Overlooked

Sometimes you overlook potentially helpful information because you don't have enough information to realize that it's helpful. No, really.  Stay with me.  It makes sense.

My great great grandfather, Pietro Aloisio, immigrated to the United States in 1916, and settled in Manchester, Connecticut.  Census records and city directories confirmed his residence in that town from 1920-1932. He died in 1933 as evidenced by his headstone at St. James Cemetery - also in Manchester.  I couldn't find an exact date, though.  The only potential lead I had was the Connecticut Death Index.  It stated a Peter Aloisio had died January 11, 1933, in Preston, Connecticut.  To me, this just didn't add up to a hit for my ancestor.  Pietro had always lived in Manchester.  After his wife's death in 1928, he had moved in with his son and daughter-in-law (in Manchester) and was still living with them in a 1932 city directory.  At 80+ years old, it seemed unlikely that he would have much reason to be 50 miles away from home.  So I left it (and Pietro) alone for some time.

My breakthrough came when I unearthed this newspaper article. 

"Attempts to Commit Suicide," Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 1932, p. 7

"How is this helpful?" you might ask.  Suicidal people were frequently committed to psychiatric hospitals, so I followed a hunch and searched for such a place in Preston, Connecticut. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Norwich State Hospital (for the mentally ill and criminally insane) opened in Preston, Connecticut, in 1904 and operated in some capacity until 1996.  Now my overlooked Death Index hint seemed more likely! 

Of course, the facility is now closed, and the files are only available through the Connecticut State Archives, so an inquiry was in order.  I sent one in June 2024 and didn't receive a response until almost 6 months to the day.  (Perhaps *they* had overlooked my query.)  At any rate, long story short:

As you can see, he was admitted to Norwich State Hospital two days after the date of the newspaper article.  He died there a few months later from a cerebral hemorrhage. 

Favorite Unknown Photo

 

This sassy little child is from an album of cabinet cards I received when my grandmother passed away in 2018. The outside of the album, while heavily frayed, was in solid condition, but the pages were somewhat worn, and many of the cards were falling out.  Carefully, I removed each card, looked for any distinguishing marks, labels, etc., took a photograph, and then put it back.  Of course, not a single photo in the album had any discernible labeling.  I wasn't even entirely sure whose family I was looking at!  Finally, after a little bit of luck and a lot of sleuthing, I was able to identify 2 sisters (Pernilla and Nilla) of my great great grandfather, Ola Swanson, so my best guess is that the album contains his extended family.

The album boasts many, many delightful - but unidentified - photos, and this is just one of them.  It was taken at A.M. Rothschild's department store in Chicago, but that information has not afforded me much success in regards to identification. I'm not sure what it is about the image that draws me to it, but I think it's the expression on this young child's (boy or girl?) face. He/she is obviously pleased to stand for the photo, sailor's outfit, cap at a jaunty angle, and hands confidently on hips. Not every child is so obliging when asked to pose for a picture!  Also, photography wasn't exactly inexpensive back then, so I wonder if this was taken for a special occasion.  Why the sailor outfit?  Did some distant relative send it as a gift, and the mother was providing evidence it had been worn?

So many questions, but I suspect there is very little likelihood I will ever identify the subject of this photo, and that is upsetting.  I'm sure someone, somewhere knows this self-assured mite and would treasure the photo as even I cannot.  One day soon, I will upload all the cabinet cards to DeadFred.  And if anyone has any other suggestions, I am certainly open to them!  

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

#52Ancestors, Week 1

Sung to the tune of "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music

Researcher to family:

Let's start at the very beginning -
A very good place to start.
When you read, you begin with A-B-C.
But research begins with, "Let me see..."

Family:

"Let me see...?"

Researcher *nods*:

"Let me see."
Genealogists begin with, "Let me see..."
Let me see if I can find the... *family looks confused*

*Researcher sighs*
Ok, let's see if I can make it easier.

Birth, a vital record must
Census, a glimpse of where they lived
Marriage, maiden names are critical
Death, who did they outlive?

News, a clipping you must find
Church, a resource, it is true
Brick wall - I think I must be blind!
And that will bring us back to birth.

Now, researchers… Birth, census, marriage, death, news, church, and brick walls, and so on are only the tools we use to build a tree.

Once you have these tools at your disposal, you can find a million different relatives by mixing it up like this:

Marriage, death, brick wall, birth, census, church, news...

Family:

"Can you do that?"

"But it doesn't mean anything."

Researcher:

When you know which clerk to ring,

You can find most anything.

Family:

But it doesn't mean anything.

Researcher:

So we put it into a GEDCOM, like this:

When you export your family tree,

You may find your ancestry.

*Family sings along, although they still have no idea what the researcher is saying*:

When you export your family tree,

You may find your ancestry.