Category: Genetti Family

Cousins, Family News, Genetti Family, Genetti Shop, Pennsylvania

Reunion Photos and more!

by  •  • 0 Comments
Reunion 2016

Reunion 2016 – please click for a larger view

Thank you to all who made the journey last week to Hazleton! We had a packed house with a total of 152 attendees at the Saturday evening banquet. I hope you had as much fun as I did – meeting new cousins and sharing stories with lots of hugs to go around. I will certainly remember this reunion with fond memories.

Make sure you visit the Reunion page on our website: https://genettifamily.com/reunion-news/. It has been updated with photos from our family weekend. Want to share your own reunion pics? Please email photos with captions to: info.genetti.family@gmail.com. Let’s share our reunion with cousins throughout the world by adding lots of fun candid photographs to this page. Our special thanks to Patricia Genetti (who did all of our table photos), Diane Genetti (who organized our group photo) and Valeria Genetti Bozek (who photographed candid pics of the Saturday presentations). Your contributions allowed us to have photographs online by Saturday evening!

Thanks to Patricia Genetti, we now have a Facebook public group page where our reunion photos were quickly posted. If you are a member of Facebook, click here to go to the “Genetti Family” public group page – and join! As of today, the page has 92 members.

If you missed our Saturday evening program, “The Genetti Family of Castelfondo: Our Journey to America” we have good news! Bill Genetti had the presentation professionally videotaped and it will soon be produced for sale as a DVD. This presentation will make a fantastic Christmas gift for family members or a historic memento to pass down to future generations.

To order, please send a check for $15 (includes shipping) to:

Bill Genetti (address your check to Bill Genetti)
1345 N. Church St.
Hazle Township, PA 18202

Due to the cost, only a limited number of DVDs are being produced. So don’t delay, order your reunion presentation DVD today!

Genetti Family Tree

Family Tree

And one final note, if you are interested in purchasing a Genetti Family Tree Print, a print of our Coat-of-Arms or a beautiful printed chiffon scarf (one of our many reunion door prizes) you’re in luck. The company that provides our fine art prints (Redbubble) is offering us a one day sale of 20% off on all items through the Redbubble store. This offer is for the Genetti family only (not for the general public)! Hurry – the offer is only valid on Monday, October 17th!!!

Please use the unique coupon code of:
twentyoff-GenettiFamily when checking out. You must place your order by midnight, October 17th to receive the 20% discount.

Here is the Redbubble link to our family page where you will find all of our fine art print products: http://www.redbubble.com/people/genettifamily

You can also find Redbubble Fine Art prints at:
Genetti Family Shop page: https://genettifamily.com/shop-2/

Once again, many thanks to everyone who attended and participated in Reunion weekend!

Family News, Genetti Family

A New Leaf on the Family Tree!

by  •  • 2 Comments

TreeSmallOur congratulations to Michael and Bridgid Genetti of St. Louis! On September 29th they welcomed into the world their first child, Gino Joseph Genetti. Michael is the son of Tom and Nancy Genetti, the grandson of Vernon Genetti and the great-grandson of (William) Viglio Genetti of Castelfondo, Tyrol.

Michael’s great-grandfather came to America in the 1880’s, settling in Illinois. There are many descendants of Vigilio – therefore a whole lot of Genetti cousins from this branch of the family!

Our best wishes to little Gino, the newest leaf on our family tree!

To read more about (William) Viglio Genetti, click here.

Genetti Family, News

Reunion Auction of Genetti Art Glass

by  •  • 0 Comments
GenettiBowl2

Rose Geometric Bowl
by Gary Genetti
10″ x 7″

How cool is this – we have a beautiful piece of art glass by master glassblower, Gary Genetti, to auction off during our family reunion! This exquisitely crafted rose-colored bowl has been generously donated by another cousin, Jeanne Genetti Murphy. Jeanne would like the money raised from the sale of Gary’s art, to go towards future Genetti reunions.

At the age of ninety-two, Jeanne is a first generation American. Her parents were Faustino Genetti and Matilda Turri, both born in Castelfondo, Tyrol. Faustino immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1921 and Matilda soon followed.

I have enjoyed several wonderful conversations with Jeanne since she first contacted me in June via email. Gary and Jeanne met at the Philadelphia Craft Show where the artist was exhibiting. It must have been a surprise to both that they shared the same Tyrolean surname! Jeanne and Gary became friends, exchanging stories of their Genetti heritage. (Gary is a descendant of the Illinois Genetti clan.) Jeanne purchased “Rose Geometric Bowl” directly from the artist and it has been a cherished keepsake in her home for many years.

JeanneMurphy1945-cIn July, Jeanne’s son and grandson were driving through New Mexico and gave me a call. We met for a lively lunch and all enjoyed the company of new-found cousins. Thank you Daniel and Jeremiah! It was a pleasure meeting you in-person. I hope to see you both again in the future.

Jeanne also sent me this lovely photo of herself at the age of twenty-one. What a beautiful lady!

Getting back to our auction piece, let me tell you about our talented cousin, Gary Genetti. Gary’s art glass has been exhibited in many galleries and prestigious craft venues. His work is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. and has been featured on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine.

GaryGenettiBio of international glass artist Gary Genetti:

From www.genettiglass.com: “Gary Genetti has been designing and making glass art for over 20 years. Genetti received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in sculpture and graphics from the University of Wisconsin in 1976. In 1978 He began his apprenticeship in a production glass studio and in 1980 established his own studio in rural Warwick, NY.

“When Gary Genetti first started blowing as an apprentice to a local glass maker in Warwick, New York, he felt an immediate connection to the material. Hypnotized by the beauty of the process, he would work all day, then practice blowing glass at night. After opening his own studio he started merging an Italian process called ‘incalmo’; in which partially blown sections of different colored glass are joined while still hot with sandblast etched motifs that recall ancient Greek and Roman pottery. ‘The glass is layered during the blowing with various colors and when cool, the piece is etched to reveal that hidden beauty,'”

A few months ago, when Jeanne first contacted us about the donation, Bill Genetti’s response to me was perfect. He mused how amazing it was that a Genetti descendant was donating a work of art created by another Genetti to a Genetti family reunion where it will be purchased by yet another Genetti descendant to help finance future reunions for more Genetti descendants! I couldn’t agree more – what an astounding cycle of giving back by cousins! (For those of you who don’t know, Bill is from the Hazleton, Pennsylvania Genetti family. He has been organizing Genetti Family Reunions for the past 30 years! Many thanks Bill for bringing our family together.)

Our deepest thanks to Jeanne Genetti Murphy for her very generous donation. We welcome you and your family as new-found cousins!

And thank you Gary Genetti – your amazing masterpieces are part of the collective Genetti Family legacy.

Make sure you bring your check books to Reunion Weekend – I’m sure there will be several family members bidding on Gary’s beautiful art glass!

Want to know more about Gary Genetti, visit his website at: http://genettiglass.com/

Family News, Genetti Family

Reunion Deadline Reminder

by  •  • 0 Comments

Reunion-3smallHey everyone, just a quick reminder – reservations for our Genetti Family Reunion (Oct. 7-9) must be in by this Thursday, September 1st! If you haven’t already mailed your completed reservation form with check, you must do it today!

If you are not a member of the Genetti Family, but would like to attend the Saturday afternoon workshop, “The Basics of DNA Testing”, please complete and mail the Afternoon Workshop Reservation Form. We welcome all members of the community to this special interactive workshop.

I just heard from Bill Genetti in Hazleton, and from the reservations we have already received, over 100 family members from all over the United States are expected to attend reunion weekend! It looks like every branch of the American Genetti family will be represented! How cool is that! What an amazing opportunity to share our Tyrolean heritage!

I look forward to seeing all of you in October!

Links:

Reunion News!

Reunion Weekend Reservation Form (includes all weekend activities)

Saturday Afternoon Workshop Reservation Form (for workshop only)

Workshop Description: The Basics of DNA Testing

Evening Presentation Description: The Genetti Family of Castelfondo: Our Journey to America

Reunion Raffle and Door Prizes

Reunion Sponsors

 

 

 

 

 

Family History, Genetti Family, Pennsylvania

Reunion Photos

by  •  • 0 Comments
1987small

Genetti Family Reunion – 1987 – Hazleton, PA
First Row Seated, L to R: Gus Genetti, Esther Bott Clark, Jean Branz Daly, Catherine Branz LaPorte, Betty Zambotti Reich, Aunt Ann Genetti NcNelis, Leo Zambotti, Catherine Genetti Farkus, Rita Genetti Young, Agnes Bott York, Marianne Genetti, Bill Genetti. 1st Row Standing, L to R: Val Genetti, Gus Genetti III, Joseph LaPorte, Louis Reich, Erma Zambotti, Steve Farkus, Elaine White Young, unknown, unknown, Pat Genetti.

Thanks to Jean Branz Daly, we have just added a few more reunion group photos to our Reunion News page. Take a stroll down memory lane and see what the Genetti family looked like in years past. Click here then scroll to the bottom of the page to see reunions from 1983, 1987, 1992, 1994 and 1995. Jean even provided most of the names for the 1987 photo.

Alas, many of our old-timers are no longer with us. Some who were pictured in the early reunions, were born in Castelfondo, Tyrol (Stanley Genetti, Ann Genetti McNelis). We owe them a debt of gratitude as the first immigrants of our family. They came to Pennsylvania as children, forging a life for future generations. Their children were the first generation to be born in America. Many of our 1st generation family members are also pictured throughout the years (Jean Branz Daly, Catherine Branz LaPorte, Gus Genetti, Bill Genetti, Marianne Genetti, Betty Zambotti Reich).

Can you help identify others in our reunion photos? I know some, but not all. It would be a great gift to the family if we can positively identify each person in all of these photos. If you can help or you were in any of these photos, write me at info.genetti.family@gmail.com with your photo names, reunion year and position in the photo.

Many thanks to Jean Branz Daly (the granddaughter of Damiano and Oliva Genetti). Jean has been a frequent contributor to our family website and we are sincerely grateful! Grazie mille Jean!

Hey – have you sent in your Reunion Reservation yet? Only one week to go before the reservation deadline of September 1st! Don’t miss out on this special event – meet new cousins, hug old cousins, two special presentations, great food and loads of door prizes! It will be a memorable weekend for all, celebrating our Genetti Family heritage!

Check the links below for Reunion info:

Reunion News!

Reunion Reservation Form

Afternoon Workshop: The Basics of DNA Testing

Evening Presentation: The Genetti Family of Castelfondo: Our Journey to America

Reunion Prizes!

Reunion Sponsors

Family News, Genetti Family, Pennsylvania

Reservation Deadline: Sept 1st!

by  •  • 0 Comments

Reunion-3smallHave you mailed your Reunion Reservation Form yet? The reservation deadline is fast approaching – you only have 15 days left to reserve your space for the Genetti Family Reunion 2016 (deadline is September 1st). What are you waiting for?

It’s important that all reservation forms are received by the requested deadline. Patrick at the Genetti Ballrooms needs a head count to reserve the right size room and to plan our meals. Please don’t delay – print your Reservation Form and mail it TODAY with payment. Click here for the online Reunion Reservation Form.

So far we have cousins attending from nine states! And I know from your emails, there are many more of you who are making the trip to Hazleton but haven’t sent in your reservations yet.

Only 50 days left until “Reunion 2016: A Gathering of Genetti Descendants.” Reunion Weekend, October 7-9, will give you the opportunity to meet new cousins, share family stories and learn about our shared ancestry. If you have enjoyed reading our family website, we have so much more to tell you during our special DNA workshop and evening presentation. Each and every one of you is a vital part of our Genetti heritage! We look forward to your attendance and participation at this event to celebrate our family and the centuries of history that came before us.

Stop by the Reunion News Page for updates and to read about our weekend presentations:

The Basics of DNA Testing

The Genetti Family of Castelfondo: Our Journey to America

Don’t hesitate – print out your reservation form and get it in the mail today!

I look forward to seeing all of you in October!

Family News, Genetti Family, News

Reunion Updates

by  •  • 0 Comments

Update: The Basics of DNA Testing

DNAhelixWe have received several requests from non-family members who would like to attend our Saturday afternoon workshop: “The Basics of DNA Testing“. So due to “popular demand” we have decided to open the workshop to the community with a small admission fee.

Have a friend who might benefit from this lively, interactive workshop? Please invite them and share the following info:

If you are NOT a Genetti descendant but live in the Hazleton area and would like to learn more about DNA testing, there is an admission fee of $10 to attend the afternoon workshop. Reservations are required with a deadline of September 15th (for workshop only). To make reservations, please click here for the Workshop Reservation Form.  Have questions? Click here for our online Contact Form.

If you are a Genetti descendant, attending the reunion weekend and have made a reservation for the evening Banquet Dinner, the Saturday workshop and after-dinner presentation are included in your reservation fee (there is no additional charge or reservation needed for either presentation with the purchase of your banquet dinner).

TreeSmallUpdate: Reunion Sponsors

Thank you to the generous people and companies who have supported Genetti Family Reunion 2016! Your donations and in-kind gifts are most appreciated. Click here to visit our new Reunion Sponsor page.

 

XmasOrnamentUpdate: Reunion Prizes

Stop by and see all of the goodies donated to our Reunion Weekend. You’re sure to walk away with some super Genetti “swag”. Click here to see Reunion Prizes.

 

 

Reminder:

The reservation deadline is fast approaching! All reservations for Reunion activities must be in by September 1st! Visit our Reunion News! page for more info. Click here to download your 2016 Genetti Reunion Reservation Form.

 

Family Stories, Genetti Family

The Story of a Mailbox

by  •  • 1 Comment

HermanGenettiMailbox

Every week I receive emails from cousins near and far. Many have family stories or photos to share with me. But an email I received last week, was truly unusual in nature! It came from a gentleman named Gerard Loeve who lives in The Netherlands. Gerard tracked down our family website via search, because he was intrigued by the name on a mailbox! I love this story – how a total stranger from another country connect to our family through a photo taken 36 years ago on a trek through the American southwest. Here is Gerard’s email. I’m sure you’ll find his tale totally charming!

“My name is Gerard Loeve from Gouda, The Netherlands. In 1980 I traveled the western part of the U.S. with two of my best friends. After our U.S. visit I have been so fortunate to see much more of the globe between 1980 and the present day. Most of my travels were before digital photography and part of the heritage of my travels is a collection of 26,000 slides. A couple of years back I started digitizing (scanning) my nicest and/or most interesting slides (in random travel order). It is a very time consuming process, but the reward is huge. I ‘live’ it all once more and my collection is preserved for ever, also in ‘the cloud’.

You must be wondering what all this has to do with you. I will explain. I am presently scanning the slides of my 1980 visit I mentioned above. One of them was taken in Wyoming along a desolate road. My two friends are standing next to the car in the distance. In the forefront of the picture there are a number of typical US mailboxes we don’t see in Europe. After scanning, removing dust & scratches and executing other improvements, I noticed a name on the nearest box: Herman Genetti.

For some reason his name intrigued me and I started a search on the internet where I came across your ‘The Genetti Family Genealogy Project’. After some reading and surfing on your very impressive website (my compliments!), I am almost convinced the mailbox must have belonged to the Herman Angelo Genetti who wrote ‘Herman’s Howling’s’, the book which is mentioned on your website. Since slides do not contain any meta data, I have been doing some more puzzling. The picture was taken in southern direction on October 4, 1980, along road 189, somewhere in the La Barge, Wyoming surroundings, where Herman used to live, as far as I figure.

Why I have been doing the search I can not explain. Maybe because my wife’s aunt is also from Southern Tirol (Quero, near Belluno). Her aunt owns a very famous Ice Parlor in The Hague and we have visited Italy very often. We have a ‘thing’ for Italy I suppose. I don’t know. Of course I told my wife about the above and she suggested I should tell you my little story and send you the picture. So here we are. I do not know if my story is of any interest to you, so please do with it what you like.

Of course, you will find ‘the’ 1980 slide scan, the trigger for all this, attached to this mail.”

I agree with Gerard – this must have been Herman Genetti’s mailbox located along the side of the road in La Barge, Wyoming!

Our thanks to Gerard for sharing this story with us! I hope one day to visit he and his wife in The Netherlands – and we will raise a toast to our ancestor, Herman Genetti!

If you haven’t already, check out Herman’s biography “Herman’s Howlings” on our website: click here to read the digital version of his book.

Family News, Genetti Family

Reunion Prizes!

by  •  • 0 Comments
Stein

Genetti Stein

We have collected oodles of door prizes, raffle prizes, give-a-ways and even an auction piece for the upcoming Genetti Reunion. If you are planning to attend the weekend festivities, there’s a great chance you will go home with some fabulous Genetti goodies!

Look what “swag” has been donated so far:

  • Free copies of FILÒ Magazine: A Quarterly Magazine for Tyrolean Americans
  • Subscriptions for Ancestry.com and Newspaper.com
  • Autosomal DNA kits from Ancestry.com
  • Lots of cool items from our Genetti Family Shop
  • A beautiful piece of Art Glass by Gary Genetti (generously donated by Jeanne Murphy Genetti)

Descriptions of all prizes and give-a-ways are online at: Reunion Prizes!

AncestryDNA

Ancestry DNA Kits

Have any interesting family-related items that you would like to donate to the reunion as a door prize? I’m thinking along the lines of vintage or collectible Genetti memorabilia – or books related to our Tyrolean heritage. Maybe you are an artist, writer, craftsman or musician and would like to share a small piece of your art with us. Do you own a business? How about donating a gift certificate to your establishment. All donations will be included on our Reunion Prizes page as well as our Sponsor page (to be posted soon!). What creative ideas can you come up with?  Email me at info.genetti.family@gmail.com if you have a door prize donation and I will send you delivery instructions.

Only 67 days until Genetti Family Reunion 2016! Have you sent in your registration yet? Click here to download your Reservation Form. Remember – all reservations must be in by September 1st!

 

Ancestors, Castelfondo, Italy, Family History, Genetti Family

Photos from the Past, Part 2

by  •  • 2 Comments
AngelineGenettiRecla

Raffael Recla (1864-1896) with wife Angeline Maddalena Genetti (1865-1937), children: Lawrence, Leonela, Frances. Photographed in 1891, Hazleton, PA

Back in June, I wrote about a cache of cabinet cards discovered on eBay by Giovanni Marchetti of Castelfondo. (Click here to read the original post of this amazing story!)

Since many of the picture postcards are not clearly labeled, I’m using whatever clues I have to identify these ancestral ghosts from the past. When I first received the digital images from Giovanni, I immediately recognized a postcard of my grandfather, Leon Genetti, with his cousin Peter Zambotti. It was also easy to translate the handwritten message on the back of their card, giving positive proof that this was indeed two of my relatives.

OK – one postcard identified, nineteen more to go!

Browsing through the ancient sepia photos, I looked for more obvious clues – something that easily jumped out at me. There it was – a portrait of a young family, with the name of the photography studio and its location stamped on front. It said Hazleton! The back of the card offered no identification. But as I examined the photograph, something in the back of my memory clicked in place. The mother, dressed in Victorian black, staring stoically into the camera, looked very familiar. I had seen her before, but where?

Then I remembered – she resembled a charcoal drawing sent to me by Don Lingousky of his great-grandmother, Angela Maddalena Genetti Recla. The beautiful portrait had been created by Angela’s adopted son, Henry Parisi Recla. Immediately I went to the Photograph section on our family website and scanned down the page. Eureka! It was a match! Henry had used the original postcard as a model for his drawing.

angela genetti portrait

Angeline Maddalena Genetti Recla (1865 – 1937), charcoal portrait by her adopted son, Henry Parisi Recla.

I couldn’t believe my good luck! I immediately emailed Don Lingousky with my surprise. His response: “Wow, we’re stunned! We have never seen the photo before, but it is clearly the same one that our portrait of Angeline Maddalena was taken from. What a great find, just can’t believe all these photos ended up on eBay of all places. I also do not have any photos of my grandmother as a child [Leonela], so that is really interesting too. Thank you!”

And so, another photo in this mystery group has been identified. After receiving Don’s confirmation, I returned to Giovanni’s Facebook page, Chei da Chastelfon, and properly labeled the portrait as follows:

“Raffael Recla (1864-1896) con la moglie Angeline Maddalena Genetti (1865-1937), bambini: Lawrence, Leonela, Frances. Fotografato su 1891, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, USA.”

Again our sincere thanks to Giovanni Marchetti for rescuing our priceless family memories! Molta grazie!

Want to know more about Angeline Maddalena Genetti Recla? A courageous woman and an inspirational ancestor, Angeline’s life will be cameoed in our reunion evening program: The Genetti Family of Castelfondo: Our Journey to America (click here to read about the presentation).

And by-the-way, you can meet Angeline’s great-grandson Don in person – he will be co-presenting our DNA workshop during Reunion weekend!

See you at the Reunion in October!