Michigan Research Update

I was able to make it to the St. Clair County library today to get about 15 obits. I had a genealogy moment of bliss when I found an obit I was not looking for. It just popped out at me when I was trying to find another obituary. It was the obituary of my first cousin's great-grandmother. I did a little research for her a few years ago, but had not found her great-grandmother's death date because she had appeared to move to Detroit (according to the 1930 census and her 1941 marriage record in St. Clair County), and I have not had a chance to search those records yet. Here is the obit below:

Port Huron Times Herald, 10 Aug 1942, p. 2

"Mrs. Christen Dies In Detroit; Funeral Will Be On Tuesday"

Marine City, Aug. 10 -- Funeral services will be held in the Bower-Rose funeral home at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday for Mrs. Gertrude Chamberlain Christen, 54, resident of this city most of her life, who died unexpectedly Saturday in Grace hospital, Detroit. Rev. H.E. Totzke, pastor of St. John's Evangelical church, will offiiciate. Burial will be in Woodlawn cemetery.

She was born Oct. 27, 1887 in Marine City. She is survived by her husband, Sere Christen, Marine City; four sons, Edward, Arthur and Thomas Chamberlain, all of Marine City, and Albert Chamberlain, Detroit; a daughter, Mrs. William Bradshaw, Algonac; two brothers, Ray Devers, Marine City, and Guy F. Devers, Sarnia; a sister, Mrs. Robert Couter, Cadillac and nine grandchildren.

Off to Michigan in the Morning

Well, it looks like I will be going to Michigan after all this year. Unfortunately, it is not under the best of circumstances. I found out late Monday night that my uncle passed away from a massive heart attack. He was only 52, and it was rather unexpected. He has three young daughters, so this has been especially hard on them. Please keep our family in your prayers as we all travel to Michigan and for my aunt and my cousins as they cope with the loss.

Perhaps next week I will be able to do a live research trip post if I am able to grab a few hours to go to the library or courthouse there, and if I can find an internet connection. But most of my time will probably be spent with family, since I don't have very much of it, so I think I will probably have to put my research desires on hold for a better time. But it will sure be nice to see everyone again. Perhaps I should use the time to interview my great-uncle instead of going to the courthouse or library.

Dennis Douglas Drouillard, 1957-2009

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

My dad, Michael David Trahan, and my sister, Kathleen Ranee Trahan DeLuca, 11 Oct 2008, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Vinton, Louisiana

They Worked Hard for the Family: Engineers and Blacksmiths

I've posted this picture before, but since it's one of my favorites, I thought I would post it again as part of the 15th Edition of Smile for the Camera's "They Worked Hard For the Family." This is my great-great-grandfather, Lovell Hugh Pemberton, in front of his blacksmith shop in Anchorville, Michigan, in 1896. He is the one on the left kneeling in front of the wagon wheel using the hammer. Lovell followed in his father's footsteps as a blacksmith. I wonder if one of the other men is his father. This picture is courtesy of cousin Tami, Lovell's great-granddaughter, who received a copy from her father. This picture was passed from Lovell's sister to his daughter to his granddaughter to his grandson to his great-granddaughter to his great-great-granddaughter (me). Phew!

This is also a picture of Lovell in front of another blacksmith shop. He is the one on the far right with the X on his pants. I believe this was taken about 1905-1910, probably in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Lovell moved to Mount Clemens sometime between 1905 and 1908, when my great-grandfather, John Vital Pemberton, was born. I know from Mount Clemens city directories that Lovell worked for a man named Vital DeKeyser. According to the census records, Vital was also a blacksmith. I have a feeling that Vital may be the man in the middle. It appears that Lovell named my great-grandfather after his employer. This photo is courtesy of cousin Steve, Lovell's grandson.

This is my maternal grandfather, John Peter Pemberton, with his working buddies. He began as a fireman with the Grand Trunk Railroad in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1950. By the time of his death in 1970, he was an engineer with the same railroad. John Peter is the one in the window of the train. My grandmother, before she passed away, told me that the young boy was a child of one of the other guys that he worked with.

Hope and the Alligators

I was looking for pictures for the next Smile for the Camera Edition, but I happened across these two. They have nothing to do with the next edition of Smile for the Camera, but I never noticed before that I had two pictures of the same cousin with alligators.

This first picture is my cousin Hope with a family friend and a gator, of course. Don't worry, as I'm sure the gator's mouth was wrapped shut. I believe her dad and his friend had gone hunting that morning for alligators. Looks like they found one! Only in Louisiana!

This is my cousin, Hope, again with my sister and I, this time on a fake alligator. I believe this was one of our pool toys that we took to the community pool mentioned in my previous post about swimming lessons.

Anyhow, I am off to bed now, but just wanted to share these pics!

Wordless Wednesday: Grandma and the Mule She Didn't Get

L to R: William John Mertena, John Henry Mertena, and Merlene Golda Mertena, c. 1940

This is one of my favorite photos. This is my paternal grandmother, Merlene (Mertena) Trahan with her older brother, Bill, and her paternal grandfather, John Henry Mertena. John Henry was a farmer from Logan County, Oklahoma. According to my grandmother, her grandfather told her she could have this mule, but then he changed his mind and told her she could have another mule instead. But she was stubborn and said that she wanted this mule, so she never did take any other mule.

Grandma, please feel free to add comments to this post to fill us in with the rest of the details! Love you!

Chaney-Drouillard Wedding - June 13, 2009

I'm posting some photos of my cousin's wedding this past weekend. It was a pink theme (just in case you can't tell!).

Wedding Cake

Decorations on cake table

Groom's Table - Can you tell he's a Texan that grew up on a rooster farm?

Don't Mess With Texas!

Ring bearer - before dress up

Bride getting ready

Tribute to our grandmother, Violet Mae (Currie) Pemberton Drouillard

Unity Candle

Bride's Bouquet

Flower Girl Baskets

Flower Girl Dress

Ring bearer - after dress up

Flower Girl - Getting ready

Another flower girl getting ready

Saying the Vows

Congratulating the couple

My Mom with Baby Cousin Brynnum

My Mom and I with the Bride and Groom

Pemberton Twins Turn 50 on June 12

Happy Birthday, Mom and Uncle Mark!

Saturday Night Fun: Three Things I Learned Today

Randy over at GeneaMusings has once again challenged us all to a little Saturday night fun by listing three things we learned about genealogy today. Since my cousin got married today, there were several opportunities to talk to family members. My Aunt Debbie is from Texas, and since there are birth, marriage, and death vital records indexes from Texas at Ancestry.com, I showed her what I had found on her first husband's family and her own family. Aunt Debbie's first husband died several years ago, and she has been with my Uncle Brian (my mom's brother) for twenty years now. After talking to her and from researching the indexes, this is what we found:

1) Her maternal uncle was Lois Bradford ODOM. He married Otis Mae SPURLOCK and had 14 children, 12 of whom we found in the Texas birth index.

2) She could not remember her maternal grandparents' names because they died several years ago. After she left, I think I found their names: Aril Bradford ODOM and Josephine RAYMER. I need to confirm this with her. Hopefully these names will ring a bell.

3) Aril died on 2 Apr 1971 in Silsbee, Hardin, Texas. He was born 22 Sep 1896 in Texas.

COG: Swimsuit Edition

The 74th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is all about bathing beauties. I found these old pictures of myself when going through my grandmother's photo albums that I've recently inherited. I used to take swimming lessons every year at the community pool where I grew up in Vinton, Louisiana. I think the second picture was taken around 1987. It looks like I was younger in that one, and it seems that I must have been young enough to require someone to catch me. The first picture was probably taken around 1989 or 1990.

Yet More Relatives from 1909

Tonight I will look at my maternal grandparents' sides of the family to find my third and fourth great-grandparents who were alive in 1909.

My third great-grandparents, John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS, were alive in 1909 and 1910. They were the parents of Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON, my great-great-grandfather. For the 1910 census, they were living in Lenox, Macomb, Michigan. John was age 71, and Mary was age 66. John was a blacksmith with his own shop. They had three of their grandchildren living with them: Verna LEONARDSON, age 12; Clarence LEONARDSON, age 7; and Leslie LEONARDSON, age 2. These were the children of Grace Mary PEMBERTON, their daughter who died in 1909. I haven't found Grace's death certificate yet; only a gravestone with the year of death, but I suspect that she died after giving birth to her youngest child in March 1909. The youngest child also died that same year.

My third-great-grandmother, Christine GOSLIN, was alive in 1909 and 1910. She was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Alvina Mary LESPERANCE. She was a widow living in Ira, St. Clair, Michigan, in 1910, with her single son, William LESPERANCE. She was age 64. William was age 42 and a painter. Her other son, Charles LESPERANCE, age 44, was living next door with the Matilda BLOM family. He was a farm laborer.

My third great-grandparents, George "Calvin" CRYSLER and Mary Ellen MOLESWORTH, were alive in 1909 and 1910. They were the parents of my great-great-grandfather, Ernest George CRYSLER. They lived in Fremont, Sanilac, Michigan in 1910. Their youngest son, Earl Louis CRYSLER, age 18, still lived at home. Their ages were given as 53. Calvin was a farmer, and Earl worked as a farm laborer.

My third-great-grandmother, Cora Millicent KING, was alive in 1909 and 1910. She is the other person, besides Carrie ORTH, that I would most like to talk to. She was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Nellie May REYNOLDS. Nellie's 1890 birth record states that her birth was illegitimate, but her father was named as Douglas REYNOLDS. Cora was only 15 years old at the time of Nellie's birth, and Douglas seems to have died only 2 months prior to Nellie's birth. I have found no record of a marriage for Cora and Douglas, but Cora did marry Joshua WEDGE in 1897, seven years after Nellie's birth. In 1910, Cora, age 34, and Joshua, age 38, were living in Addison, Oakland, Michigan, with their two daughters, Lula, age 11, and Thelma, age 4 months. Joshua's mother, Doris, was also living with them. Joshua was a farm laborer.

Cora's parents, Suel KING and Ardelia STRATTEN, were living in Moore, Sanilac, Michigan, in 1910. Suel was age 72 and Ardelia was age 66. Their widowed son-in-law, Walter J. CHISOLM, and 6-year-old grandson, Darrel CHISOLM, were living with them. Suel was a farmer.

Douglas REYNOLDS' mother, Lucy NEWTON, was alive in 1910, but I can't seem to find her in the census. She was age 71 and a widow. I have her death record, so I know she didn't die until 1913. She was probably living in Sanilac County, where she is buried.

My third great-grandfather, George HILLMAN, was living in Canada in 1909. He was the father of Florence Minnie HILLMAN, my great-great-grandmother. I've found him in Euphemia, Lambton, Ontario in the 1911 census. He was an 80-year-old widower, living with his daughter, Matilda HILLMAN, and grandson, Harvey HILLMAN. It appears that Matilda gave birth to Harvey out of wedlock, and George and his wife, Mary Mildred MCINTYRE, helped to raise Harvey.

So I think that is finally the end to my 1909/1910 series post. At least for my direct ancestors...we won't discuss the aunts and uncles and cousins because that could take ages!!

More Relatives from 1909

I started thinking that I hadn't covered all of my direct ancestors with my two previous posts on 1909/1910. There were a few more that were still living in 1910.

My Paternal Grandfather's Side:

My great-great-great-grandmother, Marie "Edmonia" DOMINGUE, was living with her second husband, Lawrence ARCENEAUX, in Police Jury Ward 1, Lafayette, Louisiana. Edmonia was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Marie Alice SONNIER. Edmonia's first husband was Joseph Numa SONNIER. The 1910 census says Lawrence was age 52, and Edmonia was age 40. I know from church baptismal records that Edmonia was actually 47. Her two youngest sons, Romain and Alexandre SONNIER, from her first marriage were living in the household, ages 12 and 8, respectively. Lawrence and Edmonia were living with the family of Antoine Conque, and Lawrence's relationship is given as hired help. It appears that he was a farm laborer.

My fourth great-grandfather, Edmonia's father, Jean William DOMINGUE, was also still alive in 1909/1910. He was married to his second wife, Cidalise MCDANIEL, who was 38 years younger than him. They should have been living in Acadia or Lafayette Parish, Louisiana in 1910, but I cannot seem to find them. I know from Jean's Confederate pension record that he died in 1912 in Crowley, Acadia, Louisiana. I know from compiled church records that he was born in 1831 in Plattenville, Assumption, Louisiana, so he would have been 78 years old in 1909.

The mother of Edmonia's first husband, my fourth great-grandmother, Rosalie Basilisse Armigela DOMINGUE, was also alive in 1909/1910. In fact, she was Jean William DOMINGUE's sister (Joseph Numa SONNIER and Marie Edmonia DOMINGUE were first cousins who married one another). Rosalie was a widow living in Police Jury Ward 1, Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1910 with her single daughter, Coralie SONNIER, age 42. Her second husband, Simeon SONNIER, father of Joseph Numa SONNIER, had died in 1871. Rosalie was 78 years old in 1910. She was born in 1832, also in Plattenville. She died in 1922 at the age of 90. Seems like those DOMINGUE's lived longer than most.

My Paternal Grandmother's Side:

My great-great-great-grandmother, Carolina Cristina "Carrie" ORTH, was alive in 1909/1910. She was the mother of my great-great-grandfather, John Henry MERTENA. She was living in Rose Hill, Logan, Oklahoma, with her second husband, James Leonard COTHERN, and their son, Willie COTHERN, age 16. James Leonard COTHERN was a farmer. The census says Carrie was 50 years old, but I believe she was actually 51 years old. She's probably the ancestor I'd most like to talk to, mostly about her first husband, John Henry MERTENA, who has been much of a mystery to our family.

My great-great-great-grandparents, James William WELDEN and Henrietta Murl RENFRO, were also alive in 1909/1910. They were the parents of my great-great-grandmother, Blanche WELDEN. They lived in Marshall, Logan, Oklahoma, in 1910. James is listed as age 60 and "Hattie" as age 55. Their son, Fred, age 32, was living with them. James was a farmer.

Henrietta Murl RENFRO's mother, Eliza LAWSON, my fourth great-grandmother, was also alive in 1909/1910. She was born in 1835 and was 76 years old at the time of the 1910 census. She lived in Hardyville, Hart, Kentucky. Her single son, Alfred G. RENFRO, age 33, lived with her. I have a letter from her written to Henrietta's daughter, Blanche WELDEN, about 1918 when Henrietta died. Eliza did not died until 1922.

My great-great-great-grandparents, James Gilbert BAKER and Susan Rilla WOODS, were alive in 1909/1910. They were the parents of my great-great-grandmother, Emmer Link BAKER. They lived in Allen, Kingman, Kansas in 1910 with their youngest daughter, Ollie BAKER, and her husband, Henry HALL. They were both listed as age 56.

James Gilbert BAKER's mother, Elizabeth Caroline DENTON, my fourth great-grandmother, was alive in 1909/1910. She was living with Alexander Randolph BAKER, her youngest son, and his family in Mahomet, Burnet, Texas. Her age is given as 76 on the 1910 census.

Whew! That is all I have time for now. I will have to check on my 3rd and 4th great-grandparents on my maternal grandparents' sides tomorrow.

Saturday Night Fun: Where Were They in 1909? Part II (My Maternal Side)

This is a continuation of my Saturday Night Fun post from last night. See the first post about my paternal great-grandparents here. This post will cover my maternal great-grandparents.

My maternal grandfather's father was John Vital "Jack" PEMBERTON. He was born 19 Feb 1908 in Mount Clemens, Macomb, Michigan, so he was only a year old in 1909. In 1910, he was living in Mount Clemens at 208 Gratiot Avenue with his parents, Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON and Alvina Mary LESPERANCE. There were also two older siblings in the household: Gilbert, age 6, and Nellie, age 4. John was age 2. Lovell was working as a blacksmith.

My maternal grandfather's mother was Mabel Ellen CRYSLER. She was not born until 10 Jan 1910 in Peck, Sanilac, Michigan. She was the daughter of Ernest George CRYSLER and Nellie May REYNOLDS. In 1910, the family was living in Yale, St. Clair, Michigan. In the household were Earnest, age, 30; Nellie, age 21; George, age 3; and Mable, age 3 months. Ernest was working as a railroad laborer. Ironically, next door is Claude STANLAKE and his wife Lizzie DAWSON, with their two children. After Lizzie's death, Claude remarried to Mary TRAVIS. They had a daughter named Eleanor. Eleanor's son and Mabel's granddaughter married in 1978. In fact, the only reason I found the CRYSLER family in the 1910 census was because I was helping my first cousin trace her STANLAKE ancestors on her dad's side. Because CRYSLER looks like it is misspelled as CHRYSTER, I had a hard time finding them using the index at Ancestry.com. We easily found the STANLAKE's in the index, and there were the CRYSLER's conveniently living next door.

My maternal grandmother's father was Archie CURRIE, who has been the subject of many posts on this blog. Archie was born 2 Nov 1889 in Maple Valley, Sanilac, Michigan. His parents were Alexander CURRIE and Mary RAYMOND. Thanks to the new Seeking Michigan site, I have now found Alexander's death record. He died in 1909 in Sanilac County. I have not been able to positively identify Mary yet in the 1910 census. Perhaps after Alex died, she returned to Canada to stay with one of her children. I have found Archibald CURRY, age 20, working as a farm laborer for John W. and Clara SCOTT in Flynn, Sanilac, Michigan, in 1910.

My maternal grandmother's mother was Jennie Grace Christina PLAINE. She was born 9 May 1903 in Euphemia, Lambton, Ontario, Canada. Her parents were Robert PLAINE and Florence Minnie "Flora" HILLMAN. Jennie was 6 years old in 1909. She was still living in Ontario with her parents at Willowdale Farm outside of Newbury. In the 1911 Census of Canada, Jennie, age 9 [wrong age - I have her birth record which states she was born in 1903], was living with her parents in Euphemia Township. All five of her siblings were there as well: Violet E., age 16; Mary E., age 15; William G., age 13; Robert H., age 6; and Walter L., age 4. Also in the household were Jennie's paternal grandparents, George PLAINE, age 82, and Mary Ann TRUMPASS. age 80. Robert was age 42, and Flora was age 39. The family was Presbyterian, and Robert was a farmer.

Saturday Night Fun: Where Were They in 1909? Part I (My Paternal Side)

Randy's Saturday Night Fun this weekend asks us where our ancestors were in 1909 and if we've found them in the 1910 census.

Well, none of my grandparents were born until 1928, 1930, 1932, and 1935, so I'll have to start with my great-grandparents. I know, I'm a baby in the genealogy world!

My paternal grandfather's father, Bienvenue TRAHAN, was born 26 Oct 1908 in Vatican, Lafayette, Louisiana. So he was a baby living in the home of his parents, Oscar TRAHAN and Virginia PREJEAN. I have found them in the 1910 census in Police Jury Ward 2, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Oscar was a farmer. They had a farmhand, Joseph Babin, age 14, living with them. Bienvenue was their only child, age 1. Oscar's parents, Theoville TRAHAN and Anna WISE, were living next door, as was Oscar's brother, Honore TRAHAN, and his wife, Azema CHIASSON, with their eight children. On the other side of Oscar and Virginia were Virginia's parents, Paul Lucius PREJEAN and Alicia BERNARD, with several of Virginia's younger siblings living at home. In addition, between Oscar and Virginia and Virginia's parents were Virginia's paternal aunt, Marie Zulime PREJEAN and her husband, Ferdinand ISERINGHAUSER, with their daughter. Sounds like a crazy episode of Everybody Loves Raymond! And not to mention that Anna WISE's brother, Adam WISE, was living with Honore and Azema as their hired farmhand.

My paternal grandfather's mother, Beatrice Marie BONEAUX, was not born until 26 Aug 1910, but her parents, Maurice BONEAUX and Marie Alice SONNIER, were married 10 Sep 1908 in Carencro, Lafayette, Louisiana. I know from compilations of church records that they had a daughter, Marie Florine BONEAUX, on 7 Aug 1909, but she died on 18 Sep 1909. In 1910, Maurice and Marie Alice were living in Police Jury Ward 1, Lafayette, Louisiana. Maurice was age 27 and working as a salesman, barber, and farmer, which is confirmed by family stories that he always had his hands in everything. Marie was age 19. The census confirms that there was a child who was born and died before the census. Next door to Maurice and Marie were Maurice's parents, Dominique BONEAUX, age 70, and Alida MOUTON, also age 70. Dominique does not have an occupation, but "own income" is written next to "none" for occupation. Next door to Dominique and Alida were Maurice's older brother, Joseph BONEAUX, and his wife, Edmee RICHARD, and their four children. Joseph was a miller in a grist mill working on his own account, so I'm assuming this means that Joseph owned the grist mill. Our family still owns this land and the one remaining house still on it.

My paternal grandmother's father, Merlen Paris MERTENA, was not born until 9 Sep 1910. His parents were John Henry MERTENA and Blanche WELDEN. They married on 25 Dec 1907 in Mulhall, Logan, Oklahoma. J. Henry and Blanche MERTENA, both age 26, are found in Oak View, Logan, Oklahoma, in 1910. They had not yet had any children. John Henry was working as a farmer.

My paternal grandmother's mother, Hassie Cora PROFFITT, was born 26 Feb 1908 in Crescent, Logan, Oklahoma. Her parents were William Harmon PROFFITT and Emmer Link BAKER. Her father was a circuit-riding Methodist Episcopal preacher, so no telling where they were in 1909. They seem to have moved every year or so. In 1910, they were in Harrison, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, with six of their seven children, including Hassie, age 2. Their seventh child was not born until 1912. William was 38 and Emmer was 34, and it does say that he was a minister.

As it is very late, and I still have not mentioned my great-grandparents on my mom's side, I think I will have to save part II for Sunday morning fun. Stay tuned!

Pemberton Family Wedding Belles

James Frederick Chamberlain and Deborah Darlene Pemberton, 8 Aug 1970

Travis Keith Sparks and April Mae Chamberlain, 20 Oct 2001

Robert Lee Post and Barbara LaJean Pemberton, 21 Jun 1958


Dennis Douglas Drouillard and Gloria ViAnn Pemberton, 8 Jul 1978


John Michael Pemberton and Carol Ann Cameron, 5 Apr 1974


Richard Joseph DeLuca and Kathleen Ranee Trahan, 11 Oct 2008


Michael David Trahan and Pamela Sue Pemberton, 15 Oct 1977

John Peter Pemberton and Violet Mae Currie, 9 Sep 1949

Clifford Robert Drouillard and Violet Mae Currie, at wedding of daughter, Pamela Sue Pemberton, 15 Oct 1977


Stacy Darlene Chamberlain and Troy Alan Chamberlain, flower girl and ring bearer in the wedding of their aunt, Pamela Sue Pemberton, 15 Oct 1977

Wordless Wednesday: DeLuca-Trahan Wedding

Richard Joseph DeLuca and Kathleen Ranee (Trahan) DeLuca
Photos courtesy of Peter Louis DeLuca IV, brother of groom

Since I have been blogging about the DeLuca family, just thought I would share two photos from my sister's wedding on 11 Oct 2008. These photos were taken at the reception site, which was the Brown Center in Orange, Orange, Texas. The wedding took place at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Vinton, Calcasieu, Louisiana.

De Luca Family: Children of Peter and Clementina De Luca

As I am still awaiting Peter Sr.'s death record, I figured I would do a post about his children, and some records I've found on them. As this is only a collateral line for me, I have not fully investigated all the children like I would have if this would have been one of my own direct lines. Nonetheless, I did find a few things online at Ancestry.com.

Peter and Clementina's oldest child, Maria Asunta "Mary" De Luca, who came over with them from Italy, married Antonio L. Piazza on 18 Nov 1922 in what was then called Knobview, Phelps County, Missouri. Knobview is now called Rosati. Antonio was also an Italian immigrant, the son of Luigi Piazza and Luigia Cumerlato. Mary was 18 years old at the time of the marriage.

You can see Mary and Antonio living in St. Louis, Missouri at the time of the 1930 US Census here. Antonio was working as a carpenter for the railroad. They had a daughter, Eleanor, about 1924. Mary died on 24 Apr 1989 at the age of 84. From the SSDI:

Name: Mary A. Piazza
SSN: 497-10-5656
Last Residence: 63357 Marthasville, Warren, Missouri
Born: 14 Aug 1904
Died: 24 Apr 1989
State (Year) SSN issued: Missouri (Before 1951)

Name: Antonio Piazza
SSN: 702-07-8124
Born: 31 Aug 1891
Died: 11 Mar 1975
State (Year) SSN issued: Railroad Board (Issued Through) (Before 1951)

The second oldest child, Elizabeth, married Joseph Menchini. They settled in southern California. Elizabeth was the informant on her mother Clementina's death record. Elizabeth died 12 Feb 1988 at the age of 79 in Los Angeles County, California. From the "California Death Index, 1940-1997," at Ancestry.com:

Name: Elizabeth Menchini
Social Security #: 497-20-4471
Sex: FEMALE
Birth Date: 29 Apr 1908
Birthplace: Missouri
Death Date: 12 Feb 1988
Death Place: Los Angeles
Mother's Maiden Name: Clementina
Father's Surname: Deluca

Name: Joseph Menchini
Social Security #: 378-01-4216
Sex: MALE
Birth Date: 14 Sep 1916
Birthplace: Other Country
Death Date: 20 Jun 1994
Death Place: Los Angeles
Mother's Maiden Name: Menchini

The third oldest child and oldest son, Julius, died at the young age of 20 from tuberculosis. The picture of his tombstone is courtesy of Steve Zulpo, who has done a marvelous history of the families of Rosati.

The fourth oldest child, Rose, is still living.

Next is yet another daughter, Anna. Anna married Piero Joseph Achilli, an Italian immigrant, in 1935. Piero was the son of Amos and Agnes Achilli. They lived much of their married life in Coldwater, Branch, Michigan, before retiring to Payson, Gila, Arizona. They had 3 daughters and one son. Anna died at the age of 64 in Nov 1977. From the SSDI:

Name: Anna Achilli
SSN: 326-12-0780
Last Residence: 85257 Scottsdale, Maricopa, Arizona
Born: 1 Jan 1912
Last Benefit: 85257 Scottsdale, Maricopa, Arizona
Died: Nov 1977
State (Year) SSN issued: Illinois (Before 1951)

Name: Piero Achilli
SSN: 351-03-2285
Last Residence: 85541 Payson, Gila, Arizona
Born: 27 Sep 1911
Died: 10 Apr 2007
State (Year) SSN issued: Illinois (Before 1951)

Anna and Piero are both buried in Holy Reedemer Cemetery in Phoenix. See their memorials at Find-A-Grave here and here.

After Anna comes my brother-in-law's grandfather, Peter Louis De Luca, Jr. He married Living [first name not given due to privacy reasons] Hartman. They lived in Michigan for a short while before settling in southern California. Peter Jr. was the founder of Armtec Defense Products and possessed a number of patents in the development of military arms components. Peter Jr. had three children. He died on 10 Aug 2003 at the age of 86 in Bermuda Dunes, Riverside, California, and is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (formerly Palm Springs Mortuary and Mausoleum) in Cathedral City, Riverside, California. See his memorial at Find-A-Grave here.

The youngest child of Peter Sr. and Clementina was Aileen "Lena" De Luca. Aileen married James Cassettari 30 Oct 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. James was born 1 Oct 1918 in Cook County and died on 8 Sep 1997. Aileen and James had two children. Aileen died 15 Jan 2009 at the age of 90 and was buried 19 Jan 2009 at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums in Hillside, Cook, Illinois. From the SSDI:

Name: Aileen Cassettari
SSN: 486-14-6995
Last Residence: 60108 Bloomingdale, Du Page, Illinois
Born: 29 Jul 1918
Died: 15 Jan 2009
State (Year) SSN issued: Missouri (Before 1951)

See Aileen's memorial at Find-A-Grave here.

I have at least one to two more posts on the De Luca family, so stay tuned.