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This is my husband’s maternal grandfather, Andrew Ferrera. We are fortunate to have this old photo of him when he was young. It is in perfect condition and we all love it.\u00a0 He was quite the dapper young man, wasn’t he?\u00a0 I think the pinky ring is a nice touch and the fancy stockings!\u00a0 I love that we can have this glimpse of what young, Italian men were like in the early 1900s.<\/p>\n
Andrew left the ‘old country’ by himself and sailed for America and better opportunities when he was 18 years old. He came into New York but moved to Montclair, New Jersey where his two older brothers settled earlier. The first few years Andrew worked with them in their grocery business as a fruitier and then became a full partner in the business.\u00a0 He owned several neighborhood stores throughout his life after moving to California.<\/p>\n
He married Marguerite Franchini on February 24, 1924, in New York City, NY. She was also Italian and from the same Province in Italy. She was born in San Colombano, Genoa, Italy. They had one daughter, Gloria Marie born in Monleone, Italy in 1926. Gloria is my husband’s mother.\u00a0 Jim’s rich Italian heritage is very important to me.\u00a0 I have loved knowing them and learning about their culture since I met them back in the mid-60s.\u00a0 Having since traveled to where the Ferreras lived in Tasso, Italy, they are even more dear to me now.<\/p>\n
They have left a strong legacy for their posterity.\u00a0 They were very strong in their bonds with anyone that was family.\u00a0 They had more cousins that you can imagine. Some were biological and some were invited.\u00a0 As we know, when immigrating to America, most ethnicities clustered together and the Ferreras were not an exception to that rule.\u00a0 If you were from the same community or province and you met in America, you were cousins. Period.\u00a0 What they did not fully realize is that, in fact, they were most definitely cousins in many cases.\u00a0 I have been privileged to see evidence of this in many of Andrew’s ancestors going back to the 1600s.<\/p>\n
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Grampa was the sweetest man and I thought of him as my grandfather too. Look at that face.\u00a0 Look at the character in that handsome, wrinkled face.\u00a0 This is how I remember him. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word. He adored his grandsons and was a good father and husband. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. He was humble and so kind. He treated us so well, always making sure we were comfortable and happy. One time I remember I was not feeling well while at their house. He insisted I lie down on their couch while he brought me a blanket and some tea. For Grampa, a little rest and a cup of tea fixed everything.\u00a0 He was a simple man and a simply wonderful man.<\/p>\n
He loved people and he cared for others all the time. We moved to a neighborhood where his grocery store was right across the street from our home. He was the grocery store owner and the entire neighborhood loved him. They knew him as Andy, we knew him as Grampa Andrew, but his given name was Antonio. When he left Tasso, Italy and came to America, he changed to it to Andrew. We found this typed on the back of his naturalization papers.\u00a0 I admire those who emigrated from their homelands and came to America.\u00a0 \u00a0They were courageous and brave.\u00a0 It must have been heart-wrenching to leave their mothers, fathers, and siblings. when in some cases, they would never see them again. They worked hard and created a wonderful life in America.<\/p>\n
Why is this story important to us? Because the trials and tribulations that Andrew went through by coming here, made it possible for us to be a family. His choices determined our destiny as a family. Our children and grandchildren are enriched by these amazing ancestors and others.\u00a0 Likewise, our choices will affect generations to come.<\/p>\n
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This photo is my favorite photo in our entire collection.\u00a0 This is Grampa Andrew with our only son, Christopher Andrew.\u00a0 A great grandfather’s love for this baby boy and his love for his great grandfather is obvious and palpable. To me, this photo is worth a thousand words.\u00a0 Our family has honored Andrew Ferrera with two children, our son and our grandson, Ross whose middle name is also Andrew.\u00a0 Their great and 2nd great grandfather is known to all of our kids and grandchildren.\u00a0 They understand that he is literally a part of them and that his blood runs through their veins.\u00a0 This changes kids and strengthens them.\u00a0 Just knowing about their ancestors’ stories, has a huge impact on who they become. All of us, as family historians have a golden opportunity to leave these stories for our posterity.<\/p>\n
I have made it one of my goals for the rest of my life, to try to capture and record as many of these stories for them as I can.\u00a0 We all have ancestors like Andrew that deserve to be remembered and honored in any way we can.\u00a0 We are all blessed to have the technology and desire to find our ancestors, but it is the stories derived from the records we find, that create our love for them and bond us together as families.<\/p>\n
Bob Taylor’s recent blog post<\/a> inspired me to write this one.\u00a0 This blog post<\/a> by our management team member, Angelle Anderson is also wonderful.\u00a0 We have so many tools in the Family History Guide and on Family Search, Ancestry, My Heritage, and Findmypast, to assist us in doing this great work of preserving these memories.\u00a0 I think, if not me, then who?\u00a0 If not now, then when?<\/p>\n