The life of Amedeo "Matthew" Alfano

Amedeo "Matthew" Alfano was Bob's great grandfather.  He was born Amedeo Alfano in Monte, Marano, Avelino, Italy in 1892 and immigrated to the US about 1909.

Amedeo married Bianca Todino in NJ in 1915.  Shortly later, he Americanized his first name to Matthew and her to Blanche.  They had 4 children that I know of: Constantine, Anthony, George (Bob's grandfather) and Matthew.  In the 1930 US Federal Census, they are living next door to Blanche's parents, Denis and Caroline Todino.  They resided at 85 Westminster Place in Garfield, NJ. 

There were several articles posted to different newspapers in NJ in April 1935. Matthew Alfano was arrested for Bootlegging and sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $700 fine.  

The Herald News April 24, 1935

He was very lucky he was not caught during prohibition as that ended two years earlier.  In the middle of the great depression, you do what you have to do to survive.

Shortly after he was incarcerated, his wife and family moved to Lodi, NJ.  On October 9, 1935, his son Matthew age 7 died of Diphtheria.  Something in this day and age that is 100% preventable by vaccination. 

 

 

The Herald News October 11, 1935

Young Matthew Alfano's NJ Death Certificate

Matthew Sr. served a total of  18 months in prison and was released in October 1936.

The Herald News October 9, 1936

In the 1940 US Federal Census, the family is living in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ.  In column 17, the answer to "residence in 1935" the answer for each of the members of the household is Lodi. This is the first census that Bob's mom, Marjorie Alfano, is alive for.  She is 11 months old.

Things turn around for Matthew.  He resides in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ for the 1940's.  He stays out of the newspaper until 1947, he and his son Anthony open a home appliance business.

The Herald News June 4, 1947

In 1950, he and his wife are in the process of moving to a brand new home that they had built when tragedy strikes.  During the move, his wife Blanche passes away.  They hadn't even slept in their new home in Wayne.

The Herald News October 23, 1950

 Matthew was a widower for 20 years.  He died on May 19, 1970 in Prospect Park, NJ.

He is buried in St. Nicholas Cemetery in Lodi, NJ with his wife and three sons.

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

Edith June Weller Turner - A look at her first 34 years

Thirty years ago today my paternal grandmother, Edith June Turner, passed away.  She was 73 years old.

When I look at Grandma Turner's time line with both genealogical events and historical events, it makes me see her differently.  I had no idea how many ups and downs she had in the 30's and 40's.

June 1, 1914           Born in Manhattan to Charles and Edith (Wegener) Weller.

Nov. 16, 1916         She was 2 years 5moths old when her brother Charles Weller was born.

April 6, 1917          At age 2 years 10 months The United States enters World War I.

Nov. 11, 1918         Age 4. World War I ends.

1920                       Age 6. Prohibition Starts.  Her maternal grandfather owned a bar in NYC at this time.

June 25, 1928        When she was 14, her paternal grandfather dies - Charles Weller buried at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, NY.

Oct.29, 1929          She was 15 on Black Tuesday - the stock market had crashed for the 4th time kicking off the start of the great depression that lasted 10 years.

Dec. 5, 1933            Age18, prohibition ends.

July 1934                 Age 20, she takes a cruise with her aunt and meets her future husband.

Dec 20, 1936          At 21, her maternal grandfather dies. He is buried in Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, NY. There is no marker on his grave.

Feb 26, 1939          When she was 24, her father Charles Weller dies in Summit, NJ and is buried at Lutheran All Faiths in Queens, N.Y.

Oct. 6, 1939           Eight months later at age 25, she married Hugh D. Turner.

April 22, 1940       She was 25 when her paternal grandmother dies - Anna (Panzer) Weller buried at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery, Queens, NY.

December 7, 1941    She was 27 when she received the news that Japan attached Pearl Harbor. The United States enters WWII.

April 22, 1943           When she was 29, she gave birth to her first son.

June 6, 1944             D-Day happened 5 days after her 30th birthday.

Feb 27, 1945            Still at age 30 when her brother Charles Weller KIA. Buried in Holland. He was only 29 years old.

Feb 26, 1946          At 31, she gives birth to her second son.

December 4, 1946  She was 32 when her father's body is moved from Queens, NY to Restland Memorial Park, East Hanover, NJ.

December 11, 1948    She was 34 when her brother was moved to Restland Memorial Park, East Hanover, NJ.

 

For me, it comes in to focus why she didn't like to talk too much about the past. Remembering her today and will try to keep the tears in check if I hear Fleiz Navidad on the radio today. It was one of her favorite Christmas songs.

History in Pictures - Morro Castle

The Morro Castle was a ship that traveled between New York City and Havana, Cuba in the 1930's.  The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company began construction on her in January 1929.  She was christened March 1930.  She had her maiden voyage from New York City to Cuba on August 23, 1930.  

My grandfather, Hugh D. Turner, was born and raised in Newport News, VA.  He was a Merchant Marine and lived in New York City in the 1930's.  I am not sure if this photo was taken in VA or NY, but know it could only be taken taken between March 1930 and September 1934.

On September 8, 1934,  a fire broke out on the ship.  137 passengers and crew members lost their lives that day.  This changed how ships were designed with fire prevention in mind.

83 years after the disaster, here is Hugh's great grandson, Jack, at the memorial placed in Asbury Park, NJ. Near the location where the ship's hull came aground.

Hugh Turner and June Weller met on the S.S. Colombia in July 1934

I always loved this photo of my grandparents.  Hugh in his Merchant Marine uniform and June in her playful sailing outfit.  I have no idea when this photo was taken, but they look so happy. I never knew how they met.

Recently, my brother called me from California after spending time with Uncle Bob.  He told me that our grandparents met on a ship!  He worked on the ship and she was a passenger. They met by chance returning to the ship at a port of call.  June was alone and Hugh was told to escort her back to the ship.  Not sure which port of call, but nonetheless, here is the ship manifests for the S.S. Colombia, where they clearly met. He is on the first line of the crew list dated June 18, 1934.

June is the last person listed on this passenger list dated July 18, 1934.

Two lines above her is Aunt Francis, her traveling companion.  The rest is family history :)

Rose Hill (Armstrong Place)

 

Rose Hill (AKA Armstrong Place) was built circa 1800 by Dr. Rose in Culpeper Co, Virginia.  John Spilman Armstrong, my 3x great grandfather, purchased this home prior to the civil war. It is said that he purchased this with money he earned by helping to construct the Rappahannock River Canal.  Here is where Armstrong operated the first circular saw in the county.[i]

The large rectangular house has hand-hewn sills, 12 x 12. The plates, sills and slotted rafters are all heart pine; wooden pegs hold the rafters in place.[i]

It is said that the original owners Dr. and Mrs. Rose are buried on this property in unmarked graves. 

This is the home where Sallie Alice Armstrong wrote her diary during the civil war. She married her husband, John Roberts Turner, here as shown below in the Turner Family Bible.

 

 

This house stayed in the Armstrong family for over 100 years. It was first owned by John Spilman Armstrong (1811-1884).  His son John Edward Armstrong (1847-1938) owned it for a number of years and then his son Edward Brent Armstrong, Sr. owned it (1882-1963). [ii]   

It is currently owned by Nancy Weik. She and her husband purchased the farm prior to 1980.  They raised their children there. Nancy and her daughter Lili run it. It is now called Overlook Manor Farm. They breed sheep and horses.  

They were very kind to open up their home to about 30 Armstrong descendants and friends visiting their farm for Armstrong Day. Many of the Armstrong cousins remembered playing there as children and visiting for various family events.  It was really nice to see their faces light up as they remembered the places they played and rooms they slept in as children.

 

 

 

Original firebox in dining room

Old Ice House now used for storage.

Armstrong Descendants visiting Rose Hill June 2013

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[i] Historic Culpeper, Culpeper Historical Society, Bicentennial Edition, 2002. Page 57

[ii] Culpeper Star-Exponent, Monday July 1, 1963.

Armstrong Day = Amazing!

This Sunday our Armstrong Family Tree truly came to life. Kathy Ellis created  Armstrong Day - a cousin caravan through Fauquier and Culpeper Counties in Virginia. Kathy really thought of every last detail to make the day perfect.

 Kathy, we are grateful for all of your hard work!  You are the best! Thank you!

More to come on this amazing day in a future post!

Serendipity

Last summer I had the privilege of meeting several of my 2nd cousins. I wrote about it in a previous post.  Barbra Harris Smith shared hundreds of wonderful photos with us.  Among them was one of Frank Boston Turner. Frank was the son of Judge Edward Spilman Turner and Mela Boston.

He is 9 months old here.

My last stop on the trip before we head out was to visit John Roberts and Sallie A. Armstrong's graves in Warrenton Cemetery.

Here is John Turner's grave with both wives at his side.

The row in front of them are John's brother and sister-in-law.

Edward Spilman Turner and his wife Mela Boston Turner's marker. They are the parents of little Frank Boston Turner (pictured above).  In front of their grave was a marker for Frank Boston Turner who died at age 18 months.