RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Canada => Topic started by: shaw.shoo on Wednesday 28 October 09 02:59 GMT (UK)
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i just couldn't figure where to post this. if this is incorrect area, please forgive me.
Having trouble finding any more info on my grandfather Leo (or Leon) Defoe. He was born 1914 in Revelstoke and died 1983 in Minitonas Manitoba.
His father was Nunzio Defoe born 1882 and died 1921. Mother was Jeanie born 1882. Sister Seraphim born 1908 and brother Celister born 1910 as shown on 1911 Census for Revelstoke.
I looked for marriage of Nunzio and Jeannie but could not find anything.
I was wondering if anyone could find marriage registration for Nunzio Defoe and Giovannina Maria aka Jeannie which just may show where in Italy he was born. From Jeannie’s obit she was born in San Stefano del Sole Italy Nov 1, 1884. She immigrated in 1897 so obviously came with her parents and was already here before he came. But I don’t know her surname to trace her immigrating.
I have found that Nunzio b.1882 had another son named Nunzio who became a Roman Catholic priest. He was born 1921 and died 2005. There was also two daughters Sara (could be Seraphim) and Celesta and a son Edmund who died in 1921 at age 3 (according to BC Death records)
BC Death records also show a Baby Defoe dying Dec 24, 1910 in Revelstoke which could very well be Celister (see top).
Also a daughter Margaret dying in Revelstoke 1919 at age 5 (b.1914). Just wonder if Margaret could be twin of Leo my grandfather.
There are several other Defoes in the the Revelstoke area and one can only assume that they are connected but until I know more I cannot link them.
The year of immigration for Nunzio Defoe b.1882 was it looks like 1900 but could be 1904. I looked various shipslists and finally found a record and ships manifest for a Nunzio DeFoe but the birth year is incorrect...tho I could very well be the grandfather of Leo Defoe.
Anything anyone can find to help me would be appreciated!
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Hello shaw.shoo :)
The marriage can be found in the BC Marriage Records with the following spelling......
Nuntio Defeo
Govanina Colacurcio
13 Jun 1907 in Revelstoke
A moderator will probably transfer this request to the Canada Board......there are very kind chatters :) on that board who regularly offer to look up the BC records for folks.
Polarbear
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excellent polarbear....you work miracles cuz i tried but could not find anything. but i was going with Nunzio...so maybe that is why.
now i have a surname for his wife. many many thanks!
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as you can see there also were others with the surname or derivatives...
http://www.rootschat.com/links/07ea/
If you use the modify button and add B.C. lookup to your first topic someone will do that lookup...
which is also in this link for those who are looking...
This might be your bride with parents in 1901...If so you have parents and a date of birth, and the surname of Celeste as that top birth in the link I gave you is Maria's
http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census/ViewFrame.jsp?id=13227&highlight=3
father is on previous page...a Defoe also on page http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census/ViewFrame.jsp?id=13226
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http://www.rootschat.com/links/07eb/
The previous page of the 1901 census with the father listed at the bottom of the page.
Debbie
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many thanks to you both. i just don't know what i do wrong...i was on automated genealogy but could not find what i wanted. guess i didn't search broad enough.
this is such a great find. now i will try to find when they immigrated.
and all the info on BC Archives....thank you thank you. again...i have been there but did not find all the info you provided. you must have magic fingers.
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Looking at the census images...Franc says immigrated in 1888, Celestra says 1886
children in 1896...so did they return to Italy and have the chilf
and all naturalized in 1897... ( look at images from censuses for more info...)
( National Registration File of 1940 costs $ but it might have place of birth for both parents)
Don't forget to add marriage"Lookup" to the subject line...and you can also ask that if they match the census entry if they can also look into the sister's birth...
also let them know if you need the death information for Francesco & Celestra Colacurcio in Revelstoke..
also in above rootschat link reply#3
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I can look up the BC registrations for you. Can you post a list of all the look ups you want? Or is it just the parents' marriage and the two children's deaths on the Defoe side you're after?
Regards,
Lynwen
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hello lemon mallie
Thanks for your kind offer. I am interested in any Defoe births,marriages and deaths in the Revelstoke area. They are surely related in some manner and by spreading out there is a chance of finding out more information.
I have been on the BC Registration site myself and have a list of all the Defoe's vital info...I just don't know if or how they are connected to each other.
What i need to do is contact Revelstoke for more information. either the cemetery, funeral home, catholic church, phone directories etc.
The Colacurcio family found in Revelstoke by JJ is a real bonus. Would you look up that surname also. All that are in that area?
thanks for your assistance.
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JJ
it certainly seems as if they went back to Italy to have Angelo, Giovannina and Emlo. but i wonder if you could immigrate in one year, go back to your home country and then return years later and naturalize. it would be so much simpler if the year shown on Census for her immigration was 1896....difficult to read that year. that would make more sense.
i have a contact in Italy and will try to see if they have some sort of registry system like we have here in Canada.
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There are over 40 entries for the Colacurcio and Defoe names in Revelstoke so I don't think I can look them all up. But here is a start:
Nunzio Defoe marriage
Nuntio was 23 yrs old, born in San Stephano del Sole, employed as a labourer, father Antonio, mother Josephine Pistagrela (??). He married Govanina, aged 22, father Francesco, mother Celestra Bellardini (??). Witnesses were Annibale Defeo and this one was really hard to read Antoneth Debbon (??). They married on 13 Jun 1907 at St Francis Revelstoke.
Baby Defoe
No parents were listed on the registration. The informant was the undertaker. The child died of convulsions.
Edmund Defoe
Born on 28 Nov 1917, father Nunzi Defoe, mother Jennie Colarch, father was employed as a Boiler Maker Helper. He died of Acute Hepatitis and was buried at Revelstoke on 21 Jan 1921.
Nunzio Defoe
Died at Queen Victoria Hospital, regular address 5th Street Revelstoke. Occupation Boiler Maker Helper, 38yrs old, born Italy. In city 19yrs, province 19yrs, Canada 19yrs. Father Antonio, mother Sarah Pisacuta. Informant was Annieta (??) Defoe, brother. Cause of death was fractured skill, killed in accident at CPR sheds. He was buried in Revelstoke on 3 December.
Margaret Defoe
Father's name listed as Jor or Joe. She was born on 21 Apr 1914 and died of burns. Buried at the Revelstoke Catholic Cemetery on 5 Sep 1919.
Olympia Defoe
Birth - daughter of Antonio Defoe and Carmela Levro.
Giovannina Defoe
She was DOA at St Vincents Hospital. Usual address 7430 Oak Street, widow of Nunzio, born 1 Nov 1884 San Stefano del Sole, father Francesco Colacurcio, mother Celesta Mastroberardino. Informant son Nunzio John, entombed at the Gardens of Gethsemani, cause of death Acute Pulmonary Edema.
Franceso Colacurcio
Died at Third Street, Revelstoke. Born 25 Oct 1857 in Italy, occupation merchant. In city 30yrs, province 34yrs and Canada 41yrs. Father Angelo, mother Angela Marria. Informant Emile Colarch, son. Buried at Revelstoke 20 May 1929. An inquest was held and cause of death determined to be Myocarditis.
Celesta Colacurcio
Died at Townley Street, Revelstoke. In city 30yrs, province not listed, Canada 33yrs. Father Sabino Berardino, mother first name unknown surname Callicano or Gallicano. Informant was Marian Mina Colacurcio, daughter. Buried at Revelstoke on 23 Apr 1930. Cause of death Chronic Nephritis.
I hope this gets you started. If you need more look ups, you can order the relevant films from BC Archives through your local library.
Lynwen
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Nice of you, :D Lynwen...
There are postings on this site, so that findings aren't duplicated...
http://www.italiangenealogy.tardio.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=102786.html
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lynwen
when you offered to lookup i just figured you would sign on to the archives site. but i can see that you have so much more info so you must have another source. i should have not assumed and questioned before you did all that work.
too bad i didn't know that, because i too have gone thru all the b/m/d on the archives site and have identified for sure who i know that is of the line i am tracing. those are the ones i would have wanted.
i will check your list again and hopefully they are all there.
many many thanks for your help and i am happy for what you did include.
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You are very welcome.
The indexes are helpful but please don't overlook the actual registrations as a source of information. In my completely unbiased opinion :o , the BC registration forms contain a lot more information than many other provinces or countries. The early b/d/m forms are more limited but you can still pick up lots of clues based on witnesses and informants.
I see from your profile that you are in BC so you should be able to order the relevant film from BC Archives through your local library free of charge. Since many of the events took place in the same time period, they might even be on the same film.
As always, the hardest part is reading the handwriting! I much prefer the typed forms of the 1950s & 60s. :)
Regards,
Lynwen
ps. I am always available to look up the odd registration. I just don't have time for 40!
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Lynwen
thank you again so very much. the individuals information you provided were so informative. most clicked with my other info from Census and immigration.
did you have the actual reel for BC Archives to view or did you find this info on the internet?
i shall have to look into the bc archives and see how i can get the reel in I need. shall be lots of fun. i see that some of the Defoes moved away from Revelstoke, to Victoria,Vancouver etc and whether they are related is another thing.
the info you sent me gave me some idea of who is connected to whom.
thanks again so much.
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lynwen
i found this on the BC Archives site:
Does the BC Archives lend material through interlibrary loan?
The BC Archives' library and archival collections are non-circulating and therefore unavailable through interlibrary loan. However, if you can provide an exact reference to a book or an archival record held by the BC Archives, we may be able to provide photocopies at the usual cost.
do you know of other institutions which may have these reels also?
there must be a way to get a hold of this info, i just cannot find the link.
can you help?
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I live on Vancouver Island in BC and our local Family History Society Library has the BC Vital Events films for use by members and non-members (for a small drop-in fee). I don't know where in BC you live, but it might be worth a try to contact your local or nearby FHS or genealogy group and inquire if they have the films. Our FHS library is manned by very helpful volunteers and you can print copies of the Registration forms if desired (for a small fee). I have found the Registration forms contain a wealth of information.
Susan
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i live just south of penticton which has a FHL but for me to travel back and forth there is difficult. and it is a very small office and wonder if they would even stock that reel. that is why i thought i could borrow it and view at our local library.
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Lynwen
do you have a name or reel number of the reel you viewed? maybe i can work back from that.
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The microfilm numbers are all listed on the site we gave you...look closely
for example birth of
Maria Nina Colacurcio
place: Donald
Reg. Number: 1898-09-281556
Date: 1898 Feb 3
Microfilm #:
B13814 (GSU # 2134884)
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Another option for you to consider......
I don't know whether you have a Family History Center (the familysearch.org folks) near you? You can find out on their website.
If you do, you should also be able to order photocopies directly from Utah through the Family History Center. You use the "GSU" number for this and the center should have the form and would help you fill it out. The cost (when I used the service in the spring) was $2.00 US per record, with a minimum charge of $4.00, and you can order up to 8 records at a time. The service was quite fast if I remember correctly.
Polarbear
Added: I looked on familysearch.org and there appears to be a Family History Center in Penticton (is this the FHL you referred to a couple of posts back?)
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JJ..oops of course.
polarbear...yes penticton is the FHL i referred to earlier. i guess that will have to be my next step.
thanks
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Unfortunately, the actual registrations are not available to view on line so you must order the film and view it at the library. The microfilm containing all the registrations is available at Vancouver Public Library. So I use the index to find the film and then view the relevant registration. I know libraries in major centres in BC (Kamloops, Prince George, Kelowna etc) have the film as well and I thought BC Archives provided them to other smaller libraries. But I guess not. I would try your local library as well as they might be able to get something on an inter library loan. Not sure if that is any more or less convenient than a trip to the FHL in your area.
Lynwen
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i will check with our local library...i am sure i can inter library loan thru Vancouver Library.
thank you all for your help.
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hi
i have been in contact with the vancouver library and am in process of getting ready to order the reels. many thanks for all your suggestions.
need lookup:
I am now on the search for when Antonio DeFeo emigrated.
I found 3 during 1855-1900 to NY where their last residence is S Stefano.
I was wondering if anyone could find out more info on ancestry. i am not member of ancestry so cannot.
Antonio Defeo age 27 last residence S.Stefan destination: Montreal
manifest #83216
Antonio Defeo age 25 last residence S Stefano del Sole destination: New Rochelle NY manifest #82945
Antonio Defoe age 48 last residence S Stefano del Sole destination: NY
manifest #82945
also found Vito Colacurcio age 17 last residence S Stefano destination: NY manifest #83452
any help would be greatly appreciated.
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lynwen
i just heard from vancouver library and they do not loan out their civil registration reels. i can request a copy @ $10/page if i have the film and other numbers. i would have like to browse the various reels to see if i could find a link between the Defoe (DeFeo) living in Revelstoke. I am sure they are all connected. oh well..there are always bumps in the road.
I did notice that in the list of the ones you looked up for me....there were a couple that did not show in the index search. but all that you sent was most helpful. thanks again.
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I'm from the Colacurcio lineage and have looked into some of this. The most likely scenario is that Francesco Colacurcio came to Canada in 1888 (1901 & 1911 Census, 1929 obituary) or 1889 (naturalization certificate) while his wife Celestra and 3 children remained in Italy. Then in 1897, Celestra and the 3 children came to Canada. The fourth child, Maria, was born in Canada in 1898 after husband and wife were reunited; the other three were all born in Italy before Francesco left. The separation of the parents is the most likely explanation for the long gap between #3 Emilio (born 1888) and Maria (born 1898)
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Hello Shaw,
I am a Defoe living in Edmonton, AB. I happened to stumble across this thread completely by accident, trying to look up my grandfathers uncle, the priest Nunzio Defoe from Surrey, BC. However unintentional this may be, Leo Defoe was my Great Grandfather and I have found this thread and all this digging you have done to be very enlightening and I appreciate you searching this much into our history.
I am curious to know, though, who your parents would be as they would be my grandfather's sibling. My grandpa passed quite a few years ago, and asking my grandma she can not think of any of her in-laws that may currently be in BC. All of the Defoe relatives that I know are currently out in Swan River or Winnipeg Manitoba. I would really like to learn as far back into my history on the Defeo side as possible, as far as I know I am one of only 2 Male Defoes of my generation who actually carry the bloodline along with the name and I am very proud of my heritage.
If you could please either respond to me on here, or even just an Email. I just created this account on the boards to message you, so I'm not sure if my Email will be available to you or not. But I would greatly appreciate to know more about how I'm related to your part of our family.
Thank You Very Much. :)
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Welcome to rootschat...There is a private messaging system in rootschat . But new members need to make 2 or 3 posts to be able to access this..Post somewhere on another board, or simply answer on here...do not leave email address urls on the site, to avoid spam..
You can now have fun searching for more information on here:
https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&countryId=1927164
However the final results are still not as fully detailed as the information available in a complete lookup, so if you find something you might want more detail then advise us of full name and film numbers etc. and we'll call in someone to do it for you...
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Cody369:
Although you didn't direct your message specifically to me, I have some info to offer. This would be a good topic to take to private messaging and email, but both of us are new to RootsChat and will need to make a couple more posts before we can access this board's private messaging. In the meantime here's a bit more.
Neither of your GGF Leo's two brothers-- Father Nunzio and Frank--had children, so the Defoe name from this lineage is carried only in Leo's line, as you noted. I had met Father Nunzio and I knew Frank reasonably well. I can also tell you that several of Leo's cousins are still alive and some of them are very interested in family history. I am not a Defoe, but you and I are related through one of Leo's cousins.
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I thank you for speaking up Azura. I always enjoy finding more relatives no matter how distant
I noticed in and among the replies on here that Nuntio's wedding named another Defeo as a witness to the wedding. I was immediate to assume that that may be a sibling. I am also going to assume you are somewhere down that line of the family? from Annibale, or another of Nuntio's siblings? I agree that PM would probably be the better forum for this conversation to take place, but I will need to get some posts in first.
J.J.
I do appreciate your welcome and the warnings, and that is why I did not actually put my email down. Some forums I have used in the past allow users to simply click a link and directly send an email from the forum to the person without ever knowing their email address, but I see now that this forum is more safe than that. I will explore and make my posts in order to activate the Private Message function.
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Hi all its Shaw.shoo....not as much addicted to genealogy as I was several years ago...LOL LOL LOL
over the years off and on have gleaned more info on Defoe Line. tho have several records of Defoe's from Revelstoke but cannot connect to our line....hopefully that will change with more in-depth research.
Since finding more info on the Defoe line am looking forward to expanding that info.
i'm helping my cousin (who is a direct descendant of Leon M Defoe) and not sure if she is willing to pay for copies. we only want info.
the 1921 census for Revelstoke would be of interest to us.
is there someone who would lookup few names?
Frank Anthony b1913
Nunzio John b1921
Sarafina Emanuela b1908
Celeste Giolanda b1910
presume all these in Revelstoke.... parents Giovanina & Nunzio Dominic Defoe
Angelo Colacurcio b1914
Mary Colacurcio b1916
Vera, Albert and Lydia Colacurcio ... no birthdate....parents Angelo and Maria
Roma, Elena Jean, Frances Marie, Sylvia Anne and Joseph Dominec Colacurcio all no birthdate...parents Emilio and Aida Ann
Jean Colacurcio m Delfino Orgnacco..children: jean b1932; delfina b1937; frances b1934; and mary b1941.
once I have confirmed them in Revelstoke in 1921...I can look for marriage records.
hope someone can help...thanks
and glad to be back......
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hi Cody.
I haven't been on for quite some time and just renewed my interest. my new signing name is Lori20...and no longer shaw-shoo
I have been collecting family information on Defoe's and extended families for several years.
I remember riding horses at grandma Defoe farm with your dad and brothers wayne and Maurice.
if you get on anytime, would like to hear from you as have found lots more info out.
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Cody...made oops...it was your grandfather and his brothers.
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is this Azura?
would Love to chat with you about this line!
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lori20...
The 1921 census (and all others) are available to search for free from Library and Archives Canada. Click on the census you want in the left column then click on search database.
Link here....
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/Pages/census.aspx
PB
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many thanks polar bear. ill have to check and see if they are downable.
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Good luck with the census.
You should also remove the names of anyone who may still be living from your earlier post about the census. RootsChat policy is to not post this type of info on this open public forum in order to protect their privacy.
PB
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thanks polar bear.....I tried to do a search and did not have any luck. then tried advanced and found a list of districts and numbers. but still no luck...guess ill have to learn how to do searches a bit better. cuz I am positive some of here family was there in 1921 as I have birth dates etc
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You should be able search by name.
Ancestry also has the census. If you don't have a sub you could check if your local public library has a sub....most do these days.
PB
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Well, I can see why you might have problems with the 1921 census after I did a bit of poking around.
It appears there was a name change from Colacurcio to Colarch and the name was indexed as Colarah on the census. This looks like Angelo and family to me, line 39 near the bottom.....
https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1921&op=img&id=e002879118
I haven't looked for the others.
Also it appears that Defoe can be spelled Defeo?
This website below was posted way back in the beginning of this thread. It now has images for many records related to the 2 families. Put just the last name in....use all 4 variations: Colacurcio, Colarch, Defoe, Defeo. They did not all stay in Revelstoke so some related records are from other places, like Vancouver.
http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy
Here is an example of a marriage from the website. Note that an ammendment to names has been added at the top several years after the marriage. This connects Colacurcio to Colarch.
http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/131a868d-8c47-4644-a758-2ef50544918a
PB