The genealogical tree of my race can reach the upper limit of knowledge in the early decades of the last century, when nine children came to light from Giovanna Vasquez of Spanish origin and Gaetano cafarella. This parent, who was born and raised in the Aeolian Islands, namely in Salina, and who has been the owner of a farmer's craft and boat for transport of grapes from the islands to Mesina and Riposto. Born in June 1810 and died in 1881. These dates are very approximate, since my father, born in 1880, around the age of about one year, was led to be seen by his grandfather, and then his health conditions were very prejudicial to life. In fact, shortly afterwards he died. he was paralyzed for many years, since the age of half. My grandfather was the fourth of nine children and named Domenico in honor of his uncle, his father's brother, named Dominic, who, having embarked on an ecclesiastical career, had become a priest.

 

The male sons of Gaetano's age spent the infancy and adolescence, who became young, emigrated, who in Australia, and who in America settled his son Domenico, except miraculously unharmed from the 3rd War of Independence, he enlisted in the Corpo della Finanza and was assigned as a service center, Stazzo, in dependence on the Custody Hold.  Here he contracted good friendship with a colleague, who gets engaged to a young lady of the vicinity and that earlier groom. My grandfather was head of the estate. From the marriage union, a child was born, to whom the name of Mary Carolina was given and that at baptism, my grandfather was a godfather. So, my grandfather became colleague and godfather. The infant, the eighth month of life, dies, and, the cruel strangeness of fate, death was preceded or followed, I would not know, from that of his father who had been ill for several months.

The young widow, after about a year, step-again marriage to my grandfather.

 

From this marriage, eight living children came to life and lived until late. To these are added other, finished at birth or incubation. Here are the names of the survivors in the order of birth; Giovanna- Giuseppa- Gaetano (my father) - Giuseppe (Peppi) - Francesco- Salvatore- Domenico-Antonino.

Giovanna (Giovannina) for birth range to Giuseppa, at the behestof the husband (my grandfather), was given in a very youngage, still an infant, his grandmother already widow.

She was then led to the island of Salina, where Malfa's small center she grew up under the grandmother's affective care to which she placed her love ties more than a niece but as a daughter, so that she did not want to recognize her natural origin. In addition, there is a need to recognize the setting, from which she no longer intended to detach herself. Having become adolescent, parents wanted to return to the family in Stazzo. In fact, my father (my grandfather) goes to the island, and in spite of the girl's revulsion, now Miss, he returned to Stazzo. Here she was picked up by sadness, melancholy, relentless nostalgia. Grandparents, realizing that her daughter could suffer any nervous and cerebral dystonia, recognized the need to bring her back to her grandmother's island.

 

At the age appropriate to marriage, she was married to a cousin who led her to live in the United States. He had four daughters, but later had the misfortune of having had her husband murdered by strangers, while in a bad winter evening, was alone in his general food store in Maldem, provincial in Boston.

Her daughter, Giuseppa, the only girl left in the house, was a helpful aid to her mother in the raising of five brothers, except for my father, because she was too small then.

A bridal step to a shoemaker-cobbler, with whom she had seven children, quail, four females and three males.

She lived for the rest of her life at Scillichenti, where she died at age 89.

 

My father was born on August 5, 1880. (The broad biography, on the third carpetta on page 35, and on the fifth carpetta on page 38, on the explanatory pages taken from the voice recordings.)

 

Fourth son was Joseph (Uncle Peppi) who, as a child, helped his father in the fishing activity, when the latter was put on leave by the Corpo della Finanza, exercising the fishing.

Joseph, when he was grown, he enlisted voluntarily in 'Marina'. He led the whole career, reaching the rank of major marshal. He retired in 1934. In 1941, on February 2, when he was at home on leave, having been called to serve for the state of War and headquartered in Melilla (Augusta), suddenly and fulminantly collapsed for cardio-circulatory collapse

 

Fifth, Francesco (Uncle Ciccio). Young man learned the shoemaker-cobbler craft that he exercised throughout his life. It was in America, but for a while. Marrying a woman from Macchia (Giarre) who died with a tumor in her throat, very young, leaving an only daughter.

 

This german made a horrible end. In 1946, he became ill of a disease that slowly wound his body, covering it with sores, until it was extinct. The reason: see 2 ^ carp. On pag. 10.

 

The sixth and seventh of the children were; Salvatore and Domenico. Both exercised the trade of fishermen; Unfortunately, the working life was difficult and a bit tricky. The first closed life in Australia and specifically in Melbourne, where he had been called by his children. The second, closed it in Stazzo, lovingly cared for and assisted by his son.

Both took life long. The first 98 years; the second, 96

 

Last, Antonino. His life was very moving. He was more than once in america. At his definitive return, a tiny industry for producing lemon derivatives was opened. The activity, for so many years. Unfortunately, he undertook a major logistical attempt to overturn the situation and went into disarray, losing what he had acquired.

 

.... supported by a son who, in a military career in Livorno, induced parents and sisters to leave the village of Stazzo and to make definitive settlements in that central city of Central Italy.

..... closed his troubled existence at the age of 87 in 1982.

.... name was seen, worthy of heirs of a stipe longeva, with the exception of two sons; ..... their end, touch the 90-year limit and pass, just like the parents: 91 the father; 89 the mother.

.... the family tree, rotten the roots, dried up the stem, sending it down

.... his leaves.

 

 

 

 

L' Mio nonno fu da teste nel patrimonio. Dall'unione e coniugale, nacque una bambina, a cui fu posto il nome di Maria Carolina e che, al battesimo, mio nonno fu da padrino. Cosi, divenne mio nonno, collega e compare.  La infante, all'ottavo mese di vita, muore, e, stranezza crudele del destino, la morte fu preceduta o seguita, non saprei, da quella del padre, che parecchi mesi, si era ammalato.

La giovanissima vedovella, dopo circa un anno, passo a nuovo matrimonio con mio nonno.

 

Da questo matrimonio, vennero alla luce otto figli viventi e vissuti fino a tarda eta. A questi si aggiungono altri, finiti al nascere o in incubazione.   Ecco i nomi dei sopravissuti in ordine di nascita; Giovanna- Giuseppa- Gaetano (mio padre)- Giuseppe (Peppi)- Francesco- Salvatore- Domenico- Antonino.

Giovanna (Giovannina) per nascita ravvicinata alla Giuseppa, per volere del marito (mio nonno), fu data in tenerissima eta, ancora infante, alla nonna gia vedova.

Quindi fu condotta nell'isola di Salina, dove nel piccolo centro di Malfa fu cresciuta sotto le cure affettive della nonna a cui pose i suoi legami di amore piu che da niptote ma da figlia, tanto da non voler riconoscere piu la naturale sua origine. Inoltre c'e da riconoscere l'ambientamento, dal quale non intendeva piu distacacarsi.  Divenuta adoloscente, i genitori desideravano riaverla in famiglia, a Stazzo. Infatti il padre (mio nonno) si reco nell'isola, e malgrado la ripulsa della ragazza, ormai signorina, fece ritorno a Stazzo. Qui fu colta da tristezza, da malinconia,da implacabile nostalgia. I nonni, riscoscendo che la figlia potesse subire eventuale distonia nervosa e cerebrale, riconobbero la necessita di ricondurla nell'isola presso la nonna.

 

All’eta adeguate al matrimonio, fu data sposa ad un cugino che la condusse a vivere negli Stati Uniti. Ebbe quattro figlie, ma ebbe poi la sventura di avere avuto assassinato il marito da sconosciuti, mentre in una brutta serata i’inverno, era solo nel suo negozio di generi alimentary a Maldem, in provincial di Boston.

La figlia Giuseppa, unica di sesso femminile rimasta in casa, fu di valido aiuto per la mamma nella crescita di cinque fratelli, ad eccezione di mio padre, poiche troppo piccola.

Passo sposa ad un calzolaio—ciabattino, col quale ebbe sette figli, dei quail, quattro femmine e tre maschi.

Visse per ilresto della vita a Scillichenti, ove mori a 89 anni.

 

Mio padre nacque il 5 Agosto 1880. (La biografia abbasanza vasta, su terza carpetta a pag.35, e su quinte carpetta con inizio a pag. 38, sulle pagine esplicative tratte dale registrazioni di viva voce.)

 

Quarto figlio fu Giuseppe (zio Peppi) che da fanciullo aiuto il padre nell’attivita peschereccia, allorche quest’ultimo, posto in congedo dal Corpo della Finanza, esercito la pesca.

Giuseppe, divenuto adulto, si arruolo volontario in ‘marina’. Condusse per intera la carriera, raggiungendo il grado di maresciallo maggiore. Si pension nel 1934. Nel 1941, il 2 febraio, trovandosi a casa in permesso, essendo stato richiamato in servizio per lo stato di Guerra e con sede Melilli (Augusta), mori improvvisamente e fulmineamente per collasso cardio-circolatorio.

 

Il quinto, Francesco (zio Ciccio). Giovanetto apprese il mestiere di ciabattino-calzolaio che esercito per tutta la vita. Fu in America, ma per breventempo. Sposo una donna da Macchia (Giarre) che mori con un tumour alla gola, molto giovane, lasciando un’unica figlia.

Questo germane fece orrenda fine. Nel 1946 si ammalo di un male che lentamente contorse il suo corpo, coprendolo di piaghe, finche si spense. La cagione: vedi 2^ carp. A pag. 10.

 

Il sesto e il settimo dei figli, furono; Salvatore e Domenico.  Ambedue esercitarono il mestiere di pescatori; Purtroppo, la vita lavorativa, fu difficoltosa e un po grama.  Il primo chiuse la vita in Australia e precisamente a Melbourne, ove era stato chiamato dai figli.  Il secondo, la chiuse a Stazzo, amorevolmente curato e assistito dal figlio.

Ambedue condussero vita longeval. Il primo 98 anni; il secondo, sui 96

 

Ultimo, Antonino.  La sua vita fu molto movimentata. Fu piu di una volta in america.  Al suo ritorno definitiv'apri una minuscola industria per produzione di derivati di limoni. L'attivita, per tanti anni. Purtroppo, intrapreso un grosso tentativo commercialistico, per capovolgimento di situatzione, ando in dissesto, perdendo cio che faticosamente aveva acquisitato.

 

.... sorretto da un figlio, che, in carriera militare a livorno, indusse genitori e sorelle a lasciare il paesino di Stazzo e prendere definitiva stabilita in quel centro cittadino dell'Italia Centrale.

..... chiuse la sua travagliata esisteanza all'eta di 87 anni, nel 1982.

....nome si e visto, degni eredi di una stipe longeva, ad eccezione di due figli; ..... loro fine, tocco il limite dei 90 anni e passa, cosi come i genitori: 91 il padre; 89 la madre.

.... l'albero genealogico, marcite le radici, disseccato il fusto, mando giu

.... le sua foglie.