How Did the Giunta Family Name Change

Letter from Great-Uncle Frank Giunta to his Niece, my Cousin Bette Jane

Dear Bette, 7/15/93

Received your letter of Jul. 8 and was happy to hear that your lineage pleased you. Of course I expected you would have more questions to be answered so will try to give them to you to the best of my ability. My birthday is June 2, 1902. As to the other birthdays I must do some investigation in as much as I do not have that information on hand. As for the different spelling of our name, it seems that I always run into it seems like people want to know why we all spelled it another way. So I will explain it to you. The proper surname is Giunta. You must understand that when my parents imigrated [sic] from Sicily, that they could not speak a word of English. All imigrants [sic] of that age were tagged at Sicily, so when they reached U. S. at Ellis Island the imigration [sic] authorities read the tag. They were then hearded [sic] in a room to await for relatives who were here to pick them up. Accordingly they went to New York and boarded a train for Chicago, Ill. So all children were born in Chicago, Ill.

When I was 4 going on 5 yrs. A truant officer came and told my mother I was to be enrolled in school. So I went to the Andrew Jackson school and was placed in first grade. The teacher asked my name and I said Giunta. She said how do you spell it and I said I don’t know, because while I spoke English I did not know at that time how to read and write. I told my mother about it and she could not help with the spelling. So she said, tell them your name is Giunta. So I told the teacher what my mother said and she said I will spell it out for you. So she did and do you know what she came out with Guinte so from then on I was Guinte. And no matter where we moved to regardless of what the others used my name Francis Anthony Guinte. As we moved around the west side about 6 times it still was the same. However when we moved the 7 time we landed on the Southwest side of Chicago in a suburb named Chicago Lawn. In this section was two of Pa’s brothers, Joseph and Tony. Joseph was married to an American girl of Italian descent who did not like the name of Giunta because it sounded foreign. So she prevailed upon Uncle Joe to change to Ganta. So when we moved to Chicago Lawn there were two families of Gantas so they prevailed upon Pa to change to Ganta so that all families name would be the same. Only I stuck by the name that the 1^st grade teacher said it was. However it was pronounced Guinta until I got into 6^th grade. This teacher said that I was pronouncing is wrong. She said the correct pronunciation was Guinte. So I became Guinte. However I became acquainted with a man who was educated in Italy and imigrated [sic] here who was a teacher of Music, and I asked him what the correct pronunciation of Giunta was and he said it was Giunta. So as it stands as of now, part of the family is Ganta and I am the only one who still used Guinte. However if it didn’t entail so much litigation I would have it changed to Giunta, as it now stands on my Soc. Sec. I am under Guinta but on R.R. Retirement they refused to accept Giunta and said my business name was Guinte. So I am both. I trust that this explains the mixed names but the true name is Giunta, my mother’s and father’s grave stone is Giunta and my wife and my grave stone is Giunta so that should settle it once and for all.

Now I can go on with the rest of your letter . . .

So as soon as I can things I will send them to you. Moving here from Palm Spring has been hectic and I haven’t got my wits together. I suppose you wonder why? Well for two things, Earth Quakes and where my roots are.

These sheets I am writing on used to be my note sheets that I wrote on when attending Traffic Meetings. Used for questing and for rebuttal and for pro’s and con’s before the I. C. C.

There is a lot to tell you because so many years have gone by. Like the times I used to play with your father and your Aunt Sylvia. At one time we only lived four blocks apart so it was very easy to walk over to Pearl and play with them both. We lived close for several years and then we moved to Chicago Lawn. How Uncle Mike became and Iceman and how we had a horse to pull the Ice wagons and how one of the horses had a colt we called Pony Jim and there was the Big Black Stallion. He was a Prize. Of streets that were not paved and of cinder sidewalks of course this happened so long ago. When we lived on Aberdeen and May sts. Street Cars were pulled by horses. Our light at night was by Kerosene No electricity, no Gas, no Radio, Stoves were wood and coal burning. They called those days the Victorian Age in the turn of the Century.

More Much More to Come

God be with you

Love

Uncle Frank.

Rememberances

Excerpts-letter to Julia K. Petorella Studlo,dated March 6, 2000, from Gloria Klir (Julia’s cousin).

“Dear Sue,

Pearl and Dominick Petorella as you know are your grandparents (you may remember Grandma Pearl). They had 3 girls and 1 boy.  The girls were Millie (Frankie’s mother), Sylvia, Julia and Jimmy.  Pearl was my mother’s sister, therefore my Aunt and Dominick my Uncle. Since your mother was born in 1916 and I in 1932, she was grown up when I was little and consequently my remembrances are from that time (with her as and adult). 

They lived at 802 S. Western Avenue in Chicago (Polk and Western).  Their house was a 2 story on a corner and on the first level was a gas station which Julia’s father and brother Jimmy ran.  The family lived on the second floor and on the back porch Aunt Pearl (your grandmother) had flower boxes in which she planted petunias and basil.  They also kept pigeons and had a dog named Nellie.  In the summertime Aunt Pearl and Uncle Dominick and my family would get together and go fishing at Maple Lake (my family being Rose, my mother, John, my father, my sister, Grace and my brother Richard—at that time my younger brother was not born yet—Rose is Pearl’s sister and Julia’s Aunt).  Uncle Dominick would go to the market and buy bushels of tomatoes and pickles [cucumbers] and Aunt Pearl and Julia would “can” them and my mother would do the pickles (she made bread and butter pickles) and they would trade off tomatoes and pickles.  Your grandmother was a very talented lady-she could crochet, knit, make paper flowers and she also did piece work where she would pick up bodices of dresses and sew the beadwork on them.  The family attended Precious Blood Church on Congress & Western—the church is still in existence today.  When we would visit your grandmother Pearl she would teach my mother new crochet patterns and my sister Grace but I couldn’t learn it as I was left-handed and she said I did it backwards.  Although we all did stitchery there were our summertime projects and then Pearl and my mother would crochet the lace on the stitched doilies, dresser scarves or pillow cases. Pearl also taught us flower making. I don’t know if your mother crocheted or knitted.  I don’t remember her doing so but she did make flowers with us,  I don’t know where your mother worked but your mother at the time was a very shy, quiet person (Millie was already married and out of the house as was Sylvia).  Your grandfather Dominick died in 1940.  Jimmy as you may or may not know got married shortly before he was drafted.  He married Betty (had Betty Cole-never saw her and was killed on D-Day in Normandy.  Aunt Pearl showed us his Purple Heart and when the [war] was over had his body shipped back for burial here (Mt. Carmel Cemetery).  He had a military funeral.  Am enclosing a picture of the headstone.

About 1950, Aunt Pearl had a stroke and Julia in order to keep her mother home bought her a TV (we didn’t have one and Julia asked us to keep her mother company so every Friday we would go to their house where we would watch TV with Aunt Pearl and have coffee and cake or pie.

About this time Julia went to a beauty school, made some new friends who experimented with glam [sic] themselves up and they would go out on Fridays.  She met your father and they started dating.  They got married and the house on Western Avenue was sold because Aunt Pearl had a second stroke and your father and mother bought a house on the North side and your grandmother lived with them.  We visited there a couple of times and I don’t remember who was born first but at that time she had a baby.

Don’t have too much more remembrances because we were growing up, my mother was working and your mother was busy with taking care of her family.  Your father and mother bought the house in Darien (I believe Grandma Pearl lived there for a while. Grandma Pearl died in 1956 so maybe she didn’t).  As you know your mother and father grew quite a few vegetables.” 

Someone Famous

While shaking the old family tree to see what falls out you always hope for a hero or someone famous.  The truth of the matter our tree won’t have any Revolutionary War or Civil War heroes as our ancestors weren’t in the United States at the time of those events. No D.A.R. for us.

Our hero came later.  Was he famous? No, but a hero none-the-less. Our hero was Private First Class, James V. Petorella, Company I , 47th Infantry Regiment.  James, born Innocenzo Vigenzo Americo Petorella on November 14, 1910, in Chicago, was my Uncle, my Mother’s brother.

The 1940 U.S. Census has James living at home and working as a gas station attendant.  His father Domenico operated a gas station at the time. James married Betty Louise Mulhern on September 7, 1940. He was hired by the B & O Railroad in August of 1941 and worked there until he was furloughed for military duty In August 1943.  While away at camp  Betty gave birth to daughter Bette Jane on December 4, 1943. James was on furlough in March of 1944, when Bette was baptized. In June James was sent overseas.

The 47th Regiment landed on Utah Beach, Normandy on June 10, D-Day plus 4.  Battle after battle the 47th pushed the Germans back.  By June 16, the 47th had blocked the German escape route in the Contentin Pennisula, captured the Port of Cherbourg on June 28, joined the Battle of the Hedgerows on July 9, and went on to cross the Seine River by August 1944.  The 47th would go on to fight other battles, but on August 10, 1944, our hero had fought his last at Villedieu les Poeles, Normandy, France. 

A letter from the Company Chaplin reads as follows:

18 August 1944

Dear Mrs. Petorella,

I am writing to you at the request of the regimental commander to express our deepest sympathy at the death of your husband, Private First Class James V. Petorella,  It is impossible for me to give you any more details regarding his death than those already transmitted to you by the War Department. However, I can say that Private First Class Petorella was killed while bravely performing his duty as a soldier.  Also the he was given a proper religious burial with full military honors.  Further information regarding the location of his grave will be forwarded to you in due time by the War Department.  His personal effects are being sent to you through army channels.

Please know that this letter brings not only my sympathy and that of his regimental commander, but also that of Private First Class Petorella’s company commander, other officers, and his fellow soldiers.  We share your loss, we mourn with you and remember both him and you in our prayers.

Sincerely yours,

Anthony F. Di Laura

Chaplain, 47th Infantry, Catholic

My Uncle’s body was brought back to Chicago and reinterred at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gravesites

Monday we attended the funeral for one of Tom’s Cousins.

I figured this would be an opportunity to do some preliminary cemetery legwork prior to an outing with my sister and brother yet to be scheduled. So I prepared a spreadsheet with names, birth/death dates, cemetery and a space for gravesite info. When I was done I had 45 names on the list.

By the time the luncheon was over it was about 3 p.m. This did not leave us much time to get from Hodgkins, Illinois, where the luncheon was held, to Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside and do the look-ups.  I knew there was a kiosk at Queen of Heaven with a database of internments.

I did find a few relatives in the time I had, however, it is what I did not find that was the problem.  You see it was my understanding that the kiosk had burials from all Cemeteries in the Diocese of Chicago, however, it seems the database is incomplete.  I don’t know if the office staff there have additional information or not.  I may be able to find spouses if they are buried in the same or adjacent graves but if they are not then what. I don’t know how many graves are in Queen of Heaven and neighboring Mt. Carmel but searching randomly is not an option.

We have tentatively scheduled a visit to Queen of Heaven and Mt. Carmel later this month.  I hope to located as many gravesites as possible and photograph them to post here.

It’s Raining Cousins

Original post 21 Aug 2011 to my other blog Weeds in My Garden

Last year I was contacted by a fellow Szczuldo genealogy researcher, Andrjez, in Poland.  While he has not found the connection between his line from Sejny about 40 km from my line in Raczki, he is still trying to find a link.  Meanwhile, he has put me in contact with a cousin Jerzy in Chicago.  Jerzy, grandson of Julius (born abt. 1881), has been in Chicago for 20 years.  I have Skyped with him and talked about a meeting.

This summer I have been contacted by three other cousins.  First cousin, Rosann, who I have been out of touch for 40+ years and two cousins--Sandra and Susan, both grand-daughters of my grandfather Josef’s (b1883) brother, Franciscous (b1886).  We hope to get as many  cousins together as we can in the Spring. 

Here are photos of the brothers.

     

Julius                                         Josef                               Franciscous

This has been a very difficult search as my Dad left very few links to his family.  My grandmother, Josef’s first wife , Marianna, died at a young age.   Josef remarried in short order as he was left with very young children.  He had three more children with second wife, Caroline.  Aunt Mary, my only living aunt, was the youngest of all the kids and can’t offer me any information. 

I am looking forward to exploring my Dad’s family more and hope to have a continued relationship with my newly found cousins.

My Temporary Dining Room Workspace

I have moved my workspace to the dining room for now.  It’s spring and I just don’t want to be in the basement. As you can see I have a good view, I have my printer, laptop, portable file, family notebooks and a floor lamp to work in the wee hours. We put one leaf in the dining room table and I have plenty of room to spread my stuff out as needed.

If necessary I can easily dismantle my “office.”  I will move back to the basement for the winter.