66-Serrapede Family, 1938-Hello, Brooklyn. Meet Baby Gerald!

Introduction

We’re now back in Brooklyn journeying through the early months of 1938. Our focus today concerns an important event in our family history. On March 3rd, 1938 a baby boy was born to Josie and Sam. He was named Gennaro after his paternal Grandfather back in Agropoli. The family in America always called him Gerry or Gerald. Using Gerry’s birth and baptismal certificates, along with articles and announcements from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle we created a snapshot of events in the news and personal world of the family during the first two months of Gerry’s life.

Relationship Notes

Gerald “Gerry” Serrapede was:
-Josie and Sam’s first son
-Emily Leatrice’s brother
-Sammy’s older brother
-EmilyAnn’s Uncle

Earliest photo of Baby Gerry

Studio portrait of Baby Gerry.

This studio photo of Gerry is the earliest one we have from Josie’s photo collection. It is not dated and does not have any stamp mark on the back or frame that would identify the studio.

Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12, 2019

In honor of all the Mothers who grace our lives in the present.

In memory of all the Mothers who brought forth our beloved ancestors.

To all Mothers on this day.

No words can adequately sum up what all of you have done for us.

We will start with, “Thank you!” and follow with “We will always love you!”

Happy Mother’s Day to all.

–EmilyAnn Frances May

–Sam Serrapede, Jr.

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Public Domain vintage silhouette courtesy of The Graphics Fairy
https://thegraphicsfairy.com/10-free-vintage-mothers-day-images/

65-Serrapede Family-Back to Brooklyn, 1938

Introduction

In this posting we make the trip back from Wilmerding, Pennsylvania to our home town, Brooklyn, New York.  To bridge this change in I decided to share a family story Mom told me with Uncle Sammy.  It became the basis of an interlude in which I looked into means of travel between Brooklyn and Wilmerding.  I thought maybe cost was a factor in Grandma Josie’s decision to travel by rail instead of by bus.

I approached this matter as Josie would have by looking through the travel sections of the local newspapers.  For research I used several editions of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle published between 1936-1938.  I’ve no doubt that relatives and paesani were also a source of information on the pros and cons of each mode of transportation.  In 1938 Mom was 7 years old.  It seems about the right age for the events she described in her story.  They may have also occurred during the years 1936-1938 with some variation to the elements.  Mom had said that whenever she and Josie travelled to Wilmerding it was the same old story for a few years.  This lends support to my belief that the events were repeated until Josie could no longer carry them through because Mom was fast approaching what we now know as the ‘Tween Years (ages 9-12).

Relationship Notes

Josie Muro married Sam Serrapede in 1930.  Their daughter Emily Leatrice was born in 1931.  The family lived in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, New York.  Josie’s hometown was Wilmerding, Pennsylvania.

Josie and Sam were:

–Sammy’s parents

–EmilyAnn’s maternal Grandparents

Emily Leatrice was:

-Sammy’s sister

-EmilyAnn’s Mom