Wordless Wednesday: Howard Huge and me

A gift from my dad, and still cherished today

Money saving tips for requesting records

I had no idea having genealogy as a hobby would cost so much money...

If you're like me you don't buy anything unless it's on sale or there's a bargain. For me, genealogy is no different.

Luckily I have discovered some money saving tips for obtaining my ancestors records.

After a year of genealogy research I have only spent money on the following:
1) ancestry.com world subscription (but only after I got a coupon to pay the same rate for U.S. Edition as world edition
2) $20 for four death certificates
3) gas for cemetery visits
4) family tree maker software (although this was a gift so I didn't have to pay for it)

As a newbie in the field these tips have helped me tremendously. I hope it will help someone else as well:

My money saving advice:

*look on ancestry.com message boards or raogk for people who will either search for a record for free or a discounted price. In my case, I saved $14 for 4 death certificates ( $56 ) by finding someone on the ancestry.com message boards obtain them at a discounted price.

*Offer services in exchange for records..since my library has online access to the Chicago Tribune historical newspaper archive from the mid 1800's to present, I do look-ups for free. My information and available services are listed at RAOGK. I usually get 15-20 requests per month. Every once in awhile a request will come from someone in a location I am researching (like Arizona or Ohio). I'll do a few extra look ups for them in exchange for information about their county's resources, a cemetery look-up, etc. It's fun to talk to genealogists across the country who share the same passion for genealogy.

*look for specials, especially around holidays, where some genealogy websites will give you temporary free access to records...such as footnote giving free access to revolutionary war records during 4th of July weekend

*visit familysearch.org on a regular basis as they keep uploading new images daily. Most early to mid 1900 Chicago birth and death records are now posted with free access

*remember to do data entry and filing! You don't want to request the same record twice because you couldn't find your original copy.

I'll post some more tips soon...in the meanwhile what are some of your genealogy money saving tips?

Tombstone Tuesday: Richard and Frances Brown

A wonderful woman in Springfield, Illinois went to the Illinois State Archives for me and found four of my ancestors' death certificates. At $5 each, it was much cheaper (and faster) than getting them through the county or Illinois Dept of public Health. I <3 genealogists!!

While I don't have a picture of their tombstones, I learned a lot more about my ancestors through their death certificates.

Richard George Brown, my great great grandfather, was born in New York. He was the son of Joseph Brown and Mary Gullin (a new surname to add to my growing list!). Joseph was born in Ireland, while Mary was born in New York.

Joseph and family moved to the Illinois/Wisconsin border. They moved from Boone county, IL to Walworth county in WI to Rockford in Winnebago County, Illinois.

Richard and his father, Joseph, were farmers. Richard married Frances Kizer in Walworth, Wisconsin. The Kizers were also farmers. Richard and Frances had many children. They seem rather creative with their first born son named Welcome Asle Brown. Another son, Clarence Clifton Brown, is my great grandpa.

Richard passed away in the Rockford Hospital from heart trouble, pneumonia, and bronchial inflammation in 1920. Frances passed away 6 years later from heart trouble and a gall bladder inflammation. Both are buried in Bluff Grove Cemetery in Rockford, IL. I have entered their information into findagrave and am crossing my fingers hoping someone will take a photo of their stones for me. Eventually I'll set up some time to take the hour and a half drive up to Rockford.

I would never have known Richard's mom's maiden name, or Richard and Frances burial location without their death certificates.

Thanks for the Memories: Grandma Mildred "Millie" and Grandpa Nunzio Vitraelli

Thanks for the memories

This post is dedicated to my maternal grandparents, Mildred "Millie" P. Vitraelli nee Malouf/Gardos and Nunzio "Nick" Vitraelli.  Mildred "Grandma" and Nunzio "Grandpa" lived most of their lives in Addison, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). The last few years of their lives were spent in Schaumburg, Illinois (another suburb of Chicago).

Mildred, born in 1927 in New York, was the daughter of Marie Cicero and Eugene Gardos (please see previous posts for information about Eugene Gardos). Marie was born in Castelbuono, Palermo, Italy and Eugene was born in Hungary. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Mildred's brother was born. Eugene passed away in 1935, and Marie married John Malouf. The two kids were adopted by John Malouf, and the kids took on the surname Malouf.

  

Nunzio, born in 1925 in Chicago, Illinois, was the son of Leonard Vitraelli (aka Vittorelli, Vitorelli, Vittoreli, and Vederelli) and Lucy D'Orazio. Leonard was born in San Marco La Catola, Foggia, Apulia, Italy.  Family story is that the Vitraelli's had a vineyard in Italy, and one of Leonard's brothers/family members died from eating an unripe olive.  Lucy was born in Alfadena, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy.

Foggia, Apulia Italy:

Pictures courtesy of wikipedia.com

My mom and her sister and brothers have shared some stories with me about the early lives of Nunzio and Mildred, although I am hoping to learn more. Nunzio owned a fruit and vegetable cart which he ran on Maxwell St in Chicago. Nunzio's brother, Michael, was drafted for World War II, and was killed in action in the Phillapines. Nunzio and Mildred liked to dance, in fact that's how they met each other. They had five children together, my mom was one of them.

My favorite memories of my grandparents are my family's weekly Friday visits to their house where we'd watch Wheel of Fortune and "TGIF" with grandma.

Grandpa loved to bowl and loved to talk about bowling. Grandpa worked at Dominick's as a produce manager.

Grandma worked odd jobs at the factory (my mom said she'd bring home a box of items and she'd have to put screws in them.  The family would sit around the kitchen table putting the little screws in the different items).  

I remember going shopping with Grandma at Straford Mall. She always picked out Alfred Dunner brand clothing.  Whenever I see Alfred Dunner clothing, I think of her. 
She taught me how to play pinnochle, and we played Scrabble on a regular basis. Grandma was unbeatable at Scrabble! I remember when she called all her friends to tell them that I had finally beaten her at Scrabble.

Grandma was a big fan of Notre Dame football, and wanted one of her grandchildren to attend.  There's still a couple of grandchildren left to fulfill her dream (ACT scores and money kept me from attending).  Grandma also loved the food channel. We used to tease her that chef Graham Kerr was her boyfriend.  I remember making Christmas cookies with her, especially the candy cane cookies, where we had to "roll snakes" of red and white dough together.

I remember visiting her on the holidays at her old house in Addison and playing on the piano in the living room and playing detectives in her "scary" basement.  I remember the time when I was finally taller than Grandma, she was only about 4'10" (so it wasn't too hard to do...). 

Grandma was a truly loving person, although her heart was as loving to her.  She had many heart attacks and bypass surgeries.  Grandma passed away in 1995.                                                                           I need to do some file organization, because I cannot find Grandma's obituary...it's here somewhere... I have created a memorial page for her on Findagrave .

I remember when Grandpa took me shopping for my birthday after my grandma passed away and bought me a jean jacket vest. He took me to McDonalds where we had hamburgers. My grandpa would always stick his french fries in the top of his hamburger so they were standing up...a hamburger castle. 

Grandpa would have coffee with Cocoa Puffs in the morning. Grandpa called me and my sisters the "three rozzes (sp?)".  Grandpa always held his lips in a scrunched up position that my mom and her siblings called the "funge face".  I remember visiting him in the hospital right before he passed away.  His face had turned yellow from jaundice and he was hallucinating.  He told my cousin there was soccer balls on the ceiling (my cousin loved soccer at the time).  Grandpa passed away shortly after our visit in 1996 (cause of death: cancer).

Grandpa's obituary from the Daily Herald:

Prayers for Nunzio "Nick" Vitraelli, 70, a resident of Schaumburg and formerly of Addison, will be held at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, April 3 at Ahlgrim & Sons Funeral Home, 330 W. Golf Road, Schaumburg, going to St. Marcelline Church for 10 a.m. Mass.
He was born June 21, 1925, in Chicago. Burial will be in St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery, Palatine. He died Sunday, March 31 at Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Mr. Vitraelli was a produce manager for Dominick's Finer Foods, and retired after 30 years of service. He was the husband of the late Mildred; father of Richard (Joyce), Eugene (Halina), Donna (Richard) Swanson, Karen (Rick) Brown, and Lynn Vitraelli; brother of Connie Hayford, Mary Vitraelli, and the late Joseph and Michael, and grandfather of Victoria, Richard II, and Michael Vitraelli, Dawn and Ryan Swanson, Melissa, Christina, and Diana Brown, and Anthony and Dominick Censotti. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or Masses appreciated. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Date: April 2, 1996

I also created a memorial for Grandpa at Findagrave.

I miss them both everyday. Thank you for the wonderful memories.

Peterson family in Chicago-follow-up to Donna's "Hanging from the Family Tree" post

Blogger won't let me leave a comment, and Donna doesn't have her contact information posted, so I'm hoping she'll see this post:

This post is a follow-up to Donna's Hanging from the Family Tree: Madness Monday - Leo the Liar post regarding Leopold Peterson and family in Chicago.

Dear Donna,

When I read your post I was super excited, as you mentioned a Raymond Peterson born in 1908. My great grandfather, Raymond Mason Peterson, Jr. was born in 1908 in Illinois. Reading your post further, I discovered it was a different Raymond Peterson. For a long time Raymond Peterson was my "brick wall" and have spent a lot of time researching Raymond Peterson's in Illinois as well as the Peterson family in Chicago. You may already have some of this information, but I thought I'd share:

This is the obituary for your Mabel (Mable) Gibney Peterson. She remarried a Mr. Britton. Her children are: Earl (Laverne) Peterson of Hammond, IN; Raymond E. (Bertha) Peterson of Helena, Montana; Hazel Peterson, Harold A. (Adele) Peterson, Helen Peterson, and Dorothy Peterson. She also had a child, Richard T. (Mary Ann) Britton with her second husband. Mabel's siblings were Arthur Gibney, Hazel Brown, and Grover Gibney.

1963-05-01 Chicago Tribune (IL)
Mabel May Britton, nee Gibney of 10920 S. Wabash, beloved mother of Richard T. of Harvey, Earl Peterson of Hammond, Ind., and Raymond Peterson of Helena, Mont., the late Hazel and Harold Peterson, Helen, and Dorothy Peterson; 11 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; fond mother-in-law of Mary Ann Britton of Harvey, Laverne Peterson of Hammond and Bertha Peterson of Helena, Mont.; dear sister of Arthur Gibney, Hazel Brown of Milwaukee, Wis., and the late Grover Gibney. Resting at Cooney Mortuary, 12 E. 112th place. Services 1 p.m. Friday. Interment Hazelwood.
Record Number: 19630501dn001

This is the obituary for your Harold Arthur Peterson.

1959-11-09 Chicago Tribune (IL)
Harold A. Peterson, 16609 Emerald avenue, Harvey, Ill., Nov. 7; loving husband of Adele; dear father of Cathleen June, Lawrence Michael, Patricia, and David; beloved son of Mrs. Mable Britton, Chicago, fond brother of Raymond E. of Helena, Mont., Earl of Hammond, Ind., and Richard T. Britton of Chicago. Resting at funeral home, 15334 Turlington avenue, Harvey, where funeral services will be held Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2 p.m. Interment Hazelwood. ED 1-0044.
Record Number: 19591109dn123

I'm not sure if this person is related, but it caught my attention as it has both a Leo and an Edwin (although the dates don't seem to add up).

1978-09-27 Chicago Tribune (IL)
Leo Peterson, beloved husband of Valentina Peterson; dearest father of Edwin (Valerie) Peterson. Chapel services Thursday, 11 a.m., at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 229 S. Main St., Lombard. Visitation Tuesday and Wednesday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Member of Fraternica Livonica. Interment Oakridge Cemetery. Info. 627-1400 or Chicago 735-4242.
Copyright 1978, Chicago Tribune. For permission to reprint, contact Chicago Tribune.
Record Number: 19780927dn077

I'm not sure if this person is related, but it caught my attention as a Leo and Raymond were mentioned.

1959-09-08 Chicago Tribune (IL)
Lawrence H. Peterson, beloved husband of the late Elizabeth; fond brother of Alvin, Leo, Virgil, Bertram, Raymond, Ethel, and Loretta. Funeral 9:30 a.m. Thursday from chapel, 5203 Lake Park avenue, to church of St. Thomas the Apostle. Mass 10 a.m. Interment St. Mary's cemetery. HY 3-0013.
Copyright 1959, Chicago Tribune. For permission to reprint, contact Chicago Tribune.
Record Number: 19590908dn081

I was curious, so I did a search for Leo, Leopold, Edwin, and Edward, as well as Caroline, in the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive, but no luck.

Good luck with your research!

Melissa

p.s. I love surname studies and sideways searching.

Wordless Wednesday: Grandpa and me

My paternal grandpa and me, abt 1988

Wedding Wednesday: Grandma and Grandpa Brown