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Thank goodness for the recent release of the 1931 Census of Canada. The search for my ancestors in this census couldn't have come at a better time for me personally and has really reignited my passion for research, something that, like my blogging, had been sporadic at best for some time.
Donald, my partner, is still in the midst of what is likely to be a long recovery from his last surgery. Moving my focus from my Canadian ancestors to his Italian ancestors has given us both something to look forward to, something positive to focus on when things aren't going his way or just feeling like a slow grind.
Pictured above are Donald's father (the baby) and his parents, Charles Salvatore-Nicholas Calma and Marie Teresa (Tessie) Scalise. The Calmas are from Bisacquino, Sicily (also the birthplace of the director Frank Capra) and his Scalise ancestors come from Serrastretta in Calabria.
Over the last weeks I have found many records online for his Calma ancestors; census entries, passenger lists, naturalization forms and even church records from Bisacquino on FamilySearch.
In a case of perfect timing, Legacy Family Tree Webinars had webinar last week on Italian research given by Margaret R. Fortier for the Board for Certification of Genealogists. It was excellent and I am now reading Melanie Holtz's The Family Tree Italian Genealogy Guide and I have a list of other books to check out as well. Just deciphering and translating the church records (from Latin) is going to keep me occupied for quite a while, but it is so much fun.
I cannot wait until Donald is well enough for trips to Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum and some more searching at Calvary Cemetery. In the meantime, I'll be gathering as much documentation as I can thanks to the spark which is finally back and the lifeline genealogy has given me.
