Genealogy and Me: A Short History

When North Meets South

I was born and raised in the picturesque town of Sonoma, California.  My father, Carl, was a blend of Italian and Finnish heritage – split right down the middle. He had one surviving sister, Judy, and together they were raised by their grandmother, Giovanna, whom everyone fondly called Nonna. 

On the other side, my mother, Mary, carries a rich mix of German, English, Welsh, Irish and Swedish roots. Her family has been passionate about genealogy, preserving family history for as long as I can remember.  Although I dabbled in tracing my father’s side of the family, I wasn’t particularly drawn to history in my younger years.  That all changed when I began diving into genealogy research – it ignited a deep love for the subject.

My father’s Finnish heritage posed a challenge, as we never learned the language or traditions.  The one fact that always stood out to me was that in a small town called Iron River, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Finnish from the North met the Italians from the South in the early 1900’s.  And that is where our unique family story began. 

 

The Roots of a New Family Tree

In 1925, somehow, my Italian grandmother, Mary, persuaded Nonna to let her marry my Finnish grandfather, Charles.  Their early years together were difficult – tragically, in both 1927 and 1928, Mary gave birth to stillborn twins. Then, in May 1929 my Aunt Judy was born.  By the mid-1930s, the family had relocated to California, where my father was born, just a few months shy of Aunt Judy’s tenth birthday.

 

The Search

I started researching my father’s family in the early 1990s, and from that moment, I was hooked.  I’ve since traced my ancestors back to the 1700s, and the journey has been nothing short of fascinating.

What began as a simple hobby soon turned into an obsession.  I developed a passion for the thrill of the search – whether it’s tracking down long-lost ancestors or uncovering new branches of the family tree.  I’ve even found myself researching unfamiliar names I’ve encountered in cemeteries, books, or by word of mouth, just for the joy of discovery.

The excitement of finding a new family member, or with a bit of luck, an entirely new branch, often leads me to spend hours pouring over records.  Each new connection feels like unlocking a part of history, a key to understanding where we come from.

I’d be delighted to help take the mystery out of your past and guide you on your own genealogical journey.