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Message Board
This page is our "Town Forum"
for all to share their thoughts and comments regarding our
common passion for Craco. Please feel free to leave a
message, ask a question, or relay information to help us
grow even closer with other members and visitors.
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Craco Families of North America forum on Yahoo Groups can be
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Revised:
Saturday May 23, 2009 07:10 AM
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2007 The Craco Society Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Date: 22 May 2009
Time: 09:07 AM
Comments:
I stumbled across this by sheer luck on Facebook. My grandmother Antonia Mormando was born and raised in Craco. She came to America when she was 14. The word about The Craco Society is
spreading quickly through my family. You now have 5 new members and will be joining you in October for the reunion. We are hoping to find out if we still have any relatives in Craco.
I would like to give a very special thanks to Fred Spero in all the work that he did for my family. He traced my grandmothers family in Craco back to 1811. How exciting is that. Now if we
can have the same luck for my grandfather who came from Pisticci.
RESPONSE:
Date: 23 May 2009
Time: 10:30 AM We're thrilled that you've found us! Besides our amazing inventory of ancestral archives and history about Craco, our
organization is truly comprised of some of the nicest and most friendly individuals you will ever meet. We look forward to meeting you in October, and I'm sure through our
connections with the town we can help you in your search to find family still in Craco. With our trip back "home" next year, it would be another amazing chapter in our Society's
history to see you meet your long-lost cousins! Best Regards, Bob Rubertone
Date: 16 Jan 2009
Time: 05:46 PM
Comments:
I am so excited to find you! I am a Mormando (Oleksy is my married name) with Craco heritage and in an effort to find my ancestors and make a family tree I have come across your website
and organization. I live in Colorado USA. I am sending in my membership form immediately. I cannot wait to go through all the wonderful information.
RESPONSE:
Date: 16 Jan 2009
Time: 09:30 PM
We're also so glad you found us! Among our 280 members, in both Italy and America, we have a few members who also share the Mormando surname. Two who come to mind
are Domenica Mormando in Craco, who is the President of the Colibri Association, a group dedicated to the preservation of religious and historical information; and Father Nick
Mormando, a Roman Catholic Priest in the NY metropolitan area. We have a great deal of genealogical information to share and if you visit our "Genealogy" page and scroll down,
you will find instructions on how to request information about your ancestors directly from the Comune di Craco! If you e-mail me at
thecracosociety@aol.com I'll gladly put you in direct contact with some of your Craco cuginos. Once
again, welcome to our organization and we look forward to hearing from you and hopefully meeting soon.
Best Regards,
Bob Rubertone
Date: 02 Oct 2008
Time: 05:51 PM
Comments:
I'm looking for a picture of the Mormando crest. Would anyone have a picture of one?
Date: 02 Oct 2008
Time: 09:30 PM While I'm not familiar with family crests or their origins, there are many Mormandos from Craco. We will ask some of our
Mormando cousins if they can help you in your search. Best of luck, and we'll be in touch. Best Regards, Bob Rubertone
Date: 11 Sep 2008
Time: 08:04 AM
Comments:
Hello friends,
While in Craco I got 3 Viggiano documents from Anna Lucia. Hopefully they can get some Viggiano discussion going.
1. Wedding record of Viggiano, Donato Maria Filomeno b. 1841,{son of Prospero Viggiano and Isabella Galante} on 28 May 1868 to Francavilla, Caterina, b 1853 {daughter od Domenicantonio
Francavilla and Rosa Forgione}
2. Birth record of Viggiano, Vincenzo Maria Gabriele on 12 Oct 1835 {son of Prospero Viggiano b 1798 and Isabella Galente 1799}
3 Birth record of Viggiano, Isabella 11 August 1858 {daughter of Francesco Viggiano b 1825 and Rosa Forgione b 1834}.
Any comments?
Thanks, Anna Veeder
Date:
20 Jul 2008
Time: 09:22 AM
Comments:
We are the Episcopia family of Baxter Street. Nichola
Episcopia was my father, and Giovannina Castellano was my mother.
It was a thrill to see their names included on your website.
We are uncertain, however, that the dates of my father's arrival in
NYC is accurate. We are planning to join and would like to
discuss this further. We'd also love to send photographs so
our family could be represented as well. All the best, Carmela
O'Connor (nee Episcopia)
RESPONSE:
Date: 20 July 2008
Time: 12:30 PM
Carmella,
We're so glad that you found us! One of our group's goals has
always been to reach out to as many Crachesi as possible and
maintain the bonds that were so important to our ancestors. If you
have any corrected information or photos that you would like
included on our website, please forward them at you earliest
convenience and we'll be happy to include them. If your schedule
permits, please know that you are welcome to join us at our 2nd
annual reunion in NYC August 15-17. You can find out all the
details by visiting the News and Events page on the website and
downloading the brochure. Please send us your e-mail address so we
can keep you informed about all of our future events. We look
forward to keeping in touch with you and your family and meeting one
day soon.
Sincerely,
Bob Rubertone
Date: 21 May 2008
Time: 03:58 AM
Comments:
I just got back from my trip to Craco. As I have told you before, I
am not from Craco or anywhere near it. My uncle through marriage
lived in Craco during WWII and I felt that I wanted to see the town.
I had been there as a boy for a few days vacation, but I did not
remember it well.
Going back was an awesome experience. To see Palazzo Cammarotta (
that is where my uncle lived, his step mother being Donna Teresa
Cammarotta), was an emotional experience. Walking through the town
was a walk through the past. The houses and palaces where superb in
there style and beauty, but unfortunately they are no match for
Nature and the errors of humans.
My uncle took me there and recalled several of the buildings and the
places he frequented as a young man. I believe he was in college in
Naples or something like that during the war. He had to walk a long
distance to the train station.
I thought that this trip would put to rest my desire to see this
town, but it hasn't, I now have to plan another trip there with my
friend to show her a piece of Italy long gone.
Date: 08 May 2008
Time: 09:04 AM
Comments:
Next week I will be in the area of Craco for a couple of days. I
will try my best to go and see the old town and if so I will
e-mail you some pictures.
What I need to know is if there are any restrictions or warnings
about going to Craco Vecchia because of the terrain.
Thank you for any info,
John Ferrario
RESPONSE:
Date: 08 May 2008
Time: 05:30 PM
John,
Craco Vecchio is posted with "No Trespassing" signs, and
therefore it's technically illegal to explore.
Have a safe, enjoyable trip and we look forward to hearing
about your experiences!
Best Regards, Bob Rubertone
Date:
05 May 2008
Time: 12:43 PM
Comments:
I was very surprised to learn of the Craco Society. My grandfather,
Nicola Ferranti and my grandmother, Maria Mastronardi came from
Craco. He was born in 1869 and came to New York around 1880 with his
father. He returned to Italy and served for a time in the Italian
army. He returned to New York in the early 1890s and then brought
his wife over. Their first son was Charles born in 1896. They
settled in Brooklyn where he operated a barber shop. Their other
children were Vincent, Helen (Elena) my mother, Margaret and Bella.
I have always wanted to visit Craco and now knowing of the Society
exists give me further interest of going there.
Many thanks for all the information contained in the site.
God Bless!
Nicholas (Nick) J. Campbell
RESPONSE:
Date: 05 May 2008
Time: 4:12 PM
Nick, Your kind message serves as a wonderful reminder of how
important our mission is, and for that we thank you! The
names Ferranti and Mastronardi are both very familiar to us.
In fact, we have a few Mastronardis already in our Society. As
I'm sure you're aware, Craco is a very small town by any standards,
and there is a great likelihood these may be your cousins! If
you can secure airline tickets, you are welcome to join us on our
pilgrimage to Craco from June 14th- June 21th. If your
schedule doesn't permit such a trip on short notice, perhaps you can
attend our 2nd annual reunion to be held in NYC from August 15th-
17th.
We also hope you'll consider becoming a member of the Society.
You can forward your e-mail address to us at
memberservices@thecracosociety.org
and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have and keep you
informed about our organization's future events.
Best Regards, Bob Rubertone
Date: 17 Apr 2008
Time: 02:24 AM
Comments:
Hi again,
can you tell me approximately what years were the black and white
pictures taken.
Thank-you
John
RESPONSE:
Date: 17 Apr 2008
Time: 8:05 AM
John, To the best of my knowledge, most of black and white
photos were taken between the years 1957-1960. Bob
Date: 16 Apr 2008
Time: 11:49 PM
Comments:
Hi. I just learned about your organization and visited your
website. The whole idea of a 'Craco Society' is fantastic. I
couldn't help but become choked up when I took your guided tour and
found family names among your documents. Thank you for helping to
connect me with my past!
I am a descendant of Prospero Tuzio who came to the US from Craco
and settled in Brooklyn, NY. He and his wife had 3 children: Rose,
Dominick, and Frank (my father). Over the past year, I embarked on
a mission to find my relatives in Italy, and recently made plans to
travel to Craco and to Peschiera.
I'm leaving in 5 days, but I am still totally lost as to the best
way to get there!!
At this point, I plan to travel by train to Metaponto and to stay in
the Nuovo San Teodoro agritourismo in Matera - it was the closest
place I could find, yet it is still about 30 miles away. I suspect
I will have to hire a car to get from there to Craco - is that the
case? ANY suggestions for getting there would be very much
appreciated.
Thank you - both for your help and for forming such a phenomenal
organization! You'll be receiving my membership application
shortly. :)
Sincerely,
Helen Tuzio
NYC
RESPONSE:
Date: 17 Apr 2008
Time: 7:50 AM
Helen, Thank you for your kind words. Our
Society has in its possession many documents to help individuals
in their genealogical searches. One of our main goals is, and
will always be, to lend assistance to anyone who shares our
passion for our Crachesi roots. I recently discovered that my
great-great grandmother's name was Isabella Tuzio. Coming from
a town as tiny as Craco, it is not hard to believe that if we
trace our roots far enough into the past, we will discover that
we are all cousins. As far as your trip is concerned, I believe
you will either have to rent a car or secure the services of a
taxi to take you to Craco. Perhaps the owners of the
agriturismo can give you the best advise. When in Craco, you
may want to consider asking for Anna Lucia Nuzo in the town
offices. She speaks English and has been very willing to help
research members questions about their ancestors. In fact,
she's the source of my Tuzio connection! Have a wonderful,
safe journey and please let us know how your trip went.
Warmest Regards, Bob Rubertone
Date: 30 Mar 2008
Time: 11:16 AM
Comments:
I was looking through some papers that I had stored away. I found
some notes that I took when speaking to my aunt in the 1970's. She
was born in 1898 in NYC. I see notes on a Vincenzo Lubertone. He
was a butcher. Could this possibly be Rubertone? His daughter
was Camille who married Leonardo Galante. Leonardo had a farm and
then it was all lost. Their daughter was Domenica Galante who
married Antonio Rinaldi, my great grandfather. Domenica's mother
died when she was young. She didn't know when her birthday was
because the records in the town were destroyed either by bandits or
earthquake. Her brother was Vincenzo Galante. Her grandfather
Vincenzo Lubertone took her after her father died at age 33. She
was with her grandfather until he died. Vincenzo Galante had lost a
leg working on the railroad. Domenica Galante had 10 children, all
died except for two.
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I would love to get some
more information. Bob Rubertone - maybe I have Rubertones in my
family? Isabella
Pause
RESPONSE:
Date: 31 Mar 2008
Time: 8:50 AM
Cara
Isabella, What exciting news about the newly discovered branch to
your family tree. With only about 400 households in Craco (at its
peak!), I have little to no doubt Vincenzo Lubertone was at
one time a Rubertone. In my research I've discovered an
entire branch of the Rubertone clan which Joe Rinaldi (Canada), Joe
Rinaldi (Rhinebeck) and Lena Camperlengo all share but I cannot go
back far enough to connect to my people. I assembled a family tree
for this branch and my best guess is these are your Vincenzo's
ancestors. I am enclosing an attachment of it for you. I promise
to keep on the lookout for any clues or items I may have
overlooked. As Lena always says about our entire society, "we are
all cousins". Be well and keep in touch, mia Cugina! Bob
Date: 25 Mar 2008
Time: 11:27 AM
Comments:
Hello!!!
I'm the Craco's Archiviste. Un saluto a tutti.
Thank you so much Mr. Joe Rinaldi
by Anna L.Nuzzo
RESPONSE:
Date: 26 Mar 2008
Time: 8:50 AM
Anna, Thank you so much for all your assistance in our quest
for more information. We genuinely appreciate the cooperation
that everyone in Craco has given us. We look forward to
meeting you this summer!
Best Regards, Bob Rubertone
Date: 19 Mar 2008
Time: 03:00 PM
Comments:
WE WANT TO ADVISE THAT TOMORROW, 20th OF MARCH AT 2 O'CLOCK P.M.
ON RAI 1 THERE WILL BE A TV PROGRAMME ABOUT CRACO. THE TITLE IS
"FESTA ITALIANA" AND IT WILL BE ON 20th OF MARCH 2008 - AT 2
O'CLOCK P.M. ON RAI .
BEST WISHES FROM CRACO! HAPPY EASTER!
DOMENICA MORMANDO.
RESPONSE:
Date: 19 Mar 2008
Time: 5:45 PM
Domenica, Mille grazia per queste
informazioni. Speriamo che abbiate un Pasqua felice inoltre e
attendiamo li vediamo in Craco questa estate!
Date: 18 Mar 2008
Time: 01:15 PM
Comments:
Giuseppe Lorubio must be smiling down on the newest member of the
LaRubbio clan.
Joseph Stephen LaRubbio was born on February 25, 2008, the
great-grandson of my uncle Sylvio, the grandson of my cousin, Joseph
and the son of James and Dina LaRubbio.
Wishing all my Cracotan cousins a blessed St. Joseph's Day.
Marilynn
RESPONSE:
Date: 18 Mar 2008
Time: 16:45 PM
Marilynn, Congratulations on the newest
LoRubbio arrival! Our best wishes to James, Dina and little
Joseph. Be well and a very blessed Easter to you and all your
family. Bob and Janet
Date: 14 Mar 2008
Time: 09:26 AM
Comments:
Does anyone know a Giuseppe Minaya, lived as a young boy in Craco
just before and during WWII. His father was a Francesco Minaya,
Married to a Donna Teresa.
Giuseppe Minaya was born in the USA but moved to Italy with his
father, as a baby, after his mother died. It was there that
Francesco married this Donna Teresa.
lario98@aol.com
RESPONSE:
Date: 17Mar 2008
Time: 07:27 AM
I
have checked with my sister and brother and law who still live
in Craco. Though the names Francesco and Giuseppe Minaia are
not known to them, the name Donna Teresa certainly is. Do you
know if this was a second marriage also for Donna Teresa? We do
know that Donna Teresa’s married name was Cammarota. She had a
daughter “Donna Laura” who suffered from what we believe was
muscular dystrophy and was in a wheel chair. They lived in a
beautiful farm house on a property adjacent to the lands my
parents owned. When my brother in law knew Donna Teresa and
Donna Laura (around 1964) they were living alone in the house.
Eventually Donna Teresa dies, and Donna Laura moved to
Stigliano to be closer to medical help, where she died. Their
property was sold to the Capozzi family who still own it today
(I was in that house in 1990).
My sister and brother and
law will ask around in Craco on the whereabouts of the Minaias
and will get back to me with more information.
I’ll keep you posted as I
learn more.
Date: 01 Mar 2008
Time: 12:54 AM
Comments:
I've just discovered the "Virtual Tour" on our website!! It's
wonderful! Thank you again to the Rubertones for their excellent
work on this site!!
Marlyne Marrese
RESPONSE:
Date: 01 Mar 2008
Time: 03:30 PM
Marlyne, We're so very happy to learn that
you enjoyed the "tour"! However, both Janet and I are
anxiously counting the days until we can explore Craco together with
you, and all our cousins, in person. Be well and we look
forward to seeing you this summer.
Best Regards, Bob
Date:
19 Feb 2008
Time: 12:42 PM
Comments:
To all those
involved with the Craco Society and beyond Bravo!! This
is incredible for our family since we just found out
ours is originally from Craco and not Naples as we were
always told. My father Wayne Rinaldi is working hard on
our family tree and this discovery of the Craco Society
is a major break through for us in finding our roots and
discovering who we are as Rinaldi's and Italians. There
are not many left in our family to tell the story of who
our people were and where they came from as well as the
hardships they endured before coming to America. The
Craco Society has now changed all that and we are
excited to learn all we can. We look forward to becoming
members of the Society and meeting other Crachesi in the
future, again thank you all for your hard work because
it is truly appreciated by those who care about their
families origins.
Yours Truly,
John Rinaldi
Rinaldi Truck Rentals
361 Route 59 West
Nanuet, NY 10954
RESPONSE:
Date: 19 Feb
2008
Time: 09:30 PM
John, Thank you so much for your kind
words. We like to think our ancestors, who sacrificed so much
to come to the new world, are looking down upon us proudly for
honoring our common heritage. We have many Rinaldis already in
our organization, and they are very anxious to get in touch with
you, establish a common link and help you in your genealogical
research. Please e-mail me your contact information at
TheCracoSociety@aol.com and I'll forward it to
them. Welcome to our group and please keep in touch so we can
keep you informed about out trip to Craco and 2nd Annual Reunion in
NYC this summer. Best Regards, Bob Rubertone
Date:
04 Feb 2008
Time: 02:28 PM
Comments:
I am John Dragonette (Giovanni Dragonetti), a descendant of Maria
Angela Marmo. She was born in Craco on May 15, 1871. Her
father was Vincenzo Marmo, her mother was Maria Maddalena Berardone.
My grandmother, Maria Marmo, was orphaned at the age of 9, having
lost both her parents within 5 days of each other in January 1880.
Additionally, a 12 year old brother died about the time of Maria's
birth.
Maria spent 10 years in a convent in Craco and at the age of 19 she
left Craco for America. She departed Naples on August 6, 1890
traveling on the S.S. Britannia of the Fabre Line and arrived at the
Port of New York on August 26, 1890. She joined the Baxter
Street crowd alone at 19. In January of 1892 arrangements were
made for Maria to marry Giovanni Paladino at the Chiesa Italiana
delle Risurrbione. By December of 1892 Maria and Giovanni had
their first child they named Antonietta. She was my mother.
RESPONSE:Date:
04 Feb 2008
Time: 05:54 PM
John, On behalf of The Craco Society, I welcome you to our
group. The surnames Marmo and Berardone are very familiar to
us. In fact, Angelina Berardone (born about 1800 in Craco) was
married to one of my Great-Great Grandfather's brothers. We
will be more than happy to share whatever genealogical information
we have with you and hope you'll consider becoming a member of our
society and joining in our social events, including our group trip
to Craco this June and our 2nd annual reunion in August in the
greater New York City area. You can e-mail us at
TheCracoSociety@aol.com and we'll include you on our mailing list.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Bob Rubertone
Date: 12 Dec
2007
Time: 01:52 PM
Comments:
Hi, I have no links to Craco other than having
visited it during September this year. It is possibly
the most interesting place that I have ever been having
a strange 'other worldyness' about it. I was interested
to see on the About Us section a mention of home movies.
Does anyone have any footage of Craco as it was when it
was inhabited and is there any way that the footage
could be put online?
I have a number of photos that I took of Craco during my
visit and would be happy to share them.
Best wishes,
George
george.ashford@btinternet.com
RESPONSE:
Date:
13 Dec 2007
Time: 06:47 PM
George, You can find video clips of Craco on our
"Exclusives" page. I'm glad your visit to our
ancestral village was so memorable and meaningful.
We would be very interested in any photos you may wish
to share with us, feel free to send them to us at
TheCracoSociety@aol.com . Please check back
monthly for updates to our website to keep up with our
organization's events.
Best Regards,
Bob Rubertone
Date: 02
Dec 2007
Time: 04:23 AM
Comments:
To all cousins who are descendants of Vitantonio
Rubertone and Isabella Tuzio: I have ordered
from the Family History Center, marriage records
from Craco during the years 1816-1820. When
these arrive, hopefully we can establish a link
between your Vitantonio and my Pietro.
Even if we cannot confirm this connection, I will be
able to provide you with both Vitantonio and
Isabella's parent's names.
Bob
Date:
08 Oct 2007
Time: 05:51 AM
Comments:
I have viewed The Craco Society Website many times
and each time I see something new and learn more about my heritage.
To all of you who have contributed, "Thank you!"
A special thank you to Bob and Janet Rubertone for
putting it all together! What a job and what a beautiful tribute to
Craco.I am looking forward to my next meeting with my fellow
Cracotans!
Bravo!
Marilynn LaRubbio Congedo
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