older homes in disrepair makes me sad, but in this case, I am glad nobody has painted over that pillar. My grandma and her sister took that photo on that porch almost 80 years ago, and before now, I didn't know where it had been taken. I think this is pretty good proof that I've figure it out.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Census Sunday: Street Name Changes and Enumerator Errors

3/15/2014

In 1940, my great-grandparents, Louis and Adele Licciardi, lived with their two adult daughters, Dina and Yola, on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. (Click on image for larger view.) On this form, their surname looks as if it is spelled 'Silccirdi,' which is probably just a mistake of the enumertor (not the only one, either, as we will see.)

The Licciardi Family, 1940 U.S. Census

My great-grandfather's occupation is listed as 'Sewing' and 'Men's Clothing'. He owned and operated a business known as 'Paris Art Embroidery' in downtown Cleveland, and here it is listed in the business section of the 1940 Cleveland City Directory:

1940 Cleveland, Ohio City Directory, Business Section

My grandmother, Dina, who is listed as 'Diana' on the census form, and her younger sister, Yola, are working as a 'Saleslady' and 'Cashier', respectively. In the residential section of the 1940 Cleveland Directory, we actually see that they are working at The May Company, which was one of the major department stores in the city at the time. (Dina is listed as 'Dine' and Yola is listed as 'Viola.'

1940 Cleveland, Ohio City Directory, Residential Section

The census form lists their address as 3521 East Blvd, and the city directory lists it as 3591 East Blvd. I searched for both addresses on Google Maps and Google Street View and came up with nothing; there are not even any addresses on the current extent of East Blvd that are close to the 3500s. My initial thought was that this part of the street had changed names between 1940 and the present day. To solve this mystery, I decided to consult the 1940 census enumeration district (ED) maps, which, fortunately, are found online.

In my humble opinion, the easiest way to get to the right map is to use this search link at stevemorse.org. You simply select the state, county, and city in which you are interested and you will get a list of links to the available 1940 enumeration maps:

How do you know which map is the area you are interested in, especially if you are searching a larger city? Go back to your census form and find the city Ward number, which is in the upper part of the sheet. In this case, we are interested in Ward 28. I had to search each map individually until I found the big number 28. Once I did, I went back to this link (large-city street finder) on stevemorse.org, chose the correct state, city, and ED number, and the page will then list all of the streets covered by THAT enumeration district. (The ED number is in the upper-right corner of the census form - in this case, it is 92-683.) This process is essentially a way of finding my great-grandparents' most immediate neighborhood, which I outlined in the red box below (click on image for larger view.)

1940 ED Map, Cleveland, Ohio

Stevemorse.org; Results of Large-City Street Finder

Indeed, if you look closely on the old ED map, there is East Blvd, right between Glenboro and Clarebird. I searched for 'Glenboro Dr, Cleveland, Ohio' on Google Maps, and here is what I got:

Oh look, that street between Clarebird and Glenboro is no longer called East Blvd, but instead has been renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. (By the way, there is still a road known as East Blvd in this part of Cleveland, which simply added to my confusion.)

Turns out, the census enumerator wrote the wrong house number for the Licciardi family's address on the 1940 form. He wrote '3521,' which, if you look carefully, doesn't even fit the sequence of the other addresses on the page. And, upon further searching, I discovered that there isn't even a lot at 3521 MLK Jr. Blvd. Thank goodness for the city directory, which DID have the family's correct address (3591).

I HAVE located the home via Google Street View and will be talking about it in a separate post later this week, so stay tuned!

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

Tombstone Tuesday: William and Dina (Licciardi) Bellan

2/3/2014

My maternal grandparents, William and Dina (Licciardi) Bellan are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Brookpark, Ohio. My grandfather passed away 25 years ago this past week, and sadly, was laid to rest on my mom's birthday.

Of any of my family's gravestones, I have visited this one the most throughout my life. As you can see, my grandmother lived about eight years longer than her husband, and her parents are buried very close to this grave as well, so we often came with her to the cemetery to visit. I took this photo last year when we visited on Memorial Day weekend. We brought some flowers and my daughter helped put them down.

©2014, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder