My great-grandfather, Rocco Di Cristina, died in Palermo before his family immigrated to America. This painting was brought to Puerto Rico by my grandfather but we don’t know if it was brought from Sicily or from New York. One of my brothers has this oil on canvas painting.
Charcoal painting of Vincenza. I believe it was inspired by the family photo that I posted in the previous post. I have this painting.
Vincenza's tomb in the Holy Cross Cemetery on Tilden Avenue in Brooklyn. In 2001, I requested her death certificate from the Office of Vital Records in NY. From her death record I learned that she died in 1914 in her home on 217 Union Street in Brooklyn from heart failure and buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. My husband and I visited the cemetery in the summer of 2002. Her sons Antonino and Ignazio are buried in the family grave along with other relatives but their names are not inscribed on the headstone.
Front and back of Vincenza's Holy Card. Part of the inscription says: Model of a loving and affectionate mother, pious and devout Christian, strong and courageous woman in enduring life's sorrows and trials.
 |
 |
These are the most recent photos of Villa Nave, taken on my last trip in October 2006. The exterior was recently painted and the stone wall was added. My brother is standing on the upper balcony with Giuseppina. This is the same Giuseppina photographed with my grandfather on Sunday's post, 49 years later.
Comments (10)
Oh I love that charcoal painting. I'll have to show it to my daughter, she loves drawing with charcoal. And the photos of your grandfather and brother with Giuseppina...priceless!!
Posted by Anne | May 27, 2008 5:37 PM
Posted on May 27, 2008 17:37
Maria, I hope you have many more entries to post on this subject. I'm enjoying it so much.
Posted by Deborah | May 27, 2008 6:40 PM
Posted on May 27, 2008 18:40
Anne, I saw your daughter's drawings and they are beautiful. She's so talented! I love the charcoal painting of my great-grandmother. Some people say that I have her eyes and they might be right. My brother wanted to have his picture taken in the same exact location as my grandfather's picture on the balcony. It was fun to take the photo and trying to explain to Giuseppina (we call her Pina) in Italian why we wanted this picture.
Deborah; I have more photos but they are in my home computer. I will be home on June 2 and will search for the photos and do at least one more entry on my ancestors. I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed them.
Posted by María I. | May 28, 2008 9:15 AM
Posted on May 28, 2008 09:15
This is so fascinating. I love the photos and the paintings. About Villa Nave...does "nave" translate to "ship"? It's really wonderful that you still have family living there.
Posted by Annie | May 28, 2008 12:32 PM
Posted on May 28, 2008 12:32
Annie, Yes, nave means ship. The house is named after the street in which it's located and it is also the name of the neighborhood.
Posted by María I. | May 28, 2008 3:44 PM
Posted on May 28, 2008 15:44
Maria, I'm also enjoying your posts about your family's history.
I loved looking at the paintings and also the photo of your brother and Giuseppina. I had to go back to your original post so I can see the photo of young Giuseppina. Very cool.
Thanks so much for continuing to share these wonderful photos and family history with us.
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | May 28, 2008 8:47 PM
Posted on May 28, 2008 20:47
Kathy, Thank you for your comments. I have enjoyed writing these entries on my family history and selecting the pictures to go with the story. I wanted to honor the memory of my great-grandmother who had to endure many hardships in her life.
Posted by María I. | May 29, 2008 8:47 AM
Posted on May 29, 2008 08:47
What a treasure to have these paintings in your family. I wonder what Giuseppina was really thinking?
Posted by girasoli | May 31, 2008 12:28 AM
Posted on May 31, 2008 00:28
Girasoli, Giuseppina (we call her Pina) was very gracious and so happy that we came to visit. She made lunch and told us many stories of her in-laws and her husband, Ignazio. Times were difficult and she remembers WWII very clearly. Next time I'm in Palermo (Jan 2009) I'll bring a tape recorder to record these conversations with my relatives. I don't want to loose the stories.
Posted by María I. | May 31, 2008 8:08 AM
Posted on May 31, 2008 08:08
Hello Maria,
This is your long-lost cousin, Susan...Yolanda's youngest daughter. She shared this posting with me about our family. Mom had told me so much about Palermo and the visit she made with you to meet the family.
When Abuelito was in the hospital for the last time, I was in high school and getting ready to go with my high school chorus to Rome. I told him about it. (He also started speaking Italian, which Mom said she'd never heard him do.) He made me promise to visit Palermo someday. My daughter, Emilee, lives in Germany right now because her husband is in the Air Force. I am visiting her this summer for the 2nd time. Maybe one day we will make it to Palermo!
Maybe you can answer a question for me: The photo of Abuelito taken in 1957...That was the year after I was born (and exactly how I remember him). Do you know why Abuelito never took my mother or her brothers (your father and our uncles) to Italy to meet his family? Also, why did he not speak about them so that Mom would know they were still there? I've always been curious about that...
Thanks for sharing the family stories!
Your cousin,
Susan
Posted by Susan B. | May 16, 2009 11:28 AM
Posted on May 16, 2009 11:28