Charles Calo and Fred Falconieri

Posted by Michelle on Oct 30, 2013 in Genealogy, Michelle

I had quite an interesting development! In July I got the names of my grandfather’s godparents, Carl Calo and Josephine Jaskowiak. No luck finding them but I sent out a few feelers. A month later one of them responded and it turned out to be a match! His godfather was not Carl but Charles Calo and he came over to the US from Tuglie around the same time. His daughter turned to be the god-daughter of my great-grandfather as well. Sounds like Fred and Charles had to be very close to be the godfathers to each other’s children.

Luckily, she and her daughter-in-law were willing to chat on the phone and it was amazing!

–Remembers Helen having bright garish dyed red hair, being very harsh and never wanted anyone inside her home. That all matched with everything we knew. She said that when they saw Fred it was normally at their home, not his. Said Helen drank and Fred was pretty unhappy.

–She told me she “had to tell me what a handsome fellow my grandfather was” – I loved that and it too matched up with info his HS yearbook where they talk about how all the girls loved Jimmy. She thought she might have some old photos.

–She remembers him coming home at one point and telling her he wouldn’t see her for awhile. We think that was when he enlisted and quit being a priest. She even remembered his eye injury. She had nice things to say about him and advice he gave her as well.

–She remembered how Fred told her and her parents Jim was dead after his mother died because he didn’t forgive him for leaving the priesthood. I knew that too, it was sad to hear again.

All in all, it was a lovely conversation. I suspect we are related to these people some generations back in Tuglie.