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diVecchia in Aruba

diVecchia in Australia

Date:    Wed, 11 Apr 2007 01:13:54 +1000 From:    margheritta <angelicforcesoptusnet.com.au> Subject:    St'eufemia di maiella Hi Mark My Name is Margherita Di Vecchia, here in lilydale victoria, australia. I have been reading your website and the name Di vecchia is evry popular, I was speaking with my father who's name is Fiore Di Vecchia. He In Nunawading we have la festa di la Madonna di st'eufemia. My father fraises funds for restoration of the church of st'eufemia. They have risen funds to repair the bell, the door and now the painting of the church................ My fathers Parents were:    Franco Di Veccha  born 1909    Elizabetta ? My Grand fathers brothers are    Carmine  Di Vecchia    Born 1907    Antonio Di Vecchia Born 1905 Their parent were    Francesco Di Vecchia Born    1880    Clementina Di Vecchia Born    1885 I would like to know so much more about st'Eufemia and the people as my father is going back to his home town, this year very soon. Possibly you know him, Please let me know if you do if any one does as I am sure there are many whom do. I would love to hear from you God Bless Margherita Di Vecchia

Dear Margherita, Thanks so much for your email. I'm always happy to hear from other DiVecchia families. Nice to hear that your ancestors kept the correct spelling of the name. Most DiVecchia's that moved to the US, ended up changing the spelling to DiVecchio. I do have a little more information about your family. Take a look at the attached charts. I got this information from Antonella diGiovine Boyd who lives in Australia. I've copied her on this email. Here is what my genealogy program says: "Francesco DiVecchia and Mark Camillo DiVecchio are 3rd cousins 2 times removed.  Their common ancestors are Giustino DiVecchia and Anna Agnese del Tondo." That probably makes me your 5th cousin, once removed. Hoping to hear more from you. ciao. Mark

Thanks Mark This lady Antonella di Gioveni Boyd, did she live originally in Mitcham, Melbourne, Australia. Is her mother's name Maria and her father Fiorino? If so, this is my cousin. My aunty is Maria and uncle is Fiorine and he passed away. Cousin is Antonella and her sister is Elizabeth (Eliz) both are married, with children. Thank you Many blessings margherita

Margherita, Yes, that is the same Antonella. She and I exchanged emails and family information about three years ago. When you sent me your email, I could make the connection. As you can see from the attachments in my first email, several of your family's branches are traced back to the 1700's. ciao. Mark

from Diana Palmieri Archer: Hi Mark and Angela, Angela posted some paperwork, photo's etc today.  In amongst them was a photo of a "Frank Di Vecchio, Vince Gargaro, Tony Palmieri (Angela's cousin) , Roma and Mary (Vera Nardelli) kids".  I know that Vince is the man with the piano accordion, I assume Tony is the man with his arm around the child, which leaves Frank to be the one standing at left.  Thought you might be interested in that. Take care Cousins Diana

Dear Margherita and Antonella, I've recently been in contact with some Palmieri cousins in Australia. They are Diana Palmieri Archer and Angela Palmieri Giobbi. She sent me a photo which she captioned "Frank Di Vecchio, Vince Gargaro, Tony Palmieri, Roma and Mary (Vera Nardelli) kids" I've attached it. It was taken about 1945. Do you know this Frank DiVecchio? ciao. Mark

From:    "angelic forces" <angelicforcesoptusnet.com.au> Subject:    Re: Frank DiVecchia Date:    Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:20:17 +1100 Yes mark, that is my grandfather, My father's father. He is so young there unbelievable. I will attach a photo of my father and you will see the resemblance, this is my father Fiore Di Vecchia whom passed away on april 27th 2008. It was his 70th birthday 25th of june 2007 god bless you mark take care margheritta

From:    "angelic forces" <angelicforcesoptusnet.com.au> Subject:   My father Fiore Divecchia, Dinner dance for Sant'Eufemia Date:    Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:30:01 +1100 Hello, This is to pass around to all involved in the families and Sant'Eufemia. My father Fiore Di Vecchia, son of Frank Di Vecchia, every year for the last 12 years he would  hold a dinner dance at Nunawading White horse club, Melbourne, to raise money for the church at Sant'Eufemia. We conducted an honoring to our beloved father to say thanks for all he has done. In the past years he has raised money for the bells, to have them working, the door replaced and painting for the church. Please read and enjoy. Thank you Margheritta Di Vecchia - Buyuknisan

Guido DiVeccho

From:            David Dee <grandee5talktalk.net> Subject:         Di Vecchia Date:            Wed, 5 May 2010 10:42:07 +0100 Hi Mark   I hope this mail finds you OK.   I was given this link by a contact who runs a newsletter relating to a POW Campo 78 near Sulmona.   After the war my father, Tony, wrote to Guido Di Vecchia in the States. That letter is the only information we have about his time in Italy. Guido and his family helped him and his friends, obviously at great risk to themselves. He mentions, the village of Santa Eufamia di Maiella, Guido's siblings Alba and Antonetta. He states that there were two older brothers, and mentions a Gioconda. A Giacomo from Pescara is also mentioned, and he speaks about Guido's mother (possibly Mariocha?).   I was surprised and delighted to see some of those names mentioned on your document. It would appear from the dates of birth that the girls must have been very young at the time, and may still be alive.   Considering the situation, my Dad enjoyed his time in Italy, and thought highly of his helpers. He always intended to return to Santa Eufemia, and by the 1960s us children were old enough to be left, and he had the funds available. Unfortunately events overtook the project, when he developed an aggressive cancer, which he fought for the last 3 years of his life.   A couple of us kids have been to Sulmona, and though we love the area, we had no real connection, or contacts.   I took a renewed interest after reading an account of Montgomery's stepson's walk to freedom though the area, written by his son Tom Carver, who has been a BBC correspondent in the States. I have also posted my Dad's letter to the BBC page about wartime experiences.   Regards David Dee

David, Thanks for your email, we are very interested in stories like this. For us genealogy types, this is what we always search for. I'm in contact with three people descendant from that family, including, Ann Marie, the daughter of Guido. Guido came to the US in 1947. Alba and Antonetta came over in 1948. I didn't quite understand if you have the letter or if someone else has it. This might make a great story and I'm sure that that children of Guido, Alba and Antonetta would love to see a copy. As of my last contact with the family in 2008 all three were still living. Can you send me the link to the BBC page with the letter? Looking forward to hearing from you. Mark

From:    David Dee <grandee5talktalk.net> Subject:    Tony Dee/ Guido di Vecchia Date:    Thu, 6 May 2010 12:30:30 +0100 http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/73/a3047573.shtml   Dear Mark,   Thanks so much for your prompt reply. My sister has my father's copy of his letter. I can mail you my retype or we could probably copy the original.   I enclose the requested link. I retyped the letter we found, which was sent in 1950. It has been lightly edited, since my father didn't have the benefit of computers to edit a letter that appeared to be written in a rush of consciousness. The reason for the editing was that I wanted to submit the letter to the BBC site for wartime experiences. The great thing is that it includes the names of the Italians that helped him. He had been quite successful at Latin based languages at school, which may be the reason for his attachment to the Signals Corp. It might also explain why he could communicate with Guido, though I guess Guido spoke good English.   Though my parents marriage was cut short, they had a very full and happy time. There are four of us children, our holidays were spent on the South coast and Cornwall and we all joined my father in his love of sailing and surfing. He and my mother also loved gardening, had allotments and kept bees (a legacy from his time in Italy). He was involved in Housing Associations and Trade Unions with the aim of being of assistance to others. My mother is 93 and though she has difficulty with mobility, she has the most fantastic memory.   It was great to hear from you,   Regards David

To: <apiantedosicomcast.net>, <timsmeyersound.com>,     cdelpapacomcast.net, rcsimmearthlink.net,     stacilovelandgmail.com Subject:         Letter from England - diVecchia family Date:            Thu, 06 May 2010 07:51:06 -0700 All: I received an email from David Dee. In it he tells about a letter that his father, Anthony, wrote to Guido diVecchia after the 2nd World War. I'm going to forward those email to you and I will copy you on my emails to David. ciao. Mark

David, I read your father's account at the BBC site. It reminds us of the years of hardships that POW suffered during the war. I've forwarded your emails to the descendants of that diVecchia family. I've also copied them on this email: Ann Marie diVecchia Piantedosi, daughter of Guido - apiantedosicomcast.net Shirley diVecchia Simmons, daughter of Angelo (brother of Guido) - rcsimmearthlink.net Stacy diVecchia, granddaughter of Angelo (brother of Guido) - stacilovelandgmail.com Tim Simmons, grandson of Angelo (brother of Guido) - timsmeyersound.com Carla del Papa, cousin of Antionette (sister of Guido) - cdelpapacomcast.net I'm hoping that these email addresses are still good. You can read a short piece about the life in Sant'Eufemia after the Italian surrender in a Brief History of Sant'Eufemia a Maiella at this web page: http://www.silogic.com/genealogy/Brief%20History%20of%20Sant%27Eufemia%20a%20Maiella.html (search for "2nd World War"). How did you come upon the letter written to Guido? Have you ever been in touch with him? Can you send the complete transcript of the letter? Or scan the original? Sincerely, Mark

From:            "Ann Marie" <apiantedosicomcast.net> To:     "'David Dee'" <grandee5talktalk.net> Cc:              <timsmeyersound.com>,     <cdelpapacomcast.net>,     <rcsimmearthlink.net>,     <stacilovelandgmail.com> Subject:         RE: Tony Dee/ Guido di Vecchia Date:            Thu, 6 May 2010 23:23:26 -0400 Dear Mr. Dee, I was excited to receive your e-mails and the link to the BBC article! I am Guido DiVecchia's daughter. I showed my dad your e-mail. At first he didn't know who it was. Then after thinking for a while, suddenly it all came together. He remembered that your dad, Tony Dee, was a British soldier and POW. He remembered helping them and recalled the man who got an attack of appendicitis and had to surrender to the Germans. He remembered writing to Tony also. He wanted me to let you know. My dad did have two older brothers, Angelo and Jerry (Guarino). His sisters were Paolina, Alba, and Antonetta. Paolina, Angelo, and Jerry were the three older siblings and are now deceased. Alba and Antonetta are still alive. Gioconda was a girl that helped my grandmother on the farm. My grandmother's nickname was Mariuccia, short for Annamariuccia, but her name was Anna Maria. (I was named after her.) Thanks so much for writing! My Dad was very happy to receive the info. Take care, Ann Marie DiVecchia Piantedosi

To:              "Ann Marie" <apiantedosicomcast.net>,            "'David Dee'" <grandee5talktalk.net> Cc:              timsmeyersound.com, rcsimmearthlink.net, stacilovelandgmail.com Subject:         Re: Tony Dee/ Guido di Vecchia From:            cdelpapacomcast.net Date:            Fri, 7 May 2010 09:38:47 +0000 Ann Marie I can only imagine how proud you are of your family, because reading this series of emails touched me. I spoke with Antionette yesterday when I read the emails. Please give my love to your parents. I hope all is well. Love, carla (Leo's daughter)

From:            David Dee <grandee5talktalk.net> Subject:         Re: Tony Dee/ Guido di Vecchia Date:            Fri, 7 May 2010 12:57:46 +0100 Mark I have been in touch with Anne Marie, so thanks for the help. I am working on getting a copy of the letter for you but it might take a little time. My sister is the main family historian, and she holds the original. Regards David

To:    Anne Marie Piantedosi <apiantedosicomcast.net> Cc:     Patricia Chandler <Patriciaxchaol.com> Subject:    Letter to Guido dated March 1950 From:    David Dee <grandee5talktalk.net> Date:    Mon, 17 May 2010 20:46:03 +0100 Hi Anne Marie   Sorry for the delay, but here is a digital copy of the carbon copy of my father's letter to your father from March 1950, errors and all. Link to Page 1 Link to Page 2 Link to Page 3   Hope it is of interest, and if Mark wants to use it on the site, he is welcome.   Thanks again for bringing us up to date with your family details.   My Mum was talking about it today. She is amazed that today we are able to discover things lost in the mist of time.   Regards David Dee

Anne Marie, Can your father add to this story? Does he recall anything of what happened before David's father left Sant'Eufemia? This is a wonderful story which is historical. David, Had you father ever told any stories of his time in Italy to your mother? Does she recall anything? ciao. Mark

From:            David Dee <grandee5talktalk.net> Subject:         Re: Letter to Guido dated March 1950 Date:            Wed, 19 May 2010 11:05:38 +0100 Mark, As originally mentioned, I looked at this again after reading Tom Carver's book "Where the hell have you been". It gives a feeling of how the POWs felt about captivity. Carver's father was captured on a probing mission, after the victory at El Alamein  when the tide of the war was turning. My father had been part of a very successful British campaign against Italy, but his whole Army Group was captured when the Afrika Korps joined the fighting introducing the cooperation of aircraft and tanks in Blitzkreig. I think they were very embarrassed about their defeat. None of them spoke much about the campaign or imprisonment. This letter is really all we had, apart from a few jokey stories about the camp in Italy. We know a little about his time in Germany but it was basically a pretty, nasty dangerous 18 months. I think that my father protected my mother from the truth of much of this. I could look through their letters, but fear there is little there because of censorship. Regards David

From:            "Ann Marie" <apiantedosicomcast.net> To:              "'David Dee'" <grandee5talktalk.net> Subject:         RE: Letter to Guido dated March 1950 Date:            Thu, 20 May 2010 21:40:24 -0400 Hello David and Mark, I have so many questions that randomly come to mind when I think about this story. I intend to be more organized, write them down, and videotape my dad. I would like to piece the info together and "find" the story or stories here. Please let me know if you have any specific questions that you'd like me to ask him. This project may take some time, but I will keep you posted. Thanks so much for sending the letter, David! It sounded like very rough going for your dad and the others. I appreciate all the details in his letter. I would like to hear the "jokey stories" you mentioned also. I was wondering if you had any of the letters my dad wrote to yours. I will ask my father about this, too. On a lighter, note, Mark, my husband and I are visiting PA this weekend from NH. We are going to see the Red Sox/Phillies game on Sunday! This will be our fourth year traveling to a city to see the Red Sox play. All best, Ann Marie

Subject:    Attn Anne-Maria and Guido di Vecchia regarding Majiella From:    David Dee <grandee5talktalk.net> Date sent:    Sun, 24 Sep 2017 10:58:06 +0100 To:    Anne Marie Piantedosi <apiantedosicomcast.net> Hello Anne You may remember that a few years ago I contacted you about your father helping my Dad avoid the Germans in Italy. This weekend  programme appear here relating to escapes from the Sulmonna camp. It can be viewed on line on our Channel 4 website and I enclose a link. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/wwiis-great-escapes-the-freedom-trails If you and your family manage to watch this I hope you enjoy it, and it brings back memories. I hope you and your family are well, and send my best wishes. Regards David Dee

diVecchia in Toronto, Canada

From:               Dino Di Vecchia <dinod1500gmail.com> Date sent:          Wed, 21 Feb 2024 14:02:03 -0500 Subject:            Di Vecchia Family Hi Mark,   My name is Dino Di Vecchia. My grandfather is Berardino Di Vecchia, who was the mayor of Sant´ Eufemia in the 1930´s. My father is Nicolino Di Vecchia, and he had 2 bothers by the name of Emilio who died in WWII, and Mario, who lived in Pescara. I just came across your brief history of Sant´ Eufemia. A lot of this is what my father told me. I am so glad you wrote this. I really enjoy reading about the history of Sant´ Eufemia. I am going to spend a lot of time reading your writings of Sant´ Eufemia. Regards, Dino Di Vecchia

Dino, I was going through my emails and I realized that I did not respond to you. I apologize. I am always interested in hearing from people descendant from Sant'Eufemia. I checked my family tree data base and it appears that I do not have your family in there. If you have any other family history that you would like to share (or photos!), I would like to add that to my web page. It would be interesting to see how we are related. If you have any dates or names of wives, that would help me make the connection. Do you know any details furthur back than your grandfather? Where did your family end up?   ciao. Mark

Hi mark, Thank you for answering my email. I will get some details together and send it to you. My family is in Toronto, Canada. All I know is as far back  is about my grandfather Berardino who was the mayor of Santa’ Eufemia. My father named me from his father’s name but he wanted to make it short. My full first name is Dino. My grandmother’s name was Pulcheria. I will get some pictures and put their names to them. Ciao, Dino

Dino, To be clear, I did not write the Brief History of Sant'Eufemia a Maiella. It was written in 1991 by Antonio Timperio.   Mark

Mark, My father’s older brother was married to Angelina, but I don’t her what her last name was,  and I have no idea of when, all I known is he was married before WWII started. My father Nicolino told me when they went to serve in the army for WWII that Emilio’s wife was pregnant, but unfortunately he was killed in the war, he never got to see his daughter. Her name is Clelia, she lives in Pescara. My father’s younger brother Mario never got married, but he took in his brother’s wife and daughter, and supported them. Clelia never got married and lived with her mother who passed away somtime around 2000 and with my Zio Mario who passed away around 2009 or 2010. I can’t remember. Clelia was a school teacher in Pescara, but she is now retired. I don’t know when she was born, I am going to guess 1940. Dino

Dino, Are you in contact with Clelia? She might have answers to a lot of questions. Mark

Mark, Unfortunately I am not in contact with her. I went on a trip to Italy in 2014 with my daughter, and spent a few days there with Clelia, she was an amazing person. I just enjoyed going there to see my father’s roots. Also in 2014 when I saw her she was around 74 yrs. old, and she had a few health issues, so I don’t even know if she is still alive. So unfortunately we don’t talk. My Italian is pretty good. I can speak, read and write Italian. My parents spoke to me in Italian. They could barely speak English. I was looking at maps and where you were born is not too far from me. Maybe about 5-6 hr. drive. Dino

Dino,   Do you know your cousins from Bearadino's brother Giuseppe? Giuseppe and Archangela Timperio diVecchia had 6 kids. One of them, Pasquale, ended up with 5 kids and lived in McKees Rocks, PA. I was in contact with two descendants from that family but I don't know if their email addresses are still good or not. (Mark's note: emails to those email addresses bounced.) Mark

Dino, You might consider two things: 1. Look at the guestbook that I have at: http://pub49.bravenet.com/guestbook/show.php?usernum=4182907657&cpv=1 This guestbook covers both my father's hometown of Sant'Eufemia and my mother's hometown of San Pietro Avellana. You might be able to make some contacts that can tell you about your family. 2. Consider joining the Sant'Eufema group on Google Groups. It's been pretty inactive for the last few years but if you post a message, telling about your family and asking for help, you might get a response: https://groups.google.com/g/santeufemiaamaiella Mark

diVecchia in McKees Rocks, PA

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