When I take a walk to my apartment mailbox each morning, I’m never expecting anything grandiose.
But my Aunt Marie added a change to all of that the other day.
To my surprise, I saw a giant orange envelope and her name and address on the top left corner.
She knows I’m researching my family history, but I never expected her to go ahead and send me mail about such a thing.
I hadn’t asked her to send me anything. Nor did she give warning that she was sending me something. How did she even get my address?
The entirety of its mystery certainly adds to the beauty of it all.
I didn’t reflect in this way towards my aunt’s gesture because of a resistance of some sort. I reflected in this way because I deeply appreciated her sage-like-letter-mailing and her care in giving me more of what I love — my family.
Any information I receive about the history of my family members, some of whom I never got to meet in person, is like a clue added to the bigger journey of my life.
A Perfect Fit
Learning about my family genealogy is fascinating to me because HOW CAN IT NOT BE.
I enjoy connecting dots — and family research is like the ultra, energized version of dot connecting.
It’s astounding to me that just three generations ago, my paternal family was living in Italy (and maternal family members, as well) and my paternal great-grandfather decided to embark on a journey to America to create a new life with his wife, Carmella, on a boat called the S.S. Giuseppe Verde.
An article written in the mid-1900s about my great-grandpa, Giuseppe, and his store (www.blackriverjournal.com)
The interesting thing to note about the S.S. Giuseppe Verde is that my great-grandpa’s name was Giuseppe.
Giuseppe is a boy’s name of Italian origin. It is the Italian version of Joseph which means “God will add.”
It is a sure certainty, that God definitely added to what my great-grandpa courageously did many years ago.
He took a major chance coming to the U.S. and his dividends are still producing returns to this day – three generations later.
I’m one of those returns.
Here I am. 25 years old. Living in Austin, TX. Living the most blessed life I can ever ask for. Researching and writing about the individuals that got me to where I am today.
Life is never a solo-effort. We sojourn together.
I’ve learned to never forget this truth.
A Movie
All of our individual lives are a movie.
We can treat it like the most unique film that has ever been created or we can throw it in the trash to let it develop dust.
Besides me viewing my life as a major-motion picture being lived in real-time, I truly do endeavor to produce a movie based on my life one day.
It will happen.
When it does, I will make sure to include my great-grandpa’s story in the film, as well.
Because his life was an absolute blockbuster.
From Southern Italy to the shores of America.
As it states in the above article about my great-grandfather, which was written in the mid-1900s, “Love and opportunity brought Joseph D’Apolito to the shores of America and for more than 80 years the D’Apolito family has been providing hand-made and custom tailored clothing….”
If you decide to venture into reading the above article in its entirety, you will begin to understand how tremendous my great-grandpa’s life story is.
He was a Man of God.
He met the love of his life, Carmella, in Italy.
He then married her on August, 24th 1922 (my birthday is also 8/24) – despite him and my great-grandma’s family having a long-standing fued.
At 26 years old, he immigrated to the U.S. with my great-grandma (19 at the time) on the S.S. Giuseppe Verde boat.
They went through Ellis Island together.
He developed his career as a tailor and she developed her nurturing, commanding nature as a mother.
They provided for a family of 7+ kids — both with their own unique ways.
The family all drank raw milk.
They used flour bags as bed sheets.
My great-grandpa continued excelling as an entrepreneur in New Jersey by having his own tailor shop — with all types of clients, some of whom were within the Kennedy family (yes… those Kennedy’s).
He managed his stores with an “iron-hand”.
He loved greatly.
He left an imprint.
I’ve visited my great grandpa’s legendary store, in Peapack NJ, several times. It amazes me that it is still around to this day.
My maternal great-grandfather was also a savant and an amazing man. But that’s for another day….
Here is my website — you can find more stories, quotes, and deep dives here.
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