#31 Day Genealogy Challenge

31 Day Genealogy Challenge – Day 31: Share a Favorite Free Genealogy Site

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My favorite free genealogy website is: http://www.antenati.san.beniculturali.it/?lang=en (Antenati San Beniculturali!) It is every Italian-Americans researcher’s dream! I was able to trace the ancestry of my grandparents who were born in Farindola back to the 1700s, and the ancestry of my second great grandparents who were born in Nola and San Prisco back to the 1700s. I was also able to trace the ancestry of my Farindolesi ancestors in the neighboring towns and villages, all in the comfort of my living room, for free.

This is the end of my own personal genealogy challenge. You can find all of my prompts for the month here: https://wordpress.com/post/cinziarosasdescendantsblog.wordpress.com/11108

Happy Hunting!

31 Day Genealogy Challenge – Day 30: Share a Photo of an Ancestral Town

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Today I share an image of Castelli, Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy. My 5th great grandmother Angela Emmanuela Sacchetti Sopranome Muffitti was born there in Villa Bifari in 1789. She made her way to Penne, Pescara and married Bartolomeo Massimo Antonio Desiati Cacciatore. They had five children. They are the ancestors of Luigia Massei. This image is from the Trip Advisor website.

-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net

31 Day Genealogy Challenge Day 29: Share the Oldest Photo of a Male Ancestor

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Today I share the oldest image of a blood relation in my family from 1828. It is the image of a painting of Valentin Mutter, who is the brother of my 5th great grandfather Johann Josef Mutter. The brothers were born in Niederwald, Valais, Switzerland. Johann Josef was the great grandfather of immigrant Anna Heinzen Kirsch.

Valentin Mutter was a priest who was born in 1773 according to Die Pfarrherren von Ernen by Josef Lambrigger. Valentin was educated in theology in Milan and ordained on March 22, 1796. This image was painted by a well-known local artist named Lorent-Justin Ritz, who was also born in Niederwald. He was known for painting persons in the religious life. This image is from the above-mentioned book. The actual painting must still exist IN COLOR! What do you think of what he is wearing around his neck?

-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net

31 Day Genealogy Challenge – Day 28: Oldest Photo of a Female Ancestor

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Today I share an image of the immigrant Eckebrecht family. My third great grandparents Quirinus Eckebrecht and Marie Louise Koppel are seated. This photo was taken in Chicago sometime around 1873. This is the oldest image I have of any female ancestor. Marie Louise is seated in the middle. It is believed my second great grandfather Fritz Eckebrecht is second from the right in the back. This photograph likely dates to the time after he spent a year with the Comanche in Texas.

-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net

31 Day Genealogy Challenge – Day 25: Share a Record from a Book

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This was a wide open choice. Since I have many civil and church records from foreign countries, they were all recorded in books! Today I went to a book in my physical possession. It is a translation of the Palatine Mennonite Census Lists 1664-1793 by Herman and Gertrud Guth and J. Lemar and Lois Ann Mast printed in 1987. The Rubeli family (mentioned yesterday) is listed on several pages in this book. In 1717 they appeared as below. This was approximately 45 years after they had to leave Switzerland.

Please site the above-mentioned book if you add this to your tree. Thanks!

-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net

31 Day Genealogy Challenge – Day 24: Share the Oldest Record Found

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Today I share the oldest record I found by myself in my direct lines and it is from Langnau, Bern, Switzerland dated October 18, 1579. It is the marriage record of my 10th great grandparents Ueli Strubel and Barbli Vogel from the Langnau Reformed Church – ancestors of Anne Leies Ferraro’s German immigrants. At least part of this record is in Latin, even though it is from a Protestant church. I strained my eyes and found this record online through the Archives of Bern, Switzerland. Their church books are all online. Ueli and Barbli are grandparents of Christen (church spelling) Strubel/Rubeli who was forced to leave Switzerland with his family in the winter of 1672 because he was an Anabaptist.

I have an unproven theory that Christen’s wife Barbara Gungerich’s mother Anna Schindler (my 10th great grandmother), from Oberdiessbach, was the descendant of Andres Schindler, a man born around 1500 near Thun, Switzerland. He attended an Anabaptist debate in Bern in 1538 to discuss ecclesiastical subjects and to request imprisoned believers (Anabaptists) be released. Unfortunately, the church books don’t go back that far to prove my hypothesis.

-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net

31 Day Genealogy Challenge – Day 23: Share a Photo of a Headstone

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Today I share the headstone for my great grandfather and his son Alberino. My great grandfather was mentioned yesterday and on Day 5 of this challenge. Alberino was a United States military veteran. Serafina Merlenghi, my great grandmother is buried in Farindola, Italy. This photo was added to Find-a-Grave by volunteer Joz.

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31 Day Genealogy Challenge – Day 22: Share Your Favorite Record Retrieved Yourself or Through the Mail

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Today I share my great grandfather Cesidio Marcella’s naturalization paperwork from Queens County, New York. It was in such a faded state that they sent me a certificate verifying he took the Oath of Allegiance. Below is the certificate and the clearest page in the stack of papers they sent me. All of the papers they sent me are in protected acid-free plastic storage sleeves.

-cinziarosagenealogy@comcast.net