findingphilblog

The kind volunteer researchers at the Diocese of Pittsburgh dug through their records and, sadly, they came up with very little information.

The results of my search came by email today (two weeks earlier than promised!) and all I was able to glean were the baptismal records of all three kids at Our Lady Help of Christians.

That, in itself, is somewhat interesting. The records revealed:

Maria was born Aug. 5th, 1905, and baptized May 3, 1906. Her godparents were Antonio Esposito and Giusippina Brendisi. Phil, of course, was born March 14,1907, and baptized May 12, 1907. His godparents were Francesco Scalise and Maria Barretta. And finally, Joe, was born Dec. 10, 1908, and baptized on Oct.17, 1909. His godparents were Giuseppe Balotta and Teserina Liberto.

They disappear from the records of OLHC after this. Mary’s confirmation does not show up in the records of the single Catholic church in Sewickley, St. James. They weren’t found in Millvale’s church, either.

Perhaps the most useful bit of this search is where they are not. The church searched their orphanage records. They were not at St. Paul’s, St. Anthony’s, or, as Grammy incorrectly remembered, the Toner Institute.

I’m left with the eternal question. Where did they go? Particularly between their mother’s death and their presence with Pasquale in 1920, and again between Pasquale’s death and their placement with the Brenckles, who was taking care of three preteen children?

There’s a final lever I haven’t pulled, and that’s seeking the adoption file itself. It would take a court order. Yes, even nearly 100 years after adoption, in a situation where both the biological parents are dead, the adoptive parents are dead and the adoption was NEVER a secret, you still have to get a court order to see the records.

I’ll have to think it over. I suppose, in the best light, I can view this real-life plot hole as an opportunity for liberal fiction for the book. But a part of me is sad. Not only because I can’t seem to crack this riddle, but it raises the possibility that they endured hardships beyond what I can even imagine. In an era when religious identity and ritual were community, it’s possible they were so disconnected from people who cared that no one was looking out for their religious education. That is where this story no longer becomes an intellectual puzzle. It is the life of three very real human beings, who experienced this horror with NO assurance things would come out better on the other side.

It’s almost a decade since I started unraveling this tale, and I still have a gaping hole in my timeline of events. From Severina’s death in 1917 until Mary, Phil and Joe emerge living with Pasquale in the 1920 Census, the public record on their whereabouts goes silent. And it’s silent again until Phil and Joe get caught up in the headlines concerning the Brenckle fire.

I realize, after scratching around in my paperwork, I never did get around to sending a records request to the one place that could help fill it in: The Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The Diocese has a trove of searchable records, including First Holy Communion and Confirmation records. Now, on their genealogical information page, they try to dissuade you from these records because the information they provide is extremely limited. It’s not worth the $15 search fee, they say.

Glad that they’re so honest, and it might be true if that’s where you’re beginning your search. In the case of Mary, Phil and Joe, a tiny scrap of fact could crack open a world of information. Mary would have been seven or eight at the time of her First Holy Communion. This is probably the last family event the Venezias would have experienced together.

My grandfather and Joe’s First Holy Communions would have been during a more tumultuous time, around the era of their mother’s remarriage and death. But it’s the Confirmation records that have real merit. All three Confirmations would have occurred in the period after they were orphaned, but before they came to live at the Brenckles.

The Diocesan collection offers a final tantalizing bit of possibility: Orphanage records. I have requested they search all their records for Phil and Joe, from 1920-1923. Whether they can do that legally under Pennsylvania law, I don’t know. The worst they can say is no.

In one of my old childhood diaries, I dedicated a few pages to Grandpa’s story. I interviewed Grammy (yes, I’ve been a reporter since I was, like, 9), asking for a full recounting of her memories. When I asked about the orphanage, Toner Institute is the name she came up with. It seems too specific to be wrong, but once I started researching it never made sense. While it was a home for boys, it was in Brookline, over near Mt. Lebanon, far from Pittock. What’s more, how could a child placed at an orphanage over there end up at a farm in Troy Hill? But I’ll readily admit that I don’t know the mechanics of Allegheny County’s farming out policies. More likely choices seem to be St. Anthony’s (for orphans of Italian descent, but all the way over in Oakmont), St. Paul’s Orphan Asylum (Crafton), or the orphanage it merged with, Holy Family Institute (Avalon, all the way across the Ohio River, but directly opposite Pittock). An outlier is St. Joseph’s. It’s located in Troy Hill, but seems to have catered to German orphans.

I’m putting the letter in the mail tonight, and then it will take four weeks to fulfill the request. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

As promised, here’s another interesting blog for anyone interested in the history of the places I’ve mentioned here.

Discovering Historic Pittsburgh is Jonathon Denson’s photo blog on his efforts to capture the remaining parts of this historic city (and its environs) before they’re gone.

Here’s his effort on Stowe, which includes Pittock. I’m going to ask him a question myself, as I can’t really ever seem to pinpoint where Fleming Park Avenue (where Pasquale lived with the kids in 1920).

I found him through a wider group, The McKees Rocks Historical Society. They do quite a good job on Facebook. Lots of cool old pictures and memories.

I realized I forgot to upload the image of my Ancestry prize pack! As promised, a cool little box showed up about two weeks ago.

For my winning caption, I got a nice coffee mug, magnifier, pens, a tote (that little sack, it has a grocery sack inside), a jump drive, mints and a nice note.

Cool!