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There isn't a lot of information for my Gamalero family, it ends with Guglielmo, my maternal great grandfather. This is because they were from a small town in Italy; Pagani, which is in the Province of Salerno. There are a lot of Italian records that are on the internet out there, but for my family not much.
Guglielmo was born the 26th of May in 1889 and immigrated to the United States to then go over to Guatemala where he lived most of his life. This is also where he met his wife, Marina. Marina's family was originally from Spain, but they had been living in Guatemala for a couple generations.
When Guglielmo immigrated over to America he changed his name to the English translation, William. So, in many records he is referenced as William. Many immigrants changed their names to the English version to become more integrated with the culture and so they would blend in and not stand out as immigrants. I will be referencing him as Guglielmo throughout the rest of the post.
Now on to discuss his Report of Death. This document is an example of where his name is William, listed as William Mario Gamalero. The Report of Death of an American Citizen isn't an actual death certificate, but a report sent to America from Guatemala (or any other country) to let them know about the death of an American citizen. The date of his death and the day this report was filled out is over a year apart. He died August 27, 1963 in Guatemala City, Guatemala of an acute nephritis of the liver and emphesema of the lung.
This document contains an abundance of valuable information; his occupation, his last known address in the United States, his spouse, the address of his spouse (which would have been his as well), and so much more.
When I first found this document I only saw the front and I did not think to check for a back side or other pages. A few months after I found this report I was doing more searching and I realized that I missed a huge part of the document, the back side (at least I believe it is the back side)! Now it is all in Spanish (and I am not yet fluent), but it lists the names of his parents. I had only known the name of his father since that was stated in his naturalization papers, but now I also knew the name of his mother.
This find really made me a better genealogist and researcher, because Ancestry.com or other genealogy search sites do not tell you if there is a back side or more pages, but now I know to check forward and back to see if I missed something important when looking at online documents.
Sources:
Guglielmo was born the 26th of May in 1889 and immigrated to the United States to then go over to Guatemala where he lived most of his life. This is also where he met his wife, Marina. Marina's family was originally from Spain, but they had been living in Guatemala for a couple generations.
When Guglielmo immigrated over to America he changed his name to the English translation, William. So, in many records he is referenced as William. Many immigrants changed their names to the English version to become more integrated with the culture and so they would blend in and not stand out as immigrants. I will be referencing him as Guglielmo throughout the rest of the post.
Now on to discuss his Report of Death. This document is an example of where his name is William, listed as William Mario Gamalero. The Report of Death of an American Citizen isn't an actual death certificate, but a report sent to America from Guatemala (or any other country) to let them know about the death of an American citizen. The date of his death and the day this report was filled out is over a year apart. He died August 27, 1963 in Guatemala City, Guatemala of an acute nephritis of the liver and emphesema of the lung.
This document contains an abundance of valuable information; his occupation, his last known address in the United States, his spouse, the address of his spouse (which would have been his as well), and so much more.
When I first found this document I only saw the front and I did not think to check for a back side or other pages. A few months after I found this report I was doing more searching and I realized that I missed a huge part of the document, the back side (at least I believe it is the back side)! Now it is all in Spanish (and I am not yet fluent), but it lists the names of his parents. I had only known the name of his father since that was stated in his naturalization papers, but now I also knew the name of his mother.
This find really made me a better genealogist and researcher, because Ancestry.com or other genealogy search sites do not tell you if there is a back side or more pages, but now I know to check forward and back to see if I missed something important when looking at online documents.
Sources:
- Report of Deaths of American Citizens 1835-1974, Guatemala City, Guatemala, Record Group; RG59-Entry 5166, Box Number; 12, Box Description; 1964 DL - GK; William Mario Gamalero; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 November 2014), citing National Archives publication; A1 5166, ARC ID; 613857, Record Group; 59.
- They Changed Our Name at Ellis Island: Immigrant Names and Name Changes at Ellis Island
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