Adam and Teresa Berardi

Adam and Teresa Berardi were natives of the Republic of San Marino. According to immigration records available at Ancestry Library Edition, Adamo and Teresa Berardi arrived in the port of New York City on July 29, 1927, having left from Genoa, Italy on the ship Conte Biancamano. Adamo was age 30, and he gave his occupation as farmer. Teresa was age 28. They came to America with three children, Roberto, Leonello, and Iride, all aged 5 years and under. Adamo stated that his nearest relative was Salvatore Berardi, still residing in San Marino. He and his family were going to Sandusky, Ohio, to permanently reside with his brother Secondo Berardi at 409 Finch Street.

In the 1930 U.S. Census Adam/Adamo's first name was listed as Gianno. He and Teresa and the three children were living on McKelvey Street in Sandusky, in a section of town known as “Little Italy.” This area was located along Milan Road, bordered by Finch Street and Boalt Street. Eventually the Italian-American Beneficial Club was started in this neighborhood. In 1930, Adam/Adamo/Gianno Berardi was worked in a stone quarry. Later he would work at the Lyman Boat Company. Sadly, both sons of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Berardi were killed during World War Two. Leonello, often called Nello, was killed in action in Italy in 1944. Robert Berardi died in Germany in 1945. A plaque honoring the memory of the Berardi brothers was erected in the Fiorentino Cemetery in San Marino. A front page article in the Sandusky Register of April 5, 1961 reported on the Berardi brothers being remembered in San Marino.

Photo credit: Dr. Daniele Cesaretti

The inscription on the tombstone for Roberto and Leonello Berardi reads:

ROBERTO E LEONELLO BERARDI
Nati sulla nostra libera Terra
emigrati negli Stati Uniti d'America
portarono alla patria adottiva
la passione della Libertà.

Soldati dell'armata liberatrice
caddero da eroi sulla terra europea
ancora una volta oppressa
e insanguinata dalla guerra.

A rievocare il nobile sacrificio
a celebrare le loro più patrie
ad esaltare l'amore della libertà
qui presso il tumulo degli avi
dei due giovani eroi
grato il Governo pose.

Roughly translated into English, it reads:


ROBERTO AND LEONELLO BERARDI
Born on our Earth free
immigrated to the United States of America
led to the adoptive home
the passion of Liberty.

Soldiers of the liberating
fell as heroes on European soil
once again oppressed
and bloody war.

To commemorate the noble sacrifice
to celebrate their homelands more
to enhance the love of freedom
Here at the tomb of his ancestors
of two young heroes
grateful to the Government poses.

Mrs. Teresa Astolli Berardi died on July 23, 1964 at the age of 64. She had been a member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church and the Italian-American Beneficial Club Auxiliary and the Gold Star Mothers. Adam Berardi passed away on January 13, 1971 after a brief illness, when he was 74. Both Mr. and Mrs. Berardi were laid to rest at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Adam Berardi were survived by their daughter Erma M. Canning. Adam Berardi's sister-in-law Eurosia Berardi, along with his nephew Albert Berardi, were well known in Sandusky for their French Fry stand at Cedar Point, and later for their family restaurants. You can read about Berardi's Family Tradition online.

Mrs. Sarah Farwell

The Pedigree Resource File of Family Search tells us that Sarah Cooke (sometimes spelled Cook) was the daughter of Asaph and Thankful Parker Cooke. Sarah was born in 1790/1791. She was the sister of Eleutheros Cooke, and the aunt of Civil War financier Jay Cooke.

Sarah Cooke married Moors Farwell in 1819, and died on February 28, 1827. Sarah is buried in the North Monroeville Cemetery, which is maintained by the Ridgefield Township Board of Trustees in Huron County. Moors Farwell, who was the first Mayor of Sandusky, married again, and have several children. Moors Farwell died in 1850, and he is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

Buried near Sarah Cooke Farwell are several members of the Cooke family. In the early days, North Monroeville was known as Cooks' Corners or Four Corners.

Lovely Surprise Today!

Today I was delighted when Linda from the Flipside blog popped in to see me at the library! I got to meet her brother, and Linda and I had a chance to get our picture taken together. It was the highlight of my day!!! It was amazing to meet a fellow GeneaBlogger in person! Thanks for stopping by Linda!

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Cemeteries

The prompt for Week 9 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Cemeteries

Genealogists understand the full value of cemeteries and appreciate them in ways most others can’t see. Share a cemetery or cemetery experience for which you are most thankful. What makes this place special? What does it mean to you and your family history?

A cemetery that is very special to me is the Perkins Cemetery in Erie County, Ohio. My mother took me to cemeteries often throughout her life, something she had also done with her grandmother in years gone by. Below is a snapshot of my brother and I at the Parker lot in Perkins Cemetery in 1962.

Many of my ancestors in my Mom's paternal lines are buried at the Perkins Cemetery, from the Parker side, House side, along with the former neighbors and extended family members of the Parker and House families. If you look at the map of Perkins Township in the 1896 Erie County Atlas, you will see many of the names of the homeowners on the tombstones in the Perkins Cemetery. The original Perkins Cemetery was in an area of Perkins Township which was taken by the U.S. Government by eminent domain during World War Two for the war effort. A company was hired to disinter the bodies of those buried at the old Perkins Cemetery, and the remains were re-buried at the site of the current Perkins Cemetery just off Route 250. A marker placed by the Erie County Historical Society summarizes the relocation of the Old Perkins Cemetery to its current location.

My father, who died in 1983, and my mother, who died in 2010, are now buried in Perkins Cemetery. We visit Perkins Cemetery often to reflect on our happy memories of when Mom and Dad were still with us. How I wish I could walk through the Perkins Cemetery with them today!

How the Catholic Gene Blog Led Me to a Shopping Trip in Tiffin, Ohio

On September 27, 2011, the Educated Genealogist, Sheri F., presented a tribute to St. Vincent de Paul at the Catholic Gene blog. Since St. Vincent de Paul devoted himself to works of charity, there are now a whole network of thrift stores named after this Saint.

After reading the blog post about St. Vincent de Paul, I decided that I would try to visit the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop closest to my home in northern Ohio. It turned out that the thrift shop closest to me is in Tiffin, Ohio. Today on our way to take our grandsons to the American Civil War Museum of Ohio,

we also got to stop in at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop in Tiffin, Ohio.

There was even a rabbit in the thrift shop!

So that is how this "Graveyard Rabbit" was led to visit the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop in Tiffin, Ohio. Thanks Sheri, you inspire me in many ways!!

P.S. Our grandsons thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the American Civil War Museum of Ohio. There were over forty hands-on exhibits, so they learned some American history in an easy to understand manner!

How I Found Mrs. Patrick Kelly, Daughter of Daniel Larkins

Throughout my several years of doing family history research, my Irish ancestors on my mom's Larkins side have caused me to encounter many brick walls! I often ran into the name of "Mrs. Patrick Kelly" as a daughter of Daniel and Johannah Larkins. Mrs. Patrick Kelly, also known as Mary Larkins Kelly, is my Third Great Grandaunt. For a long time, I thought I would never find a Mary Larkins or a Patrick Kelly, with such common Irish first and last names! One day I found a Patrick and Mary Kelly living in Springfield, in Clark County, Ohio, with two small children, in the 1860 Census. It seemed logical, since the Mad River Railroad ran from Sandusky to Springfield at that time, and perhaps Patrick worked for the railroad, and ended up in Springfield. Below is a marriage record of Patrick Kelly and Mary Larkins, from Clark County, Ohio on November 21, 1849, accessed at Ohio, County Marriages, 1790-1950 on Family Search.

Since the obituaries of Daniel and Johannah Larkins stated that Mrs. Patrick Kelly resided in Elgin, Illinois, I decided to contact the Elgin Genealogical Society in Elgin, Illinois. The Research Associates of the Elgin Genealogical Society, for a very reasonable fee, provided me with death records, probate records, and obituaries of both Patrick and Mary Kelly. I was absolutely amazed at what was in that special envelope from Elgin! It turned out that Patrick had been born in Ireland in 1824. He first settled in Ohio, and in 1877 he brought his family to Elgin, Illinois, where he was the first janitor of the Elgin City Hall building. His obituary, which appeared in the Elgin Daily News of April 24, 1908, stated that "He was a man of genial disposition and always ready with some witty replay or anecdote." Mary Larkins Kelly passed away on December 14, 1914 in Elgin, Illinois. Her obituary provided details of her life, which included making quilts for all her children and grandchildren. She was known for her kindness in times of sickness and death, and she had endeared herself to large number of people in Elgin.

The death record of Mary Kelly is pictured below, in four different images. The left side of the first portion of her death record lists Mary's name and death date, which was December 14, 1914. She died at 4:40 p.m. Her residence had been 204 Villa Street in the 5th Ward of Elgin, Illinois.

Cause of death was listed as bronchial pneumonia and senility.

The second portion of Mary Kelly's death record listed her husband's name, Patrick Kelly. Her occupation was housewife. The undertaker was listed as the Wait & Ross Co.

On the right side of the second portion of the death record of Mary Kelly, stated are her birth date, 1830, and the names of her parents: Daniel Larkin and Johanna Skahanke. Mary had resided in Elgin for 35 years.

Mrs. Mary Larkins Kelly, and her husband Patrick Kelly, who had died on April 24, 1908, were both buried in the Bluff City Cemetery. Though I have never yet had a chance to visit their grave sites, the Elgin Genealogical Society provided me with a map of the cemetery, noting the exact Lot and Section numbers. I do hope to make the trip one day, to see where my dear Irish relatives were buried.

My journey to find Mrs. Patrick Kelly included searching census records, obituaries from Sandusky, along with outstanding research assistance from the Elgin Genealogical Society. It was a fun journey, and I was eventually able to touch base with some descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Kelly now residing in Washington State. Genealogy is SUCH a wonderfully rewarding hobby!

Mrs. Margaretta Beamer

Mrs. Margaretta/Maggie (Hofacker) Beamer is buried in Sandusky's Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Beamer was the wife of August J. Beamer. Erie County Probate records list the date of the marriage of August Beamer and Maggie Hofacker as July 23, 1882. Margaretta's brief life spanned from 1860 to 1897. The top of Mrs. Beamer's tombstone is in the shape of the Bible.












The back of Mrs. Beamer's tombstones is inscribed with the word Mother.






















Over one hundred years since the death of Margaretta Beamer, her tombstone is still legible. She must have been dearly loved and missed.