Author: SanCassianoConnections
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Echoes of Portage Avenue: A Family History Rediscovered
It started, as many of these stories do, with a list of names: A 1907 passenger manifest [1] from Genoa to Ellis Island, New York. I was in the process of searching for traces of my great-great-grandfather, Luigi Giannini, whose life had been cut short by tuberulosis and whom his descendants knew little about. Alongside him on this passenger list…
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Through the Gates of Dachau Concentration Camp: The Survival of a young man from Bagni di Lucca.
While tracing young men from Bagni di Lucca through WWI and WWII, I came across a name I didn’t expect: Davide Talenti, born in 1921 in San Cassiano di Controne[1]. In 1944, his name appeared on a list of priests, Communists, politicians, and Jewish civilians imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp. But Davide wasn’t a public…
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Genealogy Database Update – May 18th, 2025
This update brings a major expansion of the genealogy database, with over 250 new individuals, hundreds of new records and media items, and broader geographic coverage. It includes detailed additions from San Cassiano di Controne and Palleggio, Montefegatesi, and Pieve di Controne, dozens of WWI and WWII profiles, cemetery documentation, and new family connections drawn…
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Following the footsteps of a San Cassiano emigrant: Montreal, Canada (Part 2)
War Troubles In June 1940, Arcangelo’s life took an unexpected turn. At the time, Montreal’s thriving Italian community centred around Casa d’Italia in what is now known as Petite Italie (Little Italy). In the mid-to-late 1930s, Casa d’Italia had become a political hub for right-wing Italian activists, hosting fundraisers, speeches, and social events[1]. Arcangelo and Adele were regular attendees, even participating…
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Following the footsteps of a San Cassiano emigrant: Montreal, Canada (Part 1)
The Origins The story of Bernardi & Nieri began as a one-man venture by Lorenzo Nieri (known as “Laurent” in French-speaking Montreal). The first record of the one-man business appears in Lovell’s Montreal Business Directory in 1925–26 [1]. Lorenzo had emigrated from San Cassiano to Montreal in 1906 [2], likely working for other Italian-led figure-making businesses in the city while laying…