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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday - Findagrave.com enlightens me yet again

It should be no secret that I am a big fan of Findagrave.com. I've received many a clue from this site, which is especially important when I'm researching families hundreds of miles away. Today I received a gift from Findagrave.com that closed one of my Italian loose ends.

I originally spoke about Concetta (or Coucetta) Pagano here. She was a missing "child" located through my Pagano family research. Originally, I found her no where but on a potential family ship manifest. Later, through Family Search, I was able to locate the Pagano family in the 1905 New York census. Concetta is living with her brother Philip and family and is a chair caner.
But this is the last I can find of Concetta. Via the Italian Genealogical Group website I was able to find marriages for several Concetta Paganos, but I had no idea which one was "my" Concetta. This was not husband's direct line so I moved the research to a back burner.

Now fast forward to a couple of days ago. I made the realization that I did not have a photograph of the headstone of my husband's great-great grandparents, Salvatore and Maria Rosa Pagano. I had sent a request to Calvary Cemetery in New York for more information but the cost of documentation for the Pagano plot was $95. More than I was willing to spend. However, they did send me the plot location. When I first discovered their burial information via their death certificates, I created a memorial for them on FindAGrave, but I never added the additional information I received from the cemetery. A few days ago I added the plot and requested a photo. Within a day I had a photo of their headstone:
Not only does it list birth dates for Salvatore and Maria, it also lists Concetta with her married name: Catalano. Proof that I was not crazy and she did exist. I was then able to find her marriage and death certificate numbers via the Italian Genealogical Group site. She was listed as Mary and Maria, not by Concetta, so it is no wonder that I could find her. Thanks, once again, to FindAGrave, I've been enlightened.

6 comments:

Wendy said...

Excellent happy ending. Lucky you to have a relative with such a detailed tombstone.

SeaThreePeeO said...

How fantastic! I find is so frustrating when people vianish from the records. I love findagrave.com (oddly enough), but I have used it the other way round when I have a photograph of a grave, but little information on it.

Beneath Thy Feet

Donna Davenport said...

I too am a big fan of Findagrave. Both as a contributor and researcher. I've found some treasures on there and often quite unexpectedly. Your find was exciting and fun to hear about.

Carla Miranda (Pagano) said...

Wow, I'm positively awestruck! Your posted research has made me more eager than ever, to find more information of my father's family. His name was Vincent Brendan Pagano, born in 1928 and died in 2007. Thank you for your dedicated "Treasure Hunt" of history, and your effortless ability to "Mystery Solve!!!"

Heather Kuhn Roelker said...

I'm so glad to hear it Carla! Is your Pagano line from the New York area? I have found many, many Paganos in the area. Feel free to email me at the link on the right-hand side (just above my followers). I would be happy to share the information I have and see if anything helps!

DONNA said...

Hi I am looking for my great grandfather Vincenzo Pagano. He was born in Italy and came to NY around 1903 and resided in TarryTown NY. He married Michelina Trezza. He died January 28th, 1920 and she died the same year of the spanish flu. There are no records on him. Any help would be greatly appreciated.