Since I discovered his existence, I’ve been curious about Mike Natale. I wondered about the man he was, what motivated him and, most importantly, what compelled him to walk away from three children who’d just lost their mother.

There are plenty of good men out there who step up to the plate and raise other people’s children — whether they’re uncles, stepfathers, grandfathers or good friends. Why was Mike Natale not among them? Heck, even Pasquale, such as he was, took his niece and nephews in.

I’ve found no indication that the siblings remained with Mike after their mother died. And if she was in the hospital for a month, it could be possible they were shipped to Pasquale’s before that.

Natale is a hard name to trace because there are many, many, many Natales. With a first name like Michele (Mike), it’s is even harder. I at least have his birthdate from the marriage record in 1916.

So, I do what so often ends up working for me. I Google and Ancestry until I come up with … something.

What I found tonight could offer an enormous explanation. Once again, it was a variation of the name (which you can set filters for on Ancestry) that brought up the hit.

If it’s true, it adds a whole new dimension to my grandfather’s brief life with his stepfather.

You see, the Mike Nataley I found, who was Italian, the correct age, was a widower and living in Allegheny County was, in 1920, living in an insane asylum.

If this is indeed the same man who for a year was Phil’s stepfather, it would go a long way to explaining why he didn’t, or perhaps couldn’t, take care of the siblings. It also creates a very sobering picture of what life might have been like for my grandfather in his home.

And it becomes even harder to judge “what kind of man” this stepfather was in light of this information. He could have been undone by grief and been dealing with a variant of depression. Mental illness was so incredibly misunderstood in this era people were locked up for things we treat successfully with talk therapy and medication today. He also truly could have had something very serious such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, which even today can require hospitalization. He could have been an addict. I don’t know. And what’s more, I don’t know if this Mike Natale(y) is our Mike.

So I’m Shoeboxing it until I find further supporting evidence.

And I’m left to wonder. Not just about Mike, but one of the perpetual questions of my search. What happened to Mike and Saverina’s baby?