Potential Changes

After speaking with Olive last night, there are a couple of potential changes in the offing. I was told that both Phil and Paul were born in Philadelphia. Now, it appears the there were TWO Pauls. The first may be been born in Philly, but the second, our Paul of Spezzano Drive, was born in Greenwich Hospital. Olive remembers a story about the first Paul being born in the little apartment (Olive named the street and I promptly forgot it) and the midwife telling Andreana to enjoy the baby because it wouldn't live. Harsh, harsh words to a new mother, but apparently accurate. That Paul may not have lived more than eight or nine months. Olive didn't remember what was wrong with the baby, but perhaps some one else in the family will recall it.

We talked about the pictures of the WWI and WWII draft registrations for John Sr. and Paul Sr. She mentioned that Peter Sr. didn't register because of his back problems. I had heard that story from John Peter about how Phil and Paul had to start work very early in their lives because their father had broken his back while working. He had to work at the Town Farm in exchange for a stipend which wasn't enough to take care of the family. The registrations were interesting because they show the family living on Grigg St. which was the name of St. Roch Avenue before the Sardinians in the neighborhood united and put up the church. Does anyone know how they picked St. Roch for their patron and how the name of the street changed?

What was told so far was that the Sardinians were made to feel unwelcome at the Catholic church up on the Post Road. They petitioned for a church of their own in the neighborhood and were turned down by the diocese. In a typical Sardinian way, they proceeded to build the church out of stone after work each day as the majority of them were stonemasons. Once they had a building, they went back to the diocese and asked for a priest. In the face of that determination, the church gave in and sent a priest. In the Josephine Evaristo history at the Town library, she states that the church window was donated by a neighborhood boy who made it to the legislature. She hints at a certain amount of coercion being placed on him, but the story is not fleshed out.

The second correction that Olive made was the story about Phil and Bonnie coming back on their bike, married. She says that they were married here in Greenwich and she will provide pictures of it. Terrific! This blog is not about whether the story is correct or not, it is about sharing what we've been told and getting it all straight before the people who lived it are all gone. If we have two different versions, so be it. It gives us more information to work with and more places to check to determine which is the more correct rendition. That, and it's all good fun.

One of the principles of uniting a group of individuals into a family is the ongoing mythology of the group. The thought of uniting such a .... shall we say "strong willed".... set of people such as the living Cappialis, their spouses, and relatives, as well as those incredibly tough immigrant forebearers, is daunting to say the least. That, and the fact that they all talk at the same time. At least this way, everyone can be heard and we might actually knit this into a real story of coming to America that everyone can read and pass along to their children. As a public service, it may become mandatory reading for anyone thinking of marrying in.

So, bring on the stories of these colorful people who in one generation spread from Europe across the US. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were setting up a flanking movement to conquer the country. If there are corrections to be made, fine. But let us preserve the stories that give depth to this family's history and give the individuals of today and tomorrow an understanding of the people who came before them.