Cousins in Niagara Falls, NY

(NOTE:  This is Part 3 of a 3-part story)

Did you think I forgot?  Well, I almost did…

We learned about the Corsaro family in Part 1 and the Amici family in Part 2.  We also learned that some of us are related to some of the members of the Amici family.  So, let’s talk DNA.

It was 2012 when Ancestry.com started offering DNA tests in the USA for genealogy purposes.  At the time I had no interest – my father and his parents are Italian and my mother and her parents are not Italian.  So, I am 50% Italian and 50% not-Italian.  Pretty simple.  Then I learned that your DNA results also tell you about people that you are related to because you share some percentage of DNA.  This means it is a tool to find members attached to your family tree…. relatives that you did not know about… 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th cousins…

In 2019 I discovered I shared DNA with Ronald L. Corsaro, Sr. and his mother, Geraldine (Amici) Corsaro.  They were both listed as a distant 4^th – 6^th cousin.  A very small 20-person tree was associated with them.  This tree did not give me much information.   I also sent a message to both through ancestry.com – no reply.  I later learned that Ronald died in 2017.  It was the mother, Geraldine, who had started building the Tree on-line – unfortunately she had died in 2019.

I started to build my own AMICI Family tree with the limited info she had left behind.

As you develop a Family Tree at Ancestry.com you find valuable information within family trees that other people have developed.  When you “borrow” info from another tree the owner of the other tree sees that their tree is being used.  In my case, a lady called Gina in Niagara Falls, NY contacted me to find out what my interest and/or connection was to her family tree.  We exchanged a handful of data and agreed that our families are connected through the Amici Family. 

This Family DNA connection is only between the “Detroit” Sgriccia cousins and the Amici family.  No other “Clymer” cousins share this DNA.   The common thread is the village of ROCCANOLFI and Augusta Cordella-Sgriccia.  Augusta was born and raised in Roccanolfi and as were Alfredo Amici and Teodora Montani (Alfredo’s first wife).  The only logical conclusion is that they were cousins – unfortunately we do not know if the cousin is Alfredo or Teodora.

So, if you meet a person named Amici (or Corsaro, or Guido, or Kifer …) he or she is probably a cousin.

You may recall the Blog I wrote:  “The 1925 Sgriccia Family Reunion” and the accompanying photographs and some unknown people in that family picnic.  I have since had it verified that the unknown man is Alfredo Amici and the blurred image of a little girl is Elizabeth Amici – this has been confirmed by members of the “Guido” family – descendants of Elizabeth Amici.

This mystery will only be solved if more descendants of Alfredo and Teodora take Ancenstry.com DNA tests.

BREAKING NEWS ON A NEW DEVELOPMENT

For many, many years we have known that the name SGRICCIA in Italy is not common, but the name can be found here and there.  And for all these years we had no idea IF and HOW we may be related to anyone in Italy with the name SGRICCIA.   Even our cousins in Livorno and in Tarquinia are unaware of any people named SGRICCIA in Italy that they are related to.

However, last week we had a break-through.  A lady named Maria Grazia Sgriccia had read my blog post where I had mentioned that I had found the grave markers of Carlo Sgriccia and Luigi Sgriccia in the cemetery in Norcia, Italy.  She informs me that Luigi is her grandfather and Carlo is her great-grandfather.  Luigi was born in Preci in 1897.  Which indicates that Carlo was born about 1865.

Cherubino was born in 1889 and his father, Ascanio, was born in 1855.  In my opinion this makes for the strong probability that Ascanio and Carlo were brothers!  This would make Maria our 3^rd cousin.

Additionally, she has mentioned that her brother, Alessandro, lives in Norcia – a 30-minute drive from Preci.  She is going to ask her brother to look into this connection.

This is exciting news…news I wish I had known 20 years ago before I travelled to Italy.  I will write a new blog about this as I learn more and when I am able to connect-all-the-dots.