Disabto Family Update

A while back, Margaret Coffarelli Disabto's great granddaughter contacted me offering some tidbits of information about this elusive family.  Remember that Margaret is your grandfather James oldest sibling.  She was born in Italy in 1880 shortly before emigrating to New York.  She married an older man who'd been married before:  Marco Disabto.  She also used the name Innocencia (these Italians seem pretty loosey-goosey with their first names) They had at least 9 children.  This new "cousin" of yours descends from Marie Disabto Cochrane.  Her name is also Marie.

This is what Marie has to say: "Talked to my mom today and she said that Mark came here through Ellis Island alone. His mother had died and father was remarried. He then was part of an arranged marriage with Margaret. I believe that they were a few years different in age. Margaret lived with my Grandmother Marie and my mom (when my mom was a child) in the upstiars of their house. Margaret told my mom about the arranged marriage and Margaret was told he was a good man. She told my mom you know what they were right he was a good man. Mark died from a possible cancer."

This gives me some valuable information as I pursue this family.  In a previous post about this family, I think I shared with you a newspaper article about Margaret's son Joseph who was killed in action at Guadalcanal in January 1943.  This is what Marie shares about that: 
"As far as Giuseppe/ Joseph death. The story I heard was that he was on duty that night and not sure if there was a party the night before, but everyone else was asleep. Joseph saw, heard the attack coming and single handedly killed/delayed the enemy until help arrived/woke up. He was killed saving and alerting a lot of men to the enemy sneak attack.
My grandma mare had a picture of Grandma Disabato dressed all in black sitting down holding all Joseph's medals. Silver star, purple heart and I thought the Congressional Medal of Honor. After my grandma died we think our uncle Jerry took it....but really don't know."

Here's your dad Robert (Bob) Dalpiaz

Recently I've found myself in the vicinity of discussions about Ancestry.com.  I think the media hype about the census release combined with the growing popularity of the TV Show Who Do You Think You Are? and Genealogy Roadshow in addition to heavy Ancestry.com marketing has brought this to the level of lunch table discussions around the country.  Ancestry.com is probably my best friend in the hunt for family history and has been growing in its importance to me in direct proportion to their adding records and information to their databases.  I've been a subscriber for several years and have made many new discoveries via the information provided there.

Having said that, it is a fairly significant expense.  For casual researchers, I would probably not recommend subscribing.  Similar databases are often available via local libraries--sometimes even accessible from home with the library card in hand.  Believe me, finding those connections 3-4-5 generations back like they show on the commercials and TV shows isn't as simple as entering the name and clicking search.  Amazingly wonderful information can be found that way but it depends on what your research priorities are.

Some family researchers are mostly interested in adding names and dates directly up their lines as far back as they can go.  Some are more interested in the stories about the families and their time and place in history.  Some are fascinated with the documentation just for the amazement of its mere existence and availability.  A 14 day free trial to Ancestry would probably get you the names but maybe not the stories or the documentation.  I would never discourage anyone from the free trial (except to be sure to remember to "unsubscribe" at the end) but would caution you to remember it's not as easy as a click here and there working like magic to produce a centuries old document showing you're related to Charlemagne.  Check out your local libraries and see what's available through their services.  Also, check the libraries local to the region you are most interested in.  You may be able to get a card and use their services.  You might be surprised at what's available.

So that's the end of my pitch for libraries.  Allow me to show you the results of some very long and arduous digging into the Coffarelli family.  Perhaps you remember the oldest daughter Margaret, born 1880 in Italy prior to emigration?  She married Marco DiSabto and used the name Innocence rather than Margaret.  Census taker error resulted in her being listed as Hishats Innocenti.  A real bear to locate and track that family!  But hard work sometimes pays off with something blessedly easy.

I haven't done too much sideline 1940 census research yet --I've only concentrated on the direct lines I was most interested in.  But I needed to see if I could find Margaret in 1940 out of curiousity to see how she'd be listed.  And we are blessed with the following reward:

Nice and neatly written by the census taker and pretty easy to locate.  You'd probably get here in that one click search demonstrated on the Ancestry.com commercials!  I feel so much better having found her.

Here's your dad Robert (Bob) Dalpiaz

And your Mom Regina Coffarelli

Here are your Mom and her brother with their grandmother Manzelli.  It's probably a good thing I went page by page because I don't think this will get indexed as MANZELLI.  Interesting they are listed as "lodgers" (I think--this census taker seems a bit sloppy). These finds make the research SO MUCH FUN.