The Tree

This page is devoted to the few pictures that we have of our ancestry, emphasizing the “Bartolini side.”  I hope that more pictures will surface as more family members review this blog.

Click any photo to enlarge them all.

Grandma Bartolini
Grandma & The Girls
Grandpa Bartolini
Grandpa’s Mother
Grandpa’s Brother Giuseppe & Bride
Grandpa’s Uncle & Family
Grandma’s Family
Grandma’s Sister
Grandma’s Brother-in-Law
Grandma’s Sister & Husband
Class Picture, Paris, France (c.1928)
The Girls (c. 1926)
Mom & Dad
Grandpa
Aunt Lea & Uncle Al

39 thoughts on “The Tree”

  1. This is wonderful. What a great tribute your blog is to your family. My ancestors are from further south, and I don’t know as much about their story. Grandma’s recipes are prized in our family too. The pictures remind me of my own ancestors. My grandma came to America from Sicily at 20.

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    • Thank you so much. I want to expand this page to include my Dad’s side of the family but I have only a few pictures as of now. I hope to find more when I visit home next time. I was lucky enough to spend a couple weeks touring Sicily. It really is beautiful and I strongly encourage you to visit there. It has something for everyone, from ancient Greek temples to modern day resort facilities. A truly remarkable island.

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  2. Our old people are from Sicily as well, (on my great-grandmothers side) I was there not long ago, Loved it.. but ended up on the industrial side of the island (sad face) . But truly these photos are magnificent. How lucky you are that they have been preserved for you.. that one of your parents!!.. wow.. and whose class picture in france?.. and Giuseppe.. (sexy fella) .. i want dates and there are stories here.. you are so lucky to have these images.. wow.. c

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    • Thank you, Cecilia. I, too, toured Sicily, driving along the southern shore from Palermo to Syracusa — and loved every minute of it. Some of those pictures were unknown to most of my family until just a few years ago and I wanted to make sure the principals were identified and everyone saw them. That was Mom’s and her Sister’s class picture. Grandma took the girls to France to visit her family. As for more stories, Zia is the source for most of them. When we work together making ravioli, sausage, or whatever, I learn so much about their youth and the family. These visits are special on many levels and I’m lucky to have the time for them. Oh! That pic of my parents? It is, by far, my favorite of them. 🙂

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    • Thank you. It is something, the lack of smiles, isn’t it? From old family photos, it looks like things started to change in the 40’s and people started relaxing more. Maybe it’s because cameras were becoming more common and you weren’t paying someone for a portrait. Whatever the reason, though, some of these people would have benefitted from sporting even a slight grin. 🙂

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      • Hi John…I stumbled upon your site by chance and loved the recipes and the best find was the history and the photos of your family…its quite a lot of effort to do something like this! I am from India and I remember asking someone about the lack of smiles in old photos and got a very funny answer, not sure whether its true but knowing how people were back then, wouldn’t surprise me if this was the reason. Well, people didn’t smile because they did not trust these new machines because it was rumored that if you smiled then the devil within the light would go down your throat and catch your soul! I think once they got familiar and realized that there was no devil lurking in the light then they relaxed and started smiling 🙂

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        • Welcome Monica. I’ve heard that, too, though not in connection with my family photos. This is not to say that it wouldn’t apply here. Some of the tales told by the Old Timers when I was a boy are every bit as superstitious, if not more so. Too bad there is no one left to ask about it. They’re all gone now and, in fact, it won’t be much longer before my generation are considered the Old Timers.
          Thanks for visiting, Monica, and for taking the time to add your perspective to the discussion.

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  8. Love watching your beautiful family tree. I’m glad you created a post that is mainly for your priceless heritage. Where we came from and how we are now is an important journey that make us appreciate how blessed we are. family is everything and it is important for the new generation to know their roots. Inspiring!

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    • Thank you so much. I wanted the young ones in my family to get to know these people. More than a few are mentioned within the blog, hopefully giving them a more rounded idea of who they all are/were. You are so right. We all need to know our roots.

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  9. Amazing. Took a look at the enlarged photos and I love the one of your parents when your dad was home on leave (WWII). I love candid photos, when people get out of ‘posing mode’ and just follow the emotion of the moment. It reminds me that all the generations before us were (and are) pretty much exactly the same as we ‘young ones’. They’ve just grown up… some more than others 😉 Also love the photos of ‘the girls’… those haircuts are awesome!!!

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    • That’s my point exactly, Laura. I know nothing of some of the people in those photos other than their names, if that. I want the next generation, and those to come, to realize Great-Grandma was young once. Showing the littlest ones in my family, for example, pics of Great-Grandma as a little girl gives each a completely different perspective of Great-Grandma. Add to that a few stories imbedded in the recipes and they’ll learn about those that came before them and realize they’ve more in common than they realized.
      Again, thanks for stopping by and commenting.

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    • That is some pic of the 2 ot hem, isn’t it? It’s my favorite photo. It speaks volumes about them and the times in which they courted. I smile whenever I see it. I’m working on a “Branches” page, showing more members of the Clan. It may not be exactly what you’ve requested but it will satisfy the privacy concerns of some of the more shy family members. 🙂

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    • Parts of both sides of my family migrated after WWI. Dad’s parents came to the States but eventually returned to Italy. Some of Mom’s Mother’s family went to France where they remained. We’ve lost touch with them and I’ve thought it would be great to see if I cold find them. First I have to win the Lottery. 🙂

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  12. Enjoyed seeing your family. Hope your relatives can add stories to them. I especially thought the photo of the children so dear. With hall those little girls with same haircut. Do u know the year? Sue
    Womenlivinglifeafter50.com

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    • Hello, Sue. We don’t know much about some of those pictured, I’m sad to say. That’s my impetus for this blog. Aside from saving the recipes, I want future generations to “know” these people I grew up with. I try to give details of the previous generations, as best as I recall so that they’ll have a better idea of who they were.
      As for that picture, that’s either 1928 or ’29. Mom and my Zia were in school in Nance, France. I cannot help but wonder what happened to those little girls. There were some very bad times ahead of them and I hope they were spared the worst of it.
      Thanks, Sue, for taking an interest and leaving a comment.

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  13. Hi John. I always love stopping by to see what I have missed from you past posts. What an inspiration for a page especially for yours where it fits the theme so well. Enjoyed meeting your family. 🙂

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    • Thank you. I hope to bring home some photos of my Dad’s family when I visit my Aunt next week. We’ve so few of them and I feel like I’ve neglected half of my family. That’s the plan, anyway … well … that and enjoying my Aunt’s cooking. 🙂

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    • You are? Howdy! Do you know where your family is from? Bartolini is my maternal family name and they were from Marche, Italy. I’ve visited the district and was surprised to see how many of “us” were there, though I’ve no idea if we’re related.
      Wouldn’t it be amazing if your family and mine were connected?

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    • There is no restaurant with which we are affiliated. The “Kitchens” is a reference to where Mom and her Sister cooked. Most of the family recipes posted here are from these 2 wonderful cooks. It wasn’t until I was much older did I realize just how fortunate we were. This blog was started as a way of preserving their recipes for future generations of my family.

      I hope you enjoy what you see.Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

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