Gifts from Anne

I never met my father's cousin Anne in person although she made a huge impact on my life.

When I was about 13, I wanted to know more about my family history.  My grandmother recommended that I write to my grandfather's sister, Elizabeth Bell and see what she could tell me. So I sent off my letter to Aunt Elizabeth.

Shortly there after, I received a response from Mrs. Anne Cosby Smith.  She explained that she was Aunt Elizabeth's niece which makes her my father's first cousin.

Every time I read this letter it brings tears to my eyes.  The impact it 14 years later, reading it shortly after the passing of my father, helped fuel my desire to pursue my own genealogical research.

Reading it again several years later, unfortunately lead me to find Anne's obituary.  I so wanted to find her and thank her for this single act of kindness to my 13 year old self.  Instead, her obituary lead me to her children.  Who have opened up their hearts and homes to me.  They share their stories,  family photos, momentos, and Aunt Helen's research.  I cried the day I first met them all.  They were happy tears because they each are a special gift from Anne.

Thank you Anne!

We Both Leaped

Dad,

The last time I visited you, you handed me this single piece of paper. A notarized copy of a page from your great grandparent's family bible.

 

Weeks later, on February 29, 2000, you leaped out of this life.  

During my week of bereavement, I picked up that special piece of paper and I leaped into genealogy.  

Dad, we both leaped. 

I miss you.

Cape Cod

Oral Family History - Grandma's Other Sister

I was looking through my Tutela notes last week and came across a tidbit I never followed up on before.  The note simply said, "Grandma had a sister that died young from a fire caused by the candles from the Christmas tree."  Grandma would be Bob's paternal grandmother, Jean Tutela Campanelli. 

Grandma's parents names are Joseph Generoso Tutela and Anna Minotti.  They had four children, but I only had 3 in the family tree.  Off to the archives I go!

I found her death certificate.  Her name was Helen (or she was at least called Helen).  The age on her death certificate should read 3 years old not 2.

She died from burns on her body, clothes caught fire from stove.  This sounds like the correct cause, but what about the part about the Christmas tree?

I also looked up her birth certificate.  This listed the matching birth date as the death certificate, but listed her name as Elena Tutela. She was child 3 of 3 at the time of her birth.  Makes sense, Uncle Arthur was the youngest being born in 1918.

Then it was off to the state library to see if there was ever anything in the newspaper about this child and sure enough there was an article about the accident in the paper.  The accident happened on Friday, January 2, 1920.  This article was published in the Newark Evening News on Saturday, January 3, 1920.

Grandma was bout seven years old when this happened. From what I was told, she was at her aunt's home when the accident happened.  I can only imagine her as a 7 year old hearing bits and pieces.  Her oral history from this event makes perfect sense.  No one talked to children about these things back then.  Kids heard whatever they heard when grown ups spoke and made their own sense out of these adult conversations.  Her oral history was based on her 7 year old self interpreting what happened to her sister.

The Newark Evening News Monday, January 5, 1920 reported Helen had passed on January 4th.

I can only imagine the impact it had on the family.  Just looking through a few days of one newspaper, there were way too many children that passed from accidents like this.  Gives me a new appreciation for the generations that have come before us and the times they lived in.  It also gives me a greater appreciation for the picture of grandma's parents.

Joseph Generoso Tutela and Anna Minitto Tutela