Monthly Archives: March 2013

What can death certificates tell you?

In our cold, modern, somewhat unsentimental western culture, death has become a taboo subject. While we are totally powerless to avoid it, we still feel rather uneasy when we discuss this particular subject with friends and relatives, as if by … Continue reading

Posted in Death, England, Famous Genealogy, Genealogy, Illness, Money, Property, Spain | Leave a comment

Looking for Rina Amerio’s descendants: the Graziano family

Last October, my dad and I visited the village in northern Italy where my great-grandmother Giovanna Amerio was born in 1895. It was to be not only a quest for missing family information, but also something of a sentimental pilgrimage. … Continue reading

Posted in Emigration, Genealogy, Italy, New York City, United States, War, Women | 2 Comments

Tribute to a father

Tomorrow, March 19th, is Father’s Day in Spain. A year ago exactly, a short letter from our newly-discovered Aunt Rita enclosing pictures of my up-to-then unknown grandfather arrived on our doorstep. And my, have we gone a long way since … Continue reading

Posted in Birth, Death, Galicia, Genealogy, Illegitimacy, Marriage, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Women, Work | Leave a comment

The day that Great-granddaddy met the King

The other day I walked into one of my favourite bookshops in town: Librería Arenas. As I am writing researching and writing about the history of my grandmother’s family, I was wondering whether there might be a good reference book … Continue reading

Posted in England, Galicia, Genealogy, La Coruña, Lyonshall, Royalty, Santiago de Compostela, Ships, Spain, War | 1 Comment