Saturday, December 30, 2017

Pietro Cafarella







Here are of photographs of Rosa Cafarella Fichera's youngest brother Pietro or
Peter Cafarella before he came to Australia.  Peter was just 19 when he left
Sicily, arriving with his brother on the "Oceania" in 1962.  He was
sponsored by Rosario Fichera.  He had apprenticed as a mechanic in a town
called Giarre. Stazzo(Where Rosa was from) is actually closer to Giarre than to Catania.  Here
you can see him on his motorbike in one photo and I really like the other
photo of him working there.  When he came to Melbourne he worked as a "Panel
Beater".  In this country that is what you call someone who works in a
garage that specialises in "smash" repairs.  In America I suppose you would
say he would be working in the body shop of a crash repair garage.  After
that he worked for many years selling petrol (you would say gasoline) at a
petrol station.  He also looked after his aging parents until they died (and
his father lived to be 98).
From Patrick and Lucy Van der Hoeven



these two black and white photos are again of Uncle Peter, working in Sicily.
They are from around 1962.

 

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Now here is an interesting bit of work.  Looking closely you will see that there are three or four photos here, roughly cut up and stuck together.  Pretty creative really.  
We know two of the men here.
The man with the moustache is Vincezo Cafarella, father of Francesca and
therefore father-in-law of Carolina Cincotta Cafarella's son Salvatore. 
The man in the military cap is believed to be his brother Giuseppe,
that is to say Francesca's Uncle Joe.

Domenico and Anna Cafarella and losing photos.

 
This is Domenico Cafarella and his wife Anna.  She reminds me so much of Domenico's sister Giovanna.  Anyway, this is Antonio Cafarella and Carolina Cincotta Cafarella's second son.  There is an unfortunate shine on the upper left of the photo.  This is prime evidence for all of us of the impermanence of these photos.  The silver and all subsequent prints(especially color) deteriorate very quickly, and we should all do as much as possible to convert these photos to digital as a back up.  Also, publishing these or saving them on line means that they will be accessible even after local disasters.  Just think is fire were to destroy my sister's house...all that would be left would be what I have published, and in my case that is a lot!

Monday, December 18, 2017


A wedding photo from late 1963 or early 1964
and is the wedding of Rosa's Brother Domenic Cafarella to Frances' sister
Toni or rather, Uncle Domenic, and Aunt Toni (Antoinetta).

from left to right:
Filipina (Carmela Rapisarda) Fichera, (sister-in-law of Rosa, holding her
daughter Lucia (yes of course obviously the same name as my wife, and to
make it worse, born on the same date but 2 or 3 years later); Rosa Fichera
(holding on to the hand of Lucia (my wife); Peter Cafarella (Rosa's
brother); Domenic (the groom); Toni (the bride); Josephine (another sister
of Aunt Toni);  Salvatore (Rosa's father); Nella (Sebastianna Greco
Cafarella who is Rosa's mother; she was called Nella as a contraction of
Sebastianella  imagine my confusion!);  Saro (Rosario Fichera my future
father-in-law);  Giuseppina Caravaglio Cafarella (mother of the bride);
Vincenzo Cafarella (father of the bride);  I don't know the other people in
the background, but in the foreground holding the baby is Frances (Maria
Francesca Cafarella, sister of the bride) and the baby is Julia, you can't
see their faces;  the lady in the big hat that is looking sort of toward
camera is Joan (also sister of the bride).




Here are a couple of photographs of Old Uncle Mic and Aunt Kitty.
 
 Domenico and Lucy's grandfather(Salvatore) were first cousins,
 both being grandsons of Gaetano and Giovanna Cafarella.
 
First photo:
 
Rosa Fichera, Domenico, and Kitty (Catharine Carter) Cafarella.
 
Second photo:
 
 Rosa, Luke, Domenico, Vittoria, Kitty, and Julia.
 
 Luke, Vittoria and Julia are the children of Patrick and Lucia(Fichera)
 Van der Hoeven Who presently live in Australia.
 
Patrick and Lucia have been supplying the photos of the Descendants of Domenico Cafarella and Rosa Patane.  That Domenico was the son of  Gaetano and Giovanna (Vasquez) Cafarella.


Standing from Left to right:
  Steven Schofield, (Michael's father) Michael Schofield (Patrick's  godson);  Domenic Cafarella, (Rosa's Brother); Toni Cafarella (wife of Domenic and sister of Frances); Maria
Schofield (daughter of Domenic and Toni, mother of Michael);  Howard (father
of Charlotte and Tim.   Julia O'Leary Cafarella
holding Charlotte (the O'Leary added in after she discovered the name of her
biological father);  the next couple I don't recall their names but they
are Charlottes godparents:  Patrick van der Hoeven (me); Lucy (Lucia
Fichera) van der Hoeven;  Pam (partner of Peter, Rosa's
youngest brother); Peter Cafarella;

seated from left to right:  father Clem Cafarella (he performed the
baptism); Julia van der Hoeven:  Tim Cafarella (brother of Charlotte);
Vittoria (Tori) van der Hoeven; Luke van der Hoeven; next is
Joan Cafarella (sister to Toni and Frances) and Peter Cafarella (brother to
Toni, Frances, and Joan).

Sunday, December 17, 2017

From Patrick and Lucy Van der Hoeven the waterfront of Stazzo, Sicily


Stazzo is on the coast of Sicily south of Messina, not too far from Augusta and Acireale.

Fishermen

 
An old family photo from Lucia and Patrick Van der Hoeven's files.  
In the group is Rosa Fichera's father, Lucy's grandfather, Salvatore Cafarella, son of Domenico.  He is second from the left facing the camera.  It could easily be Salina, as the coastline is much like this, but it is actually in Stazzo, Sicily, where he lived and worked for much of his life.  The background is much less vertiginous than the island, and that part of Sicily is very volcanic, as it is at the foot of Mount Etna.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Military Men from Patrick and Lucia van der Hoeven

 
 
Alfio Greco.  Salvatore Cafarella's
 wife was Sebastianna Greco.
 This is her father.
 
 
Giuseppe Cafarella is Salvatore's brother,
 son of Domenico Cafarella 
 
 
Giuseppe Greco is Sebastianna's brother
 
 
Salvatore Cafarella is the son of Domenico Cafarella,
Rosa Fichera's father and
 Lucia van der Hoeven's grandfather. 
 He is also the brother of Jennie Cafarella, married to Joseph. 
 
 
Salvatore Cafarella again at bottom right
 
 
Giuseppe and Salvatore Cafarella 
 


Sunday, December 10, 2017

Carolina Cincotta Cafarella and Antonio Cafarella and children

 
Carolina Cincotta Cafarella and her children, Rosa and Salvatore probably during the early twenties.

 
Salvatore left brother of Antonio Cafarella, Domenico Cafarella, brother of Rosa Fichera, Maria Carolina Cincotta Cafarella and her daughter Giovanna

 
Rosa Cafarella, Cristina Cafarella and Giovanna Cafarella , daughters of Antonio Cafarella and Carolina Cincotta
 
Antonio Cafarella, husband of Carolina, center,
 and Salvatore Cafarella, Rosa Cafarella Fichera's father on the right.

Giuseppe Cafarella son of Domenico and Rosa

 
 
 
 
Domenico and Francesco Greco (left)

Francesco Cafarella Son of Domenico and Rosa

 
I am just speculating now, but I think this is the uniform of the Bersaglieri of the Royal Italian Army.
 
 


 
Domenico Cafarella

 
Rosa Patane
 


Saturday, December 2, 2017

Photo from Patrick and Lucia(Fichera) van der Hoeven from Australia

 
Salvatore Cafarella, Son of Domenico Cafarella
 
 I finally found the photo of Lucy's grandfather.
 I believe it was taken about 1963
 before he and his wife left Sicily forever
 to join the largest part of the family
 here in Melbourne.  I think that it is a
powerful photo of the old fisherman
who had been through the wars, lived as
well as possible in real poverty
and whose future is now with his
descendants in Sicily, Australia, and Argentina.
 
Patrick van der Hoeven
 
Well, for me, this is one of the most powerful photographs
of family that I have ever posted.
 I have a beauty from my Mitchell side and
so many nice family pictures,
 but this one is art, pure and simple.
 Even if you do not know who this is,
you can feel it inside.
Bill

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Left to right standing: Maria Francesca Cafarella, Sebastianna Greco and Salvatore Cafarella.
 
Behind is a neighbor child and Rosa Cafarella(Fichera).

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Cafarella to Fichera

Left: Giuseppe Cafarella
Right: Salvatore Cafarella son of Domenico and Rosa
1888-1986
 

Sebastianna Greco Cafarella, Wife of Salvatore Cafarella
mother of Rosa.
 
 

Rosa Cafarella Fichera 1926
 Daughter of Salvatore Cafarella who is the Son
 of the elder Domenico.
 
Rosario Fichera, Rosa's husband.
1924 - 1987
 
Francesco Cafarella Son of the elder Domenico Cafarella
 
 

Rosa and Rosario Fichera

 Rosa and Rosario Fichera
 
 Rosa(middle) and her sister on right.
 
Rosa in her village of Stezzo in Sicily after the war.


Friday, May 12, 2017

A New Blog

I have been blogging for a long time now about family.  In that time, some of the blogs have become a bit cumbersome.  To help in navigation of the blogs, I have deleted those posts that do not strictly adhere to the original intent. 
http://cafarella-cincotta.blogspot.com was intended to be stories about the family history.
http://cincotta-cafarella.blogspot.com was to show mostly pictures of family.
http://cafarella-cincotta.blogspot.com was for family recipes from all sources.
http://mitchell-day-jones.blogspot.com  was for Mitchell side family posts of all sorts.

Now I have added a new blog to which I have transferred all references, historic photos and maps that refer to family in passing, but include all the history of the Aeolian Islands, family related locations and general history of the islands. it is at:
http://cafarella-cincotta-aeolian.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

 
6/24/29 to 3/21/16 
Mom has been gone a year.  Love from Janice.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Abigail Brennan Posts Photos of her Vasquez Family

 
 Jeffrey Brennan and  Pam Brennan,
 Abigail's parents, married on
April 30, 1988
 
 
 
 Patricia Vasquez and Robert McDonald,
 married on May 2 1993
I will repost this photo as soon as I have a chance to clean up the image.
 
 
 
Left to right:
Patricia Vasquez McDonald,  Pam Vasquez Brennan,
 Charles Vasquez, the Groom Patricia Vasquez, his mother 
James Vasquez,  Linda Walker.
The Bride, Julie McCarthy, is not in his photo.
 
I will also clean this up and repost it.
 
 
 
 
 Christmas of 2007 was the last photo
of the entire family before Anerio Vasquez' passing.
 Left to right in the back are:
Robin Cordwell Vasquez, James Vasquez., Patricia Vasquez,
 Anerio Vasquez,
 Jeffrey Brennan and Pam Vasquez Brennan.
Left to right in the front row are:
 Robert McDonald,  Patricia Vasquez McDonald,
 Julie McCarthy Vasquez and  Charles Vasquez.
 

Friday, March 3, 2017

If you are new to this site, make sure you check out the companion site at http://cafarella-cincotta.blogspot.com This site contains stories that relate to the photos in this site.