findingphilblog

Thankful for the Carnegie Library — Again

Look at this. Just look at it. I’ve had it in my possession for two days now and I can’t stop staring at it.

This is the first time I’ve seen my grandfather this young. And oh, what a picture it is. It was on the front page of the Pittsburgh Dispatch. It was taken the morning after the fire.

You may not be able to see it very well, but that’s Phil on the far left. Joe, Marion Drost and her brothers, are all standing in front of steps that go to the shell of the burned out house. I stare and stare at Grandpa’s face. In spite of the blur, I can see the despair in his eyes. His jaw is clenched.

Of all the material I found over the last 48 hours, this is the most amazing.

I knew the story was front-page, but a photo like that makes it so viscerally real to me. How many times have Jason and I been on the opposite side of the lens? I feel like I can see the scene going on all around the edges of this picture so clearly.

I won’t be able to link the material I found because I copied it all off microfiche and it doesn’t look like any of the other papers were part of the Google News Archive project. I’ll just have to summarize.

Pittsburgh had half a dozen major newspapers that covered the area. How they approached the story depended on their proximity and, to be honest, objectivity. Some, like the Press and the Gazette, were pretty straightforward. The Dispatch, News Chronicle and Sun, along with a few others, were a more lurid in their coverage. And one paper, I forget which one, got so much wrong in the initial report that I was glad the reporter’s name wasn’t memorialized. I’d have been mortified.

But all that helped me get a much clearer picture of what happened that night because certain facts are consistent throughout the reporting.

They include:

Howard Lager being on the phone with a woman who was not his wife at about midnight on the night of the fire (he was married at the time, but his wife and child were living elsewhere.)
Howard sounding the alarm that roused the house
Howard waking Phil first and the two of them fighting the fire in the kitchen together with pitchers.(This fact just wrenched my heart. He must have been terrified. The fact he escaped out the kitchen window made it all the more harrowing.)
Howard going back upstairs through the flames to rescue his niece and nephew (Anna Mae and Buddy). He saved them and himself by tossing the kids down to Raymond and then climbing down a porch support.
A central furnace had just been installed in the house. Howard recalled the vents on the floor were hot as he passed over them and there was an odor of “varnish” in the air near them.
Phil and Joe corroborating Howard’s statement of the night’s events when on the stand during the inquest.

There were also some very interesting revelations:

The Brenckles had homemade wine and were drinking it that evening. This was during the height of Prohibition. Homemade wine was allowed, but of course anyone who drank was vilified.Oopsie.
There was a fight on the evening before the fire between Myrtle, Howard and Cecilia over a ring. Howard had apparently given it to Cecilia (uh…). Myrtle was flipping out over it. Cecilia returned the ring that evening.
No one saw Cecilia after she went upstairs to bed. She never made it out of the house.
There was confusion among the fire companies over who covered the fire. The property is between Reserve and Ross. The call to their version of 911 went into the city first. There was a significant delay in getting help out to the house.
John Orlowski may have gone back into the house because he wanted to rescue his dog. I can’t even think about how sad that is right now.
The Coroner was really, really hard on Raymond Brenckle. He all but accused the Brenckles of letting the kids burn while they worried about their own family.
The county’s Juvenile Court System was on trial, too. A number of the papers made some pretty good hay out of renting kids out for farmwork. The county paid about $5 a week for their care. When the trial concluded without an indictment, there were lots of speeches and pronouncements about how the District Attorney and President Judge would keep investigating, demanding answers. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. I’ve sat now about 60 hours in front of mircrofiche and intranet search. I don’t see a scintilla of follow-up on this case. At least, until the next tragedy.

I’m in Pittsburgh to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mary Ann, Mike and my cousins, so it’s been incredible sharing these revelations with them. And I’m feeling even more thankful that none of us ever had to live through something like this.

November 25, 2010 0

For Grammy

WeddingPics Grammy Helen would have been 95 today. I am missing her something fierce because I wish I could share all these amazing discoveries with her.

So, instead, I’m posting this. When Jason and I got married, I carried my bouquet. But all the way into the church, I carried these. A picture of Grammy and Grandpa on their wedding day, along with a picture of my mom’s parents, Doris and Richard Krajenke. They were married on the fly in California just before my grandpa shipped out for World War II, so that picture is the closest we have.

The picture of Helen and Phil came from Mary Ann, along with a necklace. The necklace was made out of the only piece of Grammy’s trousseau to survive — a faux pearl earring. It was one of the best and most meaningful gifts I’d ever gotten in my life. And you can imagine the tears of two dozen women when I read the sweet note she included out loud at my bridal shower. It was awesome.

Before she was Mom or Grammy, she was Helen Dorothy Spock, born in Uniontown, Fayette County, to Slovak parents. Her father, John Spock, ran a general store that was a popular destination for recent immigrants. Her mother, Mary, raised the kids and sometimes worked the meat counter.

Helen was the middle of seven children. She never said so, but in the subsequent years I’ve learned her childhood was not exactly a happy one. But she was extremely smart. She graduated the valedictorian of her class in Uniontown.

She came to Allegheny County because her parents refused to send her any sort of secondary schooling. So she moved to Dormont to live with one of her sisters, who was already married. She found work at Donahoe’s Market as a checkout and stockgirl.

And guess who was working the produce section.

Funny story. Apparently, Grandpa used to like to tease Grammy before he got the courage to ask her out. The story goes that Grammy hated overripe bananas. She loved almost-green ones. So, on her break, Grammy used to go back to produce and Phil would give her a banana. “I saved the old ones for you. Just like you like,” he’d always say. And she’d get so mad because she’d had told him over and over that she didn’t.

And of course, he totally did remember. He just liked to see her get feisty and then have a chance to make up to her.

They got married in October of 1943.

October 29, 2010 0

In which I hit the information motherlode

All I can say is I freakin’ LOVE you, Ancestry!!

In the intervening months, I also circled in on the exact town where we are from. Sorbo San Basile. I cracked up when I found out they had their own website. There were pictures of people at local festivals and daggoneit if every single person didn’t look somewhat like me and my dad. Here’s the site.

It’s a speck on the map, really. So, if Catanzaro Province is like Pennsylvania and Catanzaro the city is like Harrisburg, then Sorbo San Basile is like Newburg. Someone from Newburg isn’t truly from Harrisburg. And when you start talking researching records, you’ve got to be specific.

Ancestry has message boards where you can post questions to see if you can connect. Well, I figure I might as well get on the Italy boards and see what’s what. There’s actually a forum for people searching Catanzaro, so I post there with Francesco and Saverina’s information.

I wait awhile and get a few responses. Then one guy tells me I need to check out a woman by the name of Dina. She’s apparently the person I want to connect with.

When we finally do connect, she combs through her extensive catalog of research and comes up with gold. This is our town, all right, and we go back a long way.

The name Venezia is not a “real” last name, per se. Italians would give orphaned babies the last name Esposito (meaning exposed. aw.) or the name of a large city in Italy. Based on the records in her tree, Francesco’s father Filippo Aristodemo Esposito Venezia (that’s a mouthful), was an orphan.

And get this. In the old days, churches in Italy had these things called “ruta.” They were little wheels that were in the exterior walls. There was a basket on the wheel. You can probably see where this is going. People put babies in the basket, turned the wheel so the baby was inside, rang a bell and ran. The nuns and priests took in the child.

It’s crazy how history repeats itself. Filippo was an orphan. Phil, who was likely named for his grandfather in the traditional Italian way, was an orphan. I realize that if my dad lives to see his grandchildren, he will be the first Venezia man in more than 100 years to do so. But, you know, no pressure. 🙂

That’s Francesco’s father. But it turns out Filippo Aristodemo married pretty well. Maria Giuseppa Gagliardi was from Sorbo’s upper class. The men in her family, Dina said, would have had the honorific Don Gagliardi, meaning landowner. OK, so it’s no castle in Italy, but it’s still pretty cool.

In hooking my tree up to Dina’s, I’ve discovered lines that go all the way back to the 1500s. I’ll probably never know exactly what we were before Venezia, but I’m still pretty proud to claim them. Dina’s not found much of anything on Severina, so there’s still that angle to pursue.

In the meantime, I’m savoring the thrill of truly, finally finding home for my dad and our family.

September 1, 2010 0

What we learned at the inquest

The Coroner’s Inquest has arrived and it left me feeling a little empty. There was some good stuff, for sure, but what was missing was the transcript. Surely, somewhere in the bowels of the Allegheny County archives, there must the record of what was said during the hearing over whether the fire was intentionally set.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy to have it. It’s part of my general research on the case itself and it fills in a few details.

** WARNING: GRUESOME DISCUSSION AHEAD.**

So, anyway, the details of the kids’ deaths are pretty horrible. And the autopsy records are the stuff of nightmares.They were incinerated virtually beyond recognition. All that was left of poor Cecilia was the middle of her body. Poor little John was a head, upper torso and part of a femur. What’s interesting, and frankly odd, is that the coroner DUG UP THE BODIES to autopsy them. Uh, wait. What? Doesn’t a coroner hold a body and then release it for burial after a cause of death is decided? The bodies were buried shortly after Dec. 13th. The autopsy was conducted on the 30th. Both autopsy reports note the putrid odor of the remains.

I missed that little, about the hasty burial, when I read that article about the funeral services. I’d presumed the autopsy had been performed before the burial.

All that was left of both children was bones wrapped in a tarp. My heart broke for them. And for their parents. Yes, parents. In re-reading that funeral article, I also saw that the Drost kids father was still alive, as was John Orlowski’s father. Both are mentioned as having either attended the service or were being sought for contact. Phil and Joe were the only “true” orphans in this equation.

It was interesting to see that the Coroner’s office provided a Press Report, which contained the verdict, all the witnesses and general information about the deceased.

There was also a Proof of Identity document for Cecilia and John. Each contains critical information, such as when they were remanded to care and when they came to live at the Brenckles. I note that Camilla Barr, whose name appears in conjunction with Mary Venezia’s petition to have South Side Trust named as guardian of the money Pasquale left her, was the person in charge of Cecilia.

The cause of death, obviously, was incineration. Nothing further could be determined by the remains, including the sex of each body, according to the doctor who performed the autopsy — DeWayne Ritchey of Mercy Hospital. That fact was probably what made it hard for the jury to indict Howard Lager.

** OK TO RESUME READING IF YOU SKIPPED THE LAST PART **

Another interesting find was that Walter Black was indeed the person who oversaw the cases of all the children at the Brenckles. So, he was Phil and Joe’s caseworker. Interesting that the head of the department was the person overseeing them.

The documents also show that John had come to the farm roughly the same time as the Drosts. All things being equal, I’m going to go ahead and just figure Phil and Joe did as well. It looks as if the Brenckles were purposefully taking in sibling groups. Some people may quibble with me on this, but I think it’s at least a little kind-hearted. It’s pretty meaningful for kids who face the kinds of trauma all of them faced to have their siblings.

But what I really need is that transcript! If I’m going to really find the truth, I’m going to have to know exactly what was said by whom and when. I think my next stop is probably the State Archives.

June 5, 2010 0

Francesco Venezia, citizen

OK. This is super-cool.

Turns out Francesco actually undertook the Naturalization process and became a citizen.That ship manifest marking page told me that the stamp I’d seen all those years ago over his name “US Citizen Discharge on Pier” was meant for US citizens returning from abroad.

Now, I know that two years before he got married, Francesco gave up on old Victor Emanuel of Italy in favor of Teddy Roosevelt. Well, who wouldn’t right?

Ancestry has an awesome set of Naturalization records and it was there that I found Francesco. In addition, I now know that he came to the US through Ellis Island in April 1891.

The document shows that a buddy of his vouched for his character and honor. Even more interesting, it shows both of them lived in Fleming Park. Ring a bell? Yup. Pittock.

In marrying Francesco, Saverina would have gotten a “citizen discharge” on the pier, too.

There’s a lot of affirmation and a little bit of new material here. Mostly, though, it just shows me that Francesco was probably a pretty stand-up guy.

April 12, 2010 0

While I wait

I’ve filled out my request for the Coroner’s Inquest. It’s times like this I’m so happy I work in news. I feel like what I do for a living prepared me for tackling this big mystery.

I think, though, that I need to get back to Pittsburgh and see if there are any other newspaper accounts of the fire. And anything else that might be relevant.

To bide my time, I’ve been following some of the threads from my 2006 search.

I start fishing Ancestry for information on the Brescia brothers. I find a manifest from one of the trips that brought Pasquale back over from Italy. This one was in 1905. It’s an addendum to the regular manifest called “Aliens Held for Special Inquiry.”

It looks like Pasquale was detained at Ellis Island. The reason says “LPC.” What’s LPC stand for? It looks like a lot of people on this roster fell into that category. And thanks to this handy little website, which I found in Google, now I know. It means “likely public charge.”

Oh Pasquale. Buddy. You’re not doing yourself any favors.

I also find a record card for a Cesare Brescia, from the “old man” draft during World War II. I can’t be sure this is him, though, because when I check the associated World War I card, it comes up with a name of a town in Italy I don’t recognize and the fact that he’s married and living in Sewickley. None of it rings a bell. Ancestry’s got this handy “shoebox” feature that lets you save stuff without sticking it to people’s profiles, so I file it there.

I don’t know if I can stand the wait for the coroner records.

April 3, 2010 0

Collecting evidence

The more deeply I go into this story, the more I see how important it was. This clip is from the Reading Eagle, a newspaper that publishes in the suburbs between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. News of the fire made it all the way out here.

I’ve spent hours on the Google news archive.

The fire took place Dec. 13, 1922 in Mount Troy, Reserve Township.

Pittsburgh Press Dec. 14, 1922 edition: John and Cecilia’s burial. And here another revelation. There were more Drosts. Marion Drost, 16, Frank, 11, Joseph, 10, and Thomas, 7. There was a Coroner’s Inquest, which must mean there’s a record somewhere. I’ll give them a call on Monday and see how to access them.

Pittsburgh Press Dec. 16, 1922 edition: The headline says it all “Sordid Sensation Born of Tragedy at Brenckle Home.” Oh man. It looks like they’re starting to make the case to arrest Howard Lager on suspicion of starting the fire and on the accusations made by Marion Drost, Cecilia’s older sister.

We also meet a new cast of Allegheny County characters:

W.J. McGregor, the county coroner.

Samuel Triplett, the deputy county coroner.

County Detectives Joseph Dye, W.O. Alexander, Harry Barker and T.A. Sidenstricker.

Chief Probation Officer Walter Black. It looks like Walter had charge over the Drosts. What’s sad is that Marion and the rest of the kids (I presume Phil and Joe are among them) are sent to “the detention rooms.” Sounds ominous. And completely unfair. You’re essentially locking up the victim of a potential crime and all the witnesses. I’m enraged on their behalf.

Thomas Pfarr, the county fire marshal. The article quotes him as saying he believed the fire was set using gas.

Pittsburgh Press Dec. 17, 1922. It just keeps getting worse. Howard’s been arrested, and it looks like he has all but admitted to “relations” (shudder) with Marion. But he adamantly denies setting the house on fire. Marion’s apparently told the court that he’d abused her since she came to the farm three years ago. So, about 1919-1920. Hmmm. Makes me wonder if Phil and Joe were also there that long.

The next few days are silent on the case and it dawns on me that if Phil and Joe did indeed go to the detention rooms, they very likely spent Christmas there. My heart breaks for them all over again. How much more are these poor boys going to go through?

March 28, 2010 0

Shocked

I’m still shaking.

I’m shocked. I’m stunned. And I am also now completely obsessed.

One of the last searches I did before bed the other night brought up a strand of information I’d never seen before. I found it using a variation of Phil’s name.

There was a fire. Remember how I’d said the old Brenckle farmhouse burned down? Well, let me tell you, there’s a whole lot more to it than that.

Because it seems during the same year Ottavio was seeking the trust for the siblings, Phil and his brother were embroiled in a scandalous, front-page saga as Allegheny County investigated the cause of Brenckle farm fire.

Two children, apparently other wards of Allegheny County, died in the blaze. Grandpa and Joe had to take the stand and testify about what happened that night.

“Others who testified yesterday were Philip Venezia [hooray to the reporter who got his name spelled right], another ward of the court wards who made his home with the Brenckles. Philip said that after the fire had started, he saw John, the child whose body afterwards was found in the ruins of the house, with the other children. No one though saw Cecilia at any time.

Philip told how Lager had helped the children from the house. Joseph Venezia, another court ward, also living with the Brenckles, gave about the same testimony as his brother Philip about seeing John after the fire started. The supposition is that John went back into the burning house and could not get out. Lager is being held without bail.”

Cecilia is Cecilia Drost, 13, and John is John Orlowski, 9. Both of them were wards of Allegheny County, just as Phil and Joe were. Lager is Howard Lager, Myrtle’s brother, who apparently lived at the farm, too. From what I gather from other articles, it seems that Howard was suspected of not only starting the fire, but of starting it to cover up the fact he was sexually abusing Cecilia.

Their death was enough to raise serious questions about how the Juvenile Court was overseeing its wards (terminology at the time for foster children). So much so that the Press wrote a strongly-worded editorial condemning them and the practice of “farming out.”

The whole thing leaves me feeling sick. Sick, too, because more than 80 years later, nothing’s changed. Kids still die and get abused by the people the state says should take care of them.

I’ve been on the phone with my parents on and off all day as I uncover a new article. My dad is as shocked as I am.

“Never,” he said. “I never, ever heard about this. Neither did Mary Ann. I called her to ask. This is incredible.”

It seems, from what I found so far, no charges were leveled in the blaze. I haven’t found anything on whether Howard Lager was convicted of sexual assault or similar charges.

Even with the news articles, there are so many unanswered questions. Looks like I have a new mystery.

March 27, 2010 0

Who Do You Think You Are?

I tuned in tonight for the first episode of this incredible new show. If you love genealogy, it’s practically required viewing.

If you missed it, the show, which is produced by Lisa Kudrow, takes a about half a dozen celebrities and traces their family roots. It’s put out in connection with Ancestry, which powers all their searches. It also has a seemingly limitless budget, as tonight’s show with Sarah Jessica Parker took her from Cincinnati to California to Boston to Massachusetts. She’s descended from someone who took part in the Salem Witch Trials. (So cool. I was obsessed with them back in 7th grade.)

All the attention around the show is really what sparked me to get back into this. It reminded me that I still have so many nagging questions that I really need answers to. While I might not be able to get private services of a genealogist like the movie stars, I did a pretty decent job digging on my own. And honestly, its kind of more fun for me. I’ll never forget what it felt like to dig that copy of Francesco’s will out of the archives. It’d be hard to hand that kind of excitement over to someone.

Next week’s episode is Emmitt Smith, which should be interesting.

March 5, 2010 0