I come from a big family with lots of history.  I think if you look deep enough everyone does.  My father though was one of 9 kids and his father was one of 5 boys.  On my mother’s side, her mother was one of nine kids and her father was one of 3 boys and 2 girls.  I would have loved a big family also, but three boys is all we have.  Three is a lot though when they are really spaced out.

I have spent some time looking into the history of my ancestors and found some great stories.  It’s also pretty amazing the things they have done.  I haven’t found too many bad stories, but I’m sure as I look I will find them. My ancestors include the Richter, Eldridge, Corbley and more on one side and the McArdle, Morgan, and Morettos (plus a lot more on the other side).

The Moretto side is probably the toughest to research.  My great grandfather came to the US in the early 1900’s sailing from Havre, France where it is rumored he had an Aunt. I have also heard rumors that he was originally from Costallamente, Italy and an orphan.  This would make sense since my Great Grandmother is from Locana and that is only a short distance away.  I also have copies of the ship record from his trip to the US.  I searched the Ellis Island records and found copies of the ship log, which showed that he came to the US in 1904 (March 5th) on the LA Lorraine. – I was able to order a copy of the ships photo too.

He is listed on line 15 of his page as Giovanni Moretto (male and married) His occupation was listed as a Miner going to Westville.  (A little bit of a surprise for me since I thought they originally started in Clinton IN then moved to Westville, Illinois.   Another surprise is that he was going to live with a Cousin Bastoglio  ( someone I need to research sometime in the future.)

The Moretto side of my family is probably the least researched.  (Moretto is also a very popular name in Italy and we know very little about that part of the family)   I have tried writing to Costallamente, but didn’t have luck with that.

My great grandfather was a coal miner after coming to Illinois and died of the flu in 1918 when my grandmother was only a toddler. My grandmother was the youngest of the kids so by the time I came along and was old enough to start doing research, most of the brothers and sisters were gone.  Her two sisters closest in age, Lena and Kate were the two I saw most.  I was able to get information from them, but most were stories from my great grandmother, a few Italian Words, and the names of the current generation.  Recording this information is very important for future generations now.  I also have tried to gather what pictures I can.  I only really have the one copy of my Great Grandfather – but it is now a digital copy that can be passed on to my kids.

If you would like to check out the Ellis Island Records, you can search at: http://www.ellisisland.org/

My great grandfather’s records can be found at:

My Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather Moretto
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