By: Richard Leto, La Nostra Voce

As a third generation Italian American born in the baby boomer era, I remember growing up getting bits and pieces of my family roots from my parents about my paternal and maternal grandparents who emigrated from Southern Italy around 1910.  My Aunts and Uncles of the second generation also provided me insight into their early upbringing as children of Italian immigrant parents.

My childhood was filled with the typical Italian-American experience of family traditions so many others enjoy.  I grew up in the Little Italy enclave of Philadelphia (South Philly).  In my mid-twenties I started to wonder about my family tree, where did my grandparents come from in Italy and how would I ever go about researching and finding out whether any relatives were still there.

This article first appeared in La Nostra Voce, ISDA’s 28-page monthly newspaper, which chronicles Italian life, culture and traditions. Make the ISDA pledge and subscribe today.

This was my journey…to find the roots of my paternal immigrant grandparents Francesco and Caterina Leto, who, like so many others, crossed the Atlantic and settled in Philadelphia.  I know that many of us share and connect with this common history of our ancestors, and not only have I been able to find my roots, but now I’ll cherish and preserve them for generations to come.

Sometime in the mid-1980s, way before Ancestry.com or any other internet-based search engines, I started my journey to find my Italian family and ancestors.  I went to the National Archives in Philadelphia, the City of Philadelphia records department and the Free Library of Philadelphia. Here I started my search with basic information (name, birth/death dates, etc.) provided by my parents and other relatives.

Back then, it was research using microfilm/microfiche and paper index cards.  This first attempt of mine to find family records was at that time to me a great success.  I had found a treasure of family information such as immigration records, and sadly, death certificates.  This treasure trove yielded dates of their entry to Ellis Island, the name of the ship they sailed on, their hometown in Italy and their parents’ names.  At this time, I placed all copies of the documents I had collected in a folder only to leave the paperwork untouched for about 35 years!

Many years later my interest in uncovering my family roots was rekindled when I saw all kinds of popular advertisements for Ancestry.com and other genealogy services. I did not take that route, but I did understand how valuable this service might be for myseld and others. It was now time to open my folder of documents assembled years before and continue my journey.

Around 2010 I said to myself: let me get on board with using social media, and I started exploring Facebook. Like so many others, I was going to use Facebook to stay connected with family and friends. And then I got the idea…why not dig through the platform to find my very distant and extended family!

Unfortunately, my parents, aunts and uncles had all passed who might be able to provide answers to questions I had at this time. However, I knew a first cousin of mine that back in 1990 had visited the town where my paternal grandparents came from; Santa Caterina dello Ionio, in Calabria. My first cousins, Angelo and Rita, could hold the key to finding my roots and to see if there were any relatives of mine still living in Santa Caterina.  My cousin Angelo provided me several old photos of distant relatives he took from his trip to Santa Caterina back in 1990. My cousin Rita provided additional names of my grandfather’s brother (Pasqaule Leto) and his daughter Caterina.

Since I was a Facebook user it seemed like a no-brainer to use the platform and post old photos of my relatives and see if I would receive comments back from those still living in the town. I was so excited to find a Facebook group for the town of Santa Caterina dello Ionio…I was getting closer to finding a connection. I started to post the old photos I had along with a short description of those family members in the photos.  Since I did not write in Italian, I used the Google translate function for all the messages/replies I posted.  Great thing is that Facebook has the translation button when I would receive a reply back that was written in Italian.

Within hours of me posting the old photos I started to receive numerous replies.  I had found my roots!  Many comments were from people who either knew my family’s relatives and my family surname (Leto), and more importantly, they told me they were neighbors of my grandparent’s ancestors.  Most asked if I had ever visited the town of Santa Caterina.

However, since I had not, most were so gracious to tell me if I ever visit there, they will show me my grandparents’ house and show me around the town.

I gathered from the many responses that there were no direct living relatives; yet, I did discover that I have many “twice- and third–removed” cousins. Many comments boasted that Santa Caterina is a beautiful town.  Sadly, a fire in the 1980s did destroy many homes in the town.

So, my story and journey end here, my family tree still stands…missing some branches, but oh those roots!  Many of my Facebook friends, and more importantly, my forever distant family members, expressed a willingness to meet me whenever I make a trip to Calabria. As I reflect on my journey to find my roots, I ask myself “is my journey really complete?” Yes, in one sense it is.

However, I ask myself…should I make the trip and walk the streets of my grandparents’ town and see for myself their birthplace?  Do I need to experience and walk the grounds and roads where my roots lie…my ancestral homeland?

It may soon be time to make the voyage.

I am so grateful to have found my roots, and I so realize how deep they run.

 

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