Since the DNA processing by Ancestry has now been posted and a month of research passed, the new information keeps a coming at a grand rate. So many new ancestors have been added to my family tree and new ones weekly. Yet I had always been trying my best to break through the paternal wall on my grandfather's side, which I was rather sure had an Italian background. Yet day after day I hit nothing, much like fishing on a lake filled with fish and nary a nibble. Then yesterday, West Virginia came through!! The records containing the Immigration and Naturalization of those in that state from 1900 to whenever, were added to the internet. In 1909, my great grandfather and his brother, Frank, applied for citizenship in this wonderful country, and like most at that time, were told to live here five years and then they could return for the swearing in ceremony if they had been good, not had police troubles nor broken the laws of the land.And so they returned to West Virginia to complete this process.
These two documents gave me exactly what I needed to fill in some blanks that were sorely needed. Now I knew where they came from, what years, what ports of call, and all the same dates I had already as far as their children,etc. Everything matched up!! Such is how the genealogy game works. Things MUST line up to determine accuracy and authenticity. And there are some spurious researchers out there who do not get things right. So paper trails, er, digital document trails, are essential. In these papers from 1915, I see that my great grandfather, James Patrick Ross, came from a small village in Italy named Colobraro, down between the toe and heel of the boot of the country. A village of 1400, it has quite a history, which I shall dig into later. But to know that they both came from there in 1886 and 1902, gives me evidence of the Italian heritage the DNA results showed. Now, unfortunately, the paperwork didn't show any previous Italian names, only the Ross name instead of the former, no doubt changed for many good reasons. I hope to find those out later on and also track back further their father and mother, one N (could be Nicola) Galarty and a Rachel Benard, neither of who I can find anything on. But...the wall has been broken through and the locations,dates and authenticity found!!! My Italian Connection!!No doubt Dena and her family will be thrilled at this as it makes us a wee bit closer in heritage. Sicily is not too far away from Colobraro!
So, now that this information has been discovered and some gaps filled, I can search Italian records and see what else can be found. More spots and branches have also been filled in the Irish and Scottish family tree as well, with direct links to the Campbell and Stuart clans as well as Rhea, Kirkpatrick an O'Hara. So much flavour, spice and history!! Back to the research I go!!
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