I never thought I would want to go to Italy. My goal had always been to go to China. But my cousin Lindy had great success finding information about our paternal great-grandparents. Initially, we thought information would be limited. We were so wrong! Lindy has now compiled 6 generations back of Iamonacos (the real spelling of our last name). Lindy and I feel that it is as though they want to be discovered. We began to wonder where these relatives were from, what were their lives like. Enter this trip to Italy.
Below is a picture we were able to get from another relative. To the left is my great uncle, Angelo, then my great grandmother Mary, my grandfather, Frank, great grandfather Filomeno and a mystery. We think the young man at the extreme right might be our great aunt's husband.
Below is my grandmother, Mary, my mother's mother. My Aunt Margie had given my mom this picture and I asked for a copy. My Aunt said, "Isn't it something that she (me) feels close to her when she never met her." Those words struck me, like, "oh, that's right. I never met her." I know that sounds strange but I always felt close to my grandmother. Always. It was almost tangible. When I was a baby, my mother said she would hold me and I would be staring at something past her. It would freak her out because it was though i was staring at someone. I think I sensed my grandmother's presence.
She came to America with her aunt. Her parents went to South America and were not heard from. She spent her life searching for them. I want to complete that search.
